"The TERRAIN HAS CHANGED"
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
last month or so. I only just got to read it. A very timely word and
one that I believe represents the "change of season" that so
many of us are sensing right now.
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"The TERRAIN HAS CHANGED"
-Cheryl McGrath (-Mar 9, 2005).
A Word from the Lord received 31st January, 2005.
A WORD to the FORERUNNERS
"If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, then
how can you contend with horses?" (Jeremiah 12:5).
The first section of this message is addressed to the Lord's
"footmen", or forerunners. In Old Testament times the footmen
were selected soldiers who ran ahead of the main army in order
to scout out the land and prepare for its arrival.
The church worldwide is currently experiencing a severe season
of transition and change that will ultimately reveal the true Bride
of Christ and expose an antichrist religious system built on the
false foundations of man's pride and intellect. The word "antichrist"
does not mean "anti-Jesus"; it means "anti-anointing". It is a
mindset that despises and persecutes anything or anyone born
of the Spirit of the Living God, who is the Anointing. The Name
Jesus Christ means Jesus the Messiah, (or Yeshua Ha Meshiach),
the ANOINTED ONE (Psalm 2:2; John 1:41; 4:25,26; Lk 4:18, etc).
Let us not be deceived - the antichrist mindset acknowledges
Jesus, but denies His Anointing, thereby exalting flesh over the
Spirit. In the present season, the Lord is busy establishing His
own church as He said He would, even while a false religious
system blindly continues to expand and represent itself as "the
church of Jesus Christ."
Let us understand this time of transitioning is NOT simply about
whether to hold meetings in church buildings or in houses. To
argue in such terms is to diminish the immensity of the Spirit's
present work in the church as the Bride is being called out and
prepared for the final stages of this current age. It is about the
Spirit and the flesh, who are at war (Gal. 5:17). Only those who
live and are ruled by the Spirit of God will discern the nature and
timing of the Spirit's work in the church (1 Cor. 2:14-16).
Many of the Lord's servants, in the wisdom and timing of the
Lord, were called as forerunners in this transitioning process and
have been "running ahead of the army" for some time now, even
years. These are those who the Lord called out of denomination-
alism in order to form an arrowhead for the Spirit's thrust of major
reformation of the "ecclesia", or those who are called to be Christ's
(Rom 1:6). In a spiritual sense, these forerunners have been
scouting the newly emerging landscape, adjusting their vision and
their footsteps to the unfamiliar terrain and gathering necessary
understanding of previously unexplored expressions of "being the
church", as opposed to "going to church."
For a great many of these forerunners the experience of being part
of that "arrowhead" has been a costly one in terms of extreme
loneliness, isolation and unjust accusations of rebellion from those
they once walked with in the Body. However, the lessons they
have learned and the brokenness gained from having endured and
overcome in this place will prove to be of immeasurable benefit to
the Bride in the days to come.
These forerunners are the "nameless, faceless" ones spoken of
by several prophetic voices during the 1990's. For the most part
they have been hidden and crafted by the Lord until His perfect
timing and they will not look like or sound like the former leadership
models the church has come to rely on. Some of these footmen-
forerunners have been scouting ahead for (what seems to them)
a very long time, and their weariness is being compounded by
discouragement and frustration as they wait for the movement of
the main army. For those of you reading this who recognise
yourselves as part of this company, the Lord has a specific word:
He says "the terrain is now changing. This new terrain is no place
for footmen and requires the power of horsemen. How will you
transition to the next stage of what I am doing if your strength has
already run out? Let each one answer for himself and herself. Let
each one seek Me for the answer, for you cannot do such a thing."
As I contemplated this question in prayer, I considered the
weariness and discouragement I had been personally battling
throughout the first weeks of the New Year, and I knew that I did
not have an acceptable answer. I was then given to see that
indeed the only way for the forerunners to keep pace was in the
fullness of Christ and the total emptiness of themselves. This truth
was etched further into me in recent days as I was led into a
deeper understanding of what it means to "love our lives not unto
death." This is not something that we can do by determining to do it.
The strength of "self" as central to all things is so solidly entrenched
in the human heart only the love of Christ Himself can bring each
of us to a place where we love His Life more than we love our own.
It is only then that we truly begin to understand the often repeated
statement: "it's not about me, it's about Him." No matter how
many times we say it, or assent to it's truth, we cannot walk in it
until the power of His Life in us has broken the power of "self-
consciousness", "self-exaltation" and "self-preservation". Then
it is that we can truly witness with Paul "It's no longer I that live,
but Christ......."
