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:

By Nate Johnston April 23, 2025
I have a prophetic word for those who have grown up under the demonic agenda of Jezebel, and for those raised in narcissistic environments and battled it their entire lives. Yes, the spirit of Jezebel has always had a target on your back because of who you are... Like Agent Smith from The Matrix, Jezebel keeps showing up, manifesting through different people, personalities, seasons, assignments, and alignments to take you out. It’s been the greatest battle of your life: figuring out how to steward your calling, how to be a voice in the midst of relentless attacks and constant attempts to cancel your calling. This spirit has tried to silence you, shut down your voice, reject you, belittle you, isolate you, and keep you in a cave. She’s tempted you to sugarcoat your words, dilute your message, and shrink your fire so you didn’t keep getting in her cross fire. I know the price many of you have paid for pioneering through this—for choosing health for your families, your marriages, and your future. I know the cost of refusing to tolerate her, season after season, and what you’ve walked through for the sake of not giving up on your calling. But in the hardest moments, you chose legacy again and again, yet it’s been costly. Recently, I was praying into this, especially in my own life, because I’ve battled this spirit for as long as I can remember, I asked the Lord, “Will it always be this way? Will I always have to fight Jezebel?” As I was reading through 1 Kings 19 - 2 Kings 10, the Lord highlighted the story of Jehu, the one who took out Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30–37). And the Lord said: “You are the Jehu. This generation is the Jehu generation, rising to confront and take out this spirit.” But here’s the thing: Jehu overthrew Jezebel, but he didn’t reform the land. “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord… he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam…” 2 Kings 10:31 He overthrew the person, but not the pattern. He tore down the idol, but didn’t restore the altar. He left a void, and that void became an open door. Right now, the test of our generation isn’t just about calling out what’s wrong. It’s about restoring the priesthood, rebuilding the altar, and leading the Church back into true worship. Because without worship, Jezebel returns. I’ve seen it in dreams repeatedly, Jezebel overthrown, only to be welcomed back through broken, unhealed, and unprotected spaces. Because where there is no priesthood, no purity, and no presence, she comes back to rule. So I asked the Lord, “What is the key?” He said: “Joash.” The name Joash means “The Lord has given.” The Lord said: “The generation of Joash and Jehoiada is now upon you.” Here’s what that means: Jehu may have exposed Jezebel but it was Joash and Jehoiada who removed her legacy. Athaliah, Jezebel’s daughter, rose to power in Judah after Jezebel’s death (2 Kings 11:1–3) . She was a generational extension of her mother’s spirit. But Jehoiada the priest preserved Joash, hiding him in the temple for six years. When the time was right, they overthrew Athaliah in the temple (2 Kings 11:13–16). That was so prophetic because they didn’t just confront the fruit of Jezebel they killed it in the place of worship, as a declaration: “We are taking this place back for the Lord.” They then led a revival of covenant and worship in the land (2 Kings 11:17–18), restoring God’s people to their true identity. And this is the battle we have today. We are not just confronting Jezebel, we are confronting her legacy, her influence, her strongholds in families, marriages, churches, and systems. But we can’t stop at exposure. We must rebuild the altar, restore the presence, and model the priesthood again. But here’s the word for you overcomers - the pioneers, the forerunners, the ones who refused to bow: You are not doomed to fight Jezebel your whole life. God is raising up a Joash generation, sons and daughters the Lord has given who will see and walk in the fruit from your persistence in battle, because you refused to tolerate Jezebel and have prevailed! Now because of you the next generation won’t face what you faced, because you confronted it, took it down, and established healthy! But here’s the key: You must restore your home, your marriage, your inner world into a lifestyle of worship and the right affections. You must refill the void with presence and priesthood. When we do that, we not only evict Jezebel, we close the door for good. And that’s Joash - living in the fruit of victory with no landing pads for the enemy. No more idols. Compromise. Other lovers. Just Jesus again. So the promise over you is this: You’re stepping out of the