nateandchristy2018

LETTER TO THE MUZZLED VOICES - IT'S TIME TO ENCOUNTER THE LION & SHAKE OFF THE FEAR OF MAN!

nateandchristy2018

LETTER TO THE MUZZLED VOICES - IT'S TIME TO ENCOUNTER THE LION & SHAKE OFF THE FEAR OF MAN!

LETTER TO THE MUZZLED VOICES - IT'S TIME TO ENCOUNTER THE LION & SHAKE OFF THE FEAR OF MAN!

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;

  • Excessive sensitivity to the fear of man/what people think
  • Fear of offending or saying the wrong thing/political spirit.
  • Fear of being wrong or not pure enough/religious spirit
  • Fear of your life, wanting to run and hide/Jezebel spirit
  • Comparison and insecurity of feeling insignificant
  • Feeling invisible and unheard
  • Unrealistic fear and foreboding of the future/no vision or unclear future
  • Wanting to give up/hard to get out of bed
  • Demonic dreams and warfare/attack on sleep
  • Demonic torment and heaviness against the mind
  • Confusion, scattered mind, mental and creative block
  • Unable or hard to receive revelation like you used to.
  • Physical attack on your voice/throat

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;

  • Spend time with Jesus - the Lion of the tribe of Judah
  • Make His louder than any other voice you hear and begin to let the sound of his voice and what he says become a greater reality than circumstances around you.
  • Let Him pour into you more than you pour out/keep your oil full and avoid running on empty.
  • Learn to be more aware of how loved you are and the fear will have less influence.
  • Rebuke fear, foreboding, anxiety, and depression that tries to come at you.
  • Stop ingesting the lies of the media and being influenced by how culture wants you to think, act, and believe.
  • Ask God for greater discernment and wisdom to be able to through what you see in the natural/being able to discern the heart, motives, and intentions of things.
  • Write down and journal what God shows you/keep a record of it. Study it. Let it simmer. Ask for greater clarity and instruction on what you do hear.
  • Decide that you are going to be a voice regardless of how you feel. Emotions and senses undeveloped can lie to you and cause you to move and live according to how you feel over what is.
  • Be responsible for your own destiny. No one can do it for you. No one can fight through the fog but you. You can do this!
  • Take authority over your life and voice. The only permission the enemy has to you is what you give him by complacency, apathy, or agreement. Decide to stand up and not let him keep robbing you of your greatest commodity.
  • Rebuke the enemy and be proactive with your spiritual armor according to Ephesians 6:10-19
  • Learn to be more aware of your atmosphere rather than just emotionally reacting to it. Ask God questions daily “what am I sensing?” “Why do I feel this way?”
  • Rebuke words, curses, judgment, and witchcraft chatter that comes at you. Isaiah 54:17 is a great defense.
  • Shake off the disapproval of others or those who don’t currently value or recognize your ministry or message. Bless them and keep your heart right.
  • Do not be muzzled or suppressed. Don’t tolerate jezebel in any shape, way, or form. Don’t partner with anything that shuts down the prophetic or is motivated by or uses fear, manipulation, or control to operate.
  • Stocktake your alliances, allegiances, alignments, and partnerships - are you in something that is shutting down your voice?
  • Believe better about yourself. Do you believe in your own voice?
  • Choose not to be popular but INFLUENTIAL
  • If you have been through previous rejection and any kind of church wound and have trauma - get healed, find some people who can sit with you and walk you through healing.
  • Be a son/daughter. You can’t be a voice thinking like an orphan or constantly feeling insignificant. Build yourself up in the word and begin to see yourself as a mighty powerful voice.
  • Value people’s opinions but don’t live by them or make decisions based on anything else than by what the spirit of God speaks.
  • Live tethered to the future you are speaking into not the present that struggles to accept what you speak. Soon they will!
  • Be a reformer if it’s in you. Just make sure to increase in your love as equally as you swing your hammer.
  • Live from eternity. Realize the afflictions and persecution you face are nothing compared to the glorious inheritance you have in Jesus. (2 Cor 4:17)
  • Find a prophetic tribe or bunch of undignified misfits that are lovers of God.
  • Realize that without your voice the enemy will put something else in that vacuum. You have a role to fill!
  • Wake up every day knowing that regardless of position, platform, or followers that you have a voice that is powerful and known in the heavenlies. It’s a new day to partner with heaven and see your message impact the earth!

