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nateandchristy2018

Have you been shipwrecked by a Saul season?

nateandchristy2018

Have you been shipwrecked by a Saul season?

Have you been shipwrecked by a Saul season?

(EXCERPT FROM "THE WILD ONES"

How we deal with the deepest wounds matters, and there are wounds that do seem to go deeper than others. They go deeper than words of accusation, being rejected, or being passed over. These are the wounds that far too many who experience them never seem to move on from them, but that statistic is changing. I am talking about father wounds, dishonor, and betrayal.

Saul was David’s father-in-law and while Saul started off admiring David, he became extremely jealous of the favor and presence on his life, and Saul sought to kill him.

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul (1 Samuel 18:10–12).

Saul represents the fathers, leaders, and figures we all know in life who are meant to champion us, raise us, empower us, and cover/protect us, but because of insecurity, they fall prey to being a Saul in our lives. It’s quite ironic that a parental, spiritual figure that is meant to nurture and enhance the call of God on us can be the greatest threat to it. Many gifted and anointed people I know haven’t survived the Sauls in their lives. They are derailed and assassinated and alienated from their destinies.

People ask me this question all the time: Then if Sauls can be so destructive, why does God allow them? Firstly, you must remember that what is a “Saul test” to the Davids, is a “David test” to the Sauls. When we deal with a leader who acts as a Saul out of insecurity, the test we face is equally for them. Will they lift us up and propel us further than they have been? I’ll talk more about fathering in the chapters to come, but for now, I want to focus on the wilderness trial of dealing with Sauls, and then walking out the pain of being at the scary end of a Saul’s insecure rampage.

It’s one thing to raise people from orphans, but the real test is what fathers and mothers do when they mature and become powerful. In our years of raising up world changers in our school, we have seen time and time again people surpass us, and it blesses us, but if we got insecure, we could potentially be the greatest threat to their calling.

PINOCHIO’S CONUNDRUM

The story of Pinocchio has always spoken to me in an unusual way because I felt like a puppet on strings in the institutional church setting, but especially to the spiritual fathers I submitted, knowing they wanted something from me. In the story of Pinocchio , these are the characters and whom they represent in this context:

  • Pinocchio—orphan (not real son) who desperately wants to prove himself. Nose grows when he lies, which shows how Pinocchio sees his personal shame as external.
  • Geppetto—Father God who desires family at any cost and loves even when we stray from Him.
  • Jiminy Cricket—the voice of the Holy Spirit who tells us right from wrong.
  • Stromboli—the counterfeit father who controls, extorts, and uses Pinocchio for money and gain.

There is a strange dynamic and almost a synergy between the orphan and the counterfeit father in that they are both looking to each other. The orphan desires validation while the insecure father wants people he can control and manipulate for his devices to use as steppingstones for his goals and dreams. I know this because I was Pinocchio, desperately wanting a father figure’s approval. I would have done anything for it, even if I was oppressed in it.

Many years ago, when I was beginning to realize this unhealthy dynamic, I had a call from a friend of mine who said, “I have a word for you.”

“Okay, great what is it?” I said.

He replied in a comedic way, “The Lord says, ‘You’re a real boy!’”

This strange word really blessed me and made me sever a tie I had a with a Stromboli in my life. I didn’t need strings. I didn’t need flattery and false validation at the cost of my destiny. That day, I stopped trying to find fathers and began to pursue the Father.

TOUCH NOT GOD’S ANOINTED

So how do you pass the test when dealing with a Saul? I have asked God that for years as I’ve walked through some of the most painful woundings by people I trusted and gave my all to serve. The answer is actually found in 1 Samuel 24, where David finds Saul sleeping in a cave and instead of killing him cuts off a piece of his robe and then walks away.

Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?  This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed’” (1 Samuel 24:8–10).

What David did was more than just fueled by the fear of the Lord not to touch God’s anointed. It was fueled by his love and honor for someone who betrayed and dishonored him. The fruit? Saul was repentant, for a while at least.

