Posted: 01/20/2010 at 10:21pm
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Jeremy Caris:
Strategic Word for 2010:
What Did You Do Next Summer?
Intro by Ryan Wyatt:
I highly recommend Jeremy Caris. I have known Jeremy for several
years and have had the privilege of seeing, first hand, his close and
powerful relationship with the Lord and the fruit that has come from
it. Jeremy has an incredible ability to teach on the deep things of the
Holy Spirit in a way that leaves everyone with a deeper understanding
and life-changing revelation of the mysteries of God.
Ryan Wyatt,
Founder
Abiding Glory Ministries & The Habitation Church
For several months now, I have been sensing that God was wanting me
to release a strategic word concerning 2010. Of course, to write such a
thing means that He must first speak to you and you must look to see
what He will say to you (Habakkuk 2:1). It's amazing to find that as
much as I want to hear, I still occasionally find myself disregarding
what He is saying to me. The phrase that I had been repeatedly hearing
and brushing off through the last months of 2009 was, "What did you do next summer?" I am sure you notice the apparent contradiction in that question which implies doing the future in the past.
...the Son can do nothing of His own
accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father
does, that the Son does likewise. John 5:19 ESV
God has never intended for us to wander through life without
direction and purpose. In John 5:19, Jesus revealed that His direction
and purpose were defined by our Father. We can know what we are to do
because He created us to imitate Him as His representatives in the
earth. We need to see what the Father is doing and do likewise. He is
already prepared to act and He is laying out individual plans for us to
act on. We simply need to study them and resolve now to act on them.
That doesn't mean passively agreeing to cooperate, but rather it means
counting the cost and running the race inwardly before you even begin
to move forward in the flesh.
You will know what you did next summer because you will have
already seen what the Father is doing and you will have already acted
in agreement with His plans in your heart. Then all that remains is to
carry it out in the flesh.
Prepare NOW!
I saw a scene from an old World War II movie where strategic plans
were being reviewed and studied with great care. There was a sense of
the weight of responsibility involved in knowing each one's individual
purpose and carrying it out to the best of their ability. Each would
play a critical part in the successful execution of a larger battle. I
see the summer of 2010 with the significance of the heat of a great
battle.
It is critical for you to prepare and position yourself
appropriately now, to be located where God directs you and to resolve
to imitate what you see Him doing. When you are in the middle of battle
it is not the ideal time to discover that you need to make major
adjustments. Now is the time to study and resolve so that when it
matters most you will show yourself approved (2 Timothy 2:15).
A Time of Testing
2010 will be a time of testing, but if you allow God to work in you, it will result in a revelation of Christ to the world around you for His praise, glory and honor (1 Peter 1:6-7). Any trial that God allows into our lives is an opportunity for
you to put His life and nature on display. Remember: Your life is not
your own, for you were bought with a price. You were crucified with
Christ and buried into the baptism of death with Him. Now you have been
raised back to life from the dead as a new creation, alive again for
God's own glory.
Facing a trial should be considered a great honor because God has
found you mature enough to face it and succeed. God never sets you up
for failure, but He will never allow you to remain where you are either
(Philippians 1:6). If He allowed His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to
encounter trials, then we will surely follow in His footsteps. Jesus
embraced that process and succeeded in His purpose only by going
through those times of testing. It is not avoiding testing and trials
that produces change toward maturity, but in going through it (Romans
12:2). Therefore, every trial is an opportunity for great joy (James
1:2).
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast
under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown
of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 ESV
A Time of Fiery Opportunity
I saw four men in fire, as in Daniel, chapter 3. Fire often speaks
of trials (1 Peter 4:12), cleansing (Isaiah 4:4), and purging (Malachi
3:2-3). In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar had ordered the furnace to be
heated seven times more than usual and ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego to be tied up and thrown into the fiery furnace. As they were
thrown in the fire, the very men who carried out the intended
punishment were killed because of the great heat.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered
and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you
in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver
us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your
hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not
serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18 ESV
The things that the enemy plans to use to destroy you in this season
will be the very things that bring the goodness of God to the forefront
in your life. Do not fear what the enemy may do, but be steadfast and
rejoice in what the Lord has already done.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose
up in haste. He declared to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men
bound into the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O
king." He answered and said, "But I see four men unbound, walking in
the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the
fourth is like a son of the gods."
