WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR HAIR WAS CUT
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!
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!
