Part Nine of previous articles:
Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3 + Part 4 + Part 5 + Part 6 + Part 7 + Part 8
by Glenice Mills
We are instructed in Scripture to know the timing and seasons in God. We are going through a change of season in the natural right now, but for many it is also a change of season in their lives. The Lord has been speaking to me about how we must know the season we are in. If we know what season we are in then we can embrace it and allow the Lord to lead, guide and teach us the things He is wanting to impart into our lives.
The problem arises when we don’t know or understand the season of our life or we try and move quickly into the new season because we don’t like what is happening where we are at right now. For many, they see a new season coming and they have a sense of knowing the new is just around the corner. However there are no shortcuts in God, and if we try and outwit or outsmart what we think is a better way of doing things we will trip up. The Lord showed me an analogy.
When we think of a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces tipped out, most times we know what the finished picture will look like. We have a goal to work toward, but it takes time, patience, long suffering, and trial and error to gradually bring the picture to completion. Sometimes we have frustrating pieces that we try in different positions and they don’t seem to fit. We then try the piece again later and it fits in easily.
We go ‘What’s with that?’ and then feel a great sense of relief that another piece has slotted in where it is meant to go. Often when doing a puzzle we have to go away and do something else as we reach the point of ‘no return’. Then some time later we see the finished picture with ‘new eyes’ and have a new spurt with pieces fitting in easily. We wonder why we didn’t see it before, and this can sometimes add to the frustration.
The puzzle is not complete until EVERY piece is put in its correct place. How many times have you done a puzzle and when the last few pieces are left you then see where another piece does not quite fit in, and you have to redo a few pieces again. When you get towards the end of the puzzle you begin to think ‘I hope there is no missing pieces’ because if there is it makes the whole puzzle incomplete and does not accomplish what was set out at the beginning of the venture. In fact it becomes a waste of time and ends up being very demoralising.
So it is with our lives. We cannot move into the next season until every piece of the puzzle is put in its correct position and the whole picture is complete. We cannot move pieces around to where we think they should go to bring a quicker outcome, because it will mean the picture is incomplete, with mistakes. The Lord who is the Master puzzle maker knows exactly what needs to be in place in our lives to bring about the completion of a set of requirements one needs before the next venture and season can begin to take place. We often speak of the word closure, which is a key word in these times. The new season cannot come in until the ‘door has been closed’ to the last season. The door cannot be ajar or left fully open for access by the enemy because when something is closed it is final. Closure is finality. The door is shut and cannot be reopened again. That season has gone. The new cannot come in until that door is closed. This means every piece of the puzzle has to be in place, with the puzzle finished, the picture is fully formed and it is completed. It cannot be added to or have pieces taken out, otherwise it is incomplete again.
The Lord is not about half finished jobs. He will not bring in the new until all that needs to be learnt, put in place, and the picture complete, before the next season of our lives can begin. Remember we will be only at the beginning of the new season, not the middle or the end, and there will be its own unique things to learn so we grow and come into greater maturity. It will be tailor made especially for you, not for anyone else, just for you. The problem with this is: we cannot expect another, particularly ones close to us to necessarily be in the same season, or at the same stage of completion, or even having an understanding of the season you are in. That is why we must know and be secure in the knowledge of where we are in God’s timetable in our lives, and not waver from the dealings of God.
Each season has exactly what is uniquely timed for you to learn, to overcome, to grow into greater maturity and faith. It is part of the process of coming into your God given authority and divine positioning for the time that the Lord is wanting to use you more greatly in His plan for your life. When we think of seasons in the natural we can see how they also pertain to our lives.
Autumn is a stripping away season, where the Lord takes our lives and strips away old mindsets, and old ways of doing things. There is a strong feeling of unsureness, vulnerability and discomfort. This operates in all areas of our lives: finances, work, relationships, ministry.
Winter is the season of, all is laid bear. It is the dying season, it is death to everything in our lives. It is like the wilderness season, it appears that nothing is happening. It can be a negative, emotion stirring, enduring season, however a deep work is been done and a lot of it is unseen. It is where the deep issues of the heart are exposed and it can often feel heavy and depressing. However it is a very powerful time because that is when our roots are put down deep and where many tests of God occur to see if we will endure patiently until the spring comes. It is the time where the fruits of the spirit are being prepared.
Spring is when there is new life coming into all areas of our life. It is like a new stirring in our circumstances, a new beginning, and a knowing that the deep forging on the inside of us is set in place. We start to see many dreams we have held onto start to be accomplished. It is like a divine shift of our circumstances and a reaping of rewards for passing many tests in God.
