I believe the Book of Acts is coming alive again! 

 In the Gospels, we see the public ministry of Jesus unfold as we are told what “Jesus began both to do and to teach.”

In the Book of Acts we see the public ministry of the church begin with the life-changing encounter of the Holy Spirit inhabiting believers. 

Jesus was the prototype of the Spirit-filled, Spirit empowered life.  The Book of Acts is the story of the disciples receiving what Jesus received in order to do what Jesus did! 

 Acts 1:4-11 (NKJV) And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”  Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” 

As believers, it is important that we understand the ancient prophecies related to God’s purposes for the people and for the land. 

PROPHECY IS HISTORY WRITTEN IN ADVANCE

Some prophetic words are so big it is hard to live with them.  They overwhelm us.  The implications are massive.  They open up such a huge space around us that we feel small and insignificant inside it.  God has spoken and we must grow to fit what He has seen in us.  

Prophecy unlocks the intentionality of God.  It declares to the world:  “This is the way it will be” – and we get to be involved in the process! 

PROCESS IS IMPORTANT

After prophecy is received the process of development comes.  Before prophecy can be fulfilled in its entirety, it must live in our hearts.  We need to abide in the word, think deeply, meditate over it, and make it an occasion for praise and worship.

When a truth breaks into your life, in terms of the nature of God, you will find that everything has to come to a place of being reordered! 

Revelation shifts everything. Revelation is a truth that comes to us with something we have not seen before and it has the potential of setting us free and reordering our lives. With the first rush of seeing a new truth about God you often may feel “carried along with that truth” in such a way that walking in the application of it almost seems effortless. The ability to walk in that truth, and the discovery of other linked truths surrounding it, causes you to reorder your thinking about many things. It is a glorious experience.

I am absolutely overtaken with the truth that Jesus took all negativity. He bore it in His body and took it to Calvary so we could be free.

He took all our afflictions - mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.

So, the curse of living in negative ways, of being hooked by negative thoughts and of tainting the atmosphere around us with negative speaking has been broken by His sacrifice.

I have such excitement in my spirit about this New Year. It is not based on the negative thinking that can come by looking at the earthly kingdom our feet are standing on, but by walking with our hearts and minds firmly focused on the reality of the Heavenly Kingdom we are on earth representing.

Let’s apply the term “high definition” in another way, a way that also has brought a clarity so sharp that we are actually viewing life differently.  It is the fresh awareness of our identity in Christ and the clear focus that follows that revelation.

Can you believe that Christmas Day is less than a month away!

This is the time of year when we get out the Christmas decorations that have been stored away since the last holiday season. Many memories flood our mind as we look at things that remind us of Christmases past. Treasured, special times we have had with family and friends.

What a joyous time of year this is. The air is filled with preparation, expectation, and excitement as we move towards the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Last evening a President was elected to another term of office in the United States.

It was a measured victory with half of the nation voting for the other candidate.  Such a divided vote speaks to the reality that we are a nation divided on many issues, serious issues that continue to profoundly change America.  We have seen historically what occurs when a nation continually turns from the principles of God’s Word to walk in its own ways. 

As you might imagine, there are many voters who are concerned with the outcome of this election. 

While I am certain that we as believers must continue to make our prayers heard in the gates of our respective nations, I also want to remind us of our true purpose.

Before they call, I will answer; And while yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24 We live in perilous times, times of political, economic and social upheaval throughout the world. As we watch events unfold, our hearts are stirred, our minds are sobered, and our spirits are turned toward God. We are reminded of His promise to us that as things grow darker in the world; His light will become brighter in us and upon us. We must never lose sight of this truth.

When Isaiah, the prophet prophesied In Isaiah 60 that darkness would cover the earth and deep darkness the people, he also spoke a balancing word of truth. The certainty that as the darkness grew darker, a light would arise in the midst of the darkness. 

            The Lord will arise over you and His glory will be seen upon you!

As the darkness increases in the earth, there are many stirrings in the atmosphere.  Scientology…Ramadan…shootings…bombings…extreme weather patterns…earthquakes… It is as though a permeating darkness can be felt as we listen to the daily news, news that saddens and shocks our hearts. 

When people who have made contributions to society pass away, they are remembered for what they were best known for. My comments may seem a little too "American," but allow me a few thoughts.

This week, 86 year old Andy Griffith passed away. Andy was an actor in a television series that featured him as a sheriff in a small town. Mayberry, USA was a place that represented an American heartland ideal. Say the name Andy Griffith and you've said something about America, one reporter commented. His passing had Twitter comments flying. Everyone from the common man, the young and the old, to fellow actors who knew him well, and a couple of U.S. Presidents commented on the impact Andy made in the lives of so many people.

Have you wondered, Where in the world is Jane Hansen Hoyt? It seems my life has been one of constant travel since the last blog post in April.  I have missed sharing my heart with you, so let me share with you now, some of my journey.

