May 30
PROLONGED TRANSITION
Sorry it has been a few days since my last post. Transition is a process it is seldom instantaneous and I have been in a process of transition, one of many I have experienced over thirty years of ministry. Some of them have been easy, others have been difficult and some, like this one, have taken a long time, five years to be exact.
I’ve discovered that the longer and/or the more difficult the transition, the greater the impact to others on the other side. It’s as if God is saying, “Justice is served if difficulty precedes victory.”
Personally, I am at the end of a five-year period of transition. Two years through the dark night of the spirit, one year to reorient and recover and two years to pull the change off. So for those of you who are “on the tarmac waiting for the plane to take off,” I have great empathy and remember “tribulation works patience in us.” UGH!
I’ve seen that often when the transition takes a prolonged length of time it is so two things can come into alignment; the first is preparation and the second is timing. Preparation also has two facets; your preparation and the preparation of those who you will impact and who will impact you. For either party most of the time preparation is not educational acquisition, but spiritual acquisition.
The second, timing, comes into play as God’s purpose for taking you where He is taking you – be it geographical or otherwise - and your preparation converge. The result of this convergence hallmarks the end of transition and the beginning of hope and fruitfulness. Proverbs tells us that he who rules his spirit is greater than he who takes a city. Sometimes we have to learn to rule ourselves before we can have rule where we are going.
I do have something very important to say about the process of transition, especially when it takes a long time for convergence to happen. Always leave the place where you are better than when you arrived. This is part of the reason God placed you where you are, even if it is temporary step on your road to your destiny. It is your part in God’s original mandate of subduing the Earth and learning to rule. Leave it better off for knowing you.
There are prophetic buzz words for transition and when you hear them you’d better understand that on the other side of that buzz word life as you know it will be irrevocably altered. Some of those buzz words are, “new thing,” “cocoon,” “different path,” “your chosen to…,” “change, change, change,” and “you’ve not gone this way before.” Perhaps you have some buzz words for transition that you’ve heard?
I have noticed three phases to transition, I’ll write about them next post.
Blessings,
John Paul
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I can very much relate to prolonged transition because I feel like I have been in transition for say four years and it’s not settling down yet. I can feel it on the inside of me because I know I am on the right track, but also know I cannot possibly remain here indefinitely and feel compelled to keep scouting the horizons, even though the next large transition may be a couple of years away.
And I thought that with a good job, I might exit some of the tansition, but it hasnt worked out like that, because my job need me to be available to move location for months at a time,
as they need, at short notice…so while I am based in one place, I have frequent smaller transitions to deal with every few months. This renders me unable to actually exit from transition in the way I had hoped. So now I embrace the lifestyle of transition (who needs to be settled anyway????), to expect shifts to happen at any time and not accumulate possessions that might hinder an easy tansition in the future (who can be bothered fussing over stuff when you have got to get somewhere???).
Dear JP: My goodness, you’ve read my mail almost to a tee. And I have to say that because of the influence of your ministry in the area of Dreams and visions, I have been able to get through 2 of the most difficult transitions of my life. One is passed, but it took the dream and revelation from the Holy Spirit to understand why it happened the way it did…and then the Lord enabling me to carry out the purpose for it– which is coming to an end shortly.
Buzz words? He used one of the dreams (1 of 3), 11 yrs ago, in which I drove around a rotary and came to a stop. That “stop” was
in fact a “waiting” period until it was time to leave. So the Lord took the dream, some of the symbolism and numbers contained within it and one day while listening to Christian TV, I put my
tv on just in time to hear Tommy Tenny say, “When the TURN of Eshter had come….” from Esther 2:15…My spirit was quickened by the Lord simultaneously as he said “TURN” .. In 1 of the main dreams, I “turned” off the rotary onto my new destination which I have been waiting for..for a long, long time.
So, “turn,” my “turn” is coming….drawing near…not only because one purpose has been fulfilled, but when I do leave this place I’m at, a total fulfillment and eternal purpose will be accomplished. Some family members will be saved… and all the transitioning time will have been worth it… the painful change… all the tears….all the waiting until “due season” arrived.