BETRAYAL’S POISON

Only three years ago, I faced a deep betrayal from a close brother. I didn’t see it coming at all. It hurt so deeply that I felt lost in the pain and dishonor of it and wanted to give up ministry altogether. I felt done because the road of trials had finally hit its peak. In the middle of that, we happened to be in the States and were invited to lunch with good friends of ours who had no idea of the situation. Halfway through catching up, one of our friends said, “I need to give you something,” and he took off his jacket and gave it to me. As soon as I put it on, I began to cry. It was the presence and anointing! I felt the covering of a brother over me where I had been exposed. Then he handed me his recently acquired black belt in martial arts and said, “This kind of warfare will not take you out ever again!”

In 1 Samuel 18:4, Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing—along with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt—and gave them all to David. It was a sign of friendship, covenant, and honor while Jonathan’s own father was operating in fear, jealousy, and insecurity.

It was the seed of honor David needed to continue acting in honor toward someone who wasn’t acting honorably toward him. Think about the story of where Saul was chasing David and David found him sleeping in a cave. Instead of killing Saul, he cut off a corner of his tunic to show that he would act honorably even when Saul didn’t. Honor is an art I don’t feel like we have fully tapped into yet, but it is a key component for reformers because we will meet many Sauls in our journey, but how we deal with them will be the test.

Have you encountered a Saul in your life? Someone who should have been a leader, mentor, father, or mother but because of insecurity actually warred against you? Have you experienced witchcraft like I spoke about but didn’t understand the symptoms? Pray Isaiah 54:17 today over yourself and rebuke every word curse, forgive the Sauls, and ask Holy Spirit to help you move on.

Dishonor comes in many ways and forms. Here are three examples from the Bible:

  • Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him that they threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery.
  • David’s brother Eliab was so jealous of David being anointed king that he spoke nasty hateful words when he was thinking of taking down Goliath.
  • Absalom was so power hungry and jealous of his dad that he raised an army against his own father and sought to kill him!

HONOR IS CURRENCY IN A TRIAL

David used honor to see Saul in the way God saw Saul, even when Saul didn’t see it himself. That’s what honor is at its core, seeing and treating someone according to what God says about them and not according to their shortcomings or actions. I am so grateful for starting to learn this in the middle of my greatest seasons of attack and wilderness. I’m glad I’m learning how to honor those who don’t honor me back.

I remember the first time I applied this in a moment of dishonor, and to be honest, it didn’t feel satisfying at all. My innate sense of justice roaring in me was wanting to let this person know how wrongly they had treated me, but God’s Band-Aids and healing balms often look different to ours. The Saul test we all go through is will we throw a javelin back when one is thrown at us? Will we touch God’s anointed when they abuse or hurt us? Will we throw them under a bus when they have placed us in oncoming traffic?

If you are going through this trial, here are some practical actions of honor.

  • Don’t speak badly about those who have spoken badly about you.
  • Speak to who they are. It doesn’t excuse what they did, but it keeps your heart right.
  • Bless them. Send them flowers or a gift.
  • Break off the words and betrayal. That’s honoring yourself.
  • Break the soul tie. This detaches you spiritually from them, their ownership of you and their judgment, and it removes the ceiling they placed over you.

It’s only when you are dishonored that you truly learn how to honor. It’s in a moment of potential bitterness that you choose to not prescribe the same poison to others they inflicted upon you. Can you be a reformational voice who speaks truth in boldness but also honors? Right now, the Father is releasing double honor upon you where you have been dishonored.

If you have been through this trial or are still walking through it, you need to know that God has not abandoned you. That lie will keep you in obscurity for the rest of your life if you let it. Today, ask the Father to encounter you in a new way, release your wounds, let them stay behind you so you can finally move on into what God has called you to without being tethered another day to the past.