As April drew to a close, Kay Rogers, Tony, and I boarded a plane to Israel.  We had a few days to adjust to the time difference before 194 Aglow men and women from 18 nations joined us on our 12^th trip into the Holy Land.  This year we had a bus filled with French speaking people from several nations,   a group from China and a group from Japan.  145 of those who travelled with us were first timers to Israel.   Among those first timers was a group of 15 young people that represented the Generations Group!  Can you picture us all together that first morning, on two boats tied together out on the Sea of Galilee?  We were singing and dancing….or to put it in the language of the youth….we were rocking out, praising Jesus!  A couple of our tour guides said to us, We wait for Aglow to arrive each year.  No other group is as lively and fun!  

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Aglow office in Edmonds experienced a robbery.  Let me assure you that everything is fine and we are thankful that God protected us in amazing ways. However, because of the break-in, every lock in the building had to be changed and we were all given new keys.  Think about it!  The door we had opened one way for 8 years could no longer be accessed in the same way.  New, different keys were needed.  

Do you remember the words Dr. Chuck Pierce spoke to us in Houston regarding new keys?  He referred to a word he had received that had a question attached to it, I see a key in your back.  God is asking you if He can remove it and take it away so you can fully enter into the next season. 

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor]  Isaiah 61:2 Amp

In my last two blogs I have spoken about the significance of the year 2012 and the meaning of the number 12 itself. 12 speaks of God’s government and His divine accomplishments.

There are truths related to this that I believe God would have us embrace to a greater degree than we have known them.

As a believer, FAVOR is an aspect of our relationship with God. It is something I have focused on in a particular way for the past few months. Favor means, to regard or treat with favor; to do a kindness for; to show partiality toward; to give support or confirmation; and to afford advantages for success. To be favored means, you will be endowed with special advantages or gifts and that you will be provided preferential treatment.

I believe that the year 2012 is a very significant year.

As I stated in my last blog post, the number 12 symbolizes divine accomplishment and governmental perfection.

This year is about the government of God arising in us. It is a time when heaven will be revealed on earth in a greater way through the people, the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the heirs of God.

For the last 8 years, we have been walking in a prophetic cycle that has been unfolding before us. It began in 2003 with the prophetic word spoken by Barbara Yoder. Those who were in attendance will well remember the response of the people. They began to run the building, forming battalions across the front of the platform. We were so moved by what God was saying to us about moving us out of an old, hidden place, we could no longer remain in our seats. It truly was a God moment and we were responding as best we could in that moment. We were coming to the understanding that we are a people on the move and God would continue to unfold the fuller meaning as we walked in response.

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Welcome to 2012…a New Year that has already begun unfolding before us!

Twelve is a significant number.  It is the number of government and it
symbolizes divine accomplishment and governmental perfection.

The year 2012 is about the government of God arising.  If we want to see the government of God arise in the earth, we must first allow it to arise in us, His people, in a greater way.

Because God’s work is always a continuum, the new didn’t begin with the midnight stroke of a clock on December 31^st.  What God has been building in our lives is ongoing and eternal.  It is line upon line, truth upon truth, and experience upon experience. Therefore, we have not started something new in 2012, but we are continuing in the path He has set before us.

Earlier this month, Tony and I, along with members of our family, went to the 12^th annual choral celebration, “The Sacred Sounds of Christmas,” featuring Seattle Pacific University’s concert choir, wind symphony, symphony orchestra, and other fine musicians and readers.  What a way to begin the Advent season!

The Benaroya Hall, in downtown Seattle, is a 2500 seat performance venue and it was filled to capacity.  As we were seated, my eyes were immediately drawn to the simple but elegant decorations setting the atmosphere for this beautiful event.  There were several Christmas trees with white, sparkling lights, and a huge wreath of greens with their lights.  It was dramatic in its simplicity.  The atmosphere of the season was filling the air.

As the lights went down, the members of the orchestra took their seats.  Then the conductor walked on stage, taking his center stage position.  Every orchestra member’s eye was focused on him in readiness for his first signal.  There was a pause.  He then lifted his baton, and pointed towards the wind instruments.  With the first stroke of the conductor, every wind instrument played a single note simultaneously.  They were obviously tuning their instruments so that the sound they would make for the glorious musical event of the evening would be beautifully coordinated and in tune with each other.

In my last blog I talked about identity being the key to transformation, and transformation is about moving into the next stage of identity.  Often, God uses prophetic words to bring us into a greater understanding of His view of us, which is usually something we wouldn’t have considered for ourselves.  When a prophetic word comes, it gives us a glimpse of our future, even though we may not fully see it or understand it.

It is a fact!  God uses ordinary people.  Think about Abraham.  He was a man born into a family that served idols.  Neither his background or beliefs made him a likely person for God to choose for the purpose of recovering man from his sinful situation.  At that time, Abraham wasn’t even a believer!  Yet, God’s intention for him was that through him and his descendants, God’s authority and glory would be expressed in the earth.  Amazing!