Dear Partners and Friends,
God not only created prophecy, but He is the author of the prophetic. He’s the one who first prophesied about the talking snake that came against Eve. He prophesied immediately: you will bruise His heel, but He will crush your head (see Genesis 3:15).
I think many times about how God speaks, and I’ve asked the Lord many times: “Why is it that you don’t simply come down and just paint in crayon for us or send an angel to tell me, plainly, God? Why is it always a type, a shadow, a dream, or some numerical equation?” Why doesn’t He just appear, talk to us, tell us X, Y, and Z plainly?
The Lord spoke to me and said, “It’s because I want to be pursued.” Think about that for a moment.
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
—Proverbs 25:2
That’s what God has for us. He wants to be pursued. When you seek Him, you will find Him when you search for Him with all your heart (see Jeremiah 29:13). God will speak to you when you seek Him. He’ll tell you his secrets and give you information so that you know what to do.
Renew Your Mind
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
—Romans 12:2
The statement from Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed,” doesn’t say to renew your spirit. It is referring to your soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions. When you hear the Voice of God, it is perfect in your spirit. It’s a local call.
Many believers, when they pray, look up at some far-away, distant God and ask Him to be with them today, but He’s already there. We should instead be looking down, saying, “Hello, Father. You’re right here.” We have Christ in us, the hope of glory. (see Colossians 1:27).
When something happens in the realm of the Spirit where you hear God’s Voice or prophecy, it’s perfect. The issue may be that you need your soul (the mind, will, and emotions) to interpret what is spoken. Revelation knowledge is revealed information in your spirit from God the Father, but it has to go through the soul, and that’s where you can mess it up.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
—John 6:63
As it says in John 6:63, God’s Words are spirit. When you hear a word from God, it needs to go through the process of revelation, interpretation, and application. However, some people have a PhD in bad teaching, which is why they’re not winning or overcoming. When you have a misunderstanding of who God is and how He operates, it will cause you to walk in dysfunctional believing.
It is so important to renew your mind in the Word of God so that your filter is cleansed. When you have a dream or a revelatory experience that is perfect in the spirit, your soul will try to unpack it. In your dreams, this can cause strange symbolism since it is going through the filter of your soul.
I’ve seen some take the nuance of the dream, write it out, and make every little fiber mean something because they know God is speaking to them, but they don’t understand it. In most cases, you don’t need to try to interpret every little detail of a dream. Instead, you need to take the heart of a dream and know when the Lord is speaking to you versus when you are just working through things in your soul. Many people don’t know how to decipher that. Scripture teaches us how to separate soul and spirit.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
—Hebrews 4:12
Scripture in Hebrews 4 teaches us that the Word of God begins to separate soul and spirit. It cuts between the two and begins to bring revelatory power. You start discerning between what is soul and what is spirit. Once you understand this, it will bring supernatural horsepower. The number one way to understand it is in Hebrews 5:14.
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
—Hebrews 5:14
Hebrews 5:14 shows that those who are mature exercise their senses to discern between good and evil. The same discernment works in the realm of the spirit where the soul is concerned, as it shows in Hebrews 4:12. The senses it is referring to here are your five senses.
God wants you to step into maturity by renewing your mind to the Word of God and exercising your senses to discern between good and evil. It’s important to understand how good it is to serve Jesus. Remember, you have Christ in you, the hope of glory (see Colossians 1:27)!
Partners, thank you for being clear-eyed, clear-minded reformers who are helping us win a million for a billion! As we are reflecting on thankfulness in the month of November, we are pointed back to you and how grateful we are for your generous hearts toward this ministry. You are an essential part of our mission. Remember, even on a bad day, you’re anointed to be the very best there is!
For Jesus,
Joseph Z
