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"BIRTHING
REVIVAL THROUGH INTIMACY" |
THE
NEXT MOVE OF GOD WILL BE BIRTHED OUT OF INTIMACY
What an incredible night we had. It was the last night of our Signs and Wonders
Conference in Iowa at Heartland Assembly of God, March 13, 2004. There was a
serious impartation granted by the hand of God Himself. As we went deeper into
worship the glory of God came into the room. The air was heavy with His
presence. As I lay on the floor soaking in His Glory the power of God so
overwhelmed me, my body began to shake under the intensity of the visitation. I
heard the inner audible voice of God speak to me about the next move of His
Spirit. He told me "This move will not be brought by any one man. It will
come from My Spirit." I then saw the Lord dancing with a baby in His
hands. I knew the infant was the next move to be birthed by the hand of God. I
was aware that the presence I was experiencing was the very breath of God, and
a foretaste of the next wave of His Spirit.
A WHITE GLORY MIST FORMED IN THE RAFTERS OF
THE CHURCH
As I stood to the pulpit all I could do was bury my head in my Bible. As I held
onto the podium the worship team continued to play. The Lord spoke that He
would strengthen me to be able to share the word He had written on my heart. As
I lifted my head I could visibly see a white mist glory cloud hovering near the
ceiling of the church. Several others could see it too. It was the manifest
glory of God. All around the sanctuary people were weeping and shaking - some
on their knees and some standing. The Lord was impregnating us with the seed of
revival. He began to speak to me that revival would be birthed out of intimacy.
He brought me to Genesis 1:2 "The earth was without form and void; and
darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over
the face of the waters."
Then to Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living being."
THE BREATH OF GOD WAS RELEASED
During our time in worship the Holy Spirit hovered over us the way He
overshadowed Mary when she became pregnant with the Christ child (Luke 1:35).
There was a genuine seed of revival deposited in our spirits. At one point
during worship, the manifest breath of God, the "ruach" of God, was
breathed into us and we were filled with new life. The worship leader could no
longer stand behind his keyboard but could only lie across the altar groaning
under the weight of His presence. It was like when the cloud of glory filled
Solomon's temple and the priests could no longer stand to minister because of
the cloud (2 Chron. 5:14).
The Lord spoke to me about this next move being birthed out of intimacy. He
brought me to Song of Solomon 3:1-4:
"By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.
"I will rise now," I said, "And go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek the one I love."
I sought him but I did not find him. The watchmen who go about the city found me; I said "Have you seen the one I love?"
Scarcely had I passed by them, when I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go, until I had brought him to the house of my mother, and into the chamber of her who conceived me."
FIVE IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES FROM THE SONG OF SOLOMON
There were several important principles the Lord revealed to me out of this account of the Shulamite woman searching for her Beloved:
1) She was so longing for
the One she loved, that she was willing to be inconvenienced in the middle of
the night to get out of bed to go search for Him. She couldn't wait till
morning. The Lord is causing His church to arise out of the bed of our comfort
and complacency to search for Him.
2) She didn't find Him right
away. She had to look and search for Him. The Lord is not always easily found.
Sometimes there has to be a persistent search for God until we find Him.
3) The watchmen couldn't
tell her where He was. There are those times where we need to find God for
ourselves. We can't live off of someone else's experience or anointing. We have
to dig our own well and find the presence, power and anointing of God in our
own lives. Other people's testimonies can encourage us. But we must always
press in to find God for ourselves.
4) When she finally found
Him she wouldn't let Him go. When we find the Lord we must not be easily
satisfied. Many times when we are spiritually seeking and pressing in to God,
we get a taste of His presence and then stop seeking or holding onto Him. This
is where we miss it. We must be like Jacob who wrestled with the Angel of the
Lord all night until He blessed him. He would not let Him go. This is how we
must be with the Lord. We must not let Him go until we have the fullness of
what He wants to bless us with. When Jacob wrestled with God there was a name
change from Jacob to Israel. He went from "Deceiver" to "Prince
with God." There was a deep transformation that took place in Jacob. As we
wrestle with God and refuse to let Him go until we have His full blessing and
favor, there will also be a deep transformation in us as we become more like
Him, being transformed into His image.
5) They entered the chamber
of intimacy. This is where new birth is conceived, in the secret place with
God. It is in this chamber of deep intimate love with God that His seed of
revival is imparted into us.
THE OVERSHADOWING OF GOD'S SPIRIT
The next move of the Spirit will be birthed out of this place of intimacy with
God, with the overshadowing of God's Spirit in our lives. Psalm 91 declares
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under
the shadow of the Almighty." The shadow of God is the place where His
glory covers our lives. It's a place of refuge and protection from all the
plots of the evil one. It's also the place where God infuses His strength and
life into us.
In Genesis 1:2-3 there is a creative force and life released under the hovering
of the Holy Spirit in Creation. Under the shadow of the Spirit there is
creative power and authority released to bring order out of chaos and light out
of darkness. It was under the shadow of the Holy Spirit that God spoke creation
into existence. When we are under His shadow there is a creative power released
in us and through us to declare into existence those things that God desires to
manifest in the earth.
In Luke 1:31, 35-38, it was under the overshadowing of the Spirit that Mary
became pregnant with the Christ child. What was impossible became possible. The
supernatural became natural. The key to Mary receiving the impartation she
received from God, to carry the seed of the greatest move of the Spirit in
history, the birth of the Son of God, was her simple act of agreement. Her
response to the Lord was "Let it be done unto me according to your word."
In verse 45 it says "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a
fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." God
just needs our agreement and simple faith to receive the fullness of all He
wants to give us.
As the presence of the Holy Spirit overshadows His church in this hour, there
is coming an impartation to carry the seed of the next move of God. The secret
place of intimacy with the Lord is vitally important to receiving the fullness
of all He wants to birth in the earth. It will be out of this place of abiding
under His shadow that the creative force and power of His Spirit will be
released in our lives, including the move of extraordinary signs, wonders and
miracles. This demonstration of God's power through His people will be a direct
result of the time spent in the secret place, under the shadow of His glory. We
must guard our time with God and guard the seed He places in us. Out of the
secret place of intimacy will come the release of life and power to see the
glory of God cover the face of the earth.
--Matt Sorger
Web: http://www.mattsorger.com
Email: info@mattsorger.com