As I allowed the Holy Spirit to search my own heart for the answer
the Lord was seeking, I was reminded again of the account of
Elijah in 1 Kings 18:44-46 - "Then it came to pass the seventh
time, that he said "There is a cloud as small as a man's hand,
rising out of the sea!".... the sky became black with clouds and
wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to
Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he
girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."
Even as the storm clouds dramatically and suddenly rolled in upon
Elijah, so too is the spiritual atmosphere in and over the church
experiencing dramatic and irreversible change. Even those who
have been waiting and praying for such change will be challenged
by the magnitude of the shaking and rearranging the Lord is
determined to bring to His household. Yet, here we see that not
only did Elijah contend with the horses of Ahab, he ran by foot
ahead of them. How? By the Spirit of the Lord alone, for there was
nothing in Elijah's own strength or stature that could enable him.
Horses represent power. There is a way for the footmen to contend
with the challenges of this new terrain and run with the horses
and horsemen, and it is in the power of the Spirit and by no other
means. The Lord is asking if His forerunners are ready to adapt
to this new terrain, which will require a shift in focus.
The Lord continued to speak: "Many of the footmen have run
individually, aware only of their own footsteps, their own path, and
their own goals. But now the terrain changes and they must see
what I see - a company of horsemen riding. And they must see
themselves no more, but see the company, and themselves as
part of that company. They must take in and adjust to the wider view."
If you are a forerunner or part of a forerunner ministry, the message
is to look up, look around, stop what you are doing long enough to
survey the new surroundings. For things are changing and the
isolation many have known in this place is going to pass away.
The Lord wants His forerunners to be ready and alert to the new
season. There is grace and strength for the discouraged and weary,
but the new terrain requires submission to the Spirit and dying to
the fear of man as never before. Stay close! There is no other Rest
but the Lord. He will enable you!
A WORD to Those Who TRUST IN PEACE
"And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied
you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? For even
your brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt
treacherously with you; yes, they have called a multitude after you.
Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to
you." (Jeremiah 12:6).
The second section of this prophetic message is addressed
specifically to another group who I have chosen to call "those who
trust in peace".
There are those among the Lord's people who, due to their love
for His church, have up until now chosen to remain in fellowship
situations where they are aware that known areas of sin are being
tolerated in various forms. That sin might either be within the
leadership, or being "winked at" (knowingly tolerated) by the
leadership. These ones I am speaking of do not condone the sin,
in fact are distressed by it, but have chosen to stay on in watch-
men and intercessory roles for the love of the Lord's people.
Some, for the same reasons, have chosen to remain in fellowship
situations where they are continually grieved by a controlling
"rulership" mentality in leadership....
This is a word to those many unknown and genuine intercessory
watchmen, shepherds, prophets, apostles, and all other lovers of
Christ and His Body who weep and travail over the church in the
secret place with no desire for recognition or glory for yourselves.
I believe you will know who you are.
The Lord's word to this group of believers is this:
"You have cried "peace" and trusted in that "peace" even as the
floodplain has risen around you. You have desired peace with
those who did not see things the way you do and at times your
desire for this peace has led you into unsanctified mercy. Even
when your brothers, who have chosen the house of their (earthly)
father have dealt treacherously with you, you have continued to
trust in the peace process. I have allowed this for a season, but
there is a time when the seeking of peace becomes appeasement,
and the longing for peace leads to compromise. But now the terrain
has changed and the flood plain of Jordan is upon you. The Jordan
represents the Cross, where all compromise ceases. Indeed the
Jordan represents even a cross-road where ways separate. Yes,
even compromised relationships die at the Cross, where a man's
enemies shall be those of his own household."
This is a strong word, and I believe the Lord was speaking of the
"household of faith" (Gal. 6:10) when He spoke of dying to
compromised relationships. I am not implying in any way, nor do
I believe that He was speaking of the covenant relationship of
marriage. He is speaking of those "spiritual fathers", who seek to
draw unto themselves the devotion of His own Blood-bought people
that rightly belong only to Him. These false rulers use the people
of God as building blocks to erect their own kingdom. The Lord
said "do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father,
He who is in Heaven." He was not speaking about family or
mentoring relationships, He was saying let no-one take the pre-
eminent place of your Heavenly Father.
Yet, in His household are many "brothers" whose first allegiance is
clearly to other "fathers" such as their pastor or another ministry
leader, their denomination, or their particular stream or movement.
