Nate Johnston

PROPHETIC WORD - IN MAY, THERE WILL BE A SHIFT FROM STAGNANCY TO BIRTHING

Nate Johnston

PROPHETIC WORD - IN MAY, THERE WILL BE A SHIFT FROM STAGNANCY TO BIRTHING

PROPHETIC WORD - IN MAY, THERE WILL BE A SHIFT FROM STAGNANCY TO BIRTHING

IN MAY, THERE WILL BE A SHIFT FROM STAGNANCY TO BIRTHING


A few weeks ago, I had a dream where I was sitting by a stagnant pool and heard a voice say, “It's time to move on from the bitter pools, it's time to leave stagnancy! When I woke up, I began to get a download for the month of May where the Lord spoke about some key areas of transition and breakthrough that are coming.


BITTER WATERS WILL BE MADE SWEET


I feel like the most potent part of this dream is that the Lord is saying that in May He wants to lead those who've been feeling bitter or potentially bitter back into sweet waters. 


In Exodus 15:22-25 it reads:


“Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink”


I feel like so many, so many of the body of Christ right now are potentially bitter. They have been through a long road of feeling just poisoned and bitter because things haven't worked out the way that they thought or planned that they would be. Many pioneers and forerunners right now are wrestling this tension between fresh impending birth and the reality of the loose ends of the past season.


The enemy would love right now to poison them, to keep them in this place of bitterness. But like my dream, the Lord is saying, leave the stagnant waters. You must come out. Right now I feel this call. We must leave this place. We must separate ourselves from all the things that are warring at us, trying to keep us chained to what didn't happen, the feeling of abandonment, and discouragement from the past season. We must move on. We cannot camp there any longer.


Interestingly, this month in the Hebrew calendar is the month of Iyar, which happens to be the exact time that the Israelites came to the same spring - the same stagnant pool. But what did God do? He made what was bitter drinkable. But after that it says:


“After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water” Exodus 15:27.


I believe the Lord is transitioning us in the month of May from many situations and circumstances that continually keep us embedded and potentially bitter. He is bringing us into a place again where we will discover and experience the sweetness of the call again.


BREAKING TIES WITH THE STAGNANT


The second element to this dream, I believe, is where we must right now be identifying and breaking ties with stagnant places, stagnant alignments, and stagnant assignments. This is something the Lord has been speaking to us since January. The Lord is wanting us to discern the areas that are keeping us in stagnancy and leading us into further bitterness.


God is wanting us to make sure that the alignments that we have are full of life, that they are leading us into thriving, growth, and breakthrough. Any area or any voice that is accessing you right now that is leading you backwards, must be broken and severed.


So many people right now are wondering why they're feeling like they're advancing two steps forward and then four steps back, and I feel the Lord on this, that I must say, look at the places that are stagnant. What do you have your feet in right now that is stagnant? You cannot have your feet in both a dead pool, and also a pool of life. You must fully step into the place of life.


It's time to leave those places behind. It's time to sever the ties. It's time to confront the places that have been holding you back and step into life again. The month of May is going to be a time where the Lord brings you your people. A month where The Lord continues to realign. There's been an assignment of division that has tried to stop alignments. There's been an assignment that's been trying to confuse and frustrate divine connections and covenant relationships with the Lord in May is clearing that out and is leading you to your people.


HOPE DEFERRED TO TREES OF LIFE


“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12


I believe May is a significant month for the shifting of hope deferred. I know that for many years now, the body of Christ has been in a place of extreme delay. The enemy has played the same card that he played on Daniel when he asked and inquired of the Lord, and it took so many days for the Prince of Persia that so many days for the breakthrough to come;


“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.” - Daniel 10:13


I believe we've been in that phase in the body of Christ for many years now, where there's been extreme delays on all fronts. The enemy is just trying to hold back his inevitable defeat. But in that he's been trying to hold back the breakthrough, the open doors that have been planned and assigned for the people of God.