Summer is the season of producing fruit, where one is walking with the Lord, knowing they are in His perfect will. We see many lives being influenced and affected by what we have to give. There is often a producing of practical things in the area of creative gifts, and also in our finances, relationships, and ministries. They have endured and are truly yielded, willingly walking in the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are ones who can be entrusted with greater anointing and authority in the Spirit and are doing exploits in Him, whether that be in the church or where they are called to fulfil their dreams and vision for their life out in the world.
This is a quick, rough overview and there are aspects of our lives that may flow in and out of these seasons, however, we know overall what season we are in by the fruits or processes we are in, leading to the producing. Each season is valid, and each person is in and will go through these seasons in the ebbs and flows of life. It is beautifully described in Ecclesiastes 3.
We have been looking at seasons in our personal lives, however, I believe nations also go through seasons. We see nations such as America and England going through difficult times. They are in process with many things being stripped away and many of their people are in a time of ‘dying’. There is much loss and disappointment, and it appears that no good thing is happening. However it is in God’s appointed time and He knows what He is doing. It is about bringing ones back to Him, about bringing the body of Christ back to His ways. He will use whatever means to bring restoration and redemption to ones who don’t know Him and bringing greater depth of relationship to ones who do.
I have often wondered why Australia did not succumb to the global financial crisis to the same extent as other nations. It was the goodness of God but it was also because we were in a season of fruitfulness. We were strong in our economy, and we had high productivity in many areas that sustained us through this winter time that other nations were experiencing.
Australia is coming out of their summer and into autumn where there is going to be a season of ‘strong winds’ that will blow many things, bringing fear and uncertainty in many lives. There is coming a great stripping away of the old ways of doing things, and an end to many blessings of the past season we have been in. Australia’s economy is coming into a torrent time, with instability and severe ups and downs on the stock market and gross domestic product figures. People’s reliance on a stable, secure, level playing field in the economy is about to be derailed. Panic and fear will arise in ways not seen before.
We have breathed a sigh of relief here in Queensland as the summer wet season has ended, however, it does not mean all is well. Again Queensland will also face an unsettling time as our state government contends with a budget deficit not seen before. Our economies both state and federally will be blamed on the flood disaster, but the deeper root is mismanagement, corruption, and a plundering of the coffers by unscrupulous men. There has been wastage not seen before. Public servants have quietly been ripping off taxpayers and without a sweeping through of these departments we will continue to see a great fall out in our economy. Those involved in positions of authority in these departments who have operated unwisely will be exposed, and many in big industries and business who have had a false position of power, who have pulled the government’s strings, like a marionette, will have their deeds exposed too. The unions false power and agenda will gradually come out as some in the media, even right now, are quietly researching and gathering information and facts to bring to the people. This will unravel and bring down governments, both state and federally by years end.
This is the beginning of the season, of God’s appointed time, to bring about change in key areas of governance. This is also a sign to the church to wake up from its apathy, to come out of compromise, and be the agent of change in the community and governance that it was always meant to be.
The enemy will be vicious and will use people with unrighteous agendas to rise up, in ways not seen before. It will test many in the body of Christ, and it will soon be made known those who have been trained in obedience and those who will succumb to whatever feels good in the moment. The line drawn in the sand showing who are His and who are not will be more defined. Opportunity for compromise will increase as fear and panic will have many joining in with the crowd. This will increase blindness in many of God’s people.
What we will see happening in this next season in God is a wake up call to His people to stand: to stand for justice, truth and righteousness. Those trained in obedience, heeding the Lord’s voice, without questioning, will be ones positioned, ready to be used to speak, to provide practical help and to bring the gospel to a people stripped of all they have known, ready and desperate for the Lord and His salvation.
There is a God appointed time, His perfect timing, for the season we find ourselves in both individually, and as a nation. Seek Him as to what season you are in, embrace this time in Him, being careful not to make or do anything before seasons end.
Australia will go through things in this next season, a stripping down season, but it will all be about His Kingdom coming here to Australia and for His plans and purposes to be fulfilled for such a time as this. I want to finish with Daniel’s prayer as found in Daniel 2:20-22
Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding;
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.”
Your kingdom come in our lives Lord and for this nation of Australia. Help us Lord to be trained in obedience to You and Your Word. You only said and did what the Father said, and we want to be like this too. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to perceive and understand what you are saying and doing in our lives and in the nation of Australia and the nations of the world.
