Many people are asking the question, "How long will we have to wait for God to move as He has promised?" We are all searching for something God is doing powerfully in the body of Christ and listening to hear marching orders from Him for the church.
We must not mistake God's seeming lack of moving for His inactivity! "This is a season of net-mending in the body of Christ. This is the time to prepare the wineskins."
God is moving mightily on the earth! But at this present time, His efforts are largely focused on encouraging us to mend His nets, on preparing the new wineskins.
We are those nets/wineskins. We are connected to one another through strategic, covenant relationships. During the past few years the body of Christ we have been involved in many battles.
The stress of these battles has damaged and broken the net in many places. When you look around at the worldwide church today, you can see evidence of that stress: broken lives, broken marriages, broken friendships, broken ministries, broken churches, broken relationships and broken people.
I believe that before the next great move of God, the Lord is going to repair those nets!
Consider how fishing nets are constructed. Each square in the net is connected above, beside and beneath. In the old days, small knots were tied at each connection point. The net was only as strong as its weakest connection.
This is why specifically, there are five things to do to help mend the broken nets.
- Make sure you allow God to strengthen your family ties during this season. God wants to strengthen marriages and the bond between parents and children. Also, make sure that you remain in good standing with extended family members as much as possible—especially those in the body of Christ. Make time for each other and deliberately plan family events at which old connections can be renewed.
- Make sure you are under proper spiritual authority. Don't be caught without a strong connection to the part of the net above you. Submit yourselves to leaders you can trust—those who will truly look out for your well being. Make sure you are in relationships with leaders who walk in humility but also have great power, vision and purpose.
- Surround yourself with people who are covenant-keepers. Now is the time to make sure your friends are people who can make and keep their promises. Set yourself in the middle of committed friends. You need people of great love and integrity who can walk with you so that when the trials of life come, your relationships are not ripped apart by false accusation, jealousy, competition, offence, gossip, bitterness, and so on.
- Beware of the spirit of offence. Satan will try to come after your "net connections". He probably already has! Don't let yourself get offended with your spiritual leaders. Don't allow small issues to fester and become infected through bitterness and unforgiveness. Beware of the enemy's devices that will bring division and offence between you and others in the church. This is all part of his ploy to further weaken the nets that God wants to strengthen.
- Don't get bored or impatient at this time and keep checking how the net is functioning. As God is silently mending His nets for the next great catch, you must not allow yourself to get bored and stray from your task. Don't let yourself wander off into something new unless God is specifically directing it. Presumptions about the will of God will get you into trouble. The enemy will try to lure you into some other activity if you let your mind get sidetracked and don't stay focused on your last marching orders.
Our love and every blessing as always,
Alan and Lynne
