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Nate Johnston

PUT YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND

Nate Johnston

PUT YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND

PUT YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND

Put your ear to the ground. What do you hear?


Do you hear the sound of wild horses galloping in the distance?


Horses that were once lame and bedridden, without strength, when suddenly a fresh wind came upon them causing them to muster themselves for a new hour?


Striking their hooves down into the dust as each strike stirred up fresh vigor and strength and breaking off past yokes and bridles? 


Can you hear it?


Can you hear the sound of rain in the desert places?


It is beginning to touch down on the parched lands and nations that have been in drought for years.


It is beginning to form heavy rainclouds as the curse that has been spread over nations is beginning to break. 


The reproach that has been hanging over nations is beginning to roll back as a mighty thunderous roar of freedom trumpets forth over the land.


Can you hear it?


Can you hear the sound of a voiceless and canceled breaking off their muzzles, beginning to shout into the night, knowing that a new day is dawning before them?


Their years of being hidden, broken, and battered are coming to an end.


Can you hear the sound of the blood crying out in the land, the injustices that have lingered and tarried?


Can you hear the sound of the blood of the Lamb beginning to fall over the places of deepest pain and injustice as God brings the earth into an era of restoration and recompense?


Can you hear the sound of the bowls of the intercessors and the tears of the saints beginning to tip over into the earth, into places where, for so long, evil has endured and people have thought that God has been silent?


Yet, the bowls have tipped, and fresh new life is beginning to bud forth.


The new day is dawning over nations and peoples, but you’ll only hear the sound if you’re blocking out the noise of the hour.


The sound of the righteous mob, the Pharisees and their screams in the streets.


The whitewashed tombs in their vendettas and plots.


The Sanballats and those that would try to tear down but never build. 


Those who point their finger but never deal with the turmoil and bitterness raging within their own soul.


It’s the sound of the accuser creating his own storm when the real rain is coming. 


The counterfeit shouting and screaming and thundering in a time where the rain we have prayed and longed for has come. 


And God is looking for a people who would look to the rain clouds and begin to declare that the drought is over.


Can you hear the sound?


Or have you forgotten what He sounds like in the chaos? 


Put your ear to the ground and you’ll hear it.


It’s the sound of a mighty move of God that has come on the back of so much heartache and so much pain.


The fires that have raged, the desolation that has endured, but God has answered.


And now He’s asking you, what shall you partner with in this hour?


Will you partner with what I am doing in the earth?


Or will you partner with the noise of the hour?


Will you partner with the accuser of the brethren, or will you partner with Me?


Will you put your ear to the ground and begin to shout out: I hear it. I hear it. I hear it. I hear it, until you begin to see it and yell out: I see it. I see it. I see it. I see it.


And then you pick up your mat, leave your sick bed, and walk again. 


For the Lord says over you today, I am giving you new eyes to see and ears to hear. 


Put your ear to the ground. Lay down in the dust, mighty one, and hear for the deaf and see for the blind, for I’ve called you to be a bell ringer of a new day.


Hear ye, hear ye, O herald of revival, for you shall speak forth what I’m doing, and it shall catch like wildfire in the nations.