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!

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

By Nate Johnston May 8, 2025
I have a word for the pioneers today... Just a few days ago, I was walking around the house praying when I saw a vision of an apple tree. It was being shaken violently. And although it was full of apples, they weren’t falling off. I thought, Hmm, that’s interesting, the fruit isn’t falling. Then, I felt prompted to speak and prophesy: It’s time for the fruit to come. It’s time for the fruit to come. We’ve had enough delay. We’ve had enough confusion. It’s time for the fruit to come. As soon as I said that, I saw the vision again and this time, apples were flying everywhere. They covered the ground until you couldn’t even see the grass. I kept walking around the house, praying into this, and I knew it was the Lord speaking about pioneers, those who had walked through seasons where it felt like they hadn’t seen the fruit of their yes to the Lord. They hadn’t seen the fruition of what they sowed. But I sensed the Lord saying: You haven’t seen the next chapter yet. You haven’t seen what I’m doing next. And I truly believe this is a massive prophetic indicator for this season. Many have even been afraid to step into new assignments from the Lord because it feels like, God, how can I step into something new when I haven’t even seen the fruit of the last season? But the Lord is saying: Stop measuring a season by its fruit. As a pioneer and forerunner, sometimes you don’t see the fruit until later chapters. Your faithfulness to say yes, to do what He told you to do, that was enough. But now, you’ve stepped into a new chapter. You’ve got to release the old season. Surrender it to the Lord so you can step into what He’s pouring out now. Grab it with both hands. I believe this vision is also a powerful sign for this moment in history. There’s shaking all around us, and many are afraid of it. But don’t fear the shaking because it’s revealing the fruit. Then I went into a second vision. I saw large storehouses almost like warehouses lining both sides of a freeway. They were being filled, overflowing. I knew I was seeing the fruit, the fulfillment, the fruition of years of prayer, obedience, and contending. I could see the expressions on people’s faces “I can’t believe it. I never thought I would see this day come.” But it has come. And I believe this is what the Lord is declaring: You are going to see the fruit of it. It reminded me of Zerubbabel - the one God gave the signet ring (Haggai 2:23), the one who led the people out of exile and laid the foundation of the temple and also lived to see the capstone placed (Zechariah 4:9). He didn’t just begin the work. He saw it finished. As pioneers, we often feel like we labor and others walk into the fruit. But I believe the Lord is saying: In this season, you’re going to see it. You will see what you gave your yes to. Now let me speak into the shaking for a moment because I felt it was significant that I saw the tree being shaken violently. The tree was being shaken so the fruit could come. Think about that for a moment. You don’t have to fear the shaking when you know that the glory comes with it. And right now, many people are in fear in this shaking because their focus is on the wrong thing. The shaking isn’t here to ruin you, but to dismantle demonic principalities and systems that have oppressed you for a long time. The shaking is here to shake the earth back into order and alignment with the Kingdom and take back ground. The shaking is here to ready the church for harvest. It’s not punishment for us, it’s actually the sign that FRUIT IS INCOMING! And the shaking is right now producing what you’ve been praying for. The shaking is bringing you into breakthrough because you’ve already been through the breaking. This shift that’s happening right now is not a shift into doom and gloom. It’s a shift into bloom and increase. It’s a shift that’s taking you into the ripening, personally and corporately, because you’ve already been through the pruning. You’ve been through the fire, through the adversity, through the dark night of the soul where you wanted to give up, and where everything was stacked against you. So now it’s time for the glory to be revealed because you held on to Jesus through the battle. And God’s about to reveal His faithfulness because you were faithful. He’s about to reveal His goodness in your life because you chose to believe He was good, even when others walked away. You hit your knees when others turned back to Egypt. So today pioneers, look through the right lens. Get back your faith eyes. Shake off the doubt. Shake off the fear. And choose to see not through the eyes of foreboding, fear, delay, and hope deferred but through the eyes of hope again. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” Romans 8:18 FRUIT IS COMING!
By Nate Johnston May 7, 2025