weariness. You’re stepping out of the endless fight. You’re stepping out of the cave. And you’re stepping into the fruit of obedience. You’re about to see legacy break forth in your children and those around you. You’ve walked through rejection, isolation, intimidation, and endless assassination as this spirit that tried to shut you down at every turn. But you didn’t bow. You didn’t break. And you prevailed. And now the Lord says - You’re stepping out of the fight and into the fruit. Because you chose wholeness over generational dysfunction. Because you confronted what others tolerated. And because you refused to shut down and be walked over. Your children will know peace where you knew warfare. They’ll grow up in safety, freedom, and peace because you tore up the contract you were born into and started a new bloodline. You were the target, but now you have become the testimony.  You’re going to watch a generation walk in peace where you’ve known warfare. Because you chose to fight, they will be free. So in the days to come watch as you begin to see FRUIT where you only encountered the FIGHT because the tide is shifting mighty ones and you have overcome! “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” —1 John 4:4
By Nate Johnston April 22, 2025
I want to release a word of faith and authority over you as we begin this week. As I was praying over this week, I kept seeing this image in front of me of a person that was stuck in a corner with no way out, and arrows were flying at them from all sides. I instantly discerned that what I was seeing was someone who had been in a season where they felt very much like their calling had somehow made them feel like they’ve just been through constant assailing by the enemy, with constant arrows from all sides. Thats where you have felt exposed. That’s where you have felt bombarded. You felt like you’ve just been attacked from every single angle. Then I began to really feel like it was similar to the scripture that says: “But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot, with no one to say, ‘Restore!’” — (Isaiah 42:22, NIV) I began to feel authority rise up in my voice. I began to feel an authority saying, “No! This is injustice. This cannot happen. This must turn around now!” Then I began to prophesy: “Restore in the name of Jesus! Restore in the name of Jesus! Restore in the name of Jesus!” As soon as I said that, Deuteronomy 23:5 came to mind, where it says that every curse turns into a blessing. So I began to prophesy: “Lord, every curse will turn into a blessing. Every curse will turn into a blessing. Every single assignment of the enemy will turn into a blessing. Every area of robbery, every area of financial hardship, every area where the enemy has come after finances, after health - God is going to turn it all around.” And that’s when it hit me - THIS IS UNCTION OF A TURNAROUND! It’s the sensing that things had to shift! I began to prophesy: “Turnaround now in the name of Jesus! Turnaround now in the name of Jesus!” As I began to declare this, I began to see things beginning to shift in the atmosphere. Then suddenly I began to hear all this chatter in the spirit of people who had been worn down mentally to the point where they no longer believed that God could turn these situations around. And I suddenly realized the key: God is wanting to shift and turn around situations right now, but the enemy has worn down your authority and your faith to the point that you no longer believe He can do it. Hope deferred has crept in to such a degree that it’s made it feel impossible that God could move. And so I feel that even right now, God is coming against those mindsets. He’s coming against the fear. He’s coming against the intimidation of the army. He’s coming against the hope deferred that constantly makes you feel like nothing will be able to shift or turn around. He is restoring in you a boldness and authority to begin to speak to the things around you and cause them to be removed and those mountains around you to be cast into the sea. And that’s what God is doing this week. He is hitting up against your mind and the foreboding keeping you captive. You’ve been looking at the obstacles you’re facing right now in your finances, health, marriage, and everything else, and they look like mountains. The Lord says, “Where has your faith gone? Where has your authority gone? Where has your boldness gone? I am your protector. I am your provider. I am looking after you and watching over you. Yes, the war has been constant against you. Yes, the enemy has been trying to wear you down. But He says to you “this week, I want you to do what David did - and strengthen yourself in me!” “I want you to step out of the place of faithlessness and cowering, out of begging for the