Discerning the Times and Season with Drs. Curt and Linda

Joel 2:18-25:  “Then will the Lord be jealous for his land and pity his people . . .“And I will restore to you the years that the locust have eaten.”

Restoration is in Progress!

This is a prophetic word from the Lord! Your restoration is in progress! It is happening now! It has been set in motion by the Holy Spirit and you just need to know that!

You need to know what to expect from God. This 2^nd chapter gives us a very good description of what we can expect to take place in our lives. It tells us some of the things we can expect from God. Verses 19-29 gives us that description.

God moves in times and seasons. He is a very timely God! He orders seasons to come into our lives, and although we pray and cry out to God for help, for healing, for increase, for answers to prayer, they will come to manifestation all in God’s time and season!

So we need to rejoice and be glad, just like the scripture tells us because – Restoration is in progress! Go ahead and get the party horns and streamers ready! Go ahead and hang out your sign – The Party Is Here!

Do you not know that God loves to throw a party? That’s why he told the children of Israel not to forget certain days but to observe them and celebrate them with a feast! So yes, God loves throwing a party! He established seven feasts for Israel to remember. Each year there were seven major feasts the Hebrew people celebrated. Some lasted for the full day, and others lasted for up to one week!

The feasts centered around the time of seed planting, harvest and rain.

Here are the SEVEN FEASTS:

• Passover (The 14^th day of the 1^st month).
• Unleavened Bread (The 15^th- 21^st day of the 1^st month).
• Feast of First Fruits (The 1^st Sunday after Passover).
• The Feast of Pentecost (50 days after First Fruit).
• The Feast of Trumpets (The 1^st day of the 7^th month).
• The Day of Atonement (The 10^th day of the 7^th month).
• The Feast of Tabernacles (Begins the 15^th – 21^st day of the 7^th month).

During the course of a year, the spring, summer and fall months were times when the Hebrews enjoyed these celebrations. These feasts were reminders of past victories and prophecies of future blessings.

Besides the seven major festivals there are several minor festivals and holidays.

There are also two main rainy seasons in Israel. One begins in the winter months and continues into the early spring, and the other begins in the fall and moves toward the winter months. One is called the early rain and the other is called the latter rain. These are also known as the autumn and the spring rains. These two rainy seasons are separated by several months of hot dry summer weather and very little rain.

In the spiritual sense the rain represents the Holy Spirit. The coming of the rain is a “type” of the coming out pouring of the Holy Spirit. Both Joel and James prophesied about this rain which would come. (Joel 2:23. and James 5:7)

Scripture can have a dual application – first the natural and then the spiritual. Most of us experience seasons of “refreshing” but between these seasons of refreshing, are seasons of drought. We know that dry seasons will pass with time and the drought is over! Restoration is in Progress!

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.” – Joel 2:21

Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Version)
“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the convictions of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses).”

God wants you to know that your next level blessing will require the next level of faith!

Key Points

• The faith we operated in during the last season will not be sufficient for the task or the blessing God has for us in this new season.  Our faith should always be growing.
• The challenges that we face today require our faith to grow. No longer can we ride on the accomplishments of previous years.  Thank God for them, but its time to go from faith to faith and glory to glory (Romans 1:17) which means new (next) level faith is imperative.
• The next level faith sometimes requires you to do something that appears unreasonable.  Abraham was called to leave his homeland, not knowing where he was going.  The Lord commanded him, and by faith, he was to journey to a new place God would show him (Genesis 12).  To the natural mind, that kind of action is unreasonable.  Abraham obeyed and the rest (blessing) is history!
• Faith never operates in the realm of the possible.  God will usually require you to do something that you seemingly cannot do, but faith begins where our power ends.  If what you need or desire is possible for you to acquire or accomplish, faith is not necessary.
• The next level blessing will also require a new sacrifice.  It will require our faith to grow.  Faith is like a muscle that can be strengthened.  If we do not use a muscle, it becomes weak and flabby.  However, if we exercise that muscle, it becomes stronger and is capable of doing more than it did before exercising.  So it’s time to exercise our faith by putting in action what we’ve been taught, what we’ve heard and read.

Here are ways to help our FAITH grow:

Keep hope alive!

• Athletes have a goal that cheers them on.  They will do whatever it takes to cross the goal line and win the victory.  They will submit to whatever training is required in order to win.  The prize is always before them, calling them forth.
• People who are satisfied with the routine of daily living will never be among the ranks of the winners.  It’s time to experience the extraordinary and get out of the box.
• The men and women of the Bible did not become champions of faith in a single moment.  They exercised their faith against all odds and were later recognized as giants of faith.
• Refuse to settle for ordinary.  Go to the next level.  A champion does not become a champion in the ring… he is simply recognized there.

