Prophetic Article - May 2004
Season of Transition
The church is in a season of transition. In the corporate church there are major shifts taking place and about to take place in both perception and strategy. There are also many individuals who are in the midst of transition or are about to enter into this season. Seasons of transition are normally accompanied by turbulence. For example turbulence is often experienced on air planes when transitioning from one whether pattern to another. This is no less true when transitioning from one season in God to the next. The natural realm will continue to mirror this spiritual turbulence through turbulence in whether patterns, politics and financial markets.
Through all of this God is lifting the church up into a much greater purpose than she is presently able to comprehend. In the light of this God's call for Abram to leave his familiar home town and move to the land of promise is particularly relevant and has some strategic revelation for us in this time (Genesis 12:1-3). The following are eight principles about Abram's transition that are important for us to consider.
1. Leave the familiar. "Now the LORD had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country'"(Genesis 12:1). To make this transition Abram had to leave behind everything that was familiar to him. This involved leaving the place where he had known identity, security and ownership ("your country").
2. Break soul ties. Abram was told to leave behind his family and his father's house. For many, moving into the new season that God has for them will involve separation from old loyalties that have become soul ties. The reason that God has to move us on from some relationships is because we become like the people who are around us. This does not always mean that those who surround us are not in the will of God. Sometimes God moves us strategically so that we are connected with those who have the measure of faith and impartation that will enable us to enter into our God appointed destinies.
3. Move toward your promise. God not only told Abram what he was to leave. He also told him where he was to go - "to a land I will show you" (Genesis 12:1). To transition from one season to the next it is important to move toward your promise. This is always a journey of faith, particularly as God does not always tell us where we are going.
4. Find the land of your calling. The land of your calling is the specific placement God has for you in the body of Christ. It is the place of your anointing. It could be related to a specific geographic location or a certain ministry position, function or focus.
5. Live as though the promise is yours. God told Abram, "I will bless you, and make your name great" (Genesis 12:2). When Abram arrived in the promised land he was told to walk up and down it as if it was already his even although the Canaanites still lived there (Genesis 13:14-17).
6. Be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). True ministry does not focusing on taking from others. The reason God calls us into seasons of transition is so that we can come into a new position of authority to bless others. There is always a greater purpose behind any God ordained season of transition.
7. Trust God with future relationships. "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you" (Genesis 12:3). Abram was surrounded by two groups of people - those who blessed him and those who cursed him. According to God's promise those who blessed him increased and multiplied and those who cursed him decreased and dwindled.
8. Live for the greater purpose. "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). The greater purpose that God had for Abram was much bigger than that which immediately surrounded him. It was so great that God had to have Abram look to the heavens in order to visualize it (Genesis 15:5).
These principles will help us to move through the turbulence that accompanies transition. Like Abram, we must look to the heavens and not be pulled aside by what is happening around us.
From www.heartofdavidministries.org
© 2004 Nathan Shaw. All Rights Reserved.
This article may be reproduced in its entirety, for non-profit purposes only, and must include the copyright reference.