The problem has been that we have begun to think and ingest this hope deferred until it's starting to impact and influence the way we think and move as believers. It's starting to cause us to hold back and put the red light on things that the Lord is wanting us to move forward in. It’s causing us to begin to act in fear instead of faith and deep discouragement, and disappointment instead of fiery passion and zeal. I believe the month of May is a month where the Lord is clearing away the hope deferred out of the hearts and souls of God's people and is reinstating a fiery conviction and a hope that cannot be tarnished. I believe this is going to be a Tree of Life month.


LEAVING THE LIONS LAIR


Something that the Lord began to show me was that for many months now He has been in protection mode. He has been surrounding his people with His faithfulness and rescuing them from situations that they didn't even know that they were stuck in and has been pulling them and rescuing them out of them.


And I heard the Lord say, that in May we're going to see those kinds of rescue situations. We're going to see exactly where He’s been rescuing us. So many of us have been in situations that have been like lions' lairs, surrounded by situations, problems, circumstances, and people that have sought to rob and derail the call of God on our lives. But the Lord, jealously and protectively as a father has been leading us out of those situations.


He's been breaking us free from many chains and bondages we didn't even know that we had around our feet. I believe May is going to be a month of extreme emancipation as we begin to feel freedom and life enter us in places where we have felt subtle or unknown bondage, or feeling just restricted and constricted in places that we didn't even realize.


There's gonna be a time where God begins to reveal to us the permission and the freedom that we have to step into this new season without constantly feeling surrounded by lions and needless warfare.


THE OVERFLOW OF OIL


I believe May is going to be a month of increased visitation and habitation where for so long God's people have been seeking oil, but have only found small deposits. It's been a season having to press in deeply just to experience the Lord even in small measures. But watch as May begins to shift because we're stepping out of the trickle and into a roar.


I feel like we're about to strike oil. We're about to strike oil because the Lord knows that the time is at hand and we're going to step into a place of overflow again. Where hearts have been, hearts have been depleted and have been dry and thirsty. So get ready for the oil. It's about to overtake your life and you'll feel movement in areas you've not felt movement before, says the Lord and you will feel an unction where you've not felt an unction before, says the Lord and you will feel an anointing, a fresh anointing begin to flow where you felt powerless and defeated for such a long period of time.


Watch as My power, as My might, comes upon your life in a fresh way and you begin to prophesy like the days of old. This is a Joel 2 moment. This is a time where the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and blanket you and you'll begin to move in dimensions and offices you've not known before.


STRATEGIC BIRTHING


The Lord told me that the month of May was going to be a month of strategic kairos birthing. What is that? It's the birthing of things you've been carrying that have been preserved, and reserved for this time. Maybe you've been carrying something for a long time, wondering why it hasn't come to pass or when it will come to pass. The Lord has been reserving this for now for a reason that you don't understand until you begin to see how God uses it.


You’ve not understood that it was preserved for a time and a spiritual climate that it would be the most effective. So get ready to see the Lord begin to highlight and open doors for you to step into places of favor and influence you have not had in the years passed. 


It's time to see those things birthed. It's time to see the Lord break open the way in some areas of your calling that you began to feel would never come to pass.


LOOK AND SEE!


May is the month of look and see. I just keep seeing this vision of this plot of land, this empty block of land, a blank canvas. It's a time where the Lord is wanting us to dream again. It's a time where the Lord is wanting us to vision with him. Again, it's a stretch forth your tent peg season, but it's also a season of vision where the Lord is wanting us to physically, tangibly, and actively pursue the vision that he's given us, and to not hold back.


He's wanting us to begin to plan ahead for the days to come. We've been held back in so many areas. There's been such delays in so many areas, but by faith this month begins to activate that which has felt impossible to reach and begin to vision with the Lord again. I feel like even this vision specifically speaks to those who've been looking for land, those who've been looking to expand their ministries and their dreams by dreaming for locations and regions, and the Lord is giving them land.


In this season, this will be a time where the Lord said there's a specific favor on property. There's a, there's a, there's a very strategic favor on the Lord securing plots of land for his people. Begin to dream with him, begin to vision with him and watch it come to pass.