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the
burning fiery furnace; he declared, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!" Then Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the
prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together
and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those
men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not
harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed
be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel
and delivered His servants, who trusted in Him, and set aside the
king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and
worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any
people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their
houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue
in this way." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in
the province of Babylon." Daniel 3:24-30 ESV
Not only will God deliver you through fiery trials, but He will also
bring glory to His own name as we lay down our very lives in obedience
to Him. Those who boldly embrace the testing in this season will give
God opportunity to reveal His mighty power through their lives which
will open doors of opportunity and prosperity.
A Time for Becoming a Friend of God
"As I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent," Job 29:4 ESV
True friends are going to be extremely important in this season, but friendship with God is going to be of utmost importance.
Job said that he was in his prime when his life was one of friendship
with God. There has been much emphasis in recent years on becoming the
Bride of Christ, which I absolutely love and embrace in my own life.
But I find the Holy Spirit speaking to me lately about being a friend
of God. A primary result of remaining steadfast under trial is that it
pulls you in to that deeper place of absolute dependence on Him.
Beyond having more of God, fulfilling your purpose, ministering to
others, or even doing the Father's will, your greatest purpose is to be
a minister to God. That may just sound like the correct thing to say,
but it becomes a reality in times of testing. God will allow trials to
remove everything you depend on more than Him. He will bring you to the
place where you realize that nothing matters more than Him having all
of you. This is the place where you begin to understand that every bit
of your life is meant to be an act of worship. It will take your entire
lifetime to fulfill, but those who have come to the personal
understanding of this revelation are the ones that I perceive to be
friends of God.
A Time for Increasing in Favor with God and Man
2010 will be a year for increasing in favor with God and man.
I have been seeing "6", which is the number of man (Genesis 1:26-31),
and then "1", which is significant of God, who is the beginning of all
things (Genesis 1:1). As I meditated on this, the Holy Spirit led me to
Isaiah 61, which speaks of the year that the Lord's favor brings not
only justice, freedom, and effectiveness, but also prosperity and the
favor of man.
"Strangers shall stand and tend your
flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you
shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the
ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in
their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a
double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall
have everlasting joy." Isaiah 61:5-7 ESV
In the original Hebrew text for Isaiah 61:7, it basically says
"therefore possess double." Doubling is exponential increase, which is
multiplication. The Lord is restoring an anointing for multiplication. He
has been reminding me of when Elisha asked that a double portion of
Elijah's spirit be upon him. After Elijah went up to Heaven in a
whirlwind, the sons of the prophets noticed that the spirit of Elijah
did indeed rest on Elisha. As the spirit on Elisha exponentially
increased, it quickly became evident that he had grown in favor with
both God and man. This is a season for the increasing favor on your
life to be made evident as you rise up as priests of the Lord and
ministers of our God (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10).
Summary
• It is critical for you to prepare and position yourself
appropriately now, to be located where God directs you and to resolve
to imitate what you see Him doing.
• 2010 will be a time of testing, but if you allow God to work in
you it will result in a revelation of Christ to the world around you
for His praise, glory, and honor.
• The things that the enemy plans to use to destroy you in this
season will be the very things that bring the goodness of God to the
forefront in your life.
• Those who boldly embrace the testing in this season will give God
opportunity to reveal His mighty power through their lives, which will
open doors of opportunity and prosperity.
• True friends are going to be extremely important in this season, but friendship with God is going to be of utmost importance.
• 2010 will be a year for increasing in favor with God and man.
• This is a season for the increasing favor on your life to be made
evident as you rise up as priests of the Lord and ministers of our God.
Jeremy Caris
Abiding Glory Ministries
Email: info@abidingglory.com
Jeremy Caris serves as the Media Director for
Abiding Glory Ministries and as an Associate Pastor on the Pastoral
Leadership Team at The Habitation. Jeremy longs to see the Body of
Christ demonstrating both the character and power of Jesus which flows
from the surrendered life. Jeremy typically teaches on the deep things
of the Spirit in such a way that empowers Believers to shift into a
lifestyle which releases "on Earth as it is in Heaven." As he
ministers, he demonstrates the Kingdom through prophetic ministry,
healing, and miracles. He also equips Believers to minister
prophetically and live in a deep awareness of the spiritual realm
through his two schools, "Prophetic Ministry Boot Camp," and "Advanced
Prophetic Training." Jeremy and his wife Mandy live in Knoxville,
Tennessee, along with their two sons.
__________________ See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing
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