By Christy Johnston
The Holy Spirit has been impressing ‘Ancient Wells’ upon my heart in recent weeks. This morning I woke up and heard Him say, “I am calling my people to strike ancient wells of revival in this hour.” I saw a vision in the spirit of a fierce battle that has been waging in the second heavens. A battle of ferocity that has been over the reclaiming of these ancient wells. Many have been finding themselves in the thick of this fight, not realising what it was all over, and many thought they have been waging an insignificant war. However, you have indeed been battling for ancient wells, though you may not have known it. If you have found yourself in a fight of confusion, distraction and disillusionment, it is because God has marked you with revival for this very hour. The enemy sees this divine marking upon your life and has unleashed every distraction possible to try and prevent you from crossing over this threshold and reclaiming these wells. Significantly, his tactic has been to prevent you from the revelation of what you were fighting for.
STRIKE, DON’T RETREAT
You might be questioning what I mean by ancient wells. It is the wells of contending prayers of many past generations, the promises of God that are yet to be unearthed, and the wells of revival that our past ancestors cultivated. We see all throughout scripture how God honoured the prayers of His people, long after they were gone. Likewise, I believe that there is a window of opportunity opening to us right now where the Father is calling you and I to strike the ground of ancient wells, ancient prayers and ancient revivals. I believe we are living in a time where we will see with our own eyes, the fulfilment of prayers that were contended for long ago and the fulfilment of revivals that died out before their time. I keep seeing in my spirit a reawakening of revivals like Azusa Street and the Welsh Revival to name a few. I believe the heart of God is not just to reawaken these movements, but to pour out EVEN GREATER than what was seen there and SUSTAIN them through us. His heart isn’t just for us to recapture these wells, but to sustain them.
I hear the Lord saying that you and I will get to walk in the fruits of fulfilment of prayer that was contended for from hundreds, even thousands of years ago.
The opposition you have been facing, the disappointments, the disorientation, it has all been an attempt to deter you from the ancient wells that are within your reach. I believe we are in a time of commissioning right now, where the Lord is assigning new mantles and assignments to His sons and daughters, and it is through these assignments that revival will be commissioned and sustained in us and through us. There is a great repositioning happening within the body of Christ across the earth as the Lord is moving His children into positions of greater authority for His greater purposes. The repositioning is why you have been feeling uncomfortable, but don’t give into the discomfort and run back for creature comforts, surrender to His movements and you will see His glory poured out through you. I saw in my spirit how many are on the edge of their breakthrough, but are feeling the overwhelming desire to retreat.
IT’S TIME TO CHARGE
Through all of this, the Holy Spirit has been reminding me of the battle of Beersheba in 1917, where a small number of Australian and New Zealand military charged on behalf of Israel on long withheld Palestinian fortresses. The commander of this Anzac army recognized the window of opening, no one had been able to take this ground, but his soldiers and horses were not only exhausted but in desperate need of water. On the other side of the garrison was Abrahams well and many other wells that were vital to their survival. He knew it was now or never and chose to seize the moment. He commanded his cavalry to charge across the war field on horseback, straight into enemy gunfire with only their bayonets for weapons. General Grant gave the order personally to the 12th Light Horse Regiment saying, “men you’re fighting for water. There’s no water between this side of Beersheba and Esani. Use your bayonets as swords. I wish you the best of luck”. Both the 4 th and 12 th Light Horse brigades charged on Beersheeba, which sent the enemy forces that were in the trenches into a sheer panic.
No one expected a cavalry-style charge, and it is recorded that the sound of the horses hooves thundering towards them sent them into chaos and confusion. As a result, the enemy soldiers were unable to lower their aiming sights with clarity, therefore minimising the casualties and basically giving the Anzac armies open access to the garrison. The Anzacs were able to launch their horses over the garrison and take control of the town, and it is recorded in history books that: ‘The success of the charge was in the shock value and sheer speed in which they took the town.’ Both their sheer desperation for water and their courage allowed British troops to reclaim land on behalf of Israel, and seize the well of Abraham, satisfying the thirst of entire armies. Beersheba means, ‘Well of the Oath’ or ‘Well of Seven.’ This points to the ancient wells of His Promises – His oath to us for this moment in time. I believe we are in a historical time of history where our thirst for an outpouring is causing us to charge at the thresholds of ancient wells. I hear the Holy Spirit asking our generation, “Are you thirsty for more of me? Are you thirsty for an outpouring? Your desperation will be seen in your charge.”
Nehemiah 9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.
SEIZE THE ANCIENT WELLS.
I believe we are standing at a similar window of opportunity. It is now that we charge in the spirit and reclaim what is rightfully ours. It is now that we strike on the promises that God has given us. I do however, sense the warning of His Spirit that it will however, require a unity of Spirit within the church. This kind of charge will require the laying down of 'self'. How exactly do we respond to all of this? How do we partner with what He is saying and asking of us? Our battle isn’t one of natural means, but one that we fight in the spirit. Beersheba also means ‘Well of Seven.’ When we look at the Hebrew meaning of the number 7, it means rest, wholeness, completeness, being ripe, order, stability and holiness. It also is the number of the Temple, Adonai’s house. We rest (day 7) in the finished work of the Messiah. So how do we charge, while at the same time being in rest? It seems almost contradictory, but it’s not. It is not the kind of ‘rest’ where we lay back and lie on a hammock sipping cocktails and wait on Him to do everything, it is the kind of rest where we are in partnership with what He has promised. The kind of rest where we take hold of His promises and decree them, refusing to move from peace within them. While the world may be waging chaos all around us, with our prophetic eyes we SEE what God has promised – an outpouring of His Spirit, and we REFUSE to MOVE from that place of rest UNTIL we see this promise fulfilled. We decree to the impossibilities and giants in front of us and declare, "THIS DAY, the Lord has given you into OUR hands. This DAY we will SEE the Ancient Wells burst forth with the gushing streams of His Spirit." This kind of rest will cause rivers of His living water to bring stability where there is chaos, completeness where there is brokenness, restore order where there is disorder and holiness where there is unrighteousness running rampant in the Nations.
We are living in a day where we will get to see the bursting forth of these Ancient wells.
DON’T LET GO NOW.
You may be exhausted from holding on to the promise, but this is where you strike and keep on striking, you are on the threshold of your breakthrough, you are about to charge over enemy garrisons and reclaim your well. Don’t stop declaring. Don’t stop partnering with what He has promised, for you will see His deliverance. You are not contending for your ancient wells alone, but for the ancient wells of the Nations. A desperate and thirsty world is crying out for an authentic outpouring of His Spirit. A world lost in chaos and confusion, taken captive by the mindsets and lies of the enemy, they are crying out and thirsting for water… the water of His Spirit. It is up to you and I to lay our lives down and press into the longings of His Spirit, press into His promises and CHARGE on what is rightfully ours. These Ancient Wells are promises stored up in the heavenly realm for you, for your family, for your children and your children’s children. When you strike the ground for them, you are going to see His Spirit pour out over your life and the lives of those around you.
The Nations are waiting to drink from the rivers of His living water THROUGH your life. The time is now.
