“The Witness”
31 April 2008
Step out on the Water... Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water (Mat 14:28)
He spoke to us by [His] Son, whom He appointed heir of all [things], through whom also He made the ages [fig., universe]; who being [the] outshining of His glory and [the] exact expression of His essence, and sustaining all [things] by the word of His power (Heb 1:1-3) The NIV says by the power of His Word.
When God speaks... It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Mat 4:4) KJV
By His Word, God creates, changes and call the things that are not as though they were. By this same word Jesus called Peter to come and walk on the water.
God has chosen many ways in the past to speak to His people. Jesus said that man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. This “word” in the Greek is “ ” or “Rhema”, which means the spoken word or the living Word of God. God is not dead but alive. We are serving the true Creator of the universe who controls everything in every way. He knows your very thoughts from afar. Long before you have even begun to think what you will say God knows our thoughts. The writer of the book of Hebrews said: in these last days
Has God ever called you to do something which you thought you cannot do it? When God speaks he moves us out of our comfort zone into His perfect will for our lives. About a month ago the Lord gave me a word saying: Step out on the water! We often want God to speak to us, but are we also willing to obey when God speaks?
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“The Witness”
31 April 2008
If God speaks He can confirm...
the Lord that I knew that this was His desire for me and that it was also my heart’s desire.
need allot of faith to obey this Word from God. Three days, later I was at a prophetic school to fine-tune in hearing the voice of God. It was during that night that God spoke again...
Letting the word of God lay...
The moment God gave me this word I knew that I would
For seven years I have known that God had a specific purpose for my life. It was on the 9th of May 2001 that He called me to follow Him. And not long after this a prophet prophesied and said: “I can see how you are like a young vine that grows up against a pole. But every now and then God has to bind this tender vine to the pole which has the purpose of keeping the vine from falling to the ground.” Then he said: “People have seen you as rebellious and no one has been able to walk with you, but God has put leadership in you.” Then he said: “I can see an 8 to 5 job and after that self provision!”
Prophetic people were invited to come and prophecy to us. We were told by a prophetess that we should pray and ask God to show us who to approach for a word from God. I have had many words from the Lord Jesus, and felt like I really did not need another word from a person who was learning to hear the voice of the Lord. As I sat back, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said the one playing the guitar would prophecy to me. I thought to myself that I would go to this person afterwards, since he was leading the worship This word was given to me about 6 years that night. He was invited by the “Today if ye will hear his ago, and since that time I have had prophetess to come and minister to us three other jobs. I have waited for this 8 through prophetic worship. After the voice, harden not your to 5 job, which the prophet has spoken Lord told me this, this man stopped hearts!” of, for nearly six years already. It was singing and started prophesying, saying: about 7 years since God called me the first time. As we “God says: ‘There is a businessman in this meeting who is know, God’s timing is not man’s timing. For, to God a frustrated with his job!’ But God says: ‘You are not thousand years are as one day and one day is as a frustrated with your job; you are frustrated because the gift thousand years. of God within you wants to come out! You have been given a pioneering spirit and a forerunner spirit and God says: Keeping your vow to the Lord... ‘Step out on the water!’”
T
hat same day I said to the Lord: “Yes Lord, I know that you have called me into the full time ministry, but I also know that your time is not our time. Therefore I made one request from the Lord Jesus that day.
This was a shocking confirmation, but what did it mean? Finally after I got this word I decided to go to one of the other people who were invited to prophecy to us. She said to me: “The Lord says: ‘You do not need anyone to tell you what God is saying, for you can hear His voice. God says: ‘Step out on the water!’” This was now the third time in three days that the Lord Jesus had brought this word to me.
I made an agreement with God saying that I know that He has called me into full time ministry. Then I requested this one thing from the Lord, saying that, the day He wanted me to start in full time ministry, that day, He should only speak the word, and I would follow Him.
The next day before I went to work I prayed and spoke to the Lord Jesus Christ, my friend. I have heard God’s voice in many different ways, and His voice always brings new understanding and refreshes when He speaks. This morning, God did something really profound. God spoke to me and gave me a deep understanding of His purpose for my life. It was as if God wanted me to know that He was placing a stamp of approval on the fact that He had called me to be in the full time ministry. I confirmed with
Do not say 4 months more...
Two
days after the Lord, through prophetic song, confirmed that He wanted me to step out on the water, while spending time in the Lord’s presence, the Holy Spirit spoke to me again. This time I did not understand what
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“The Witness”
31 April 2008
for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. (1Chr 28:20)
the Lord Jesus was saying to me. Often, before I start reading my Bible, I will give the Lord Jesus Christ chance to speak to me. I allowed the Lord to lead me to a passage of scripture and through this, God spoke to me. This was the passage of scripture which the Lord gave me that morning: Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (Joh 4:34-35) KJV
Then I realized that the Lord Jesus was still speaking about His calling to the full time ministry. Not everyone is called into fulltime ministry, in which you do not work in order to earn wages. I believe one must be called to ministry and therefore cannot appoint oneself into ministry. Paul often spoke of His calling which Jesus Christ had given Him. Obedience is better than sacrifice...