Apparently, it is only a right-hand turn away. I turned right and got off the rotary…. My husband was talking to me thru the passenger side of the car window in the dream as I said to him, “You disappeared on me, and I’m trying to find my way home” and he so lovingly said, “follow me”…. He is in heaven.
I am exceedingly blessed and I must tell you, God is faithful no matter what happens in your life. His Word is pure, He cannot lie, He will perform exactly what He has told us individually and there is no weapon formed on this earth that can stop it…. We are the only ones who can stop it by not believing it and staying in agreement with Him. His promises will surely come to pass. Surely. He never gives us all the details between the Beginning and the End; but we have His expected “end” as our consolation in any circumstance, tragedy, mistake, loss, suffering… We have His Word. He will keep His Word, which is always redemptive.
Love to you
Denise
Its interesting that you say “dark night of the spirit” and not dark night of the soul, which is the more common reference to St. John of the Cross’s writings. Dark night of the spirit is a very distinct work of God from the dark night of the soul.
Many people believe they go through these processes of God merely because they have dark times or a painful process. Neither of these encompass the dark nights John/Cross describes.
While more people enter the soul part, there are few who actually graduate from it. And there are few, which should be emphasized, who enter the spirit process.
One can not enter the spirit process without first going through the soul process.
A soul night may come and go in the believers life, but the spirit night only comes once. And it is dreadful.
Should one complete the spirit process, the outcome is Union wiith God in a more sweet and perfect way than has been known. Much has been removed and purged from the believer in this state.
When anyone uses these words I usually am suspicious. It is a process that is difficult. And there is no predetermined time for it. It all depends on how long it takes for the work to occur in the believer.
I am also suspicious because of your history in the “prophetic” movement that has been seen the last couple of decades, specifically as it now relates to the Lakeland Revival. There are some in that camp that refer to themselves as the “New mystics,” of which St. John of the Cross has been classified as.
As I said in a previous comment, I have been involved in the prophetic since the Toronto Blessing, via the renewal. The current incarnation of this event type seems only more exaggerated than the previous ones. And in those, as I have seen in this, the souls (I generalize here) have NOT been purged by the dark nights. There is clearly mixture of soul and spirit or flesh and spirit. This is quite the opposite by-product of the dark nights.
I understand I am drawing connections here that may not exist. But with the state of the charismaticly-inclined people in the Church we must take all precaution to our understanding of our beliefs and understanding of who God is and what he is doing.
Hi John Paul,
I feel weight and wisdom and these words…
“Always leave the place where you are better than when you arrived”
“Leave it better off for knowing you.”
Thank you…
Z
Hey, I love that. There’s so much wisdom in it. I was also thinking about prophetic ‘buzz’ words I may have received. What about: ‘There’s more in you, than you yourself know.’ Somehow, this sounds like a buzz word for transition too…
Be blessed - y’all
Here’s more buzz words ‘winds of change’, ‘’season of change and ‘a new beginning’ the latter one was given to me as part of a prophecy, the lady prophet also gave me her watch to symbolise the start of that new beginning!
Abraham was a man of transition who moved spiritually and geographically in obedience, not knowing where he was going, to wherever God asked him to … ‘Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God’ (New Living translation - Hebrews 11 : 10). Life’s journey is a pilgrimage, better to be like Abraham a tent dweller and foreigner, understanding that our destination is eternal and not temporal. So where God takes us, as tent dwellers, we will enalrge the place of our tent, lengthen our cords ad strengthen our stakes so we can expand to the right and the left. The result will be that just like Abraham, our descendants wll inherit the nations! (Isaiah 54 : 2-3)
Blessings …
Would it be possible for you to explain more fully the difference between the dark night of the soul and of the spirit in another post and how they relate to transition?
A couple of buzz words for transition I have noticed are, “about to be launched” and elevators/escalators in dreams and “a new season.”
In re: to your comment - “I’ve discovered that the longer and/or the more difficult the transition, the greater the impact to others on the other side. It’s as if God is saying, “Justice is served if difficulty precedes victory.” Is that partly due to the fact that we don’t want to give God a gift that hasn’t cost us anything … And transition can cost a great deal from us in terms of surrender, obedience, etc. [It costs even more if we don't, but in a different way].