You’re starting to notice your discernment sharpening - what once felt confusing is now spiritually clear, and you are trusting your spiritual senses more. You’re beginning to lose your appetite for entertainment and conversations that carry compromise, and what once felt normal now feels spiritually heavy. You’re becoming more intentional about who speaks into your life. You are choosing depth, truth, and alignment over comfort and familiarity. You’re beginning to feel less tempted by old patterns like lust, fear, striving, and insecurity and they no longer have the same grip they used to. You’re starting to recognize spiritual assignments early, and what once blindsided you now gets discerned before it can take root. You’re no longer taken out by witchcraft, gossip, or slander because you’ve learned how to stand in peace and stay hidden in God. You’re beginning to feel the power and authority you have over demonic spirits and strongholds because you’re releasing it right away in hard moments instead of hesitating or shrinking back. You’re starting to refuse to be bullied by people, manipulation, or spiritual assignments the way you used to and you’re standing your ground more. You’re beginning to see the thing behind the thing. Your discernment has sharpened to the point that you recognize what’s masquerading as surface issues. You’re seeing small but significant shifts in areas where you used to be bombarded and robbed, and there’s now fruit where there used to be cycles. You’re beginning to realize that you don’t have to defend yourself. God is your defender, and you’re resting more in that truth. You’re noticing the Jezebel spirit can’t lure you into manipulation, fear, or silence like before and you’re quicker to walk away from the drama and reclaim your voice. You’re starting to speak truth with boldness instead of apologizing for your calling, and you’re stepping into spiritual authority with more confidence. You’re becoming more aware of the orphan mindset when it tries to creep in and you’re rejecting self-pity, comparison, and the need to prove your worth. You’re choosing sonship over survival, rest over hustle, identity over performance. You’re beginning to notice that your spiritual hunger has increased, and you’re craving the Word, the presence of God, and purity more than ever. You’re less shaken by resistance and more aware of your assignment. You see warfare as confirmation of your calling, not discouragement. You’re beginning to recognize when God is promoting you, even when it comes through pressure or pruning. You’re not offended by closed doors, you’re learning to see them as God’s protection and redirection. You’re finding joy in the hidden place. You don’t need the spotlight to feel secure anymore. You’re beginning to respond with spiritual authority instead of reacting emotionally. You take it to prayer before you take it to people. You’re starting to feel a deep shift, less striving, more surrender. Less fear, more fire. You’re not just surviving anymore, you’re starting to rule. You’re not just reacting to darkness, you’re displacing it. This isn’t just spiritual growth. This is spiritual promotion. You have leveled up! Well done! 
By Nate Johnston May 8, 2025
I have a word for the pioneers today... Just a few days ago, I was walking around the house praying when I saw a vision of an apple tree. It was being shaken violently. And although it was full of apples, they weren’t falling off. I thought, Hmm, that’s interesting, the fruit isn’t falling. Then, I felt prompted to speak and prophesy: It’s time for the fruit to come. It’s time for the fruit to come. We’ve had enough delay. We’ve had enough confusion. It’s time for the fruit to come. As soon as I said that, I saw the vision again and this time, apples were flying everywhere. They covered the ground until you couldn’t even see the grass. I kept walking around the house, praying into this, and I knew it was the Lord speaking about pioneers, those who had walked through seasons where it felt like they hadn’t seen the fruit of their yes to the Lord. They hadn’t seen the fruition of what they sowed. But I sensed the Lord saying: You haven’t seen the next chapter yet. You haven’t seen what I’m doing next. And I truly believe this is a massive prophetic indicator for this season. Many have even been afraid to step into new assignments from the Lord because it feels like, God, how can I step into something new when I haven’t even seen the fruit of the last season? But the Lord is saying: Stop measuring a season by its fruit. As a pioneer and forerunner, sometimes you don’t see the fruit until later chapters. Your faithfulness to say yes, to do what He told you to do, that was enough. But now, you’ve stepped into a new chapter. You’ve got to release the old season. Surrender it to the Lord so you can step into what He’s pouring out now. Grab it with both hands. I believe this vision is also a powerful sign for this moment in history. There’s shaking all around us, and many are afraid of it. But don’t fear the shaking because it’s revealing the fruit. Then I went into a second vision. I saw large storehouses almost like warehouses lining both sides of a freeway. They were being filled, overflowing. I knew I was seeing the fruit, the fulfillment, the fruition of years of prayer, obedience, and contending. I could see the expressions on people’s faces “I can’t believe