Was God really saying what I though He was saying? I reasoned in my mind, wondering whether this was really God calling me to stop working.
When God speaks through Rhema word He is only trying to speak very specifically to you. He is not always trying to use the context of the scripture. Remember God knows the very way you reason and understand the thoughts and desires of your heart before you even mention them. Consider the words of David: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether”. (Ps 139:4) KJV
Then I asked the Lord one more confirmation and God was faithful and answered accordingly: “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts!” (Heb 4:7) KJV The day on which God spoke was the 28th March 2008. This was three days before the end of the month. God had given me just enough time to resign. Two are better than one...
I did not understand what the Lord was speaking about this morning. Was God trying to speak about someone who must come to Christ that day I wondered? Then I continued enquiring from the Lord Jesus. Asking Him another clue to what He was trying to say? God never speaks in confusion and neither do we always immediately understand what God, through the Holy Spirit, is trying to say. I have learnt not to jump to conclusions immediately after God spoke. Jesus always spoke in parables and according to Moses: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: (Num 12:6-8) KJV Sometimes God speaks to us in dark and difficult sayings.
Fear took hold of my heart. I, like Peter started looking at all the waves around me, reasoning that this could not be. I must be making it up. I have always had a wild imagination. I knew what I heard, but was in unbelief. Many thoughts rushed through my mind. I have many expenses and I am married. I reasoned to myself: “surely God would not only speak to me, but also to my wife?”
“Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed
Then the Lord gave me another verse: “Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed:
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The word of God said: “that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” (Mat 18:16) KJV Truly two are better than one. That is why God had put many brothers and sisters in
“The Witness”
31 April 2008
years old. I explained to her that I was 37 years old, but would become 38 in the next 4 months. Always remember, God’s Spirit will not lead you where His grace cannot keep you. Thus God will always provide for the calling in which He calls us.
our lives. Like I have said before He is not a God of confusion. If He really did say something to you He will confirm His word. Whether it is through another Spirit filled child of God is His choice. I told my wife about all that had happened. She became even more afraid and said that God had not yet spoken to her. I had a dilemma. Will I obey God or will I wait until the Lord has confirmed this word through my wife also?
The Accuser of the brethren... …the accuser of our brothers [and sisters], the one accusing them before our God day and night was thrown down! (Rev 12:10) KJV
I decided to wait until God had given my wife the confirmation she required from the Lord. One week later the Lord answered my wife in this way: “And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life. (Ki 25:27-30) KJV
The next morning on my way to work I was very excited that the Lord had called to stop working and that I could stop working for an earthly master and start working for my heavenly Master. Then a thought came up saying: “Who am I that I can stop working while others have to work for a living?” As I came to my place of prayer, where it was my custom to pray, I allowed the Lord to speak to me first. Then, the Lord answered my thoughts, which I did not even realize I had. I had felt guilty, because I wanted to stop working. Then the Lord gave me a passage of scripture which explained the responsibility of the Levites, and specifically gave me a verse which would refute the devil’s accusations, confirming that He did call me not to work any longer: “Some Levite families were responsible for the Temple music. The heads of these families lived in some of the Temple buildings and were free from other duties for they were employed in that work day and night. (1Ch 9:33) (GNB)
That evening my wife asked me whether I was 38 or 37
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ will rise up a standard against him. Praise God who protects those who are willing to obey when He calls them. The Harvest is ripe...
About 4 years ago, during a long fast, I had a dream.
In my dream I was responsible for a large plant. I was given this responsibility which was nearly too much for me. Suddenly I saw a large garbage truck coming down a steep, crusher road. In the road was a big tree. When the truck came down this road, on its way towards me, it smashed
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“The Witness”
31 April 2008
this tree out of the road, up rooting it, removing it completely from blocking the road.
that He would send forth labourers into his harvest. (Luk 10:2) KJV
Many times God places us in very specific positions in order to change our character more and more into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. God places us in the work or position we are in so that He could remove something, which we could not remove in your own strength. Paul once said: For this reason, we do not become discouraged, but even if our outward person [fig., body] is decaying, yet the inward [person] is being renewed day by day. For the momentary light matter of our affliction [fig., our insignificant affliction] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory more and more [fig., far beyond all comparison]! (2Co 4:16-17) ALT
To God be all glory for preparing us for the destiny He has for our lives. From the director “The Witness”
Even though outwardly we cannot understand why God had allow us to go through momentary suffering, yet inwardly God is building something into our character, which will make us become more like Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews once said: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Heb 12:11) NIV Do not leave the circumstances in which God has placed you, until God has confirmed that He has achieved the perfect discipline which He wanted to achieve in and through you. Remember God is training you to be come like His son. You are more important than your ministry and what you can do for God. In conclusion, God said that His time for my life has come to step out in faith and fulfill the calling upon my life. One month later, on the 25th of April 2008, I resigned. May God open the ears of those whose destiny it is to step into the full time ministry in order to minister before Him day and night! When Jesus calls you to follow Him, will you obey the voice of God and give ear to the voice of the Holy Spirit? This is my prayer as Jesus once said: “Therefore said He unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest
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