Prophetic Word – Packed and Ready to Go!

This prophetic word is entitled packed and ready to go.  This is based on the scriptures Matthew 25:1-13 about the parable of the 10 virgins.

One fascinating thing about the scriptures is that it does not just have one application, it can mean different things in different season. I want to share with you how the Lord revealed to me how the parable of the ten wise and foolish virgins relates to this season.

Matthew 25:1-13  (NKJV) “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,  but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

So here we are in a semi lock down, COVID 19 cases are increasing in some areas and decreasing in others, there is looting, protesting, rioting, racial tension, job losses, people have died, people are starving around the world.  It is a tumultuous season.  We’re still all waiting to see what’s going to happen next.

Well, looking to the parable we see that they were all “brides” so these were all Christians waiting for the Bridegroom, Jesus.  They all got their

lamps, they put oil in the lamps so they started getting ready.

We see that at a certain point they fell asleep.  Not some of them but all of them.  That is the fatigue that is setting in for many right now.  Drained.  Tired of the social distancing and wearing the masks.

It says He was delayed. There’s the word DELAY!  All these promises you’ve been waiting on, you were pretty sure was going to happen by now but there is a delay.  Yep!!  This is where we are.

At some point the Bridegroom does shows up!  When?  Midnight.  What I love about this story is that they had lamps.  That means they were aware that He may show up at an hour when there is darkness (aka tumultuous times).  They all knew that.  But somehow there was still a sense of unpreparedness for some of them.

So today the Lord says to you…Are you Packed and Ready to Go?!

If what you have been waiting for showed up at your house tonight are you ready to grab your bags and go?  Or would you be frantically running around trying to tie up last minute loose ends to get it together?

Imagine that you have to catch a flight.  You need to get dressed, pack your bags and head out to the airport one hour ahead of time(or two if it’s international) and wait for your flight.

You go through checkpoints to get cleared to get on the flight.

Then you wait until they call you and you board the flight to your destination.  This is all preparation to get where you need to go.

Well, what if you just sat home until your heard the plane arrived to the airport before you get dressed, start packing and head to the airport?  You would miss your flight, right?  Yes.  Because you were never prepared.  You were not packed and ready to go.

This is what the Lord has been showing to me.  We shouldn’t be waiting around until things calm down to get going.  We need to get things in order right up to the point of getting the go ahead to move forward.  That’s when we are really ready.

It says that when the 5 foolish virgins realized they didn’t have enough oil they went to buy oil but by the time they got back the door closed.

The door opens and then it closes

Just like when they start boarding a flight.  They start boarding in rows, final boarding call and then the door closes.

This is another thing He has been showing me.  We are going to be given a very small window of time in which He’s going to allow us to get in.

The door will open and then the door closes

The Bridegroom said to those who were not ready depart from Me I never knew you.  What does that mean?  Well, the “knowing” is intimacy.  How much time are you spending in the presence of the Lord so that when your particular door is open you’ll know it’s time to move.  You miss the opening and closing of the door if you are not waiting upon the Lord.  Spending time with Him daily.

There are many people who will be moving and making major changes in their life during this season because God is going to give individual instructions to us on these doors.

But the time to move into it is a small window.

In His grace He actually stopped the clock for some of you so you can get it together but the truth is it won’t stay that way forever.

Think about the process of going through an airport, getting to the gates you have to go through these security checkpoints. You know you can only have a certain amount of fluid in your carryon bags otherwise you have to throw it out.  You can’t go through the checkpoints with knives or sharp objects, nothing flammable, etc.  Why can’t you have these? Because they are destructive. You can cause damage to yourself as well as others.

We are being squeezed as a church so that everything that needs to go before we board the flight is gone.  This season is exposing what’s in our hearts.  As a man thinketh so is he.  Whatever is in the heart comes out of the mouth.

It is a like the final qualifying step

God is using the pandemic to bring up all the ugly stuff.  The racial tension is bringing up all the ugly stuff.  He wants us to see who we really are on the inside.  Fear. Anxiety. Faithlessness. Anger. Hatred. Bitterness. Murder. Divisive.  It’s all coming to the surface.

Is He doing this to condemn us?  No.  There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.   It’s happening because just like the security checkpoint this is where you decide to throw the stuff into the trash that you can’t take on the flight with you!

Repentance.  Give it up.  You can’t take it with you. 

If you refuse to give it up, you are not allowed on that flight.  They will make you stand there and drink your bottle of water or throw it in the trash.  It can’t get past a certain point.

