Finding your identity through Prophetic Perspective

Fear, doubt and unbelief produce horrible things. They can wreak havoc on our minds, emotions and, if allowed to fester unopposed, can derail our destiny and leave our potential undiscovered. We have to wage war against these things so that we can fully express who we were created to be and operate. The good news is that God doesn’t want us to have any of this in our lives. In fact, He has given us every tool imaginable to make sure that we can walk in total and complete victory.

One tool He has given us is the capacity to see as He sees. We see Jesus demonstrate this when after the healing at the pool of Bethesda, He declares that He does what He sees His Father doing. This speaks of divine perspective and the capacity that God’s children have to access and walk in it. Sadly, this is one of the most under-utilized privileges in the Body of Christ.

When we look around us, we see a culture that is terrorized by their past, powerless in their present and hopeless about their future. All of this is clear evidence of a generation that is not seeing from God’s divine perspective. They are looking through a very dark, soul crushing pair of binoculars with lenses of fear, inadequacy and doubt. What an incredible opportunity for The Church to rise up with believers that demonstrate the opposite by seeing from a divine perspective. God’s perspective not only sees into the past and present but also into the future. God, the Alpha and Omega sees with an eternal view, beginning to end, front to back. I believe that the world is crying out for leaders with that kind of vision.

We need a prophetic generation with the courage to look beyond their current situation and through the eyes of The Father to find a way to lead others forward.

Are you a part of this bold generation?

If so, one of the most important areas that we must apply this to is when it comes to our identity and position with Him. In fact, this area is essential if we are to experience the fullness of the life that God has for us. Throughout history, the strategy of the enemy has been the same. When a leader is about to be raised up, the enemy will come against their identity, looking for a weakness to exploit, to topple them before they even get out of the gates. Examples of this are Moses at the burning bush, where he gave every reason in the book about how he was not a deliverer or a leader. Gideon grapples with his identity as a judge over Israel to the point where he tests God with a fleece. Even Jesus, after being baptized, is brought into the wilderness where His identity is challenged by the enemy.

When you choose to be a prophetic leader, you will encounter this assault on identity countless times. That is why God’s perspective in this area is of the utmost importance. Allowing this to take place will dramatically reduce the warfare that the enemy will try to bring.

Take time today to seek the Lord, to allow Him to speak to you about how He sees you. Take some areas of your life where you believe something about yourself and ask Him if that is truly the case or is there some illumination that needs to come to see things as He does. Make this a regular practice and see the fruit that God brings from it.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

The Nature of Deception

How do we react when our influence begins to diminish? Simon the sorcerer was baptized, followed Phillip around but still operated like a sorcerer.

• Is that the fruit of salvation?

• Is that behavior the evidence of a transformed heart?

• Do I long to marvel at people with the gifts of the Spirit?

• Or do I live to love God with genuine faith and a passion to walk in a relationship with Christ?

When we look at the book of Acts chapter eight, Simon’s demonic activity has desensitized the masses in Samaria. His influence and control promoted an agenda of deception and an awareness of manipulation which the culture embraced. This led to untold unhappiness, misery and fear. Something evil was behind all the brokenness, the pain, the confusion. Sickness and diseases were running rapid through the city. People suffering wasn’t just a governmental problem, or an educational problem, it was an intellectual problem because evil was ruling over the hearts and minds of an entire region. There is no order when a society has been affected by witchcraft.

In an atmosphere like that, people are looking to be fascinated by anyone or anything. However because of heightened persecution, Phillip the Evangelist came preaching Christ along with the evidence of miracles and deliverance. Yet evidence of supernatural power isn’t enough to save by itself, as we see in the case of Simon. Phillip’s preaching and authentic power wasn’t a distorted gospel, however when we look Simon we witness a distorted heart. In other words Simon believes but is never taken out of the world’s system. And as we study Acts eight I believe there can be what we call a “false conversion”. People can be delusional and come under deep deception. Like Simon, there was a certain intellectual belief, as well as an outward baptism, but with no change of heart.

What is so self evident is that Simon is completely attentive to the miracles that are operating through Philip, but never attentive to the source of those miracles. There was this sense of assumed ownership that Simon thought he could possibly possess. Simply because of the long standing influence that he had over the hearts and minds of the people in Samaria. When that influence began to diminish he reveals his true heart condition.

