“Prepare to run with horses!” God’s new pace of grace
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
1 John 4:7
Hi everyone!
God has been pressing upon my heart all day: "Prepare to run with horses!"
The Lord is about to launch many of you into an entirely new era of your life. This is a whole new path; you have never been this way before, so get ready for a new pace of grace!
The Lord is about to unearth your bold and adventurous spirit again that has laid dormant in recent years. Jesus is releasing zeal and passion and new hope to launch you forth into new beginnings! This is not a time to grow weary in the wait because it's racing season!
In Jeremiah 12:5, God says to the prophet, "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses…"
The Lord has great compassion on our sufferings, but there comes a point where we have to get moving and shift into the new! We are moving into an Elijah-type of speed that can only be ignited by the Holy Spirit.
God is reviving and renewing you right now in the name of Jesus! Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).
Many of you are now coming up for breath after drowning in wounds of the past, but the night season has ended. A new day has dawned. God has stepped inside your boat and calmed the sea. Jesus is bringing you to the other side!
The Lord has built you from the inside out and set a new pace, specifically in the last four months.
Nothing goes to waste with our Heavenly Father! He absolutely adores every last inch of you and He is proud of your endurance and ability to withstand every hardship that came your way.
His blood is strong enough to reignite you and set you upright again for a new race ahead. You have a new firm foundation sculpted, built and chiseled by the Master Architect.
The Lord says “you have entered a new era!”
There is a tempo, rhythm and pace to a new race opening right before your eyes. The Lord will set the tone and you must go forward and never look back! He is bringing you into new dimensions of revelation and understanding. Christ has unleashed refreshing rain that has been poured out into the hearts of His people and you have been set free!
This is a time of abundant rain across the land!
In the Bible, rain can be the Word of Truth and represent life's trials. However, the same rain reveals what's underneath the surface. Rain brings revelation and wipes away all the debris to expose the roots. Rain makes sure to test what's really in your heart. The Lord has restored and rebuilt you; now it's time to walk out everything you've learned. God has made your roots anchored and steadfast to withstand any assault of the enemy.
As I spent time in worship, the Lord also showed me how this is an era of marketplace ministry.
This means you are a packaged deal. You are who you are, no matter if you’re at home, church or in the public.
Your heart is interlaced with Christ and can't be broken. Sometimes your life is the only Bible anyone will ever read, so be the light anywhere you go! God cares about people. He simply wants you to love others exactly how they are. He alone is powerful enough to do the rest of the work.
The Lord's marketplace ministers are those who have a calling like Deborah, Daniel, Joseph, Esther and "the prominent men and women” in Acts 17. They are craftsmen and creatives like Bezalel who was “filled with the Spirit of God to devise artistic designs.”
They are entrusted to reach the world because the Lord places them in specific spheres of influence to transform cities, nations, environments, neighborhoods, and workplaces.
They are prophetic leaders in business, sports, entertainment, healthcare, classrooms, financial institutions, and construction. They deliver packages for Amazon and UPS, are entrepreneurs, business owners, retirees, parents, grandparents, teenagers, online influencers and have other unique callings. They love God’s people and bring hope to broken places.
Marketplace ministers live by the words to the Thessalonians…
"Be skilled at gently encouraging those who feel themselves inadequate. Be faithful to stand your ground. Help the weak to stand again” (1 Thes. 5:14).
The Lord is pressing upon my spirit the part about "helping the weak" stand again.
The Greek word asthenés means those living in a state of depletion and lacking necessary resources. This can mean physical resources, but I really think the Lord is pointing to heart matters right now.
We are called to build up the spiritual strength and stamina of those who are suffering and facing extreme hardships. Their pain and even illnesses might not be apparent to others.
I’m hearing the word “revive” really strongly right now, which means to restore hope again, help others become active or flourish or awaken to their true nature and identity.
The Lord is about to use you to help awaken others to their God-ordained purpose and calling.
One word delivered to someone’s soul from the Holy Spirit can literally change the world!
Never forget how something that might seem so insignificant to you can drastically impact the life of someone else. God is going to move through you in extraordinary and very different ways this season to help others. I keep hearing that in my spirit and I’m not even sure what it means just yet, but the Lord does! He’s just looking for yielding vessels submitted to loving people even when others don’t see them! You might be the very person sent to revive and nourish the hearts of the weary and wounded.
God is reminding us to sit among the least of those and remember that "the first shall be last, and the last shall be first."
Meaning we must find those often hidden in the background and out of the spotlight wherever we go. These people have been rejected and overlooked and might not be the "popular" people in your workplace or school or sphere of influence.
Yet God has placed them right smack in your path and it will take the Lord’s counsel and wisdom to understand what this means in your own life.
This new race requires you to remain in step with the Father and ask Him to reveal and show you who needs comfort and hope more than anyone else. It's easy to get sucked into the old order in friendly environments, but God is doing something very new this season, and you must trust Him to teach and show you how this will work.
This season we are encouraged to keep a humble spirit, willing to help others even when it’s inconvenient. Be ready in season and out of season!
Ephesians 3:14-17 TPT
So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth.
And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.
Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.
PAUL IN THE MARKETPLACE
As I was studying Scripture this morning, the Lord brought me to Acts 17:16-18. These verses are so good that I encourage you to read them over and over again!
While Paul was waiting for (Silas and Timothy) in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.…
In Acts 17, Paul’s ministry is moving down the coast of Greece. He eventually flees to Athens, which was a hub for philosophers and intellects.