Wow, this is great! I am understanding more about what is going on with me. In one of my comments, I mentioned that Godhad given me 2 dreams on 2 different nights that answered some questions for me. One of the questions I had or God was why I wasn’t in the ministry yet. In the first dream He gave me, I was barefoot all through the dream,walking through a hospital, and was looking for a baby that I don’t think was mine, but had been given to my charge, to take care of. I know that when you are barefoot in a dream, it means that you are unprepared. You stated…”I’ve seen that often when the transition takes a prolonged length of time it is so two things can come into alignment; the first is preparation and the second is timing. Preparation also has two facets; your preparation and the preparation of those who you will impact and who will impact you. For either party most of the time preparation is not educational acquisition, but spiritual acquisition.” I feel this is what is going on with me, along with other things you mentioned. God is so good for giving us the keys to His revelation.
A few buzz words for transition, fairly well-known:
* paradigm shift
* it will be counter-intuitive
* a new level
* you will be unrecognizable to yourself
* a kernel of wheat dying in the ground & raising to new life
* a shift in the tectonic plates of your life
Blessings,
Dennis
One of the transition buzz words that sort of annoys me because i hear it so much is the words ‘paradigm shift.’ I feel like I hear that so many times that it has lost any sort of vital seriousness when it is spoken.
I don’t know what sort of transitions you have experienced in the last five years, I know for me personally the last five years have been full of soul-painful, and difficult times, however it has been the most progressive transformation possible(which makes all the transitions WORTH it), why just looking back a few short months and I find myself shaking my head. All this in such a short time? Clearly God is moving in major ways! I am sure from the sound of it, that you as well have experienced this wonderment of transformation, in the grace state of salvation.
I remember a few years ago seeing you in New Jersey and you were talking about colors and prophecy. It was all well and good, and I rather enjoyed it, but I remember praying in spirit, “come on God, I know this Guys got way deeper stuff to share then this, can’t you let him let it out some for me, I wanna hear the REALLY good stuff’ haha. Of course, it was all good…but you know, God told me that ‘timing’ was important, and that you are required to release morsels of truth you have learned ‘in due season’ so much to my frustration, i said ‘yeah ok God’
But then, I just saw you in the “Voice of the Prophets’ conference in PA, and you gave probably the best message i have ever heard, there was a longing in me to hear others speak such deeply profound and beautiful truths. I laughed through your entire message (which ticked off one person for sure from her actions) but I did it not in mockery. I was in the state of ‘I delight myself on the law of the Lord and on his words I meditate day and night” The more you spoke the more I felt Enraptured (and from all the laughing and shaking one would never have known that previous to the message, I had come in a state of struggling health from a terribly bout in food poisoning, one of which suddenly left me when you started talking of the eternal God.)
I have found that there is deep wells of joy that bubble out of me when people speak profoundly beautiful things. The last time I laughed so hard with delight in the ways of God in a ‘teaching message’ time was at a Jason Upton preaching night.
I think what you spoke about God and time, and everything that particular night ties in with the transition that you were going through in the last five years, and that which you are sharing hear. I LOVE THAT. It was the first conference in years that I went away telling everyone I knew that it was ‘the best message i have ever heard.’ ( to the shock of many, whom could not beleive I was endorsing a prophetic confernece) Others who were there left in amazement, some who have gone through your classes said in a discussion we had in the parking lot many good things about that night and the one thing we all said and agreed was “We have NEVER heard John Paul Jackson talk like THAT before”
So when I left and told others who were not there, the question always was what did John Paul actually teach on. And when they ask it, i find myself drifting instantly into bliss, with joy bubbling.. and I say to them “He talked About God. He talked about God. it was ALL about GOD.” and they look at me funny….like is that a new thing? and I just say “ohh it was soo much about God and his ways, about everlasting, about eternal.” of course they all think I have gone looney bird on them.