Sow A Seed

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

By Nate Johnston April 10, 2025
I had a chilling dream last night. In the dream, I was invited to a friend’s house. This friend, to me, represents someone who has been through deep spiritual abuse, someone constantly carrying that weight to the point where it now shows outwardly. This friend has a heart to serve God, is anointed, prophetic, and marked by the fingerprint of God. What the Lord has done in and through them is magnificent. And yet, the spirit of religion has always tried to bind them, tried to weigh them down, use them, and abuse them. In the dream, I was walking through what they said was their house. But it was cluttered, filled with photos, emblems, and items from different movements, events, eras, and seasons of their life. They led me on a tour, excitedly pointing out all the amazing things God had done. They spoke with joy, telling me about the different assignments they were part of, the things they were blessed to do, and what they laid down for Jesus. But beneath the surface of joy, I began to feel something trembling, something painful. Each memory, though it reflected serving God, carried layers of spiritual abuse, gaslighting, narcissism, and a deep sense of being put down, alienated, and isolated. I could feel it. The pain ran deep. The trauma had never been healed. The heart was never delivered. Suddenly I yelled out; “This is a museum of Christian hurt!” They looked back at me. “What did you say?” I repeated it: “This is a museum of Christian hurt. And it needs to be cleaned out!” They stared at me, shocked. And then they broke down. “Yes…yes, it is hurt.” I asked, “Why have you been ignoring it?” They replied, “Because we don’t want to dishonor. Because we don’t want to cast a stone. We don’t want to feel like all of it was in vain.” I said, “It wasn’t in vain. God called you. But man tried to mess it up. You’ve been carrying many seasons of hurt, and the Lord wants to clear it all out.” Then I heard myself say, “It’s time for the hoarding to stop. It’s time for the Lord to clear out the past seasons, redeem them, and start a new chapter in your life.” My friend fell to the floor, and cried, “Jesus, I surrender. I give you my past.” Instantly, things began to disappear off the walls. Light began to break through. And then I woke up. I believe this dream is speaking to many right now. There are believers, especially forerunners who have been carrying trauma, pain, and “Christian hurt.” They’re walking through and living inside a museum of shrines to the past. Yes, God moved. Yes, those seasons were sacred. But the pain wasn’t dealt with. And now, they’re depleted, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and even physically because of all the soul clutter they’ve been carrying. God is trying to start something new, but they’re stuck in what was. The Lord is inviting them to let go, to clean house, and to be made whole. As I share this, I feel it so strongly, this is especially for God’s forerunners. The enemy has tried to take them out through religious service, twisting what was good into something that robbed them of life. But if this is you, hear the Lord saying today: Lay it all down at My feet. Give Me your museum of hurt, and I will turn it into a sanctuary for My glory. My glory will shine through your pain. The suffering you’ve endured will now become the testimony of My goodness.” Romans 8:18 “For I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” I prophesy this over you today - You are shifting from trauma and pain back into wonder. The places in your life and heart that have endured heartache and abuse, God is turning them around in this hour. He is healing you. He is making you whole. And He will use you to bring healing and wholeness to others who have been through what you’ve been through in the name of Jesus! 
By Nate Johnston April 10, 2025
Ten years ago I felt the pull of the Holy Spirit to step out and share the language I was hearing in my spirit. This language ruffled feathers and created problems for me with people I knew because it seemed like I was against the church when I wasn’t. Think of those who were in the upper room in Acts 2 — “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” — Acts 2:4 When the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you, it bubbles forth and you can’t speak anything else! So in the same way, I could just see what was ahead and decided to die on that mountain to be obedient to God. It cost me greatly but then after many years the fruit spoke. Pioneering is exactly that: Clearing the way so others can walk through. Reading the newspaper of heaven so others can get a heads up of what God is doing. And while many resonate, there are many that don’t want their kingdoms to become redundant as God does something new. I get it. But we have to pivot and surrender constantly. And right now there is a new language being spoken mainly by the misfits who for years now haven’t