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 Dynamics of Divine Timing

It’s the ever-present topic or statement heard around every post-service meal table all over the world. How do I make sure I am in right timing with God?

“I just want to make sure that I’m not moving ahead of God” or “I just don’t want to let my impatience get the best of me, after all, we are the microwave generation, we want everything now now now, Bless God.” These are noble intentions and taken at face value, are important considerations when walking in your divine purpose. The best place to be in divine timing is right smack dab in the middle of it, not too far ahead and certainly not behind. This is a world that many Christians find themselves in. Every single decision is weighed with the utmost fear and uncertainty, looking at it in the traditional sense can give someone a complex even if they don’t have one. It becomes the most un-fun tightrope walking performance ever.

What’s even worse is that most are paralyzed out of fear of not wanting to miss God and thus rather than risk doing something at the wrong time, they do nothing at all. (Parable of the servant with the one talent anyone?) The good news is that God doesn’t want you to live this way! God never created you to worry, to fret or to fear. God wants you to prosper and be in right timing with Him in a way that releases you into greater freedom, not fear. This usually happens when we make what is not the issue, the main issue.

The issue of divine timing has very little to do with time at all. God lives outside of time, He is not limited by time nor is He under its control. We see evidence to this when time literally stands still as Joshua and the Israelites need more time to destroy their enemies on their way to the promised land. What’s very important to notice in that story is that God bent the laws of time in order to fit His purpose for the Children of Israel. Timing is a servant of God’s purpose, not a dictator of it.

Likewise, God’s timing in your life is about fulfilling HIs purpose in your life. Divine Timing has very little to do with chronological time at all. Timing is a tool and instrument that God uses to mold us and craft us into something extraordinary. So the next time you are wondering whether it’s time to move on something that God has spoken to you about, consider asking God a different question, “Lord, what is your highest purpose at this very moment, that you want me to partner with?” It’s a small change, but when we ask, get ready to be surprised by the amount of clarity you get in response.

Look for next weeks post on, discerning God’s commands in your life.

Sincerely,

John Harke 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  

The Key of Intentionality

Isn’t it interesting that when you receive a word from the Lord it seems that everything around you conspires to pull your attention from what was said? Adversity, difficulties, crisis or even just the trudge of the grind of everyday life seem to work in concert to make us lose track of what God has spoken for this season. What this distraction produces is a lack of intentionality for pursuing the Word of the Lord spoken over our lives. This must not happen. There is too much that God wants to do through your life to allow this to rob you of the potential that God has spoken. 

That is why the key of intentionality is so important. 

Intentionality Brings: 

• A position of purpose and strength 

• Causes a re-ordering of your life to fall in line with what is truly important 

• Is a declaration that this is of the utmost value to you

• Opens your eyes to the doors that are opening to you to walk into fulfillment of what God has spoken

• Increases your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit

• Eradicates the emotional and strength robbers that are hidden in distraction 

• Releases joy in the midst of your work 

After reading just a few of the benefits, you might wonder why more people do not choose to be intentional with what God has spoken. The primary reason is that among other things, intentionality is an invitation into the new and the unknown. For most people, they would rather embrace the comfort of the mediocre that they know and can control over the reality of something new. This is a fruit of our fallen nature, and yet while it is understandable, it cannot be allowed to rule how we live our lives. Gideon is a prime example of this, he could have stayed at the threshing floor, providing for himself and his family, but God wanted to use Gideon to provide freedom for an entire nation. However in order to accomplish this, he needed to embrace the new and the uncomfortable.

Embracing Intentionality Means: 

• Saying no to certain things, people and situations that are vying to be a priority of your time and attention. 

• Being okay with the fact that people will not understand and may even reject you as a result of this. 

• Having grace and compassion for yourself because what you will walk into is so new and you will won’t have it perfect 

• Letting Go of Your Routine 

• Stepping out of your comfort zone, not just one time, or for a day or for a week, but a lifestyle of eradicating fleshly comfort 

• Choosing to sit still and take time to listen to the Voice of the Lord 

I encourage you to take a moment of intentionality right now, to silence yourself before the Lord and ask Him to bring to remembrance the Prophetic Word over your life. Allow Him to show you how to walk in it more fully, what to weed out of your life and how to re-prioritize it so that you can flow into the reality of the new that God wants to bring. 

