Have you felt muzzled this year? We all stepped into 2020 hearing prophetic words about “The roaring 20’s” and the era of the decree but soon what was an expectant relief to those who had already been in hiding long enough turned into more frustration, isolation, and an overwhelming agenda to silence the rising voices. I felt it. It was clear the enemy was counteracting what God was birthing. Instead of megaphones we were wearing face masks, and instead of church services and gatherings raising our voices in worship we were in lockdown in our homes. We saw confusion hit the prophetic movement, extreme polarity in views and opinions, and what was meant to be one collective voice became a scattered sound in the darkness. The enemy is doing anything and everything he can to stop the voice of the bride being heard. But nothing has changed Gods heart.. you and I were born for this moment.
So this has been in my spirit all year. What you are about to read isn’t just a prophetic word but it’s a letter from my heart to those genuinely struggling right now in a time where they know God is raising them up as a voice to speak His heart. I want to release what I believe will help give language and permission to those in that tension, feeling silenced, controlled, or in hiding because of the time we live in and the overwhelming pressure to fit in and not stand out or offend. This is for you.
EXTREME POLARITY, CONFUSION, MAYHEM = THE PERFECT MOMENT
So I need to be real, cos I’ve been in this wrestle too. Not just now but many times in my walk with God and especially since stepping into ministry. There are times that I don’t even realize it but subtly we can start to pay more attention to the fear of man than the fear of the Lord. When quarantine began social media became inundated with church services and people doing a billion online conferences, Facebook lives, but for me.. I retreated. I wasn’t being rebellious I swear. My friend Aaron always says that If the world goes one way I’ll change direction and go the other.. which is kinda true, but this wasn’t like that. My spirit man felt attacked. The prophetic movement was in division with one camp prophesying grace and mercy and the other judgment and doom. New breed voices started to rise up and unknown faces stepping into the light but it was soon squashed by those pandering to the religious spirit who were saying we were in “holy hush” season and needed to be purified and silent. Let me just say that a “reset” season isn’t the same as being silent and being purified and refined does not always mean being dormant. It means we are in a posture of deep surrender and recalibration but this doesn’t always mean being silent and going into hiding. (I know someone in biblical history who liked scaring people into caves and submission, but let’s not bring Jezebel into this one just yet 😉)
The bottom line is many have felt silenced so far in this new era not empowered, under fire, attacked, and confused about how they can be a voice in the time we live in. Many didn’t expect to leave the wilderness and be met with a world in crisis and chaos but isn’t that the perfect storm for the prophetic voice? Isn’t that the perfect moment and opportunity to be a voice that cuts through the noise?
AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LION
Many years ago I was in a season where I was really struggling to navigate how to be a voice. It seemed that the more I shared what was on my heart I was told that I shouldn’t because I sounded anti-establishment, anti-church, and would only lead people away from God. My struggle was that this was not my heart at all but God had placed a weighty message on my heart that I couldn’t ignore, in fact, the more I fought it the more frustrated I would become.
But one Sunday I was in worship sitting at the back of the church feeling frustrated, misunderstood, and muzzled when I had a powerful encounter with the Lord.
I suddenly felt the breath of God over my shoulders like the Lord overshadowing me and releasing life and his very breath into my being and then the sound came. It was the loudest roar I have heard coming from all directions but again it was over me, overshadowing me, roaring over me and into my being. I know now that this was Jesus, the lion of the Tribe of Judah, like it is spoken about in Revelation 5:5;
“Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping. Look! The mighty Lion of Judah’s tribe, the root of David—he has conquered! He is the worthy one who can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
It was an awakening for me in many ways because I felt so much fear of man lift off me where it has previously been choking the life out of me. I felt the fear of God at that moment so intensely that I was shaking.. a good shaking. Like the Lord was shaking all the fear and words off me that had been chaining me. A few days later I received a message by some people who were previously leaders in my life that didn’t approve of what I was doing and saying asking me to meet them. I instantly knew that I couldn’t meet them because it would only be an ambush. The fear of man I normally would face I didn’t. I said no, wiped the dust from my feet, blessed them, moved on, and the rest is history.
THE LIONS ROAR THROUGH YOU
I believe God is right now awakening your roar and the collective roar of a people called to speak into the darkness, into crisis and chaos, but without the roar, we will see NO REAL CHANGE.. the roar of the lion of Judah is both the BREATH of God and the SOUND of God. The breath is the empowerment and anointing of the Spirit and the sound is the weapon that both heals and restores, and breaks through and destroys principalities and powers. That roar is wanting to come through you but it isn’t tame. No, like a lion this roar is wild, or like David said “I will be so much more undignified than this!” He understood the wild nature of the lion of Judah roaring through him that doesn’t respond out of duty but out of worship and because of this it will never be clean and neat according to man's standards of religious customs/protocols but it will always carry an edge that stands out and “pierces through” the atmosphere you are in. That’s what the sound of the roar through you does. It’s not for show and it’s not for gain, but it is the natural response of those who have been intimate with God that they sound like the one they have been with. And right now that’s where God is calling us to inhabit. Imagine what it would like like if the church roared in crisis and adversity, in trial, famine, and calamity instead of responding or reacting to appease the world and watering down the message of the gospel?
SYMPTOMS OF BEING MUZZLED IN A ROAR SEASON
I want to share a few of the symptoms that many have encountered this year;
HOW YOU CAN BE A VOICE IN THIS SEASON
So I want to give you some keys to help you be a voice in this season and encourage you to roar in a time the enemy wants you on the sidelines;
OPEN YOUR MOUTH!
I believe we are in an Amos 3:8 commissioning moment where the Lord is ROARING over his sons and daughters and seeing who will rise up and roar with Him in response.
“The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy?”
God is raising up a generation who will simply be His mouthpiece to the world. Those who will simply choose to open their mouths and let Him fill it with his heart. He is raising up pure voices that will break the lies and muzzles off a generation called to roar and cut through the noise in the atmosphere. It’s time we stopped coddling what needs to be exposed and became the new breed of voices for this new era and no longer the silenced just watching the world guide the rudder to the future. That’s our role.. So today I am prophesying over you that you would encounter the roar of the lion of Judah and feel him breathe life back into your voice in Jesus' name!