This is fear of man and idolatry, producing false submission and
false grace. The Lord is coming with a sword to His house, and it
is a sword of separation. No, His Bride-church will not be divided,
but she will be separated from the compromised institutional
system that clings to a form of religion devoid of the power of the
Cross, from whom she is to turn away (2 Timothy 3:5).
A word of caution here to those who might be tempted to quote
that well-worn but unscriptural phrase "Well, there's no perfect
church" - DON'T. The Lord is extremely serious about this message
and indeed this subject, and will not be mocked. The privilege of
fellowshipping with other believers is not first and foremost a social
activity, like club membership. It is a corporate expression of a holy
priesthood expressing Spirit and truth worship to a holy God.
It's time we humbled ourselves and asked Him to show us how He
sees His church, instead of expecting Him to see it the way we do.
There is only one church, and it is the Lord's desire that His church
should indeed be perfect (John 17:23; Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:28; Heb.
12:23). The one church comes together in diverse assemblies that
are made up of people in various stages of being perfected into a
holy and effective Bridal company. However, not one of us should
be defending or excusing an assembly where individual and
corporate holiness is not highly valued and actively pursued along with grace.
As the Lord continued to unfold the message, I was given to see
an open doorway. In His wisdom and timing, He has allowed that
doorway to remain open between the spiritually dead religious
institution the world calls the Christian church, and the spiritual
house of living stones the Lord Himself is building. The two have
been freely mingling amongst each other in every gathering of
believers, regardless of whether that gathering was in a denom-
inational or independent setting. But I also saw that because of
this opening a multitude of demonic religious spirits had gathered
and now stood ready with the intention to pursue, overtake and
destroy the living church, the Bridal company. I saw and under-
stood by the Spirit that the Lord's Hand of constraint had held
back this demonic horde....
I believe it is now the wisdom and timing of the Lord to close that
open door so that the true and false church will be separated from
one another. When the Lord closes a door, no man can open it
(Rev. 3:7). The Lord will have a living church that is not mixed or
tainted by the world. Furthermore, in His grace, He will remove all
bridges between the two to remove the possibility of compromise
for His elect. He did not allow me to know any specific time frame
for this process.
Therefore there is a call going forth to those who have trusted in
peace. These are those who have been patiently waiting for things
to get better, and have remained in places of fellowship in the hope
of change, or out of loyalty to friends, family and leaders. The call
is to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, even into unknown and
unfamiliar territory outside the walls of establishment. I was strongly
impressed by the Spirit that a day of choosing was upon His people,
and that to avoid that choice is indeed to make it.
I urge anyone who is currently fellowshipping in the kind of situation
I have already described above, or where you know in your heart
that men are building their own kingdoms at the expense of the
Lord's, to search your heart motives for remaining. I encourage you
to seek the Lord for confirmation of this prophetic message, or
otherwise, and if He directs you out of that system do not hesitate,
trusting Him for further direction as you humbly wait on Him.
The Lord continued to reveal that as He brings about this impending
separation between the true and false churches, the distance
between them would become increasingly wider. We need to under-
stand that those who refuse to compromise and choose to follow
the Lamb at any cost will be persecuted and hated by the false
religious system. However, those who hear His direction to go forth
to Him "outside the camp" and refuse to make that choice will find
themselves at the mercy of the religious spirit which is the spirit of
antichrist. Under such a system they will have no defence against
unrighteous deception and lying signs and wonders, and be in
danger of falling away (2 Thess 2:3-11).
Conclusion
I wish once again to stress that as the Body of Christ moves further
into the transitional process, we must grow beyond merely defining
this transformation in terms of whether to meet in traditional church
buildings or houses. There are believers meeting in houses who are
still captive to the "temple" mentality with its hierarchy and law-
keeping. And there are believers meeting in denominational church
buildings who are free enough to meet with the Body in any physical
setting because they understand that the true church finds unity and
fellowship only in the Spirit.
This transition is about much more than the mechanics of where
the church should come together or how the church should function
corporately. It is about whether to continue compromising with a
flesh-dominated religious system, or abandoning compromise for
the spiritual house of living stones, at any cost. Eventually, every
believer will have to choose one of those two places. May the Lord
give us grace and humility to understand this is all about Him, and
not about us.
"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather
with Me scatters abroad." (Matt. 12:30)
(c) Copyright 2005 Cheryl McGrath, Great South Land Ministries,
Australia.
Website- http://www.greatsouthland.org
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