But I am saying all of this to say that whatever God has taken you through in the last five years.. IT WAS WORTH IT. it was soo worth it. In fact, I know that while I myself have gone through intense times these few years, that what is ahead is far worth the stuff I went through now. As you taught, God is with us NOW ten years ago, NOW in the present and NOW in the future ten years from now. and ooohhh how I love that.
One thing also that ties into this transition that I feel really strong about is what in Your ‘intimacy’ tapes you talk about the next wave of God that was to come would be marked by Joy. I think that Joy is in the wonderment in God himself, being enraptured in the pleasure, the splendor, the all of Jesus. If it is any indication of the shifts that have happened in my life, I can’t wait to see the joys that bubble out in what God does in the future.
John Thomas preached on ‘Holy Spirit canaries’ on his podcast, (another good ‘message’) and I realized that many times I must be this crazy bright colored canary that just makes the ruckous to let people know whats up… LOL. (if some of them just knew that I was that sort of bird)
So, as the brightly dressed (i was wearing turquise at the conf) ‘canary’ bird here, I just want to thank you, for allowing God to take you through all the transitions, and to say that I thoroughly enjoy the newly manifestating transformations that God is doing in you. YIPEEEE!!!!!!
One last thought I wanted to post…
Once I asked the Lord “where am I to go and what I am to do in the future, what is my purpose?”
He responded “Its none of your business.”
I said ‘WHAT! I think my life is sort of my business!”
He said “No, Your life is MY business, Abide in me. I will take care of the rest”
What happens when it looks like the transition is about to be aborted? The transition phase my husband and I have been in started more than 4 years ago. Now we seem to be hanging in the balance with the possibility of the ‘next thing’ not coming to full fruition. The scriptures promise that He won’t start something that He doesn’t intend to complete, and my husband and I cling to those words.
When looking at the reality of this transiton in the natural realm, it is discouraging, but the process of living, praying, learning and struggling has been growth producing in ways that I could have never expected. So there is fruit, but not the fruit of the promise. I long for the fruit of the promise which I believe is there at the end of the transition. As I write I realize that truly if the only fruit in all that has happened is trusting Him, then I’ve won the prize. It is easy to be so forward looking that we miss the importance of the ‘now.’ I pray for the grace to live in the now and the not yet.
Thank you so much John Paul for all that you are doing in the body of Christ. You have no idea the impact your ministry has on my life. I’ve come in to a place in my life on which I had lost hope, confidence whatsoever, all because of the many tragedies that I had to face. I’m from Angola (Africa) living in the Netherlands, in 2002 I invided my mom to come to the Netherlands to visit us, so she came, but after a short time here with us, she died, but thanks be to God that she is in heaven now. The reason I say that, is that in the last minues of her life, the Holy Spirit urged me to pary with her the sinners prayer, as I did, 5/10 minutes later she was gone.
3 years later after that, I lost my baby Esther 2 days before the delivery, it was terrible, however I kept my praise up to the Lord. 1 year later God gave me my beautiful girl (Priscila). After this miracle, I lost two more babies, actualy I lost the last one not so long ago, it happened on 27th of last month. But to God be the glory for ever more. For this one thing I know, that something bigger is coming, not only for me, but for the others. The Lord has asured that to me. Thanks John Paul, that in the middle of all pain and frustration, God gave me a vison of your face, (this is the gift God have me, of dreams and visons). After that vision, inmidiately I new that I should get involved with your ministry, since then My life has never been the same, and I want you to know JP, that you have been a great father for me spiritualy. I love with all of my heart. God bless.
PS: sory for the poor english since it’s not my native language.
Can a dark night prepare us to accept transition/change when it comes?
Ps 30.5b
Selah.
Is there any indication in a transition that you will finally get to do the things you have dreamed of?
I feel like I’ve gone the last 15 years from disappointing transition to disappointing transition. I reached a ‘final straw’ point and left God. I’m back now…obviously…and very hopeful that I can do something along the lines of my calling (whatever that looks like). I’m tempered enough by now to know that things change faster than you can figure them out. Many times in past years I’ve heard from God ‘where are you going?’ I reply that I don’t know. He responds ‘then why are you trying to get there?’