In Jesus Name,
Amen,
Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3 + Part 4 + Part 5 + Part 6 + Part 7 + Part 8
by Glenice Mills
We are instructed in Scripture to know the timing and seasons in God. We are going through a change of season in the natural right now, but for many it is also a change of season in their lives. The Lord has been speaking to me about how we must know the season we are in. If we know what season we are in then we can embrace it and allow the Lord to lead, guide and teach us the things He is wanting to impart into our lives.
The problem arises when we don’t know or understand the season of our life or we try and move quickly into the new season because we don’t like what is happening where we are at right now. For many, they see a new season coming and they have a sense of knowing the new is just around the corner. However there are no shortcuts in God, and if we try and outwit or outsmart what we think is a better way of doing things we will trip up. The Lord showed me an analogy.
When we think of a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces tipped out, most times we know what the finished picture will look like. We have a goal to work toward, but it takes time, patience, long suffering, and trial and error to gradually bring the picture to completion. Sometimes we have frustrating pieces that we try in different positions and they don’t seem to fit. We then try the piece again later and it fits in easily.
We go ‘What’s with that?’ and then feel a great sense of relief that another piece has slotted in where it is meant to go. Often when doing a puzzle we have to go away and do something else as we reach the point of ‘no return’. Then some time later we see the finished picture with ‘new eyes’ and have a new spurt with pieces fitting in easily. We wonder why we didn’t see it before, and this can sometimes add to the frustration.
The puzzle is not complete until EVERY piece is put in its correct place. How many times have you done a puzzle and when the last few pieces are left you then see where another piece does not quite fit in, and you have to redo a few pieces again. When you get towards the end of the puzzle you begin to think ‘I hope there is no missing pieces’ because if there is it makes the whole puzzle incomplete and does not accomplish what was set out at the beginning of the venture. In fact it becomes a waste of time and ends up being very demoralising.
So it is with our lives. We cannot move into the next season until every piece of the puzzle is put in its correct position and the whole picture is complete. We cannot move pieces around to where we think they should go to bring a quicker outcome, because it will mean the picture is incomplete, with mistakes. The Lord who is the Master puzzle maker knows exactly what needs to be in place in our lives to bring about the completion of a set of requirements one needs before the next venture and season can begin to take place. We often speak of the word closure, which is a key word in these times. The new season cannot come in until the ‘door has been closed’ to the last season. The door cannot be ajar or left fully open for access by the enemy because when something is closed it is final. Closure is finality. The door is shut and cannot be reopened again. That season has gone. The new cannot come in until that door is closed. This means every piece of the puzzle has to be in place, with the puzzle finished, the picture is fully formed and it is completed. It cannot be added to or have pieces taken out, otherwise it is incomplete again.
The Lord is not about half finished jobs. He will not bring in the new until all that needs to be learnt, put in place, and the picture complete, before the next season of our lives can begin. Remember we will be only at the beginning of the new season, not the middle or the end, and there will be its own unique things to learn so we grow and come into greater maturity. It will be tailor made especially for you, not for anyone else, just for you. The problem with this is: we cannot expect another, particularly ones close to us to necessarily be in the same season, or at the same stage of completion, or even having an understanding of the season you are in. That is why we must know and be secure in the knowledge of where we are in God’s timetable in our lives, and not waver from the dealings of God.
Each season has exactly what is uniquely timed for you to learn, to overcome, to grow into greater maturity and faith. It is part of the process of coming into your God given authority and divine positioning for the time that the Lord is wanting to use you more greatly in His plan for your life. When we think of seasons in the natural we can see how they also pertain to our lives.
Autumn is a stripping away season, where the Lord takes our lives and strips away old mindsets, and old ways of doing things. There is a strong feeling of unsureness, vulnerability and discomfort. This operates in all areas of our lives: finances, work, relationships, ministry.
Winter is the season of, all is laid bear. It is the dying season, it is death to everything in our lives. It is like the wilderness season, it appears that nothing is happening. It can be a negative, emotion stirring, enduring season, however a deep work is been done and a lot of it is unseen. It is where the deep issues of the heart are exposed and it can often feel heavy and depressing. However it is a very powerful time because that is when our roots are put down deep and where many tests of God occur to see if we will endure patiently until the spring comes. It is the time where the fruits of the spirit are being prepared.
Spring is when there is new life coming into all areas of our life. It is like a new stirring in our circumstances, a new beginning, and a knowing that the deep forging on the inside of us is set in place. We start to see many dreams we have held onto start to be accomplished. It is like a divine shift of our circumstances and a reaping of rewards for passing many tests in God.