SPIRITUAL TERRITORY & LEGACY


While I'm on this topic, I must speak into something. I feel the Lord is arming His people for something in the days ahead, and that is territory. I see mission coordinates being handed out to the body of Christ, these people to take spiritual dominion and control over locations that have been in the enemy's hands.


This is a time where the Lord is releasing his people to storm the gates and begin to take back that which has been given over to the enemy for such a long period of time. Just as we're believing for the expansion of our ministry and vision, the Lord is wanting us to take responsibility and to occupy that which has not been occupied before in our cities and regions. This will be a time where even the Lord begins to highlight new regions and territories for people to occupy.


My advice to you, encouragement to you is to occupy those regions, to take them for the kingdom of God and to not hold back. Maybe there are specific mountains of influence and places in culture that you feel is your place to occupy. Occupy them, take them. This is the moment I feel like May is going to be a significant month of shaking and turnover in the media and entertainment mountains where we begin to see those that have been hidden behind the scenes come forth. 


It's a time where we're going to begin to see the movers and shakers, the reformers that God has been planting in those places begin to be revealed and we begin to see that which has been holding these mountains in bondage begin to begin to be evicted from their lofty thrones. It's a time for God's people to storm the gates and take those regions and places for the kingdom of God and not hold back.


FINANCIAL TAKE BACK & REPLENISHMENT


I believe May, is going to be a month where we begin to see the wealth of the wicked coming back to the righteous. I've been seeing in this Spirit for the last two years now, how the enemy has tried to rob God's people. There's been upset, turmoil in the financial market, interest rates going high, and it’s impossible to buy homes. The Lord is shifting this for His people.


Regardless of the market, regardless of what's taking place in the stock exchange and the markets the Lord is releasing, he's releasing a wave of provision to the body of Christ for a significant and strategic purpose. It's to fund the harvest that's at hand. Right now we're in a time of building and a time of increase, but many have been saying, ‘Lord, how can I move forward when I have, I don't have the provision, Lord, how can I move forward when I do not have the means to be able to build and do what you've told me to build?’


In fact, it feels like things have gone in reverse. I've been in a season of robbery. I've been in a season where it feels like the locust has been eating away at what you've given me. Now, watch in May as your banks are replenished. Watch in May as things begin to turn around as a wave of provision and financial increase comes. This is a time not to be stingy. It's time to sow. It's the time to begin to use your seed powerfully again. And by faith, because the Lord is releasing a wave of prosperity to you, to take you out of the place of limitation and into the place of his unlimited favor, so you can build and plant the things which he called you to build years ago.


WALKING THE NEW WAY


I believe the Lord has been speaking to me for months, about May and June being a period of time where the Lord was leading and guiding his people in the right way, in the new way, the new path that he had for them. Since January, we've been in a time where the Lord has been dealing with a lot of the things that have been distracting and robbing us from walking in the right path.


But I believe in May and June, there's going to be a significant grace to begin to move out of ishmael decisions and circumstances and into places of fruitful, beneficial circumstances and the new paths will be revealed. The Lord is encouraging us to leave certain methods and ways that we have been walking in and to begin to walk in new patterns and blueprints that are on his heart for the hour ahead.


It's gonna be a time where the Lord transitions people quickly into strategic locations and vocations.


THE ISSACHAR UPRISING


Don't be silent in the month of May, the Lord is unmuzzling those who carry the Issachar anointing to lead the body of Christ forward. But he being in a place of being silenced and squashed, this is a time where the Lord is highlighting those we carry language and blueprints on his heart that will lead the body of Christ out of places of stagnancy and defeat and into understanding the mission at hand and the strategic anointing to be able to practically know how to move forward in certain areas that the church have been stuck. 


We're going to see the rise of people that are having dreams and insight about things that we've never heard of or seen before. Areas that are going to break the church free out of places of religious bondage, but also we're going to see the rise of the Issachar anointing, especially for the marketplace areas where the church have been behind the ball on, we're going to see these Issachar's rise up to lead the charge.