I gather from the little I’ve heard of your testimony you’ve basically been aware of your giftings all along and were often able to walk in them. However, is there any way you can tell in a transition if ‘this is the one?’…that there are signs that you will finally be able to run in your calling and purpose in the earth? (mainly for those of us who would like to be in ministry but haven’t had the chance) I’ve had my fair share of transitions but no release to do the things I’ve dreamed of.
Hi John Paul
I know that you’ve been through both so, how would you define the differing functions of the Dark Night of the Soul vs. The Dark Night of the Spirit?
Thanks,
Z
I started a transition 3 1/2 years ago that was thrust upon me and that I never wanted to go through–a geographical change. The worst part was that I wasn’t able to hear God anymore, from the time the transition began (I couldn’t even hear Him telling me to MAKE the change! OR NOT! but it was the only feasible choice at the time) and throughout the change, and has continued almost nonstop up until now. I cried for hours in the car making my way to a new destination, not just because I was leaving a place that I loved, and where God had marked me profoundly, but for deeper reasons that I couldn’t even articulate. It didn’t help any when several months ago the Holy Spirit showed me that, the reason I had been so grieved, was that in that previous home, I was coming into a profoundly deep, “falling into step” with Jesus, where my walk was beginning to align with Him in a deeper way than I had ever experienced. All of that was reflected in my dreams when I was at that place. I was anguished when I heard that, but it explained my deep grief. One can flippantly say that “God can do that anywhere”, but the truth is that there are seasons and graces in geographical places in time that are unique and are not to be taken lightly. This morning in a Sunday church message the speaker began talking about how the Church is in a season of TRANSITION, and described it as the phase a woman goes through before giving birth. He spoke of the condition of a mother when she is in “transition” as one of “confusion, disorientation, irritability: almost chaos”. That was my “a-ha! moment. I have been in that awful phase before birth begins. The speaker went on to describe that a birthing mother then comes into a place of great clarity and strength “to get this child born”. Transition is no fun, and for a prophetic heart, who gets stabilized and centered through a place of deep communion, it can be horrendous. All I could do during this phase was trust, EVEN MORE DEEPLY, that He is who He says He is: “faithful and true!”, even if I couldn’t hear his direction or sense His favor anymore. I realized that I have been through a number of times of transition before, but this was the first time I was given a grid to understand what was happening to me. (And HOW MANY more kids am I going to have??!!) For me it has simply been a season of having to anchor myself more deeply into the faithfulness of God. Funny, I had a dream, right before this began (and I awoke weeping, there was such sweetness and comfort in the dream), where my feet were not just standing UPON a Rock, but had become imbedded IN the Rock!
This is for Catarina Prata:
I just want to minister something to you the Lord ministered to me when my husband suddenly died in 1997 at age 50 (we never even said goodbye.)
Your daughter, Esther, and your other babies didn’t die. They simply “moved.” They are not in your past— they are in your future! Look there… towards your real Home where they will one day embrace you, having been taught by the Lord Himself during the time in which you both lived in separate locations.
Jesus tasted death for us…so that we would not have to. The
“transition” is only a move away..instantaneous… we change
addresses. It is that simple and fear free.
I pray the Holy Spirit will comfort you with these words, as I was comforted. I saw it in the Spirit in a dream and was given
understanding by the Lord of what I was seeing. Since then I have passed it on to anyone who will hear.
Lord bless all who are here meeting together by way of this blog
in unity of the Spirit.
Denise
I/We are always in a hurry to begin a new thing, to get into ministry, to reach our destiny. God never seem in a hurry. 3 years, 8 years, 40 years pass. Long enough for us to let go of our dreams. Then at the right time God moves and does more then we ever imagined in the shortest time. We then find our dreams which we once thought impossible are greatly exceeded by the Lord.
This post helps me so much! I have been trying to understand this phase I am in, and Dark night of the spirit captures it so well. I knew I had made it through the dark night of the soul(10 yrs there), but had come to a place much more shattering where the changes are happening much more quickly, but it has still been several years of unsettledness and transition. So it is encouraging to know that the “longer and/or the more difficult the transition, the greater the impact to others on the other side.” I am beginning to see where it has all been leading and it is extremely humbling to know how much God desires to see me succeed in what he has set before me, that He would put up with me and my foolishness this long. It is a good thing to be Loved.