crumbs under the table” “I want you to shift your mindset, and as you shift your mindset, I’ll shift your circumstances!” “Even right now, begin to break every agreement with fear” “Break every agreement with hopelessness and despair that’s caused you to stop dreaming” “It’s caused you to drop your vision in the dust” “It’s caused you to stop wearing your mantle and slip back into survival mode in a time where I want you to thrive and dream with Me” Then I was reminded of something so special to us. Over the years we’ve experienced this strange but beautiful phenomenon in our lives. Whenever we’re in the thick of spiritual warfare, when we feel like we’re being preached at by our circumstances - that’s when God brings us a sign of His nearness. It happens like clockwork. But it’s so simple that you could miss it if you aren’t childlike. We see ducks in twos and they show up in odd places, at odd times. It’s always just when we’re beginning to feel overwhelmed or discouraged. It’s God’s subtle reminder: “I see you. I’m with you. It’s not over.” But this year, on our anniversary, it was different. Two doves appeared on our back fence and they stayed for a full week. It was as if God was saying: “Watch ME turn this around! Not by night nor by power!” And even though we were still in the middle of the storm the breakthrough hadn’t come yet His goodness showed up as a downpayment. Sometimes, the sign isn’t the full breakthrough, but it’s the reminder that He hasn’t forgotten you, and that the turnaround is closer than you think. There are many right now trying to ask God, “Where are my next steps?” but you’re not thinking with faith, you’re thinking with fear. And the Lord says: “It’s time to break that off. I’m reversing everything that’s come against you, and I’m turning it. And some would say, ‘Could this turn in a day?’ Yes, it can turn in a day. And the Lord says “you will watch in this season, as you partner with Me again not with the accuser, not with fear, not with lack but as you choose to partner again with Me, “You will see every single obstacle and every mountain around you crumble into the sea” But you need to partner with Me again. Will you partner again with My Spirit and reject the patterns and mindsets of this world? It is time to step back into a mind-renewal season that actually brings about the shifting of circumstances. Because the fruit of worry is actually causing that which you fear to come to you. But as you shift out of that, It will cause the fruit of your renewed mind to be that you see the kingdom of heaven invade your world, your lifestyle and you’ll see things shift around in a short period of time.” So give me your heart and mind and I’ll turn around the things around you that have tried to do in your strength and failed, and silence the storm” 
By Nate Johnston April 23, 2025
I have a prophetic word for those who have grown up under the demonic agenda of Jezebel, and for those raised in narcissistic environments and battled it their entire lives. Yes, the spirit of Jezebel has always had a target on your back because of who you are... Like Agent Smith from The Matrix, Jezebel keeps showing up, manifesting through different people, personalities, seasons, assignments, and alignments to take you out. It’s been the greatest battle of your life: figuring out how to steward your calling, how to be a voice in the midst of relentless attacks and constant attempts to cancel your calling. This spirit has tried to silence you, shut down your voice, reject you, belittle you, isolate you, and keep you in a cave. She’s tempted you to sugarcoat your words, dilute your message, and shrink your fire so you didn’t keep getting in her cross fire. I know the price many of you have paid for pioneering through this—for choosing health for your families, your marriages, and your future. I know the cost of refusing to tolerate her, season after season, and what you’ve walked through for the sake of not giving up on your calling. But in the hardest moments, you chose legacy again and again, yet it’s been costly. Recently, I was praying into this, especially in my own life, because I’ve battled this spirit for as long as I can remember, I asked the Lord, “Will it always be this way? Will I always have to fight Jezebel?” As I was reading through 1 Kings 19 - 2 Kings 10, the Lord highlighted the story of Jehu, the one who took out Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30–37). And the Lord said: “You are the Jehu. This generation is the Jehu generation, rising to confront and take out this spirit.” But here’s the thing: Jehu overthrew Jezebel, but he didn’t reform the land. “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord… he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam…” 2 