fit into the old mold. It’s the language of the Kingdom of heaven. The clarion call of the Fathers house assembling His ecclesia. But this language takes the blanket off the shivering frail frame of religion and reveals the nakedness of a dying era. It exposes the expiry of the old wine drying out in the sun. And reveals the old cloth ripping away from the mantles in tatters many used to wear... But more than all of that, it carves a path through the wilderness dead end signs many have constructed and gives way to the beginning of a new highway many will soon walk on. It’s just unpopular at first. It doesn’t fit into the consumeristic mindset many want. Give me this. Feed me that. Rub my back and massage my feet type of christianity... No, it stands people to their feet. Puts a baton in their hands and tells them to run. It’s the language of the fresh wind and the personal outpouring that revives the dead and apathetic to their post. So it doesn’t attract those looking for chocolate milk and a cookie. But for the hungry, it’s a lifeline. But I feel that right now many are hearing the new language but aren’t sure what to do because it feels so foreign to the mainstream Christian language. “What if they get upset at what I am saying? What if I am perceived as a rebel? What if I lose my friends over it?” So many of you are on the fence wrestling this bubbling forth and trying to figure out what to do with it but there is only one thing you can do— LET IT OUT! So for those feeling the language rising right now, SPEAK IT! LEAD! PIONEER! You may have some resistance but you are breaking shackles and clearing the way. It’s language that breaks the bone and then realigns it. It’s the heart of the Father in a time many are feeling lost, so own it!! And the fruit will speak for itself in the years to come. 
By Nate Johnston April 10, 2025
I had a chilling dream last night. In the dream, I was invited to a friend’s house. This friend, to me, represents someone who has been through deep spiritual abuse, someone constantly carrying that weight to the point where it now shows outwardly. This friend has a heart to serve God, is anointed, prophetic, and marked by the fingerprint of God. What the Lord has done in and through them is magnificent. And yet, the spirit of religion has always tried to bind them, tried to weigh them down, use them, and abuse them. In the dream, I was walking through what they said was their house. But it was cluttered, filled with photos, emblems, and items from different movements, events, eras, and seasons of their life. They led me on a tour, excitedly pointing out all the amazing things God had done. They spoke with joy, telling me about the different assignments they were part of, the things they were blessed to do, and what they laid down for Jesus. But beneath the surface of joy, I began to feel something trembling, something painful. Each memory, though it reflected serving God, carried layers of spiritual abuse, gaslighting, narcissism, and a deep sense of being put down, alienated, and isolated. I could feel it. The pain ran deep. The trauma had never been healed. The heart was never delivered. Suddenly I yelled out; “This is a museum of Christian hurt!” They looked back at me. “What did you say?” I repeated it: “This is a museum of Christian hurt. And it needs to be cleaned out!” They stared at me, shocked. And then they broke down. “Yes…yes, it is hurt.” I asked, “Why have you been ignoring it?” They replied, “Because we don’t want to dishonor. Because we don’t want to cast a stone. We don’t want to feel like all of it was in vain.” I said, “It wasn’t in vain. God called you. But man tried to mess it up. You’ve been carrying many seasons of hurt, and the Lord wants to clear it all out.” Then I heard myself say, “It’s time for the hoarding to stop. It’s time for the Lord to clear out the past seasons, redeem them, and start a new chapter in your life.” My friend fell to the floor, and cried, “Jesus, I surrender. I give you my past.” Instantly, things began to disappear off the walls. Light began to break through. And then I woke up. I believe this dream is speaking to many right now. There are believers, especially forerunners who have been carrying trauma, pain, and “Christian hurt.” They’re walking through and living inside a museum of shrines to the past. Yes, God moved. Yes, those seasons were sacred. But the pain wasn’t dealt with. And now, they’re depleted, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and even physically because of all the soul clutter they’ve been carrying. God is trying to start something new, but they’re stuck in what was. The Lord is inviting them to let go, to clean house, and to be made whole. As I share this, I feel it so strongly, this is especially for God’s forerunners. The enemy has tried to take them out through religious service, twisting what was good into something that robbed them of life. But if this is you, hear the Lord saying today: Lay it all down at My feet. Give Me your museum of hurt, and I will turn it into a sanctuary for My glory. My glory will shine through your pain. The suffering you’ve endured will now become the testimony of My goodness.” Romans 8:18 “For I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” I prophesy this over you today - You are shifting from trauma and pain back into wonder. The places in your life and heart that have endured heartache and abuse, God is turning them around in this hour. He is healing you. He is making you whole. And He will use you to bring healing and wholeness to others who have been through what you’ve been through in the name of Jesus! 