Everything that is going on is being used as a qualification for your next level.  The promotion.  A separation of the wheat and the tares. When the ugly stuff comes to the surface don’t make an excuse for it but instead recognize it and repent for it.  Throw it in the trash.

The bible is clear…

Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”

Yes, you can still stand for what is right but how you respond to things shows how mature you are.  It says who you belong to.  If you are actually ready for your next level. Some of you are up for big promotions in the spirit.  I’d like to see the Lord welcome you into that and not turn you away because you are not prepared.

Luke 6:31-34 The Message (MSG)“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

There’s no reward for loving those who love you or those who agree with your point of view.

This is just a dress rehearsal.  What lies ahead will be even more trying than what you are going through now so He’s building endurance in you.

Patience.  Perseverance.  Character.  Integrity.  Spiritual Maturity.  Keep in mind that if you don’t work out these flaws you could actually mess up the blessing that God gives you.  You don’t want to mismanage and lose your blessing because you didn’t work through what God is showing you now.

I also want to point out that we are in the month of Tammuz 5780 on the Hebraic Calendar.  There is a period of time (3 weeks) from Tammuz 17 to Av 9 that is called bein hametzarim (between the straits).   It is a narrow confined place connecting one body of water with the next.  It is a place of transition but it is a narrow place where you need to stay on track knowing that eventually you will come out into the wide open space.  You WILL make it through this narrow place.

The first time I read that Moses died I cried.  People at church were laughing at me because they thought it was ridiculous that I was crying over someone in the bible who died.  I was crying because after following his journey in the bible and seeing all he went through, how obedient he was to the Lord, how humble he was, and he still didn’t make it to the promised land.  Why?  Anger.  He was one angry fellow. (Exodus 2:12, Numbers 20:9-11, Exodus 11:8, Exodus 32:19)  Over and over again it reared its ugly head and he didn’t deal with that.  Until one day God said, “that’s enough”. Anger was Egyptian behavior.  Anger was wilderness behavior.  Anger is not promise land behavior. Yeah, there comes a point when God stops allowing us to get away with it. Please know, HE is never going to point out something to you that you cannot change with His help.  You may not be able to do it in your own strength but I promise you, HE can change you if you really want to change.

We all have something that God is working on.  Don’t ignore it or blame other people or groups for why you behave the way you behave or say the things you say.  Take personal responsibility, go before the Lord, ask for forgiveness and then ask Him to show you a way to handle it so you can be free from that.

Prayer (read and if you are in agreement pray aloud)

Holy Spirit, Your role in my life is to convict of sin and not to condemn.  I thank You that You are showing me in this season that I need to work on _____, ______(speak out what you know He’s showing you).  I repent for these thoughts and actions.  I ask that from today forward You show me the door that the enemy is using to access my heart and pull me into manifesting this behavior.  I pray those doors are closed now in the realm of the spirit and that I become completely aware when the enemy is trying to enter my heart through my eye and ear gate.  Cleanse my heart with the blood of Jesus and give me a new heart. Show me how to guard my heart. I pray that by Your grace I am going to overcome this and be ready to step into what it is You have for me at the next level.  I praise You now for working on my character, my speech and my thoughts.  Help me to think on what is true, honorable, pure, just, praise worthy and loving and may only the things that align with this come out of my mouth.  I pray you would expose the root of these negative flaws in my life and pull it up from the root.  I pull up fear, anger, murder, hatred, rebellion, jealousy, envy, bitterness, strife, division, selfish ambition, pride and the need to be right, any spirit of witchcraft, control and manipulation and replace it with Truth, purity, holiness and the love of God.  I pray for a supernatural transformation in my life right now.  I submit myself to You to work on me and transform me into the image of Christ.  Whatever practical steps I need to take to get ready for the next season please outline them to me so that I am ready.  Give me ears to hear Your Spirit so when you instruct me to move, I will move.  During this tumultuous time I pray for all of those who are sick that you bring healing to their bodies, for those who are struggling financially that you will meet all of their needs and grant them favor,   for those who are hungry give them food, for those who are hurting in other ways that you would bring them comfort, I pray for godly wisdom for our leaders and a spirit of wisdom and revelation to cover the body of Christ.  I pray for the awakening we are going through as a body and for the revival that will hit each of us individually.  Stir a deep hunger in all of us for more of You.  Bring us back to a first love experience with Jesus Christ where we are completely consumed by Him.  Set our hearts on fire with the love of God, in Jesus name, Amen.

I pray this blessed you and will help move you in the right direction this season.

Blessings