Beloved, to be saved is to be under the control of the Spirit of God. Unfortunately Simon’s speech betrays him when he requested to buy the Holy Spirit from Peter. True repentance and humility were not evident in Simon’s soul, only bitterness and iniquity. Sure he gave up the practice of sorcery but sorcery was still lodged in his heart. When reading Peter’s words of correction we see that Simon feared punishment more that he feared God. This attitude left him in the state of deception. He wanted power more than he wanted authentic salvation, he got neither. So what are the takeaways from this narrative? I believe at this hour the prophetic has to be at times confrontational especially when we are dealing with spiritual warfare. Because through out the book of Acts the occult was consistently attempting to undermine the message of the gospel. This takes courage and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that the Lord will anoint the church so they can break the demonic influence over individuals and over territories.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

Entering The Process of Walking in Your Authority

The gift of salvation is not just freedom from going to hell, it is also a restoration of our authority in Christ. This authority allows us to be partners to establish God’s kingdom here on earth and it also is the authority to bring His Kingdom into the personal/inner earth of our lives. One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the Holy Spirit. He is not only a comforter, He is also a teacher. When we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us and guide us, we are able to tap into the authority given to us to demonstrate victory more and more in all areas.

While this authority is ours immediately, the knowledge and ability to walk in it is a process. We must grow into it through diligent study of The Word, submitting to proper spiritual discipleship, and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us. Walking in the fullness of what God has for us is a process.

Just like any process, we have to make sure we start at the beginning. This may seem intuitive but you would be surprised how many people tend to start anywhere but the beginning, causing them to experience frustration, diminished fruit and discouragement. Could you imagine wanting to be an Olympic gold medal winning sprinter in the 400 meter dash and rather than starting with buying the proper pair of shoes or finding a good running coach, you just woke up that morning and walked onto the racetrack of the Olympic qualifiers for team USA? I can tell you, the results would be discouraging.

Does it mean that you are not called to be a world class runner? That you lack the skills, the hamstrings or the foot speed? Not at all! You simply skipped about a thousand steps that were needed to get you race ready. What are the reasons that we want to get ahead of the process?

Some factors could be:

• Expectations we have or ourselves

• Expectations that others have of us

• Religion that tells us that we should be much further along than we actually are

• A desire to prove something to others

• Comparison

So if you are feeling frustration, disappointment or discouragement, I want to urge you to not give up on what you feel called to, too soon. Don’t immediately interpret negative things as evidence that you missed your calling or mis-heard God when the prophetic word came to you. Please take a moment to breathe and ask the Lord to show you if what you are experiencing is simply a disconnect between where you think you are in your process and where you actually are in your process. Also, do not rush your process, do not allow the chatter of those around you to get out of timing. Allow yourself to be lead by the heart of The One that loves you and will give you all the grace you need to grow into your authority.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

Choose to Engage in the Season You Are In

Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen

Did you know that there are other people on planet earth besides you? There are people who live in the same city, the same town, even the same home. In fact, beyond geography and time, there may be other people living in the same season of life or circumstances as you are. You live in the same political climate as your next door neighbor, you have the same boss as your co-worker, you might eat at the same restaurant as all your friends. However, this does not mean that your experience or what you get out of things are the same as others.

When the giant Goliath came out to challenge the Israelites, David was not the only one in attendance. He was not the sole recipient of Goliaths’ threats, David was not singled out and challenged by the giant. There were tens of thousands of people experiencing the same moment and situation as David was. However there was only one that chose to run to the battle line and engage with the enemy of the season to bring the victory that was needed.

David demonstrates a characteristic that God is calling for in this season. It is a willingness to engage in the season that you are in; to squeeze out every bit of potential that God has placed within it. This is a characteristic of kingship. David’s brothers and the other soldiers on the field demonstrate what not choosing to engage with your season looks like. Probably the strongest example of this is Saul who didn’t even bother to come out of his tent. Talk about fear driven apathy.