Summer is the season of producing fruit, where one is walking with the Lord, knowing they are in His perfect will. We see many lives being influenced and affected by what we have to give. There is often a producing of practical things in the area of creative gifts, and also in our finances, relationships, and ministries. They have endured and are truly yielded, willingly walking in the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are ones who can be entrusted with greater anointing and authority in the Spirit and are doing exploits in Him, whether that be in the church or where they are called to fulfil their dreams and vision for their life out in the world.
This is a quick, rough overview and there are aspects of our lives that may flow in and out of these seasons, however, we know overall what season we are in by the fruits or processes we are in, leading to the producing. Each season is valid, and each person is in and will go through these seasons in the ebbs and flows of life. It is beautifully described in Ecclesiastes 3.
We have been looking at seasons in our personal lives, however, I believe nations also go through seasons. We see nations such as America and England going through difficult times. They are in process with many things being stripped away and many of their people are in a time of ‘dying’. There is much loss and disappointment, and it appears that no good thing is happening. However it is in God’s appointed time and He knows what He is doing. It is about bringing ones back to Him, about bringing the body of Christ back to His ways. He will use whatever means to bring restoration and redemption to ones who don’t know Him and bringing greater depth of relationship to ones who do.
I have often wondered why Australia did not succumb to the global financial crisis to the same extent as other nations. It was the goodness of God but it was also because we were in a season of fruitfulness. We were strong in our economy, and we had high productivity in many areas that sustained us through this winter time that other nations were experiencing.
Australia is coming out of their summer and into autumn where there is going to be a season of ‘strong winds’ that will blow many things, bringing fear and uncertainty in many lives. There is coming a great stripping away of the old ways of doing things, and an end to many blessings of the past season we have been in. Australia’s economy is coming into a torrent time, with instability and severe ups and downs on the stock market and gross domestic product figures. People’s reliance on a stable, secure, level playing field in the economy is about to be derailed. Panic and fear will arise in ways not seen before.
We have breathed a sigh of relief here in Queensland as the summer wet season has ended, however, it does not mean all is well. Again Queensland will also face an unsettling time as our state government contends with a budget deficit not seen before. Our economies both state and federally will be blamed on the flood disaster, but the deeper root is mismanagement, corruption, and a plundering of the coffers by unscrupulous men. There has been wastage not seen before. Public servants have quietly been ripping off taxpayers and without a sweeping through of these departments we will continue to see a great fall out in our economy. Those involved in positions of authority in these departments who have operated unwisely will be exposed, and many in big industries and business who have had a false position of power, who have pulled the government’s strings, like a marionette, will have their deeds exposed too. The unions false power and agenda will gradually come out as some in the media, even right now, are quietly researching and gathering information and facts to bring to the people. This will unravel and bring down governments, both state and federally by years end.
This is the beginning of the season, of God’s appointed time, to bring about change in key areas of governance. This is also a sign to the church to wake up from its apathy, to come out of compromise, and be the agent of change in the community and governance that it was always meant to be.
The enemy will be vicious and will use people with unrighteous agendas to rise up, in ways not seen before. It will test many in the body of Christ, and it will soon be made known those who have been trained in obedience and those who will succumb to whatever feels good in the moment. The line drawn in the sand showing who are His and who are not will be more defined. Opportunity for compromise will increase as fear and panic will have many joining in with the crowd. This will increase blindness in many of God’s people.
What we will see happening in this next season in God is a wake up call to His people to stand: to stand for justice, truth and righteousness. Those trained in obedience, heeding the Lord’s voice, without questioning, will be ones positioned, ready to be used to speak, to provide practical help and to bring the gospel to a people stripped of all they have known, ready and desperate for the Lord and His salvation.
There is a God appointed time, His perfect timing, for the season we find ourselves in both individually, and as a nation. Seek Him as to what season you are in, embrace this time in Him, being careful not to make or do anything before seasons end.
Australia will go through things in this next season, a stripping down season, but it will all be about His Kingdom coming here to Australia and for His plans and purposes to be fulfilled for such a time as this. I want to finish with Daniel’s prayer as found in Daniel 2:20-22
Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding;
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.”
Your kingdom come in our lives Lord and for this nation of Australia. Help us Lord to be trained in obedience to You and Your Word. You only said and did what the Father said, and we want to be like this too. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to perceive and understand what you are saying and doing in our lives and in the nation of Australia and the nations of the world.
In Jesus Name,
Amen,