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

FROM WILDERNESS TO OUTPOURING

By Nate Johnston • April 3, 2025
I believe that we are in a season, both personally and corporately, where God is leading us through a wilderness, not to isolate us, but to revive us. It’s where the Lord says, “I’m pulling them out to deliver them, and heal them, and ready them for the next chapter.” I went through this very thing in late 2024, where I felt like I hit a wall and needed to get away. It’s the feeling of needing to go up the mountain and let God revive and reinvent your life under the power of His hand. It’s the longing to be cut loose from so much that has been attached to you in the long-haul season of doing kingdom. So this wilderness isn’t to punish you, but to momentarily cut the cord and loose your bonds. It’s a place where God allows us to search our hearts and remove anything that shouldn’t be there. It’s a place of stripping back the layers of a battle-fought season and coming back to simple relationship. Right now, God is highlighting areas that aren’t working, that are frustrating us, and that are leading us away from His purpose. These things are producing Ishmaels instead of Isaacs, and He wants to free us from them. Can you relate? We’re seeing this take place in the body of Christ as well. There are three passages of Scripture, that really speak to what God is doing right now. People are talking about Joel 2, and I agree. We are in a Joel 2 moment where God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. That’s why we’re seeing dreams, visions, fresh prophetic insight, and the rise of a generation that prophesies. “Your sons and daughters will prophesy." It’s happening. But we’ve also been talking about Acts 2, which feels like the vehicle God is using to bring us into what’s already available. It’s not something new. It’s a realignment. God is realigning His Church with Acts 2, returning us to the original design, the original power, and the original fire. But here’s what I want to highlight. There’s another “Chapter Two Moment” that I believe we’re walking through right now, and it comes first. Hosea 2. Hosea 2 is a prophetic snapshot of the Church. A bride who walked away from covenant and gave herself to other lovers. God says, “I will allure her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” Right now, the Lord is drawing His bride into the wilderness. Not to punish her, but to restore her back to intimacy. I believe what we’re seeing in the Church, the shaking, the exposure, the unraveling of man-made systems, is a Hosea 2 moment. It’s where the Church that once fell in love with the lights, the glamour, and the stage is now being wooed back to presence. It’s where God is saying, “Come back to Me. Let Me be your first love again.” And as the Church returns to intimacy, to simplicity, and to covenant, we enter into Acts 2 again. This is where the Holy Spirit begins to pour out in a fresh way. Not just on platforms, but in hidden rooms, families, churches, homes, and gatherings of hungry hearts. This is where repentance meets refreshing. Where the oil returns. Where signs, wonders, miracles, and healing begin to flow again, not because of hype, but because we’ve made room for Him. And from there, we move into the Joel 2 outpouring. The Joel 2 army doesn’t come from a distracted or divided Church. It comes from a restored, realigned, and empowered bride. So if you feel like you’ve been in a wilderness, this is your Hosea 2. If you’re feeling hungry and expectant, this is your Acts 2. If you feel the stirring to rise up and release the word of the Lord, this is your Joel 2. They’re not separate moves. They are one prophetic flow. Hosea 2 prepares us. Acts 2 empowers us. Joel 2 sends us. This is what God is doing right now, in the Church, in families, and in individuals. Let the wilderness do its work. Let the fire fall again. And let the harvest begin. So with that said, let me speak this over you; While it may seem like God is stripping things away… While it may feel like He is leading you out of relationships, assignments, environments, or even callings that once felt secure… While closures and endings seem to surround you… It is not to diminish you. It is to prepare you. He is removing the old garments. He is cleansing the residue and slime of past seasons. He is cutting ties with compromise and false alignments. He is wiping away the shame, the confusion, and the weariness. And He is handing you a new robe and a new ring. He is restoring your authority. He is clothing you in righteousness and recommissioning you in intimacy. He is setting the table for personal outpouring so that you can pour out to others. You are not being buried. You are being planted. You are not being abandoned. You are being re-aligned. The season has changed. Winter has passed. The sound of singing is in the land again. I prophesy that you are stepping into the days of overflow. You will not just survive this stripping, you will emerge radiant. You will not just be revived, you will be reignited. And from the wilderness, you will come out leaning on your Beloved, dripping with fresh oil. Let the wilderness do its work. Let the fire fall again. And let the harvest begin. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