BULLS AT THE GATES


 I believe May is going to be a time where the Lord is unleashing such a wild ox anointing upon the church that's going to awaken true apostles to their posts. I believe we're gonna see the emergence and the reactivation of an apostolic anointing that would take charge and begin to reveal signs and wonders back to the church again.


I believe it's a time where the Lord is raising up voices who are not compromised and who will quickly carry an influence to be able to lead the church out of places of mixture and compromise these wild oxes. These bulls are going to rise up quickly and they're going to carry such a favor movement around them that's going to begin to rearrange the body of Christ and cause the army of God, the E, to rise up and to fight where they've been laying low in the battlefield.


It's going to unleash such a resurrection anointing that's going to bring so many back from the brink of death and unbelief.


UNMANTLED & REMANTLED WITH FIRE


We've been in such a period of time where the Lord has been very jealously after God's people and removing wrong mantles, wrong associations, and everything that would limit his people. So many in the body of Christ have been under Jezebelic influence without even realizing it.


They've been living wearing Saul's armor and haven't realized it. There are whole networks and movements that have been silenced because they've been subtly under the suppression of jezebel's silence and compromise. But right now, the Lord is breaking the church free.


He's taking those wrong mantles off the church and he's saying the only mantle you need is Isaiah 61. And I feel as I release this charge of May over you, I wanna release this as a prophetic decree and importation that the Isaiah 61 anointing of Jesus would rest upon you and that would be the only mantle that you would carry from this moment forward. As I decree this every wrong mantle and every wrong tie that's been over your life, every demonic influence, every tormenting demon, and every distraction would break off you and you would enter me clutter free and ready for the call.


“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor  and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty  instead of ashes, the oil of joy  instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord  for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.” - Isaiah 61:1-8


Sow a seed

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

BIRTHING IN A WILDERNESS SEASON

By Nate Johnston • May 15, 2025
I have spoken about this topic alot lately, but I feel to encourage you again today... 10 years ago we birthed in a wilderness. I had nonstop calls from old friends saying it was illegitimate. It was uncovered. It was rebellion. I honestly believed them. I had never felt more isolated and alone. We were out of community at the time. Our old church friends would run a mile when they saw us at the mall. Just because we chose to step into our calling.. I wrestled it more nights than I can count. Kept trying to give it back to God and created so many excuses of why I should just let it all go and fall back in line. But as much as my head was telling me I was in error, my spirit was burning and the Father kept saying “Keep going, I have led you this way!” I could feel his delight in the midst of so much internal battle and daily messages and judgement. And I decided that was enough. We kept going. Then fruit started erupting. Yes, it was like streams in the desert. A wasteland season by religious standards was our personal revival. I can’t even tell you how much of a mental battle that season was though. I was unlearning while I was leaning into the voice of the Lord. The pressure was on all sides and the Jezebel spirit kept flaring up around us to make us cave in and shut up but we decided we have tolerated that long enough. And ten years later, it feels Iike another wilderness birthing season. But this time it’s not just us, but many. It’s grassroots. Building from the secret place up. It’s where you look around and see a wilderness but yet you also feel a fresh wind blowing. And while you could go with your head and wait til the weather changes and conditions feel more right and you have all the things in place, God says “NOW…” And as in writing this I keep feeling the grief of some of you reading this who have come to this moment many times before but fear and pressure around you has made you forfeit it over and over. It’s the grief of feeling like you missed it on one hand and also the grief of knowing if you choose it you will be letting go of the familiar. And right now the giants in the land are screaming loudly at you and telling you to sit down and shut up. “Get back to your seat!” They say. That’s the mental torment you have been feeling. It makes you feel double minded. But you know what breaks it? Saying yes even when it doesn’t make sense… John’s voice cried out in the wilderness and a movement was birthed. The battle has been so intense because the enemy knows that if you step into this it will turn not just your wilderness into a garden, but it will bring so many right now who are lost into a super bloom. It doesn’t add up. But it’s just what God does. So if this is you today, stop fighting it and giving God all the reasons you can’t. You weren’t created for the Gucci ministry model, you are called to the messy… And watch God do what you have been trying to do but has failed in your own strength and your own methods. Watch him take the ashes of your striving and trying to fit a honey and locust vision into a white-washed tomb, and use it to confound the wise.  So today I prophesy - no more wandering confused and conflicted. It’s time for you to see the fruit of radical obedience and placing the fear of man on the altar. No more barrenness and feeling like a cursed fig tree. For you will feel a fresh wind and anointing to step into Gods plan for your life and the weighty mantle and call ONLY YOU can wear in Jesus name.