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

The Platform of Tears

Tears are given to the church to relieve the pain. But has the body of Christ forgotten to weep? Is there a house that welcomes tears? Tears are a deep yearning for the voice of God to break in. We cry because we long for God to see, hear and act. We want the Lord to set our bones on fire. We no longer want the Lord to be a distant observer but a Father who is intimately connected with our suffering.

The groaning of our hearts feel the anguish of those who have had their identity erased. The ache for healing and restoration has become the sign that we have become fully engaged with humanity’s affliction. Apathy and indifference has been replaced with concern for our neighbor. The intense desire to bring emotional and spiritual comfort aches within our soul. We are broken with grief because we have been deeply affected by the distress of nations. The sight of abortion, the cover narrative of sexual promiscuity, the objectification of women and children caught in the trap of human trafficking, the lust for silver and gold and it’s purchasing power have lost its luster in the midst of sorrow. That burning sorrow for our neighbor frees us from the narcissistic attitude of our society. We then minimize our need to sustain our selfish causes and yearn to sustain our neighbor.

We agonize for those who were supposed to be the guardians of public trust, politicians, clergy and law in enforcement who have fallen into error and corruption. Because a community without the value of empathy, dehumanizes its neighbor and leaves a generation in captivity. What’s needed at this moment is the tone of prophetic intercession. These prayers are cries of hope, cries that plead for justice and mercy in the midst of the community’s exhaustion. Without shrinking into disrepair, these Intercessors weep for the redemption of the past, present and future. Physical necessities, personal safety, honor, and human dignity are what causes the shedding of tears for these prophets.

The only platform they have is the lament of their soul. For the cry of the intercessor is what keeps them from being numb for the carelessness of the unsympathetic. When there is an absence of emotion, society cannot reach out within the range of human emotions. Because prophetic intercession crafts the correct words to comfort nations. No one is able to overpower their hope because the awareness of God is greater than the awareness of suffering. For many, weeping for the disenfranchised turns into action. Simply because they understand that denial affects the social life of people living in a world which hides their pain.

Let us learn from the prophets of old who wept before they spoke, let us learn from leaders who wept before they acted. May our tears touch the Father’s heart so we can do what only He can do. Because weeping isn’t the end of the story it’s only the beginning. 

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

The Foundation for all Leadership

The administration of righteousness and justice is the foundation for all leadership. This is why battles are not necessarily won by just strength or mite, but they are won through the wise counsel of Godly leaders. Lovers of righteousness and justice feel a deep burden for those who have been exploited by others manipulation. That “smell of exploitation” mobilizes the righteous to both intercession and action. These leaders passionately remind those who have been assigned to them of their responsibility towards one another.

Confrontation takes on an essential role, however confrontation isn’t to prove how right we are as leaders and how wrong everyone else is. Confrontation is for the purpose of healing, transformation and the need for Godly solutions. What makes our speech beautiful is when we articulate the praises of God and prophesy the Lord’s heart in the area of crisis. Our voice becomes beautiful to the Lord when we quote what He has spoken to us. Our voice then confronts those who yearn to capitalize upon the misfortune of others conditions. We become a plumb line to the culture that is being pulled into a humanistic, philosophical mindset. For then, as leaders we diligently search for the right words to impart both understanding and revelation. With both eagerness and intentionality, we search for the right words, carefully choosing what we should say.

Every leader must weigh what he or she verbalizes, they must weave together a tapestry of truth, they must arrange their thoughts. Because timely words change the spiritual landscape of nations. The administration of righteousness and justice can’t be carried out unless the lips of leadership are filled with grace.

What does it mean to have lips that are filled with grace? I believe that it means to learn to lead people with generosity, because without generosity it’s virtually impossible to redeem them. When we look at the biblical context in Ruth we see Boaz leading with generosity. His heart is deeply moved by Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi and Ruth’s diligence in the field. Boaz then feels responsible to administer both righteousness and justice on behalf of Ruth and her mother in law. Boaz’s voice transforms the landscape of these two women in the narrative.

His overwhelming generosity breaks the vicious cycle of poverty and death, shame and humiliation.

Another example is the story of the Good Samaritan. Have we ever wondered why the Levite and the Pharisee walked away from the man who had been beaten and robbed? I believe it was because they were led by “time” and not by generosity. In other words, stopping to help disrupted their plans and therefore they missed an opportunity to love their neighbor. Which is what true justice is.

Both of these stories give us a tremendous framework for leadership and generosity as we look for opportunities to reach others. I am convinced that in the season that many of us are in, this important moment in our lives, the Holy Spirit is giving His church an awareness and a strategy to lead with generosity.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team