WHY WE NEED THE WILD VOICES TO RISE UP RIGHT NOW

By Nate Johnston • April 1, 2025
We need the wild voices to rise up right now because we need to see a new covenant paradigm of the prophetic unleashed on the earth. We need voices that don’t just tear down strongholds and overturn tables, but know how to build what is pure and true. We need those with no selfish motives, voices that step onto the scene not to draw people to themselves but to lead them to Jesus. We need the wild voices because they are a reflection of the Father’s heart and release His intentions into the earth. Just as David, the OG wild voice left the wilderness, and his first call was to take down a giant. Wild voices decimate principalities as a byproduct of their obedience. That moment set off a domino effect that led the kingdom back into alignment with God’s purposes. -The wild voices restore worship. -They restore the priesthood. -They restore the knowledge of God’s voice. THE WILD VOICES DESTROY CELEBRITY CULTURE We are seeing a culture where the messenger has become the focus instead of the King of Kings. 1 Corinthians 14 clearly calls the church to prophesy and hear God’s voice. But instead, there has been an overemphasis on hearing from others while many believers have lost confidence in hearing God for themselves. The wild voices break that cycle. They lead people back into relationship with God. They tear down thrones, altars, and idols built to other things. They call the church back to the fiery altar of consecration and sacrifice. WILD VOICES ARE DELIVERERS As wild voices speak, everything impure begins to run. Nothing can hide as the anointing of the wild voice is released. All counterfeits are exposed. All false gospels and false versions of Jesus are revealed for what they truly are. WILD VOICES BUILD, REDEEM & SEE THROUGH DARKNESS Wild voices don’t just tear down, they build. They redeem. They see God’s handiwork, even in the midst of chaos. They don’t just point out what’s crumbling, they announce what God is establishing. They are constant broadcasters of God’s goodness and His hand upon us, even through trials. Wild voices speak with authority and truth. They don’t tickle ears. They say exactly what needs to be said while also releasing the love and affection of God. IT’S TIME TO BREAK THE STATUS QUO We have disempowered ourselves by believing that only a select few are called to be wild voices. But that’s a lie. We are ALL called to be the wild, undignified voices of God. Like wild stallions and brumbies, we don’t bow to the spirit of religion or the Jezebel spirit that loves to create a façade of spiritual authority. We don’t exist to broadcast what’s falling down. Even in the kingdom, there’s been a massive overemphasis on what is crumbling. While there is truth in that, the wild ones are rising to speak the new narrative and write the next chapter. The wild ones will prophesy what God is doing. They will announce what He is building. They will carry the blueprints for the new era. And they will hand the baton to those ready to run with it. ARE YOU READY TO BE A WILD VOICE? Have you been disempowered by the status quo in the church? Have you been afraid to step into your voice because you don’t want to fall into the same errors you’ve seen in the past? Are you still healing from past rejection and doubt, unsure if your voice even matters anymore? If this word convicted you, then you are called to be a wild voice. -Find your wild pack. -Begin your destiny again. -Pick up the keys and RUN. It’s time.