So let me ask you this, have you been engaging in the season that God has placed you in? Could not engaging fully in the way you know God is requiring of you because of feelings, fear, apprehension, unworthiness or any other factor be the main reason why you feel like your advancement has reached a stalemate? Could it be that if you demonstrate a posture like David and engage in your season, even if things in the natural fight for you to do the opposite, you could unlock many of the things that God has promised you?

If you have not engaged in your season, I encourage you, God wants to show you how. Ask Him, then do it.

Sincerely, John Harke Team

A Season to Sow

I want to take a moment to encourage you about something that is near and dear to my heart; sowing. Before you groan and roll your eyes at me, take stock of that very reaction if that is the one you are experiencing. If this is the case with you, I want to apologize on behalf of leaders or voices in your life that have improperly communicated the true value of sowing. I hope that what comes will give you a different perspective on just how important it is in our lives.

We all understand that sowing doesn’t have to do entirely with money, it is just that in our western culture, money is the closest approximation to the fruits of our labor. Cane and Abel had crops and livestock that they brought before the Lord, Hannah committed her son to the House of God, Solomon built an entire temple; all of these things had a common thread, what they sowed and offered to God represented their time, energy and source of survival and provision.

When we sow in this manner, it is a beautiful, powerful declaration that the entirety of our trust, provision and survival comes from God. It is a reaffirmation of our redeemed nature that eradicates the seeds of what brought the fall of man, the desire to seek a source other than The Creator.

So you see, sowing is not just throwing money into an offering bucket, it is about the fact that as one redeemed and restored to the Father, it is now your privilege and right as a believer to sow into the fact that God has restored you to your position and your purpose. God is your source and more of Him is the fruit that you desire.

Now there are so many other aspects of sowing but I believe that this concept is foundational if we are to truly have a right understanding on the importance of sowing. Sowing points your focus, you actions and your resources as a declaration that God is your source of life. What comes from this among many things, is that you begin to understand the type of favor that truly is on your life. It also allows you to walk in a level of supernatural peace. I will unpack more on sowing in the future.

Sincerely,

John Hark Team

The Prophet's Heart

The prophet’s heart has been nurtured by a desire to know God. They’ve come to know that they are being pursued by the Almighty. The taste of what is to come drives them forward and upward towards Heaven. The glamour of the current narrative doesn’t have any resemblance of truth to the prophet. They seem to constantly probe the soul to find the places in their hearts that still having feelings for something beyond their numbness. For the prophet ethics are not up for debate they are absolutes in order for civilization to exist.

Abandonment isn’t some misfortune but a joyous privilege simply because what makes a man or woman of God, is the vision they have for God. The prophet realizes that there is an expensive toll to pay for intimacy, that toll is vulnerability. Because intimacy will require the greatest investment, which is time. It also requires partnership with the prophetic word which makes the community sustainable. Prophets desire deliverance and healing for others because it’s an ambition for excellence. This is the essence of servanthood, the nucleus for self emptying and humility. The prophetic word gives the prophet the opportunity to bring about social change. In other words, because of spiritual apathy there is a deafness in the lives of humanity and a prophet must open the ears of men and women. The prophet must move people from all walks of life to identify the needs of others before culture can receive a true revelation of what it means to have compassion. What the prophet confronts is a culture that identifies with personal wants, more than they identify with the weak.

There’s a society that lives with opposition by intimidation, and that opposition cripples their dreams, hopes and desires. In other words, if the Lord has truly raised us up, then the opposition from men and the demonic influences will not burn us out. It seems that the prophet is the kind of individual that possesses a focus that is much greater than the intimidation of demonic opposition. The need for justice has arrested the heart of the prophet. Because whatever or whoever has arrested our hearts, that is what our lives seem to be engaged in. The prophet will always challenge the worlds views and values. Those appointed to this type of ministry are people of virtue and values, convictions and commitments. They are guided by principle rather than personal ambition, and servanthood rather than being served. Their will has been confronted by a divine burden to build what the Lord yearns to be built.

For the prophet, the erosion of empathy for others is not tolerated. It must be confronted. However this will take an attitude towards others that refuses to degrade or treat people without dignity. Because the prophet has a heart that aches for God, their reward is hearing the Lord’s thoughts. Immersed in the thoughts of God, the prophet trumpets a call for humility to come and see. To know and to be known by the Almighty God.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team