A KINGDOM HUB IS RISING IN ORANGE COUNTY!

By Nate Johnston • May 13, 2025
What if Orange County became a sending ground for revival? That's what we believe God is building and we want to invite you into it. We're establishing an apostolic hub in Orange County. Not a church service. Not a ministry brand. But a KINGDOM GREENHOUSE designed to train, heal, equip, and send. Think of it like an air traffic control tower: helping people hear clearly from God, align with their assignments, and land on the right runways, churches, cities, ministries, nations. This is for the leaders, intercessors, creatives, and reformers who are asking, “Where do I fit in this new move of God?” We're building on Ephesians 4:11–13 , apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers working together to equip the saints for ministry and maturity. What's Next? We're preparing to launch the foundation of this hub by: • Rallying the hungry • Equipping the Church • Calling out reformers • And inviting pioneers to build with us But we can't do this alone… WE'RE ASKING FOR TWO THINGS AS WE TAKE THIS BOLD STEP: 1. Prayer – for protection, provision, and clarity. 2. Financial Partnership – one-time or monthly partnerships, every seed helps us build. Would you pray about joining us either in intercession, generosity, or both? Click below to read more and give! Thank you for linking arms with us as we contend for a new wineskin in this hour. With hearts burning, Nate + Christy

BIRTHING IN A WILDERNESS SEASON

By Nate Johnston • May 15, 2025
I have spoken about this topic alot lately, but I feel to encourage you again today... 10 years ago we birthed in a wilderness. I had nonstop calls from old friends saying it was illegitimate. It was uncovered. It was rebellion. I honestly believed them. I had never felt more isolated and alone. We were out of community at the time. Our old church friends would run a mile when they saw us at the mall. Just because we chose to step into our calling.. I wrestled it more nights than I can count. Kept trying to give it back to God and created so many excuses of why I should just let it all go and fall back in line. But as much as my head was telling me I was in error, my spirit was burning and the Father kept saying “Keep going, I have led you this way!” I could feel his delight in the midst of so much internal battle and daily messages and judgement. And I decided that was enough. We kept going. Then fruit started erupting. Yes, it was like streams in the desert. A wasteland season by religious standards was our personal revival. I can’t even tell you how much of a mental battle that season was though. I was unlearning while I was leaning into the voice of the Lord. The pressure was on all sides and the Jezebel spirit kept flaring up around us to make us cave in and shut up but we decided we have tolerated that long enough. And ten years later, it feels Iike another wilderness birthing season. But this time it’s not just us, but many. It’s grassroots. Building from the secret place up. It’s where you look around and see a wilderness but yet you also feel a fresh wind blowing. And while you could go with your head and wait til the weather changes and conditions feel more right and you have all the things in place, God says “NOW…” And as in writing this I keep feeling the grief of some of you reading this who have come to this moment many times before but fear and pressure around you has made you forfeit it over and over. It’s the grief of feeling like you missed it on one hand and also the grief of knowing if you choose it you will be letting go of the familiar. And right now the giants in the land are screaming loudly at you and telling you to sit down and shut up. “Get back to your seat!” They say. That’s the mental torment you have been feeling. It makes you feel double minded. But you know what breaks it? Saying yes even when it doesn’t make sense… John’s voice cried out in the wilderness and a movement was birthed. The battle has been so intense because the enemy knows that if you step into this it will turn not just your wilderness into a garden, but it will bring so many right now who are lost into a super bloom. It doesn’t add up. But it’s just what God does. So if this is you today, stop fighting it and giving God all the reasons you can’t. You weren’t created for the Gucci ministry model, you are called to the messy… And watch God do what you have been trying to do but has failed in your own strength and your own methods. Watch him take the ashes of your striving and trying to fit a honey and locust vision into a white-washed tomb, and use it to confound the wise.  So today I prophesy - no more wandering confused and conflicted. It’s time for you to see the fruit of radical obedience and placing the fear of man on the altar. No more barrenness and feeling like a cursed fig tree. For you will feel a fresh wind and anointing to step into Gods plan for your life and the weighty mantle and call ONLY YOU can wear in Jesus name.