FROM WILDERNESS TO OUTPOURING

By Nate Johnston • April 3, 2025
I believe that we are in a season, both personally and corporately, where God is leading us through a wilderness, not to isolate us, but to revive us. It’s where the Lord says, “I’m pulling them out to deliver them, and heal them, and ready them for the next chapter.” I went through this very thing in late 2024, where I felt like I hit a wall and needed to get away. It’s the feeling of needing to go up the mountain and let God revive and reinvent your life under the power of His hand. It’s the longing to be cut loose from so much that has been attached to you in the long-haul season of doing kingdom. So this wilderness isn’t to punish you, but to momentarily cut the cord and loose your bonds. It’s a place where God allows us to search our hearts and remove anything that shouldn’t be there. It’s a place of stripping back the layers of a battle-fought season and coming back to simple relationship. Right now, God is highlighting areas that aren’t working, that are frustrating us, and that are leading us away from His purpose. These things are producing Ishmaels instead of Isaacs, and He wants to free us from them. Can you relate? We’re seeing this take place in the body of Christ as well. There are three passages of Scripture, that really speak to what God is doing right now. People are talking about Joel 2, and I agree. We are in a Joel 2 moment where God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. That’s why we’re seeing dreams, visions, fresh prophetic insight, and the rise of a generation that prophesies. “Your sons and daughters will prophesy." It’s happening. But we’ve also been talking about Acts 2, which feels like the vehicle God is using to bring us into what’s already available. It’s not something new. It’s a realignment. God is realigning His Church with Acts 2, returning us to the original design, the original power, and the original fire. But here’s what I want to highlight. There’s another “Chapter Two Moment” that I believe we’re walking through right now, and it comes first. Hosea 2. Hosea 2 is a prophetic snapshot of the Church. A bride who walked away from covenant and gave herself to other lovers. God says, “I will allure her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” Right now, the Lord is drawing His bride into the wilderness. Not to punish her, but to restore her back to intimacy. I believe what we’re seeing in the Church, the shaking, the exposure, the unraveling of man-made systems, is a Hosea 2 moment. It’s where the Church that once fell in love with the lights, the glamour, and the stage is now being wooed back to presence. It’s where God is saying, “Come back to Me. Let Me be your first love again.” And as the Church returns to intimacy, to simplicity, and to covenant, we enter into Acts 2 again. This is where the Holy Spirit begins to pour out in a fresh way. Not just on platforms, but in hidden rooms, families, churches, homes, and gatherings of hungry hearts. This is where repentance meets refreshing. Where the oil returns. Where signs, wonders, miracles, and healing begin to flow again, not because of hype, but because we’ve made room for Him. And from there, we move into the Joel 2 outpouring. The Joel 2 army doesn’t come from a distracted or divided Church. It comes from a restored, realigned, and empowered bride. So if you feel like you’ve been in a wilderness, this is your Hosea 2. If you’re feeling hungry and expectant, this is your Acts 2. If you feel the stirring to rise up and release the word of the Lord, this is your Joel 2. They’re not separate moves. They are one prophetic flow. Hosea 2 prepares us. Acts 2 empowers us. Joel 2 sends us. This is what God is doing right now, in the Church, in families, and in individuals. Let the wilderness do its work. Let the fire fall again. And let the harvest begin. So with that said, let me speak this over you; While it may seem like God is stripping things away… While it may feel like He is leading you out of relationships, assignments, environments, or even callings that once felt secure… While closures and endings seem to surround you… It is not to diminish you. It is to prepare you. He is removing the old garments. He is cleansing the residue and slime of past seasons. He is cutting ties with compromise and false alignments. He is wiping away the shame, the confusion, and the weariness. And He is handing you a new robe and a new ring. He is restoring your authority. He is clothing you in righteousness and recommissioning you in intimacy. He is setting the table for personal outpouring so that you can pour out to others. You are not being buried. You are being planted. You are not being abandoned. You are being re-aligned. The season has changed. Winter has passed. The sound of singing is in the land again. I prophesy that you are stepping into the days of overflow. You will not just survive this stripping, you will emerge radiant. You will not just be revived, you will be reignited. And from the wilderness, you will come out leaning on your Beloved, dripping with fresh oil. Let the wilderness do its work. Let the fire fall again. And let the harvest begin. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