By Nate Johnston April 10, 2025
Ten years ago I felt the pull of the Holy Spirit to step out and share the language I was hearing in my spirit. This language ruffled feathers and created problems for me with people I knew because it seemed like I was against the church when I wasn’t. Think of those who were in the upper room in Acts 2 — “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” — Acts 2:4 When the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you, it bubbles forth and you can’t speak anything else! So in the same way, I could just see what was ahead and decided to die on that mountain to be obedient to God. It cost me greatly but then after many years the fruit spoke. Pioneering is exactly that: Clearing the way so others can walk through. Reading the newspaper of heaven so others can get a heads up of what God is doing. And while many resonate, there are many that don’t want their kingdoms to become redundant as God does something new. I get it. But we have to pivot and surrender constantly. And right now there is a new language being spoken mainly by the misfits who for years now haven’t fit into the old mold. It’s the language of the Kingdom of heaven. The clarion call of the Fathers house assembling His ecclesia. But this language takes the blanket off the shivering frail frame of religion and reveals the nakedness of a dying era. It exposes the expiry of the old wine drying out in the sun. And reveals the old cloth ripping away from the mantles in tatters many used to wear... But more than all of that, it carves a path through the wilderness dead end signs many have constructed and gives way to the beginning of a new highway many will soon walk on. It’s just unpopular at first. It doesn’t fit into the consumeristic mindset many want. Give me this. Feed me that. Rub my back and massage my feet type of christianity... No, it stands people to their feet. Puts a baton in their hands and tells them to run. It’s the language of the fresh wind and the personal outpouring that revives the dead and apathetic to their post. So it doesn’t attract those looking for chocolate milk and a cookie. But for the hungry, it’s a lifeline. But I feel that right now many are hearing the new language but aren’t sure what to do because it feels so foreign to the mainstream Christian language. “What if they get upset at what I am saying? What if I am perceived as a rebel? What if I lose my friends over it?” So many of you are on the fence wrestling this bubbling forth and trying to figure out what to do with it but there is only one thing you can do— LET IT OUT! So for those feeling the language rising right now, SPEAK IT! LEAD! PIONEER! You may have some resistance but you are breaking shackles and clearing the way. It’s language that breaks the bone and then realigns it. It’s the heart of the Father in a time many are feeling lost, so own it!! And the fruit will speak for itself in the years to come. 
By Nate Johnston April 8, 2025
“Since the days of John the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and the violent take it by force.” — Matthew 11:12 I believe we are in this season again... We are in the days of a new John the Baptist moment - where the church gets shaken up and emptied OUTSIDE the city, and where God commissions and baptizes people for the work of the kingdom in radical ways. It’s where the whole church gets off the bench and begins to play in the game, turning from spectators to participators. With that thought in mind, I had a dream last week that I believe speaks into what many are navigating right now. The dream was simple: I saw what looked like a muddy paddock or maybe even a large pig pen. It was messy. There was mud, straw, grass everywhere and strangely, it was functioning as a car park. Suddenly, cars started driving into this field, one after another, forming neat rows like they were getting ready for something big. I could hear engines revving, like they were preparing for a race or a show. In the dream, I felt an unusual excitement, even in the mud. It was dirty, unorganized, and chaotic but it felt like something powerful was about to begin. When I woke up, I thought “Was that a pizza dream?” But the more I prayed and reflected on it, the more I sensed the Lord highlighting this as a picture of the season many of us are in right now. NAVIGATING A MUDDY FIELD SEASON When I think