Perseverance is another way to exercise our faith.  Often we find people who start well.  The challenge comes in continuing to be faithful to the end and persevering at all times.

• Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength.”
• A certain level of faith is required for mounting up.

Vision for the end is needed in exercising our faith.

• Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time, it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.  Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
• The blessing and the victory belong to those who do not quit before the manifestation of God’s promise.
• Our faith has to go to another level. This is where God reveals Himself to us in a new way.

God is preparing the church for an awesome movement of His spirit.  Our timing and posture are vital to the success of this move.  We must position ourselves and anticipate this mighty wave of the Holy Spirit because a wave is “rising”.

The first “wave” at Pentecost quickly overtook the world.  There is a wave of the Apostolic rising again!  This wave will be similar to the outpouring at Pentecost.  The presence of this wave will be felt across the earth.

The church is going to be activated again and revival shall sweep across the nations of the earth.  We will witness the kind of miracles, signs, and wonders that followed the first century apostles.  Ultimately, apostolic people will walk in apostolic power.  The sick and the oppressed will be healed and delivered in large numbers and many will hear the gospel and be converted.  A great harvest of souls is coming in through this wave of the Holy Spirit.  The wave of the apostolic is upon us and rising and shall shape this new millennium.

Peter remarks in Acts Chapter 2 , verses 15-21, that there would be a continuation of this outpouring in the generations to come.  “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call”.  So the promise of Joel was for future generations as well.  This wave of the apostolic is mounting again in our generation as God commands us.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people, but God will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1, 2)

The church is arising from slumber to a fresh new anointing!

We recently concluded our 2010 Fresh Fire Conference held April 27-29.  We know those 3 nights were an appointment to experience Fresh Impartations Revelations and Edification.

Each night we gathered with great expectancy for an awesome worship experience and waited in His presence to see what the Holy Ghost would perform among us.

The presence of God was so incredible that our guest speaker Apostle Steven Thomas from Atlanta, Georgia began each night ministering a prophetic word to many individuals before the Rhema word.  The intensity grew each night as the good news spread and many people brought their family, friends, and co-workers.  It is clear that this is a certain season whereby the Fresh Fire of God is bringing breakthrough, deliverance, and power that we may be strong and do exploits according to Daniel 11:32.

When we reached the final night, so much had been accomplished through the Power of the Holy Spirit.  We are grateful for the visitation of God’s fire and glory.  If you were unable to attend the 2010 Fresh Fire Conference, you may purchase the complete cd package of all three services and experience the anointing of FRESH FIRE! 

We will be traveling to San Juan and Isabella, Puerto Rico May 14-18 to minister in the Holy Spirit Retreat at the City of Praise Christian Church.  Apostle David Abreu is the host pastor.  Dr. Edgar Gonzales is the In Covenant Ministries Regional Coordinator.  FRESH FIRE is coming to the Beautiful Island of Puerto Rico!

Welcome to DISCERNING THE TIMES AND SEASONS, our new media blog.  We will be sharing a rhema word, along with prophetic insight and words of wisdom concerning times and seasons.

In 1 Chronicles 12:32 it was the children of Issachar who had the understanding of the times to know what Israel should do.  The ability to discern times and seasons is a unique gift of discernment that taps into the realm of the spirit.  It is the “spiritual knowing” of the mind and heart of God for His people.  It is the wisdom given by God to know the relevance of movings and shiftings of heavenly events as it pertains to earthly times and seasons.

At the beginning of this New Year 2010, God instructed us to tell his people to expect “CLOSURE!”  He said, “There would be an end and a cancellation of old situations (test and trials) from 2009 and previous years.” God is speaking closure to those tests and trials that seemingly have a life of their own.  Close the book and declare “THE END.”

This new decade represents a new season. In order to enter into that which is new there must be CLOSURE on the old.  Since the proclamation of this Word we have many testimonies of miracles, cancelled debt, healings, deliverances from addictions, and families restored.  Wherever we travel to minister, we share this word “CLOSURE” to the Body of Christ.  Faith Comes Alive and the Holy Spirit bears witness with signs, wonders, and miracles!

Expect a Miracle and Expect Closure!

Gone Fishing,
Drs. Curt and Linda