it. I never thought I would see this day come.” But it has come. And I believe this is what the Lord is declaring: You are going to see the fruit of it. It reminded me of Zerubbabel - the one God gave the signet ring (Haggai 2:23), the one who led the people out of exile and laid the foundation of the temple and also lived to see the capstone placed (Zechariah 4:9). He didn’t just begin the work. He saw it finished. As pioneers, we often feel like we labor and others walk into the fruit. But I believe the Lord is saying: In this season, you’re going to see it. You will see what you gave your yes to. Now let me speak into the shaking for a moment because I felt it was significant that I saw the tree being shaken violently. The tree was being shaken so the fruit could come. Think about that for a moment. You don’t have to fear the shaking when you know that the glory comes with it. And right now, many people are in fear in this shaking because their focus is on the wrong thing. The shaking isn’t here to ruin you, but to dismantle demonic principalities and systems that have oppressed you for a long time. The shaking is here to shake the earth back into order and alignment with the Kingdom and take back ground. The shaking is here to ready the church for harvest. It’s not punishment for us, it’s actually the sign that FRUIT IS INCOMING! And the shaking is right now producing what you’ve been praying for. The shaking is bringing you into breakthrough because you’ve already been through the breaking. This shift that’s happening right now is not a shift into doom and gloom. It’s a shift into bloom and increase. It’s a shift that’s taking you into the ripening, personally and corporately, because you’ve already been through the pruning. You’ve been through the fire, through the adversity, through the dark night of the soul where you wanted to give up, and where everything was stacked against you. So now it’s time for the glory to be revealed because you held on to Jesus through the battle. And God’s about to reveal His faithfulness because you were faithful. He’s about to reveal His goodness in your life because you chose to believe He was good, even when others walked away. You hit your knees when others turned back to Egypt. So today pioneers, look through the right lens. Get back your faith eyes. Shake off the doubt. Shake off the fear. And choose to see not through the eyes of foreboding, fear, delay, and hope deferred but through the eyes of hope again. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” Romans 8:18 FRUIT IS COMING!
By Nate Johnston May 7, 2025
You’re starting to notice your discernment sharpening - what once felt confusing is now spiritually clear, and you are trusting your spiritual senses more. You’re beginning to lose your appetite for entertainment and conversations that carry compromise, and what once felt normal now feels spiritually heavy. You’re becoming more intentional about who speaks into your life. You are choosing depth, truth, and alignment over comfort and familiarity. You’re beginning to feel less tempted by old patterns like lust, fear, striving, and insecurity and they no longer have the same grip they used to. You’re starting to recognize spiritual assignments early, and what once blindsided you now gets discerned before it can take root. You’re no longer taken out by witchcraft, gossip, or slander because you’ve learned how to stand in peace and stay hidden in God. You’re beginning to feel the power and authority you have over demonic spirits and strongholds because you’re releasing it right away in hard moments instead of hesitating or shrinking back. You’re starting to refuse to be bullied by people, manipulation, or spiritual assignments the way you used to and you’re standing your ground more. You’re beginning to see the thing behind the thing. Your discernment has sharpened to the point that you recognize what’s masquerading as surface issues. You’re seeing small but significant shifts in areas where you used to be bombarded and robbed, and there’s now fruit where there used to be cycles. You’re beginning to realize that you don’t have to defend yourself. God is your defender, and you’re resting more in that truth. You’re noticing the Jezebel spirit can’t lure you into manipulation, fear, or silence like before and you’re quicker to walk away from the drama and reclaim your voice. You’re starting to speak truth with boldness instead of apologizing for your calling, and you’re stepping into spiritual authority with more confidence. You’re becoming more aware of the orphan mindset when it tries to creep in and you’re rejecting self-pity, comparison, and the need to prove your worth. You’re choosing sonship over survival, rest over hustle, identity over performance. You’re beginning to notice that your spiritual hunger has increased, and you’re craving the Word, the presence of God, and purity more than ever. You’re less shaken by resistance and more aware of your assignment. You see warfare as confirmation of your calling, not discouragement. You’re beginning to recognize when God is promoting you, even when it comes through pressure or pruning. You’re not offended by closed doors, you’re learning to see them as God’s protection and redirection. You’re finding joy in the hidden place. You don’t need the spotlight to feel secure anymore. You’re beginning to respond with spiritual authority instead of reacting emotionally. You take it to prayer before you take it to people. You’re starting to feel a deep shift, less striving, more surrender. Less fear, more fire. You’re not just surviving anymore, you’re starting to rule. You’re not just reacting to darkness, you’re displacing it. This isn’t just spiritual growth. This is spiritual promotion. You have leveled up! Well done! 