Will: your last statement hit me like a hammer,I have been asking and those words just spoke into my life.God is soooo awesome
Saw a headline today: “John Paul on Fast Track for Sainthood.” They were talking about the late Pope, but it made me chuckle.
For a couple of years I cried to God that I wanted to go into ministry. I felt that He wanted that for me and I wanted it too. I received words that pointed in that direction, and I always had an idea of what it would be like - generally it would be what I saw others doing, my preconceived idea of it.
I came to a point where I gave up crying about that. I just thought “be content in doing what you can and forget the rest”.
Now that I look back and see what has happened through the years. When I have done what I can and where I have seen God moving, I see the foundational work to the ministry work that I kept crying to God for.
I still cry sometimes. I cry “God get me out of this place” with ministry in mind, but I see that there is still more preparation and transformation that has to occur, until I can transition.
As I really think about it, it is more than ministry, it is life, and life at a level that I have never known before. Ministry just pours out of that life, it’s more than function.
I’d call it a dimension!
I have noticed how transition can be a very slow process. And I have noticed that when the time is right, how we can transition very quickly.
Ministry is good, but I think that God wants more than that for us.
Any thoughts?
God Bless!
I am also wanting/needing more clarification between the Dark Night of the soul and spirit. And, is it obvious which of these “nights” we are in? Thank you!
Wendy
I haven’t had time to read all the posts, but one strong idea comes to mind when dealing with buzz words of any kind. I believe it’s even more important when dealing in the prophetic because, of course, prophetic people hear from God and give His message.
Buzz words lose their meanings quickly I’ve found. We see this a lot in the political arena and campaign times. I’m sure there are a ton I haven’t heard in the USA since I live in France now. But I think back to the phrase “global village”. Everyone seemed to be using it but I couldn’t tell you for the life of me what it meant because I heard it in so many different contexts.
We need to really fine tune our vocabulary and say just what needs to be said and no more. Buzz words’ meanings tend to evolve as well so when I say “blue” at one point of “blue” as a buzz word, you may think “turquoise”.
Transitions are what life is all about. You can’t grow into the authentic human being that God wants you to be without transitions. It’s next to impossible. At least this is how I have come to understand the process of transitions in my own life.
Many people fall short of the glory of God in their lives because they are afraid of putting their complete trust in the Lord in order that they may jump on the band wagon with the Lord through the Holy Spirit in asking for assistance during these exciting times.
Now that I am in the second half of my life after raising 4 children, I have been conditioned through the experience of motherhood to anticipate transition and change. Without it and the application of wisdom and knowledge that I would receive from the Lord, I would not have been able to attend to the needs of each individual child appropriately.
There have been many dark nights of both the soul and spirit.
I found that when I didn’t place my complete trust in the Lord to carry me through, I would seem to be more in the “Dark Night of the Soul”…remaining stuck in the soulish realm for a little while at least especially when I remain focused on the human level regarding the suffering of despair in relation to the disappointments that had surrounded me each time.
However, when I placed my complete trust and hope in the Lord and then stood on His promises in the beginning stages when all hell was breaking loose because of the impending victory that is about to happen, I seem to enter into the “Dark Night of the Spirit” while in anticipation of the coming victory. But knowing full well that there is a light at the end of the tunnel which is the “PEACE” that surpasses all understaning, guarding my heart and mind prior to the pending victory.
We have to be content in the waiting know matter what the circumsance is…I hope this helps some of you. This blogis awesome. Have a nice day everyone. Blessings to you John Paul!
Remaining In His Peace!
Shirley C.
Antonio, I love how you put this…
“As I really think about it, it is more than ministry, it is life, and life at a level that I have never known before. Ministry just pours out of that life, it’s more than function.”
Moses…40 years in the desert tending sheep then one day WHAMMO! encounter with God and he’s off in a new direction. Ditto Joseph…slavery, prison, then one day BOOM! second in command of all Egypt. It seems sometimes the preparation phase is long and seems never-ending, but the change sometimes comes real quick.