about the muddy field, I’m reminded of Proverbs 14:4: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant harvest comes by the strength of the ox.” In other words, no mess means no movement. If we want harvest, we need to embrace some chaos. We often want the field to be spotless before the harvest begins but God says, “I’m moving now, even in the mess.” I also thought of the moment when Jesus cast demons into the pigs (Mark 5:11-13). That pigpen moment came just before a man was fully delivered, restored, and commissioned. It was messy, but miraculous. Right now, many are in a muddy season. It feels dirty. It feels confusing. You’re facing unexpected warfare, slander, spiritual slime, and things you didn’t see coming. It feels like with every step, your shoes and your soul get heavier. But here’s what the Lord is saying: Even in this chaos, I am preparing to launch something. The cars in the dream represent movements, ministries, and vehicles of glory, and they were lining up, revving up, preparing to GO. God is birthing movements. But He’s not waiting for things to be perfect, polished, or pristine. He’s doing it now in an unlikely hour, when everything feels up in the air, and nothing feels settled. Maybe you’ve been trying to close out your last season, finalizing, wrapping up, cleaning up, yet in the middle of all that, God is saying, “Now is the time. This is the kairos moment.” GOD IS BIRTHING MOVEMENTS IN UNLIKELY PLACES The muddy field also speaks to me of the harvest fields ripe but messy and the fact that this move of God is happening outside the usual places. Just like John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus outside the city (John 1:23), I believe God is birthing movements in the wild. Not inside the temple, not in expected places, but in the wilderness. We’re seeing a “John the Baptist” moment all over again. The church is being shaken up and emptied out and in the unlikely places, God is calling and commissioning people for the work of the Kingdom. GOD IS USING UNLIKELY PEOPLE Not only is He doing it in strange places, He’s doing it through unexpected people. “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.” (1 Corinthians 1:27) This movement is being carried by those who have been rejected, misunderstood, cast aside, overlooked. People who have been told they’re not qualified, not clean enough, not the “right type.” And yet, these are the ones God is choosing to carry His glory because they love Him, and He can trust them. THE SHIFT REQUIRES A FULL PIVOT These new movements are requiring us to change everything, our plans, our programs, even our pace. It’s like God is saying, “Pivot completely. What I’m doing now won’t fit your old template.” And as disruptive as that might feel, it’s a holy disruption. The mess is leading us back to true north. It’s realigning us with our original assignment. It’s calling us to lay down the good things we’ve done that weren’t the right things and get back on track. DON’T WAIT FOR IT TO BE CLEAN If you’ve been waiting for things to settle before you step out - what if God was calling you now and doing it now? The movement you are carrying might look messy, not organized, and feels insignificant but it’s the lords movement and He is birthing them through many NOW. Welcome to the Messy Movement Boom. The harvest is now. The field is muddy. But the glory of the Lord is all over it. 
By Nate Johnston April 8, 2025
A few days before our recent gathering, I heard the Spirit whisper, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7) That one phrase has been reverberating like a divine alarm clock, signaling not only a leadership shift, but a full-scale transition in how heaven is moving. This was more than a change in kings, it was a change in strategy, in authority, and in season. And it’s happening again. We are crossing over. The Church Age is giving way to the Harvest Age. SAUL VS. DAVID: THE SHIFT IN LEADERSHIP MODELS In this hour, the Lord is highlighting the contrast between Saul and David to help us understand the nature of the shift: Saul represents the Church Age, marked by structure, control, and system maintenance. David represents the Harvest Age, marked by intimacy with God, Spirit-led leadership, and an army in motion. Where Saul was content with addition, David walked in multiplication. The Church Age saw the growth of buildings and platforms. But in the Harvest Age, God is raising up disciple-makers, movement-starters, and kingdom reformers. This is not just a leadership change, it’s a total renovation of the wineskin. From church-centric models to kingdom activation. From pastoral maintenance to apostolic movement. FROM MAINTENANCE TO MULTIPLICATION David’s ten thousands represent an exponential increase in kingdom impact. We are leaving behind the days of measuring success by Sunday attendance and entering an era of equipped and sent ones flooding every sector of society. This isn’t about dishonoring what has been, it’s about recognizing what must