Kings 10:31 He overthrew the person, but not the pattern. He tore down the idol, but didn’t restore the altar. He left a void, and that void became an open door. Right now, the test of our generation isn’t just about calling out what’s wrong. It’s about restoring the priesthood, rebuilding the altar, and leading the Church back into true worship. Because without worship, Jezebel returns. I’ve seen it in dreams repeatedly, Jezebel overthrown, only to be welcomed back through broken, unhealed, and unprotected spaces. Because where there is no priesthood, no purity, and no presence, she comes back to rule. So I asked the Lord, “What is the key?” He said: “Joash.” The name Joash means “The Lord has given.” The Lord said: “The generation of Joash and Jehoiada is now upon you.” Here’s what that means: Jehu may have exposed Jezebel but it was Joash and Jehoiada who removed her legacy. Athaliah, Jezebel’s daughter, rose to power in Judah after Jezebel’s death (2 Kings 11:1–3) . She was a generational extension of her mother’s spirit. But Jehoiada the priest preserved Joash, hiding him in the temple for six years. When the time was right, they overthrew Athaliah in the temple (2 Kings 11:13–16). That was so prophetic because they didn’t just confront the fruit of Jezebel they killed it in the place of worship, as a declaration: “We are taking this place back for the Lord.” They then led a revival of covenant and worship in the land (2 Kings 11:17–18), restoring God’s people to their true identity. And this is the battle we have today. We are not just confronting Jezebel, we are confronting her legacy, her influence, her strongholds in families, marriages, churches, and systems. But we can’t stop at exposure. We must rebuild the altar, restore the presence, and model the priesthood again. But here’s the word for you overcomers - the pioneers, the forerunners, the ones who refused to bow: You are not doomed to fight Jezebel your whole life. God is raising up a Joash generation, sons and daughters the Lord has given who will see and walk in the fruit from your persistence in battle, because you refused to tolerate Jezebel and have prevailed! Now because of you the next generation won’t face what you faced, because you confronted it, took it down, and established healthy! But here’s the key: You must restore your home, your marriage, your inner world into a lifestyle of worship and the right affections. You must refill the void with presence and priesthood. When we do that, we not only evict Jezebel, we close the door for good. And that’s Joash - living in the fruit of victory with no landing pads for the enemy. No more idols. Compromise. Other lovers. Just Jesus again. So the promise over you is this: You’re stepping out of the weariness. You’re stepping out of the endless fight. You’re stepping out of the cave. And you’re stepping into the fruit of obedience. You’re about to see legacy break forth in your children and those around you. You’ve walked through rejection, isolation, intimidation, and endless assassination as this spirit that tried to shut you down at every turn. But you didn’t bow. You didn’t break. And you prevailed. And now the Lord says - You’re stepping out of the fight and into the fruit. Because you chose wholeness over generational dysfunction. Because you confronted what others tolerated. And because you refused to shut down and be walked over. Your children will know peace where you knew warfare. They’ll grow up in safety, freedom, and peace because you tore up the contract you were born into and started a new bloodline. You were the target, but now you have become the testimony.  You’re going to watch a generation walk in peace where you’ve known warfare. Because you chose to fight, they will be free. So in the days to come watch as you begin to see FRUIT where you only encountered the FIGHT because the tide is shifting mighty ones and you have overcome! “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” —1 John 4:4
By Nate Johnston April 22, 2025
I want to release a word of faith and authority over you as we begin this week. As I was praying over this week, I kept seeing this image in front of me of a person that was stuck in a corner with no way out, and arrows were flying at them from all sides. I instantly discerned that what I was seeing was someone who had been in a season where they felt very much like their calling had somehow made them feel like they’ve just been through constant assailing by the enemy, with constant arrows from all sides. Thats where you have felt exposed. That’s where you have felt bombarded. You felt like you’ve just been attacked from every single angle. Then I began to really feel like it was similar to the scripture that says: “But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot, with