This is in regards to “buzz words” being used by so many. As I indicated before, mine was from a scripture in Esther 2:15. But it didn’t come by my natural hearing, it came by the Holy Spirit quickening my spirit…and at that point it became the “spoken
Word of God” to me at this time in my life.
My “turn” is coming…which was wisdom from the Lord and not
my own thoughts or hopes, but rather confirmation of His.
When a rhema word comes from the Lord to you, it becomes instructional, direction, guidance and His counsel
to you specifically, and therefore far surpasses general words
which we might hear being used to describe what might be happening in and around a great many lives. It also surpasses our effort to try and describe what is taking place in our personal lives because that comes from our observation—of which
we truely cannot see the whole picture.
When the Lord gives you a word–it becomes a turning point for each of us–regardless of what another might hear. Take great comfort in it because the Lord knows exactly what He has for you
and how He intends to execute that plan.
Blessings to all …and peace and comfort in the Holy Spirit
Denise
Now that I have finally caught up with the flow of this blog. Here goes it….
John Paul Wrote:
There are prophetic buzz words for transition and when you hear them you’d better understand that on the other side of that buzz word life as you know it will be irrevocably altered. Some of those buzz words are, “new thing,” “cocoon,” “different path,” “your chosen to…,” “change, change, change,” and “you’ve not gone this way before.” Perhaps you have some buzz words for transition that you’ve heard?
Shirley’s Response to “John-Pauls Prophetic Buzz Words”:
“Crossroads”; “God’s holding chamber”; “Getting There”; “shift”;
“paradigm shift”; “the next wave”; “new levels”; “higher heights”, “a new dimension”; “A higher level”; “new glory”, “the new”, “the greater”; “the flow”; “the greater flow” “higher realms of Glory”; “great expectation”, “new season”; “the next thing”….And the list goes on………..This is so much fun!!!
LOL
Blessings!
Shirley C.
There seem to be a lot of comments on dark night of the soul/spirit. These terms come from writtings of St. John of the Cross. You can google them and find the books online.
Dark Night of the Soul is the usual title for both books, with the Dark Night of the Spirit being the second book of the two.
These writings are the original source of the terms and events of said subject. Many have taught on the subject since, but they have expanded or input meaning that is not in the original writings. The terms have been retranslated over time to mean different things.
As I said in a previous comment, they do not mean trying times or painful times. Although they will try you and pain you, but not in the way you think.
The writings are complex and hard to track if you’ve never gone through the process.
From reading these postings a week later, and in a good frame of mind, it seems that there are a few people here who are “in the dark” regarding whether they are “in the dark night of the soul” or the “dark night of the spirit….”
Does anyone else see the irony in that?? If we step back and think about it without getting too serious, it might strike us as a little humorous! (not being in the dark night, but being in the dark about which dark night we are in!!).
Actually right now I dont feel like I am in a dark night, but that could change quite fast, I suspect.
OK JP any insight you can give on ‘dark night of the soul’ vs. ‘dark night of the spirit’ would be appreciated. Needing clarification here. Understanding to research personally myself is required; yet your insight is important to me so i am asking. Thanks in advance.
(Joh 12:27) Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
(Joh 13:21) When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
(Joh 14:1) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
(Joh 14:27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Distinction is made between soul and spirit being troubled.
The heart can also be troubled. (Jesus says to not let it)
One can go through dark nights while your friends sleep.
From the NT Greek Lexicon
Trouble
1. to agitate, trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro)
a. to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity
b. to disquiet, make restless
c. to stir up
d. to trouble
1. to strike one’s spirit with fear and dread
e. to render anxious or distressed
f. to perplex the mind of one by suggesting scruples or doubts
Just want to say John Paul, how blessed I am by you and your ministry…Thank you so very much for you love, insight,teaching, and wisdom.
I heard JP say one time something to the effect that we will never become champions if all we ever conquer are things lesser than ourselves or less than our own means. Sometimes the transition process seems so overwhelming because I can’t figure out how to get to the new thing on my own or in my own means. Duh! My heart will trust in the LORD! I pray these times of transitions in my life will create in me the faith of a champion.