The best way to describe this would be like a university where scholars chase after the pursuit of knowledge and get into deep philosophical discussions. When Paul entered a new city he normally started in the synagogue and then moved outward to the marketplace.
So our man Paul rolled into Athens and attempted to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all the book-smart people. They were okay when it came to God because they were deeply rooted in spiritualism and religion, but they lost all interest in this Jesus “babble.”
Paul starts his message with a strategy to win his audience and he references Greek poets and philosophers. He used their own intellect to steer his message to the Christian gospel.
Allow me to stop right here and remind you that Paul eventually realized throughout his journeys that intellect would never bring people the hope of Jesus Christ.
We are called to bring a clear and concise message to the world. Even if we do not have degrees in theology or Biblical studies, the Lord can and will use us for greater purpose when we yield to the Holy Spirit. He’s the greatest Teacher to ever live!
So back in Athens, Paul didn’t make much headway with the philosophers even though he tried. Their beliefs were so rooted and engrained in their culture, that the risen Messiah sounded like babble to them!
However, some did believe! And they didn’t just believe the message — THEY WERE GLUED TO THE GOSPEL PAUL PRESENTED!
The moment they heard Paul bring up the topic of resurrection, some of them ridiculed him, then got up and left. But others said, “We want to hear you again later about these things.”
So Paul left the meeting. But there were some who believed the message and joined him from that day forward. Among them were Dionysius, a judge on the leadership council, and a woman named Damaris, and a number of others (v. 32-34 TPT).
Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, reflects that he was of high social status and likely a judge. Areopagus was a closed society of great distinction, so don’t be afraid of anyone based on their titles or prestige! God is still transforming and converting leaders in high places. You might be the very person God sends!
The people didn’t just believe, they “clave unto” Paul, and the Greek word used is kollaó. The definition means to glue, unite, or intimately connected in a soul-knit friendship.
The believers had more than an ordinary friendship. They were glued to him and loved the apostle because he was used by God to open their eyes. And get this! Kolláō is used "frequently in ancient medical language to reflect the uniting of wounds!” Isn’t that incredible?!
The Lord used Paul to bind the wounds of the new believers in Athens! Paul might not have considered his time in the area a success — but God sure did!
The Lord will leave the 99 to chase after the one! You might be the very person entrusted to guide someone into the arms of Jesus.
WOMEN IN HIGH PLACES
“But there were some who believed the message and joined him from that day forward. Among them …a woman named Damaris.”
So who was Damaris in Acts 17:34 since she was also converted to Christianity?
We don't know for sure, but anytime someone is called out by name in the Bible there is a great purpose. She was likely a leader for the new group of Christ followers in Athens. Therefore, I propose that she was certainly a pioneer and set apart by the Lord!
God worked a miracle in her heart and she responded to His call. Many times Luke (and even Paul) would mention women and men working alongside each other to prove the inclusivity of the early church.
The Bible doesn't reveal Damaris' background, we only know that she believed the message and joined Paul from that day forward. If she was allowed to be in the Areopagus meetings, then she likely had the freedom to be in public and around men. So she might have been a courtesan with wealthy and high-class clients, and was likely a smart woman who could hold her own. She might have been a philosopher or intellectual.
Despite her background, Jesus made her new!
We serve a God who is no respecter of people and He restores, redeems and reestablishes all — regardless of our backgrounds.
The important point here with Damaris is:
She became one of the first Christians in Athens. She was okay with being an outcast to serve the One True God.
Since she was likely an intellectual, she could reach others who spoke the same “smart people” language, and she could present the gospel a certain way.
Damaris might have started her life as a high-class escort, but she became an evangelist, and her name is recorded for all eternity.
God equally cares about men and women and gives important work to His diverse body of believers.
The Lord can use your career or intellect to present Jesus to spheres of influence that might be hard to reach.
Most importantly -- I bet she had a servant’s heart and God used her for important work in the early church!
ENCOURAGEMENT…
As we enter this new era, let’s continue to pray that God uses us to saturate every environment we enter with His love, mercy, kindness and hope!
The world needs HOPE; you are the conduit chosen to bring sunshine to dark places.
Love must always be the center of our lives during our short time on earth. We have a Father who taught us first so we can reflect the same kind of mercy to others.
This love has to radiate to everyone from the salesperson on the phone, to the checkout person at the store, to the stranger standing on the street corner, and even those who might test our patience.
This also means we have to show love and grace to others who might have different views or even hurt us. We have to forgive over and over again because it frees us from old wounds and bondage. It doesn’t mean we have to stay around those people, but we must forgive and release the pain to Jesus.
The new shift we are entering right now is about reaching and loving PEOPLE!
Watch what happens when you ask the Lord to help you love in new ways this season. You might be in for one giant surprise!
The Aramaic word for love in 1 Corinthians 13:1 is hooba, which denotes a fiery passion that means "to set on fire."
So go out and make disciples of all nations in Jesus Christ!
It’s time for a new pace of grace!
God's Calling
Brothers and sisters, consider who you were when God called you to salvation. Not many of you were wise scholars by human standards, nor were many of you in positions of power. Not many of you were considered the elite when you answered God's call.
But God chose those whom the world considers foolish to shame those who think they are wise, and God chose the puny and powerless to shame the high and mighty.
He chose the lowly, the laughable in the world's eyes—nobodies—so that he would shame the somebodies. For he chose what is regarded as insignificant in order to supersede what is regarded as prominent, so that there would be no place for prideful boasting in God's presence.
For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. And now he is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption.
And this fulfills what is written:
If anyone boasts, let him only boast in all that the Lord has done!
(1 Corinthians 1:26-31 TPT)