now be. GOD-APPOINTED VS. MAN-APPOINTED Saul was chosen by the people. David was chosen by God. The Harvest Age will not be led by the popular, polished, or platformed. It will be led by those with oil on their heads and fire in their eyes. These are the hidden ones emerging, those who have been forged in caves, not conferences. And their mission is clear: raise up the army. THE JOHN 4 BLUEPRINT: JESUS AND THE HARVEST In John 4, Jesus gives us a prophetic roadmap for this Harvest Age: He took a different route, going out of the way to reach the Samaritan woman. The harvest will require us to step out of religious comfort zones and into unfamiliar territory. He drank from a different source offering living water instead of depending on systems. The Harvest Age demands Spirit-led, not system-led, ministry. She dropped the water jug, abandoning her old way of doing things. We, too, must leave behind outdated models to embrace what God is doing now. He crossed religious boundaries, demolishing arguments about where to worship. In this age, worship and revival won’t be confined to buildings. He shifted appetites saying, “My food is to do the will of My Father.” The harvest field is our nourishment. He opened their eyes declaring, “The fields are white for harvest.” The question is: can we see it? PRACTICAL SHIFTS We’ve talked about crossing over into the Harvest Age but what does that actually look like for you and me? This isn’t just about big vision or prophetic language, it’s about real, everyday shifts in how we think, live, and lead. Here’s what that looks like on the ground: 1.⁠ ⁠If you’re an everyday believer You may not have a title or a pulpit, but you’re called. God’s not waiting for you to be perfect, He’s just waiting for you to say yes. This is the time to stop seeing yourself as just an attendee and start living like a harvester. That means knowing who you are, hearing God for yourself, and letting your life become a message. It means looking at your workplace, your school, your neighborhood, or even your social media as places God has assigned you to. Don’t wait for permission. Start a Bible study in your home. Pray for someone at work. Share what God is showing you. You carry revival, and it starts right where you are. 2.⁠ ⁠If you’re a pastor or church leader You’re not just called to gather people, you’re called to send them. In the Harvest Age, the role of a pastor is shifting from simply caring for the flock to equipping them for mission. It’s less about growing big churches and more about growing big people. That might look like training your congregation to hear God, multiplying home groups, releasing people into the community, or creating digital expressions of church that reach beyond your four walls. This is the moment to ask: Are we building something that can multiply? Are we empowering people to go and not just come? 3.⁠ ⁠If you’re in fivefold ministry This is your moment to recalibrate your role for the harvest. If you’re an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher, God is inviting you to get your hands back in the field. This isn’t the time to be platform-focused; it’s time to be people-focused. Apostles: Build blueprints that serve society, not just Sunday. Prophets: Speak into culture with clarity, not just into church services. Evangelists: Train believers to share Jesus wherever they go. Pastors: Shepherd people in homes, workplaces, and everyday life, not just in rows on Sundays. Teachers: Raise up reformers, not just repeaters. We were never meant to do ministry from a stage alone, we were made to equip people for the world. REAL STRATEGIES FOR A REAL SHIFT So how do we get there? Start with the heart. Before anything else, we need a deep, personal connection with Jesus. Everything flows from intimacy and identity. Train people for real life. Don’t just preach, equip. Help people hear God, pray for others, and live naturally supernatural lives. Break out of the box. The Church isn’t limited to a building or a Sunday service. Home gatherings, neighborhood churches, and even online communities are part of this move. Think bigger than church. The goal isn’t just to get people into ministry, it’s to launch them into mission. We need believers making impact in business, government, education, media, arts, and technology. Work together. Apostolic and prophetic voices must partner, not compete. We need both vision and direction to move effectively. THE CALL TO ACTION This isn’t a future thing, it’s a now thing. The harvest isn’t somewhere far off, it’s in front of you. God is calling us to shift. To move from holding ground to taking ground. From playing it safe to walking in faith. So maybe it’s time to lay down Saul’s armor, the systems, expectations, and limitations that no longer fit and pick up the sling God gave you. The one that feels small but holds power. The one that’s uniquely yours. Welcome to the Harvest Age. Let’s cross over together. 
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