WHY WE NEED THE WILD VOICES TO RISE UP RIGHT NOW

By Nate Johnston • April 1, 2025
We need the wild voices to rise up right now because we need to see a new covenant paradigm of the prophetic unleashed on the earth. We need voices that don’t just tear down strongholds and overturn tables, but know how to build what is pure and true. We need those with no selfish motives, voices that step onto the scene not to draw people to themselves but to lead them to Jesus. We need the wild voices because they are a reflection of the Father’s heart and release His intentions into the earth. Just as David, the OG wild voice left the wilderness, and his first call was to take down a giant. Wild voices decimate principalities as a byproduct of their obedience. That moment set off a domino effect that led the kingdom back into alignment with God’s purposes. -The wild voices restore worship. -They restore the priesthood. -They restore the knowledge of God’s voice. THE WILD VOICES DESTROY CELEBRITY CULTURE We are seeing a culture where the messenger has become the focus instead of the King of Kings. 1 Corinthians 14 clearly calls the church to prophesy and hear God’s voice. But instead, there has been an overemphasis on hearing from others while many believers have lost confidence in hearing God for themselves. The wild voices break that cycle. They lead people back into relationship with God. They tear down thrones, altars, and idols built to other things. They call the church back to the fiery altar of consecration and sacrifice. WILD VOICES ARE DELIVERERS As wild voices speak, everything impure begins to run. Nothing can hide as the anointing of the wild voice is released. All counterfeits are exposed. All false gospels and false versions of Jesus are revealed for what they truly are. WILD VOICES BUILD, REDEEM & SEE THROUGH DARKNESS Wild voices don’t just tear down, they build. They redeem. They see God’s handiwork, even in the midst of chaos. They don’t just point out what’s crumbling, they announce what God is establishing. They are constant broadcasters of God’s goodness and His hand upon us, even through trials. Wild voices speak with authority and truth. They don’t tickle ears. They say exactly what needs to be said while also releasing the love and affection of God. IT’S TIME TO BREAK THE STATUS QUO We have disempowered ourselves by believing that only a select few are called to be wild voices. But that’s a lie. We are ALL called to be the wild, undignified voices of God. Like wild stallions and brumbies, we don’t bow to the spirit of religion or the Jezebel spirit that loves to create a façade of spiritual authority. We don’t exist to broadcast what’s falling down. Even in the kingdom, there’s been a massive overemphasis on what is crumbling. While there is truth in that, the wild ones are rising to speak the new narrative and write the next chapter. The wild ones will prophesy what God is doing. They will announce what He is building. They will carry the blueprints for the new era. And they will hand the baton to those ready to run with it. ARE YOU READY TO BE A WILD VOICE? Have you been disempowered by the status quo in the church? Have you been afraid to step into your voice because you don’t want to fall into the same errors you’ve seen in the past? Are you still healing from past rejection and doubt, unsure if your voice even matters anymore? If this word convicted you, then you are called to be a wild voice. -Find your wild pack. -Begin your destiny again. -Pick up the keys and RUN. It’s time.