By Nate Johnston May 5, 2025
Have you been battling with a sudden wave of discouragement, and attack against the dreams you are carrying in this season? Does it feel like the enemy is trying to make you forfeit them by bringing distractions and voices of fear, intimidation, and caution so you don’t bring them forth? Are you even questioning if you heard right and are even doing what God has told you to do? Sounds textbook for what the enemy does in a birthing season.. Last week, I shared a word about how, in this season, God is birthing unusual ministries and movements that feel unfamiliar and don’t fit the old mold. Many are stepping into assignments purely out of obedience, even when it doesn’t make sense in the natural. These new expressions of ministry break away from traditional methods, and they challenge what we’ve come to define as “legitimate.” It reminds me of when we began our ministry. God called us to train and equip online, back when that was nearly unheard of. At that time, a legitimate school or training ministry had to be run through a church. Because we weren’t, we were labeled rebels, heretics, and lone rangers. But as we remained faithful through the criticism, God vindicated us. He proved, even to some of the loudest voices that we were going to obey Him, not a system and see the fruit from it. John the Baptist birthed his ministry in the wilderness. So did Jesus, He was affirmed by the Father at His baptism and immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness. It was only after overcoming the enemy there that He emerged in power. You see, the wilderness isn’t a punishment, it’s often the birthing room of the most pure movements because they aren’t birthed in the comforts we are accustomed to. They take radical steps obedience to bring forth. Think of the Covid days where many hospitals had such high restrictions that many babies then were born at home because of it. It wasn’t the norm, but it became the norm. You see, God isn’t birthing the most potent movements in shiny and clean rooms, or boardrooms, but in the messy, the wilderness, the MANGERS! Right now, many of you have conceived something from the Lord. You’ve received a download, a vision, an assignment, a calling, but it doesn’t fit the current mold of ministry. It feels risky. It feels uncomfortable. You don’t have the full picture, just enough to step out. And when you try to explain it to others, you’re met with blank stares, doubt, or even accusations. But hear this: God gives you the seed, not the whole blueprint. Why? Because if He gave you the full vision at once, it would overwhelm you. And if you share it too early, it invites discouragement and resistance that can derail the very thing He’s birthing through you. I had a dream after our most recent gathering in Orange County. In it, I was in a birthing class like a Lamaze class and the atmosphere was thick with fear and nervous anticipation. One woman shared how hard her last birth was and how afraid she was that this one would be the same. Suddenly, a group burst into the room, laughing, mocking, completely unaware of the sacred moment happening. I shouted, “Get out! You’re distracting them!” And they cursed me and said, “What are you even doing? This is silly!” And I woke up with fire in my spirit. The Lord spoke clearly: In the birthing season, you must protect what you’re carrying. Like Jesus clearing the room before raising Jairus’ daughter, not everyone can be allowed into the birthing room. Here’s What the Lord Showed Me About Birthing Seasons: You cannot cast your pearls too early. Sharing the vision too soon can open you up to spiritual attack, discouragement, and mockery that wounds and aborts what God planted in you. Spies sent to extract information will come disguised as caring voices. These may be former mentors, religious authorities, or even well-meaning friends. But they’re there to gather intel to discredit you or twist your assignment into something more palatable to them. Jezebel will rise against it.. The spirit of control and manipulation hates pure, Spirit-birthed movements. And it will often use familiar voices, former leaders, influencers, or spiritual “fathers and mothers”to make you feel illegitimate, rebellious, or dangerous. These are witchcraft assignments in disguise. Provision may seem to dry up, doors may shut. Don’t let temporary lack cause you to question the vision. You’re not seeing fruit yet because you’re still planting the tree. Don’t judge the season by the fruit, judge it by the