Another buzzword…’promotion’
I feel like I’m at the end of an 8 year transition, and I have to say…Convergence is a beautiful thing!!
I have had this new thing coming for almost 6 months. I really need a church to belong to, I feel lost without one, and ideas for the Houston area? I have been attacked, God warned and encouraged me in dreams and now in the recovery phase and waiting for God.
Perhaps this isn’t a buzz-word as much as it is a buzz-scripture. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Is 43:18,19
John Paul, I loved this comment:
“Most of the time preparation is not educational acquisition, but spiritual acquisition.”
This feels very powerful to me. Transition (also the hardest part of labour) is about bringing something new forth. The pain of transition is so real, yet with purpose.
Further speaking on transitions. I had to stop and ponder, that on a natural level spring is a time of transition both in nature and society in general, one particular example is our children and their schooling. My 18 year old daughter in particular within the last 2 weeks attended her Senior Prom with her fiancee(her childhood sweetheart)and this week she will be graduating from vocational technical highschool, and she is also going to be attending junior college in September. On top of all the transitions that I am facing both on the physical plane and the spiritual as well. Its like two co-encentric intersecting. My life and my daughters life. Instead of getting stressed out about this, I decided to get creative and celebrate the changes, so I did a family music video celebrating my daughters achievment and the love of our heavenly, father for my family. Hint: the song gives a new perspective to tatoo’s…think of God’s love for Todd Bentley as well when you hear this songs too.
I think you might have to log in, I am not sure, but its safe anyway.
http://www.slide.com/r/dPCvbBBN1D-M9t27lPqcgTs3aTdnzLpL?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original
Since transition in some sense seems to be related to overcoming adversity, here’s a paraphrased quote from Homer which encourages me, as well as one from Jim Rohn:
Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents that in normal circumstances lay dormant. Homer
The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. Jim Rohn
Dear Donna,
While there is nothing wrong with attending a church and having one to belong to, I would like to encourage you in the direction of possibly a new thought pattern.
We beleive (or at least I know I do) by doctrine that the church isnt’ a building, its the people. Most people would agree doctrinally but not EXPERIENCIALLY.
You are a temple, a church, a living spirit in a flesh body. JESUS lives inside of you, there fore the kingdom or Gods people or ‘The church’ is actually a part of.. YOU and me, and everyone else who embraces the good news.
You belong to the greater body of CHrist if you have embraced the goodnews of freedom. This means, that while you might not have a fellowship or ‘building’ fellowship to attend, there is fellowship ALL around you.
If you look around and ask God to draw people to you that are beleivers, it will be amazing how many will show up everywhere..for deep deep..I mean DEEEEP fellowship. Whether at the laundr-0-mat, or the grocery store, or the local pool, the holy spirit in you and in others will magnetize and you will start experiencing fellowship everywhere, this will eliminate that need of ‘belonging’ because in time you will see the need of belonging fulfilled by what I call ’spirit blown christians’ which is ones who hear clearly God and act in everyday life on his behalf.
all provisions were set before you, if God warned you of something, then that means you are hearing him. So, if you are hearing him, he can connect you to ‘the church’ at large and you will never be disconnected or divorced from it once you embrace the Spirit in that matter.
It concerns me that you feel ‘lost’ without a church, because that is rooted (man times)in making the church system or people your provision for different areas of life whether finances, emotions, friendships, security, etc etc. If you make a church your resting place for these things, it will bring a false sense of salvation, and that could lead to that empty feeling when you aren’t in a church structure, because its an unholy alliance with people or things.
Again, I am not saying that going to church is necessarily wrong, But i beleive that if you truly beleive and Love Jesus, the fellowship of the ‘brethren’ will happen everyday and all the time everywhere you go.
If God led you to where you are today, I encourage you to keep moving how he moves you, in the process, you will find that God is so much bigger, better, and full of more light than we could ever imagine.. he is so wonderful!
Bless you on your journey.
Will
Wow JPJ… what a group ya got here. Especially Denise this time for me. Thank you for the blessing!