no one to say, ‘Restore!’” — (Isaiah 42:22, NIV) I began to feel authority rise up in my voice. I began to feel an authority saying, “No! This is injustice. This cannot happen. This must turn around now!” Then I began to prophesy: “Restore in the name of Jesus! Restore in the name of Jesus! Restore in the name of Jesus!” As soon as I said that, Deuteronomy 23:5 came to mind, where it says that every curse turns into a blessing. So I began to prophesy: “Lord, every curse will turn into a blessing. Every curse will turn into a blessing. Every single assignment of the enemy will turn into a blessing. Every area of robbery, every area of financial hardship, every area where the enemy has come after finances, after health - God is going to turn it all around.” And that’s when it hit me - THIS IS UNCTION OF A TURNAROUND! It’s the sensing that things had to shift! I began to prophesy: “Turnaround now in the name of Jesus! Turnaround now in the name of Jesus!” As I began to declare this, I began to see things beginning to shift in the atmosphere. Then suddenly I began to hear all this chatter in the spirit of people who had been worn down mentally to the point where they no longer believed that God could turn these situations around. And I suddenly realized the key: God is wanting to shift and turn around situations right now, but the enemy has worn down your authority and your faith to the point that you no longer believe He can do it. Hope deferred has crept in to such a degree that it’s made it feel impossible that God could move. And so I feel that even right now, God is coming against those mindsets. He’s coming against the fear. He’s coming against the intimidation of the army. He’s coming against the hope deferred that constantly makes you feel like nothing will be able to shift or turn around. He is restoring in you a boldness and authority to begin to speak to the things around you and cause them to be removed and those mountains around you to be cast into the sea. And that’s what God is doing this week. He is hitting up against your mind and the foreboding keeping you captive. You’ve been looking at the obstacles you’re facing right now in your finances, health, marriage, and everything else, and they look like mountains. The Lord says, “Where has your faith gone? Where has your authority gone? Where has your boldness gone? I am your protector. I am your provider. I am looking after you and watching over you. Yes, the war has been constant against you. Yes, the enemy has been trying to wear you down. But He says to you “this week, I want you to do what David did - and strengthen yourself in me!” “I want you to step out of the place of faithlessness and cowering, out of begging for the crumbs under the table” “I want you to shift your mindset, and as you shift your mindset, I’ll shift your circumstances!” “Even right now, begin to break every agreement with fear” “Break every agreement with hopelessness and despair that’s caused you to stop dreaming” “It’s caused you to drop your vision in the dust” “It’s caused you to stop wearing your mantle and slip back into survival mode in a time where I want you to thrive and dream with Me” Then I was reminded of something so special to us. Over the years we’ve experienced this strange but beautiful phenomenon in our lives. Whenever we’re in the thick of spiritual warfare, when we feel like we’re being preached at by our circumstances - that’s when God brings us a sign of His nearness. It happens like clockwork. But it’s so simple that you could miss it if you aren’t childlike. We see ducks in twos and they show up in odd places, at odd times. It’s always just when we’re beginning to feel overwhelmed or discouraged. It’s God’s subtle reminder: “I see you. I’m with you. It’s not over.” But this year, on our anniversary, it was different. Two doves appeared on our back fence and they stayed for a full week. It was as if God was saying: “Watch ME turn this around! Not by night nor by power!” And even though we were still in the middle of the storm the breakthrough hadn’t come yet His goodness showed up as a downpayment. Sometimes, the sign isn’t the full breakthrough, but it’s the reminder that He hasn’t forgotten you, and that the turnaround is closer than you think. There are many right now trying to ask God, “Where are my next steps?” but you’re not thinking with faith, you’re thinking with fear. And the Lord says: “It’s time to break that off. I’m reversing everything that’s come against you, and I’m turning it. And some would say, ‘Could this turn in a day?’ Yes, it can turn in a day. And the Lord says “you will watch in this season, as you partner with Me again not with the accuser, not with fear, not with lack but as you choose to partner again with Me, “You will see every single obstacle and every mountain around you crumble into the sea” But you need to partner with Me again. Will you partner again with My Spirit and reject the patterns and mindsets of this world? It is time to step back into a mind-renewal season that actually brings about the shifting of circumstances. Because the fruit of worry is actually causing that which you fear to come to you. But as you shift out of that, It will cause the fruit of your renewed mind to be that you see the kingdom of heaven invade your world, your lifestyle and you’ll see things shift around in a short period of time.” So give me your heart and mind and I’ll turn around the things around you that have tried to do in your strength and failed, and silence the storm” 
By Nate Johnston April 19, 2025
I have a word for those who feel like they have come to the end of themselves. The end of direction. The end of their past blueprints and vision. The end of revelation and insight. The end of an old assignment. Maybe even community.. It’s like the wedding at Cana when the wine ran out. The barrels are empty. You feel empty. “God where from here?” “Jesus bring new wine out of me!” But there’s a silence. Almost a sense of being completely alone and even abandoned. It’s the scary place of being in between what was and what is to come. You know the new wine is coming. You know it because you know that’s what God does. But right now, it doesn’t feel like anything is on the horizon and it feels like everything is falling apart. Warfare has increased. Robbery has increased. And with a lack of vision and clarity and direction you feel like you are just “existing” or floating. WAITING for the next step or instruction. Yes, the old wine has ran out. You can’t drive that car anymore. You can’t wear those shoes anymore. You can’t hold onto that tattered jacket anymore. The old won’t sustain you for another day and you can’t bring it with you into tomorrow. Then comes the discontent. “Is this bitterness? “Lord is my heart sick? Am I in rebellion?” “Or is this you leading me somewhere new?” You are looking at the empty wine pots of your life and just feel strangely “used” Burned out. Flat. Exhausted. Old manna rotting on the ground. Trying to reconcile what you gave your life for that has seemingly only led you to this “nothingness” Yes, you ran out with the wine. You died with the last drops. You had to, so He could now do what you couldn’t do. And so he could lead you into a new chapter you would never step into still carrying the old. It’s Jesus in gethsemane crying tears of blood, like they were the last drops of the old way of life. Old mindsets. Old covenants. Dysfunctions. Pain. Trauma. Addictions. Lack. Rejection. Fear. Torment. Knowing He was going to the cross so that the real new wine could be poured out upon the generations to come and break the bondage of the past. Knowing you right now would need a promise and a signpost of Gods goodness when you were experiencing your own “lost” and unknown season. And this resurrection weekend, I know this is a prophetic reminder for those still in a “death” to the old season. SUNDAY IS COMING! I know the second day is painful and confusing. But resurrection is coming. But not the old you. The weighed down you. The new you. The new wine. The new manna. I know you feel like everything has died but on the third day the tomb was found empty! Yes empty is not the sign of death, but of new life coming!!! So today can I invite you with me to give Jesus our last drops of the old? Let’s give him this moment of “in between” Let’s give him our fears, expectations, worries, and mindsets from our last chapter and ask Him for the new wine to start flowing in our lives. The new wine - the blood of Jesus that SPEAKS a better word. That breaks and annuls bad contracts and soul ties and shuts demonic doors. Yes the blood that overrides all! And I prophesy that you will shift from trying to figure this out in your own strength to seeing the new wine break through for you in Jesus name! This weekend Christy and I are taking communion over every one of you and praying for the blood of Jesus over you and your families! Join us! "and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel" Hebrews 12:24
By Nate Johnson April 18, 2025
Movements are being birthed all across the nations, ministries that are pure in heart and motive, are about to take flight! This is a sign, that the WAVE OF AWAKENING is about to crash upon the shores of the nations whose hearts are ready and open! I want to invite you to a prophetic live, where we will cast prophetic vision, do some personal ministry, and pray as a community! Everyone is invited. Join me live on zoom— April 29, at 6pm PST. See you there! —NATE