A KINGDOM HUB IS RISING IN ORANGE COUNTY!

By Nate Johnston • May 13, 2025
What if Orange County became a sending ground for revival? That's what we believe God is building and we want to invite you into it. We're establishing an apostolic hub in Orange County. Not a church service. Not a ministry brand. But a KINGDOM GREENHOUSE designed to train, heal, equip, and send. Think of it like an air traffic control tower: helping people hear clearly from God, align with their assignments, and land on the right runways, churches, cities, ministries, nations. This is for the leaders, intercessors, creatives, and reformers who are asking, “Where do I fit in this new move of God?” We're building on Ephesians 4:11–13 , apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers working together to equip the saints for ministry and maturity. What's Next? We're preparing to launch the foundation of this hub by: • Rallying the hungry • Equipping the Church • Calling out reformers • And inviting pioneers to build with us But we can't do this alone… WE'RE ASKING FOR TWO THINGS AS WE TAKE THIS BOLD STEP: 1. Prayer – for protection, provision, and clarity. 2. Financial Partnership – one-time or monthly partnerships, every seed helps us build. Would you pray about joining us either in intercession, generosity, or both? Click below to read more and give! Thank you for linking arms with us as we contend for a new wineskin in this hour. With hearts burning, Nate + Christy

A MESSAGE TO THE ROGUE BUILDERS

By Nate Johnston • May 13, 2025
I’ve had this dream more times than I can count where I’m holding a hammer and I hear the Lord say “What will you do with what I’ve given you?” It echoes the parable of the talents. I know the guilt of burying what God gave me out of fear, out of a desire not to rock the boat. But for me right now? I can’t bury it anymore. And I know I’m not alone. I see others - seed carriers with pockets full of heaven’s plans, who can feel the fire of God stirring them to finally come out of hiding and build what He gave them long ago. But it’s been a journey to get here right? Because the enemy saw what you carried long before you even knew it so he tried to discredit you, silence you, shame you and wound you. You were called heretic, rebel, false prophet, and disruptor of the peace. And maybe that last one is true. But here’s the burning message on my heart to you rogue builders... To the ones who’ve been off the grid, outside the system, who have felt misplaced and displaced - you’re not lost, you’ve been on assignment. You have been pregnant waiting for the moment. And l believe for many that moment has finally come but it’s a strange and uncomfortable tension. I feel this tension even in myself. That feeling of not wanting to step on toes, of not wanting to rock the boat. But let’s be honest, you were never meant to go with the flow. God led you into the wilderness because you’re not called to walk the road everyone else walks. The anointing on your life is not activated in comfort. It activates in disruption. You need to swing that hammer to see your calling come to life. But you have been hesitant because of what you have been through. You are called to disturb what is stagnant, to confront systems that stifle, and to release what heaven is building. That’s where your oil flows. Not in compromise, not in trying to appease the structures you were never meant to serve or come under. This doesn’t give you permission to be arrogant or critical. You’re not building against anyone. You’re building for the King. Like David dancing before the ark, undignified, misunderstood, but in a state of deep worship, you carry this call in that same way. Its worship. And yes, some people will misunderstand your motives. That’s the cost of carrying something holy and different. But it’s no longer a time to hesitate or wait. It’s a “strike while the iron is hot” moment. And even as I am writing this I am seeing a scene from Lord of the Rings where the rogue king Aragorn has the sword of his ancestors restored that was broken in pieces from battle. Maybe that represents you and what you have been through or your mission. You have felt the hammer on the inside of you and you have walked through the fire but not God is restoring you to your post in a pivotal hour of history. You see, we are shifting from an institutional model to a harvest age. The Lord is asking, “Who will build it? ” It’s 2 Kings 6 all over again where the sons of prophets realized, “This place is too small.” And they began to build but in the middle of construction, the axe head fell in the Jordan. One of the building prophets yelled out “Oh no, that axe head was borrowed! Then Elisha threw in a stick, and the iron floated to the surface. And there’s a prophetic message in this passage for us right now. The axehead represents the