"Freedom!!!"

It has been a few weeks since I have written... and I am actually on my way out of town for a weekend away with some girlfriends! However, I didn't want to let another week pass without writing down a few things that the Lord has been speaking...

On my way to the weekly intercessors meeting that I attend, I was praying and talking with the Lord. I have this 'way' with Him - and often times I will feel pressure (albeit in my own mind) to 'come through' and I always know that it is the enemy at work trying to get me to fear man and work to impress and honor 'man' more so than God. So - I had been feeling this concern to come through with a vision... it HAS been a somewhat weekly event. But - in my attempt to take authority over this attack... I prayed, "Lord, can you let someone ELSE have a vision today!? Someone who maybe doesn't experience them or doesn't share often... I would like to just sit in Your presence and soak today..." Now - I KNOW He doesn't need ME to speak for Him... let me tell you - the women who attend this meeting clearly hear from Him themselves... and none of them 'pressure' me at all... I am just being transparent about what happened that day. I will say - I did NOT have a vision... and in fact, someone else that rarely shares DID have a vision. I thought that was pretty cool of God!

While I didn't have a vision... I DID get a couple of Scripture references... I went home later that day, Tuesday Oct 31st, and studied out the Scriptures He had given me. As I read through the chapter and verses I could hear the Lord speak, "Freedom!" Isn't that the cry of our hearts?! We want freedom in our own lives, freedom in our homes - our families and marriages, freedom in our churches and in our land... However, I felt a sense that this was not ONLY a Victory Cry of Freedom... but this was a cry of a Freedom He was going to allow to come upon His Bride for a short season, because it is necessary... that it would, in the end, bring about a Freedom we have not yet known.

He had me reading through Jeremiah chapter 34. In this chapter, Jeremiah has a word from the Lord for King Zedekiah... they are in the midst of war... and the Lord starts out by assuring the King that he will not die by the sword... but he will die in peace, as his ancestors before him did. This word came to Zedekiah after he had made a covenant with the people to proclaim freedom to the slaves. Many of the Israelites had Jewish slaves and they had not been practicing the 7th year release. The people had repented and decided to give Freedom to their brothers and sisters... and then apparently they changed their minds. The Lord went on to say: "You have disobeyed me by not giving your slaves their freedom. So I will give you freedom--the freedom to die in battle or from disease or hunger. I will make you disgusting to all other nations on earth." (Jer 34:17 CEV) You see - we have freedom of choice... and in our choices, there are consequences. We have prophesied a coming Shaking for some time now... Days after I prayed and studied these things... the news about Pastor Ted Haggard was reported.

I have loved this man. I have sat under his teaching. I have prayed with him and for him and I have the utmost respect for his heart for ministry and his love for the Lord. My initial response, like many, MANY peoples', was "NO! This is not true!" I was broken hearted not only for this man and his apparent struggle that has been going on for longer than anyone could have guessed, but also for his wife, his family, the church and all those he has ministered beside and to. I pray Grace and Restoration for him... I pray that we - his brothers and sisters - will not hold him captive and enslave him to his sin. We must not make him a slave and treat him as 'less than' ...the Lord has called us to forgive. Yes - he must repent and he must seek out wise counsel and he is in need of deliverance and THEN restoration. Here's the thing... God has warned us for years and years and years that He is going to SHAKE things up... starting with the church! Whatever is hidden will be made known. We have the CHOICE to deal with it now... one on one with the Lord... or deal with it later - out in the open, with others standing by! I believe, that we are now beginning the Season of "Out in the open".

We have a choice in what kind of Freedom we will walk in... For me, I want the Victory Cry of Freedom to reign over my life... when the Lord speaks Freedom over me... I do not want it to be the Freedom to die due to my own choice and consequences, but I want it to be the Freedom to truly LIVE!

I believe that now that the world has her eyes on the church and this scandal... the greatest honor and blessing and the greatest GOOD we can do with this - is to allow His abundant Grace and Mercy and forgiveness to flow through us to those who have fallen! Let us not eat our young... let us not make Slaves of our brothers and sisters in their time of need... but let us LOVE!!! They will know we are Christians by our LOVE! Let THAT be their headline news! Let us astound and confuse them... by the forgiveness and mercy we pour out on one another! Let us walk in FREEDOM, minister FREEDOM, and offer FREEDOM by walking, ministering, and offering LOVE!

I proclaim Freedom over your life today, my friend!
In Him,
~Karrilee~