weight of the seed. And then just yesterday I received another confirming dream - a warning dream from a prophetic friend. In it, people offered Christy and and I the funds to purchase the land we’ve been believing for. But their condition was this: “Do it our way. Make it fit our mold. Make it a church not an apostolic hub” And bit by bit, they stripped the uniqueness from the vision until our friend shouted: “DO NOT TAKE THE ABORTION PILL.” That hit me like thunder in my spirit. Weighty, and smothered in the fear of the Lord. And so I say to you, pioneers and forerunners: DO NOT TAKE THE ABORTION PILL. Do not compromise the movement. Do not water down the mandate. Do not shift the vision to please men. Do not hand over your assignment to gain comfort or applause. This is not the time to conform, this is the time to protect, guard, and bring forth. What God is birthing through you is pure. It’s holy. It may not look like church-as-usual because it’s not. It’s the Kingdom breaking in. So as you move into this week, I urge you: Shut the door. Guard the room. Listen to the Spirit. Be obedient. You’re not crazy. You’re not rebellious. You’re pregnant with a movement. Birth it purely. Birth it boldly, and don’t be distracted, In Jesus’ mighty name.
By Nate Johnston April 26, 2025
To the pioneers and forerunners who carry the Lord’s heart. To the remnant who are no longer following where man is leading, but are constantly seeking the Lamb - This is a word for you. This is a reminder of what God is speaking to us right now as we step into the new. The Lord keeps saying to me: “Build differently. Build differently. Follow Me. Build differently.” And He is persistent about this because we have been so used to building a certain way. Our mindsets have been shaped by old paradigms, and old blueprints of how we’ve done kingdom and ministry. But as we step into the new things God has placed in our hands, the challenge we will face is confronting the old mindsets. We will wrestle with old patterns, old methods, and old cycles, the ways we previously approached the kingdom, and God is asking us to break new ground and step into a whole new mindset and focus. The word over you is simply—birth differently. And here’s the difficult part; When you birth differently, many around you will say you’re doing it wrong. They will think you are being rebellious, foolish, or unwise. But unless we build His way and steward His mission His way, we risk birthing an Ishmael - something man-driven and powerless. We must build according to the blueprint of God’s heart, not according to proven systems and methods that have lost the wind of His Spirit. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) That has been the trap for many in the past seasons. John the Baptist built differently. He birthed his ministry outside of the city walls. He rejected the religious systems and Pharisaical traditions (Luke 3:2-6). He did what looked simple, grassroots, even foolish, something many would have dismissed as just a momentary uprising, yet it caught fire. John was preparing the way of the Lord. He was awakening people to the transition between old and new wineskins, between old and new covenants. It says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) John ignited a holy hunger for true kingdom realities that had been buried under religious systems. You, remnant, were not called to tame. You were not called to maintain the status quo. You were called to lead the Church into her truest expression of relationship, intimacy, and becoming the true Ekklesia (Matthew 16:18). This is why we must build differently now. Because as we build, we are also unbuilding. As you establish what God is birthing through you, you are simultaneously dismantling what has been unhealthy, dysfunctional, and demonic. As you build healthy communities, you are unbuilding years of conditioning where the Church was a clubhouse or a hierarchy. As you build healthy leadership, Davidic leadership, you are unbuilding years of Saul-like leadership marked by control, fear, and intimidation. As you build healthy mothering and fathering, you are unbuilding years of Jezebelic influence that has sat at the tables of our ministries. As you build healthy prophetic culture, you are unbuilding the orphan spirit and celebrity-driven ministry. As you lead people to behold the Lamb, you are unbuilding the false idols, false gospels, and false “Jesuses” that have captivated the Church’s gaze. This is why birthing differently takes courage. It takes faith. It takes complete surrender. This week, I felt strongly not just to deliver this word, but to pray for you that God would begin giving you clear dreams and divine redirections. He is going to show you where you need to build differently. Where you must not fall back into the familiar patterns of the past. He will give you dreams, conviction, clarity, and specific next steps. And as you step out in obedience, you will feel the wind of the Holy Spirit behind you. And I prophesy that He will surround you with the right people, resources, and everything you need to walk into the fulfillment of this promise, In Jesus’ name!