THE BATTLE IS FIERCE BECAUSE YOU ARE AT A THRESHOLD

By Nate Johnston • April 1, 2025
The reason why the attacks against your family, your livelihood, your marriage, your health, and your children have reached an all-time high in this season is because you are at a threshold. In late 2022 , I suddenly developed back pain that I couldn’t understand. I went to a chiropractor, who looked at me puzzled and said, “Your hip is out.” Confused, I asked, “How?” and he responded, “I have no idea, but your hip is out.” I went home, and instantly, the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord (Genesis 32:22-32) leaped in my spirit because it was in that battle that his hip was dislocated. Jacob was at a threshold, not just for himself but for his family. He was crossing the brook Jabbok into his promised land. But more than that, he was standing at a threshold of legacy, his very name would be changed from Jacob (supplanter, deceiver) to Israel (one who wrestles with God and prevails). This was not just about his personal transformation; it was a shift for the generations that would come after him. Jacob’s struggle in the night was a defining moment, a battle that left him wounded but also marked for destiny. This is where many have found themselves in this season wrestling, battling, and fighting for something bigger than just personal breakthrough. THE FINAL STRETCH OF THE WAR I believe we’ve been in many decades of a shift, but we’ve now reached a crescendo moment, a threshold where the battle has intensified like never before. The last few years have been especially heavy, and many are at the point of saying: “God, I don’t know how much more I can handle. I don’t know how much more warfare I can endure. I don’t know how many more unexpected attacks I can face.” You need to know this is a threshold battle. This is the final stretch before crossing over. Many have been: ⁃Fighting and pioneering for legacy. ⁃Warring for the promise over their family, ministry, and destiny. ⁃Contending for the shifting out of an old wineskin and stepping into something new. But because it has gone on for so long, many are growing weary. Some feel stuck, tired of fighting, yet unable to see the breakthrough they have been pressing toward. This season is about moving from breaking ground to being established. It’s for those called to lead their families and the Body of Christ into a place of true health, true wholeness, and true transformation, a place we have longed for but not yet fully seen. THE CROSSING OVER IS HERE I feel strongly that this threshold is about to be crossed. I believe we are stepping out of constant contention, constant warfare, and constant survival mode into a place where: ⁃Freedom will be the norm. ⁃Health will be the norm. ⁃Peace in marriages and families will be the norm. ⁃Being above constant warfare will be the norm. ⁃Thriving financially will be the norm. ⁃Living free from jezebel and narcissism will be the norm. I know this battle has been intense. I know it has been draining, financially, emotionally, spiritually. I know many feel depleted in their strength, joy, and hope. But hear the Lord today: “Tell them: Don’t give up!” Some of you have been battling intensely in your marriage. Others have been warring for your children, your household, and your future. It has reached a breaking point where you feel like your strength is gone, and hope is slipping away. But today, the Lord is saying: “By faith, step over that brook!” Just as Jacob stepped over the Jabbok and left his old identity behind, you are stepping over the place of separation between the old and the new. “You are about to see My power! You are about to see My ability! You are about to see Me shift you out of the dysfunctions of generations past and lead you into health and wholeness!” The Lord says today: I will bring your prodigals home. I will awaken the sleeping. I will restore your everything that the locusts have devoured in these past years. I will renew your strength and joy. And I will FINISH WHAT I PROMISED YOU YEARS AGO! As I’m writing this I feel like the Lord is saying that it’s time for those issues and battles against family to be finalised. -Family court issues. -Prodigal issues -Drug addiction -Marriage and infidelity issues -Financial issues -Lost or red taped inheritances -Generational health issues -Generational mental health issues. TO THE PIONEERS OF FAMILY And lastly, It’s been on my heart today to simply say Thankyou for your yes in the last 1-15 years. In a world chasing success and notoriety, money, and things. You chose to pursue health. To pursue Jesus. Even in the Christian world often deeply influenced by culture and tainted by those same vain and worthless ventures, you chose a different road. Again, you chose the less popular thing, you chose health. You chose Jesus. You chose legacy over appearance and reputation, because let’s be honest, it’s been costly to go this way. It’s been a road of unravelling and pulling back the layers of dysfunctions of many generations. It’s been a road of living on the altar and constant refinery and heart pruning to come out the orphan spirit and starting your sonship story. It’s been a road of warfare and battling to leave the pit of trauma, triggers, and narcissistic norms for the sake of your family and your children. It’s been a road of choosing the long game over bandaiding pain and putting a Christian sticker on it. You chose legacy. You chose to stand up and give your life for what God had in mind for your own family even though you knew it would be a minefield and difficult threshold to cross. Yet you said yes. And while maybe you are still mid way and yet to see the fruit of this calling. You are further than you realise. And the Father is so proud of you. And I feel like today the Lord wants to say over you; “In the next few years you will shift from battle focus to REAPING what you have sown!” “You will shift from warfare and drama to being the Joshua’s and way-makers of this new era!” The blueprints are in your hands. Blood stained. Crumpled. They may not feel valuable but it’s a roadmap out of the wilderness for so many. So on behalf of who is yet to leave, I say Thankyou.. The threshold is here and you are stepping over it in Jesus name! 

ARE YOU IN TRANSITION OPPOSITION!