apostolic office and regional authority. The Church has lost its edge, relying on old models, and borrowed tools. There is a rising cry to recover true supernatural authority and power and you are called to bring it back. The Jordan represents massive change and baptism into a new era. Old systems, though not evil, are insufficient for the harvest ahead. The time for murky waters and mixture is over. The building of the bigger house represents movement in expansion but not in the way we expect. We have to build for the harvest but this means looking beyond a building and building into homes, cities, nations. It’s building beyond the current blueprint and limited infrastructure that unleashes the church into full occupation as the ecclesia. We are in a moment where it’s uncomfortable because we are leaving maintenance behind and embracing mission. This isn’t rebellion, it’s return. It’s not pride, it’s prophetic alignment with the original vision. We’re stepping back into the apostolic mission of Acts, where apostles and prophets set the foundation, and the whole body is activated to move, grow, and expand. So let me keep stirring you for a moment. Think of Nehemiah overcome by grief for the ruins, but driven by the call to rebuild. What if he had listened to Sanballat and Tobiah? What if he laid down his hammer out of fear of man? We’re at the same crossroads. This is not us vs. them, it’s us FOR them. We are leaving behind a shepherd-only model and stepping into a fivefold framework. This is where cities are won, regions are reclaimed, and the local church actually thrives because apostolic centers rise and the saints are sent. And this is what I keep seeing in the Spirit, wildfires igniting across a map. Not chaos but commissioning. Not destruction but awakening. Apostolic hubs of true power, Kingdom authority, cultural shift, deep belonging, and the rise of the firebrands. In the next five years, God is recommissioning the decommissioned rogue ones, the factionless, the wanderers and calling them to pick up their hammer and build. To set fire to the beacons. To call in the hungry. To prepare places for the harvest. It’s like Joseph who saw in a dream what was coming and PREPARED for it by building goshen. What if this was a similar moment? What if this alarm we feel is the Lord saying “PREPARE, BUILD, PIVOT!” Not out of fear but out of a strategic zeal to get the church in order, ready for the return of Jesus and our most glorious days seeing the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Yes we need to build! The reason many feel unrest is because we have a LONGING in us for what the church will be and what she is becoming but we haven’t seen it modelled yet! Until you step into your shoes and swing your hammer. Because we need the messy hospitals where the lost and broken come. We need the places where the glory comes and there is no ceiling on it. And in order for that to happen, we need our ducks out of a row for a season. We need our systems ruined so we need HIM again! But rogue builders, you may be misunderstood. What you’re building may look different, offend traditions, and challenge norms but it’s not yours - it’s Gods. You are just the carrier. So, today I believe He wanted me to write this to you as a way to shake off the dust and intimidation...He is calling you to dream with Him again. It’s time to step into the mantle and office. It’s time to stop hiding, running, and waiting for the conditions to be perfect. Oh and it’s time to stop apologizing. Pick. Up. Your. Hammer. There I said it. Yes, the hammer breaks, but it also builds. It restores, it heals, it forges foundations. That’s your call. That’s your assignment. That’s your mission. You were never rogue, you were set apart. So no more casting your pearls to be trampled. No more forfeiting your mandate. Do you keep reaching the moment of birthing and handing your baby to someone else? Do you silence your vision for fear of being seen as “too much”? Are you shrinking back because what you carry doesn’t look like the norm? You are carrying something sacred. And the enemy has been trying to convince you that it’s a pipe dream. That you’re rogue, uncovered, and a heretic? Because the Father says that you are highly favored, and even now you are breaking hard ground. So stay focused. Keep plowing by faith and don’t be bullied. This is the moment where OBEDIENCE meets DISCERNMENT meets BOLDNESS and PUSHHHH. It’s time to bring it forth In Jesus’ name. “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem… And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” — Nehemiah 2:17-18 “Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” — Ephesians 2:20 “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” … Then he made the iron float. And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.” — 2 Kings 6:5-7 

WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR HAIR WAS CUT

By Nate Johnston • May 12, 2025
Ministry betrayal hurts. Church fatigue is real.. I was praying recently when I kept seeing the image of Samson with his head shaved. I know this often represents those who in a previous season who felt like they lost their strength, but what I felt so strongly in my spirit is that this went even deeper - this was about church and ministry fatigue. For those who have been involved in church life or serving in some way, the enemy used what was closest to you to take you out. The things you poured your heart into, the things you were deeply invested in became the very tools used to wound you and wear you down. This is especially true for those who have experienced spiritual abuse. I know this pain is incredibly painful and can feel difficult to come back from. But I also feel this - the enemy has come hard after those whom God wants to use powerfully in this next season. Because if the enemy can disillusion you, if he can cause you to associate ministry and kingdom work with burnout and betrayal, then he can keep you sidelined. He’ll make you hesitant to ever step into that space again and if that happens, the call of God on your life remains unfulfilled. The same goes for those battling ministry fatigue. I know many people right now who feel deep anxiety at even the thought of ministry. The memories of being pulled in every direction, emotionally drained, abused, and left shipwrecked have left a bitter taste. It’s not just that people came against you, they betrayed you, tore you down, and then disappeared when everything fell apart. Or maybe things didn’t turn out how you envisioned, and you were left disillusioned. Some of you have been walking like Samson with your hair cut for so long that you don’t remember what it’s like to move in power, authority, confidence, and anointing anymore. You woke up like Samson, to find your hair gone and your strength vanished. In a moment, he went from powerful and fearless to weakened and humiliated, like a lion whose mane had been shorn. It’s not just strength that leaves it’s the shame and regret that follow close behind. And that’s how you have felt.. But I feel led to pray that life would come back into your bones this week. That a fresh wind would stir in your spirit. For many, revelation has dried up. Vision is gone. Passion gone. Life feels flat because you gave everything, and it cost you deeply in your family, your peace, your health, your marriage, your children. I get it. It’s been deeply painful. But hear me out - there is another chapter beyond this and there is a fresh wind coming! So this week, I want to start by praying for you. For those who’ve come out of a season of ministry burnout, spiritual abuse, or deep disappointment. For those walking in shame, questioning everything: “God, did I not hear You right?” “Did I trust the wrong people?” “Why am I now depleted in health, finances, and confidence?” I believe the Lord wants me to prophesy over you - GET UP AND WALK! DRY BONES COME ALIVE IN JESUS NAME! You may have heard this before, but I want prophesy it again until something breaks in the spirit. GET UP AND WALK! DRY BONES COME ALIVE IN JESUS NAME! GET UP AND WALK! DRY BONES COME ALIVE IN JESUS NAME! GET UP AND WALK! DRY BONES COME ALIVE IN JESUS NAME! Sit and receive that from the Lord. Let his healing balm penetrate your heart right now. I also pray for the muzzle to come off, for fear and anxiety to be removed. For witchcraft and chatter to stop swirling, for confusion to be lifted and for STRENGTH to return in Jesus name. It’s time to step back into the fullness of your calling and RECOVER ALL! I know what it’s like to hide under the covers after ministry hurt. I know what it’s like to feel disillusioned with the church. But just because you went through that season doesn’t mean God can’t use you again and it doesn’t mean he can’t turn it around. So as we begin this week, we are also praying for those who’ve received bad reports, for those who’ve lost hope, for those who are sick in their bodies or tormented in their minds, and for those facing impossible circumstances. Jesus is still the answer. But today, in Jesus’ name, I say it again - GET UP AND WALK! Leave your sickbed behind. Receive your fresh wind. Receive your fresh anointing. And I prophesy - Everything that was stolen or cut off will grow back, in Jesus’ name!