I am not sorry to watch 2021 come to a close.  Then again, the trials and tribulations of 2020 certainly spurred most of us to raise a glass last New Year’s Eve resolutely vowing:  2021 will be much, much better…right?  Yet, here we are.

Wishful thinking and prophetic insight are two very different gifts.

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Throughout ancient scripture, sage prophets and anointed dream interpreters had an audience with Kings and Priests to deliver God-breathed messages in hopes of strategically guiding a nation through times of victory, war, famine, and blessing.  While you may prefer a CNN news-crawl to a God-hearing prophet, I have never been more hungry to find leaders who can not only see what’s coming but possess the navigational wisdom to convey to us how best to proceed.

By this point, I think most of us feel we have been the recipients, dare I say subjects, of a preventable series of carefully choreographed events.  It is not as if a cataclysmic Nor’easter flooded your basement or a rogue tornado ripped off your roof.  No, it has become clear that most of what we have endured these past few years has been highly avertible, if not planned and perpetrated.

Every day it wonders me:  Why do the masses willfully and blindly follow the plans and edicts of leaders who are inept, bumbling, and incompetent in every way?  Yet, steady on, the people say.

It is within this atmosphere of impending deception and doom that the prophets of old would trumpet their clarion call.  A select few rulers heeded the heaven-soaked messages and great blessing ensued.  But predictably, most scoffed and discarded the premonitions to both their peril and the peril of their people.

Prophecy is less about predicting the future and more about perceiving the intentions of God and communicating them in a manner that brings understanding, insight, and foreword movement.  While this may seem to you an inhuman feat, the elapsing centuries reveal these fellow humans of ours spoke eternal truths that the populace of their day could not see.

It’s odd why such a valuable gift would be spurned, silenced, and canceled by those who have been entrusted with leadership?  And when I say canceled, study how many prophets were put to death for speaking the truth.

Why do we continually follow leaders who lack wisdom and do not hold our best interest in their plans?

When there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint

~The Book of Proverbs, Ch. 29

While you may adhere to a lack of doctrinal deference for supernatural insight, we can at least all agree:  Restraint is a good thing.  Would you move your young family to a neighborhood where restraint was widely publicized as entirely abandoned? Of course not.  Restraint preserves our character, protects others, and creates holy spaces where abundant life can flourish.

Yet, as I watch the news today, restraint seems to be at an all-time low.  Not only are corrupt politicians stumping for theft to no longer be a crime, some cities already allow thieves to happily steal up to $950.00 worth of loot with no fear of penalty.  Heck, the IRS is adding a line to your 2021 Tax Return so you can declare Income from Stolen Goods.  You can snicker, but it’s not a joke.

Some say this is being done in the name of social equity. Many, many more say:  Thou shall not steal.

If sexual ethics and personal restraint were topics we could discuss, maybe the number of unwanted pregnancies and fatherless households would plummet?  Likewise, we have celebrities touting the so-called joyous freedom of open marriages.

Some say if it feels good do it.  Many, many more say:  Thou shall not desire your neighbor’s wife.

This week, deranged legislators from Washington state proposed a bill to reduce the penalties for drive-by shootings.  Some say our jails are too full.  Many, many more say:  Thou shall not murder.

Corporate media, Big Tech, Big Pharma, and even our elected officials have no qualms about lying straight to our faces.  Some say this is merely partisan politics.  Many, many more say:  Thou shall not bear false witness.

We now have documented cases where school boards have knowingly indoctrinated and assisted minors to commence the process of gender transition —  without parental consent or awareness.  Some say we know better than mom and dad.  Many, many more say:  Honor your father and mother and the days of your life will be extended.  (Behold, the only commandment which carries a conditional promise.)

As Dennis Prager says;

If the only laws we agreed to uphold were the Ten Commandments, we would have a far, far better society for everyone.  

I know he is right.

What does this have to do with prophecy?  Everything.  When the Lord gave us these commandments through Moses, it was not a list of rules to callously quench our pleasure or stifle our freedom.  On the contrary, He can already see that when we cast off restraint and violate these basic principles, the future fruit is loaded with pain, brokenness, and separation.

Let’s bring this wandering back to your purview:  Who are the leaders you admire and follow today?  Who are the voices you wholly trust?  Who, after hearing their thoughtful insights, do you re-order your thinking after?

And most importantly:  Whom of these prominent figures you follow today will be proven as wise and trusted voices in the centuries to come?

Tall requirements?  Maybe.  But when a handful of money-hungry oligarchs can steer the herds of an entire planet, it’s time to think more carefully about what wisdom and truth really are.

When speaking about eternally profound things, Jesus would add the qualifier;

Let those who have ears hear!

Both of my grandparents on my father’s side were deaf-mute, which explains a lot about my communication style.  But Jesus is not talking about eardrums and auditory nerves.  Instead, he is hinting to us that his teachings are being transmitted on a frequency not everyone can pick up — unless you diligently work the dials to receive His words deep in your spirit.

The Wine Patch Turns One

In this, my 50th piece published on The Wine Patch, I first envisioned writing a rehash of 2021 to share with you why this year was the single most challenging yet still the most blessed year of my life.  Now that I have listened for the Spirit, I heard something different:  Remembrance has value but seeing the future holds power.

Back in the early days, entire tribes or troops would encircle around one person, quietly awaiting their marching orders.  This lone and peculiarly gifted person would get low to the ground, press their ear to the dust from which they came, and listen…

As the surrounding onlookers painstakingly held their breath, the Prophet would begin to pick up vibrations.  After an extended time of devout listening and intimate discernment, they would soon know the movements of the prized herds they were tracking or the approaching enemy who deserved defeat — long before anyone could see a thing.

As 2022 approaches, I plead with you:  Know your season and know your position.  Are you awaiting a herd of plenty or an enemy of many?  It takes careful listening to know the difference.

First, cease from the daily consumption of dim corporate promulgation.  None of their ham-radio frequencies can be trusted. Instead, look for the ones who have plenty of dust on their ear.

Next, if you are among those who are awaiting direction, the scriptures say:  Be still, and know I am God.  Draw a deep inhale, hold it there, and wait to slowly exhale.  Don’t make a sound, your answer is coming.

And if you are a Prophet, you have been hearing rightly.  Stop being silent! It’s time to stand up tall before the audience you have been given.  Don’t you realize how many have been holding their breath waiting to receive what you have to say?

As The Wine Patch turns the page on its inaugural year, I am compelled to record the most sustaining words I heard from Jesus all year:

Write it down

~Revelation 3:1 as Heard at IHOP, July 9, 2021

Share your praise in the comments!

(From The Wine Patch. Photo Credit: Getty Images)