By Nate Johnston • March 25, 2025
Right now, many are going through what I call transition opposition, when God transitions you into a new assignment, a new role, or moves you to a new location, and suddenly, warfare, attacks, and opposition arise. It’s the constant barrage of nonstop drama, issues, and distractions, simply because the enemy is trying to discourage you, make you second-guess, and even regret following the call of God to transition where He was leading you. It’s the same playbook every time. As a family that God has led and moved around the United States and Australia many, many times, having now done two international moves, navigated visas, and all the complexities of moving with kids to follow the call of God, I can tell you: transition opposition is real, and the enemy’s tactics do not change. It happens before the move, during the move, and after the transition. The pre-transition phase is when the enemy sends discouragers from all angles, even speaking “thus saith the Lord” to try to convince you that what you’re doing is either an Ishmael, out of step, out of timing, or to make you feel like you missed God entirely. In pre-transition it can also come with confusing situations and mixed insight and revelation, or drama to take your eyes off the course before you. But the greatest opposition often comes when you actually step into that new place, role, or location. Suddenly, you’re not only dealing with the principality of the region you’ve entered, facing new giants in the land, just like Joshua and the Israelites, but you are dealing with constant and subtle attacks. It’s when you’re hit with incessant little irritations from all sides, all designed to make you question: Did I miss it? Am I speaking to you right now? I know many of you reading this have recently taken steps of faith. You’re doing your best to hear the voice of the Lord, but when issues arise, when your finances are drained, when sickness hits your household, when strife enters your family or marriage, it’s easy to wonder: God, are we alone in this? There are so many elements to beginning again, and the heart process of transition can be overwhelming. It’s easy to feel like you made the wrong decision. And let’s be honest, witchcraft often increases in these seasons. There’s slander, opposition, and people speaking against you. It can feel like you’re constantly under fire, like time-wasting distractions are popping up everywhere, draining your energy when you’re already exhausted from the move. But this morning, I was reminded of Paul’s story in Acts 28. He was shipwrecked, stranded, and probably questioning how he ended up there. And honestly, in many seasons of transition, Christy and I have felt the same way - shipwrecked. Have you? I’ve felt like I led my family down the wrong path. I’ve cried out, God, did I really hear You? Why are we shipwrecked? But in that story, Paul lands on the island of Malta which interestingly means “place of honey” And on his first night there, in front of everyone, he is bitten by a snake. “Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, ‘This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.’ But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.” Acts 28:3-5 And Paul does something simple yet profound: he shakes the snake off into the fire. The locals were watching, expecting him to die. But when he didn’t, they declared that he must be a god. This story gives us deep insight into transition opposition. Paul was stepping into a new land he had never been before, and that snake represented not only attacks and irritations but the principality of the region itself. And what did he do? He shook it off into the fire. So what does that mean for you and me? It means that in transition, we cannot be discouraged or distracted. We must shake off the witchcraft, shake off the slander, shake off the distractions, and throw them into the fire. We have to remember what the word of God says; Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”Luke 10:19 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1 Yes, transition is unsettling. Yes, stepping into a new place takes time. But we have authority. We have dominion. We have the power of the Holy Spirit. And we cannot let distractions and discouragement deter us. And here is something I do know and have seen every time - God is a God of recompense! I believe right now the Lord is saying: Where you have walked through robbery, I will restore. Where you have endured pain and drama, I will restore. Your responsibility? Do not be distracted. Shake the snake off into the fire. The “place of honey” is yours! Occupy it! Doug be bullied! But I want to end with this warning: We need extra discernment right now. I’ve seen it too many times where undiscerning Christians embrace the snake instead of shaking it off. Some even kiss the snake, aligning with that which is demonic, tainted, and defiled in a new season. The enemy effectively poisons their well before they even begin their journey. So I’m praying right now for discernment over you. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1 That’s the trap set for those who don’t discern well. Stepping into a new season but allowing defilement in. So discern well friends! So in this season of transition; Be very careful who you allow around you and what doors you open. Be cautious about what information you share and with whom. Be mindful of where you cast your pearls. Be intentional about what phone conversations you have and what messages you entertain. It might seem excessive, but it’s not. The snakes are coming from every angle, but they cannot harm you, unless you give them access. Transition opposition can actually be your greatest season of multiplication and increase. So consecrate this season to the Lord. Treat it as holy. Treat it as sacred. And watch as God settles you, establishes you, and launches you into the new anointing and mantle He has given you. Now, shake the snake off into the fire! 
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