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The Lord's Kingdom Shepherds Are Arising!
Victoria Boyson
www.victoriaboyson.com
Come all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest! Matthew 11:28
For years, the Lord has been speaking to my husband and me about starting a church here in Texas. It's something we've been actively planning for two years now. During that time, God has been molding and shaping His vision in our hearts of what His church would look like. I felt so strongly, as I prayed for His people who are searching for Him and yearning for a connection to Him, that they needed a place to come home to.
I have been prophesying for years of a coming wave of revival that would usher in the return of His prodigal sons and daughters, who would then, in turn, become strategic in the next wave of revival to gather in the lost. They are what the Lord calls "the Bridge" to the harvest, because they are familiar with both worlds and can be a connection between them. This has been my heart for years and growing stronger and stronger the closer we get to this time. I do not know how many tears I've shed for His lost prodigals, but I know the Lord does and He receives my tears and the tears of many other intercessors to reach these who are so very precious to the Father.
However, before the Lord brings in the wave of prodigals to the church, He will and is raising up His kingdom shepherds, even entire congregations of shepherds - those with the heart to deliver the lost and are willing to build a blessed foundation and home for those coming home! They're the determined, faithful Mamas and Papas (no matter the age), friends of the Father who will stand along side those fresh-hearted prodigals and determine to restore them to who they are called to be in CHRIST!
I saw an awakening of SHEPHERDS in the church, from all areas of church ministry, those who have a heart to feed, shelter and protect as the Good Shepherd Himself. They will fight whatever enemy they encounter and will not be drawn away from the fight, but will overthrow the enemies of the Father with greater ease than in the past.
His prodigals' home-coming will set in place the first wave of the greatest awakening our world has ever experienced!
This awakening will look much different than others, yet similar at the same time. It will feel fresh and alive, with a resurgence of Spirit-driven wisdom and revelation from the Word of God. It will also clean away the trauma and demonic slime that has built up in the lives of the seekers over the past several years. We will start to really breathe again and things will make more sense as you realize the battles you've faced have all had a strategic purpose in building who you are and preparing you for life in the harvest.
The Word of God will come alive to the Shepherds; it will be their life source! I see a great shepherding movement rising and literally whole congregations of shepherds hunting for the Father's lost prodigals, laying down their lives to restore them. Understanding the invaluable treasure they are, they will be captivated by their heavenly Father's roar to seek, find and restore His lost ones to His family.
The Enemy Knows You're DANGEROUS to his Plans
All I've ever wanted to do since I was a little girl was to bless God and be a blessing to His people. I've never felt closer to living out the reason I
was born than I do right now and it's no wonder that with so much at stake, the enemy would throw as much at us he could manage.
Several months ago, we met a couple from the Conroe, Texas area as we were
interested in using one of their buildings to host meetings. As we got to know them, it became apparent that God had something more specific in mind for all of us. They had been praying and asking God to send someone to
take over the church they pastored, and they believed that was us. They took us out to their church on the outskirts of Conroe and I thought, Lord, this doesn't make sense. The church was an older building that
would need a great deal of repair and, most importantly, it was in the boonies! But God reminded me of a dream I had had years ago of a little white church in the boonies, on the outskirts of Conroe, TX. In that dream, God
poured out His Spirit on the small church and it was beautiful to behold! So, of course, I said, "I'm in Lord!"
After very happily agreeing to take on their church, the enemy began to level up his
attack against us. I was told by someone local that I was a false prophet and they regretted that we were to have a church there. Really? I want only to reach the prodigals and those made weary by religion. So, naturally
the enemy would see me as dangerous.
It did not stop there. We've been relentlessly attacked. However, we've also been tremendously blessed, happy and excited as we are on this journey with the Father, with
the ultimate goal of an absolute overthrow of the principalities that hold people in bondage to the enemy. Yet, the enemy seems to keep his demonic pressure on us all and it just has to stop. I am absolutely determined; I cannot stand to watch the devil bully the people of God!
Repeatedly, the Lord told me, "Take IT to My people! Ask them for help!" So, I am finally now doing just that. I am asking you for prayer and for YOUR BLESSING on our endeavor with the Lord. I know the power of your prayers and I know that God causes us to need each other, and I need you! Many of you who live all over the world may never see the inside of our little church and will never visit Conroe, Texas, but in the Spirit we are one, with one goal in mind
- the relentless advancement of the kingdom of heaven on earth!
Miraculous Deliverance
Our heavenly Father, will preform such incredible works of His power ALL OVER THE WORLD, because HE LOVES the lost
and is unwilling to let them stay lost! He will reveal His miraculous power THROUGH US, for He wants to show the world HE IS REAL and it is HE who has the power, not His enemies.
I see, by the Spirit of the Lord,
mountains of arrogance crumbling and those held in its bondage freed from their oppressor. I see the eyes of the lost suddenly opened and, realizing their great need, running to find anyone who could lead them to
Jesus.
The enemy's characteristic actions toward us really do make me excited to see the Lord's plan unfold for our future. For I've always known that if you want to know your future, watch as the fear
rises on your enemies. Through their reactions, you will see that God, Himself, has entered into your midst and will rise and be found in every place on the planet.
The Father will roar and consume those wicked
things that have tried to devour His church. He will roar and destroy the oppression that's plagued the governments of this world and He will break those who've attempted to strip His church of the power to declare
His Word and silence them forever. And they will know it is God! There will be NO DOUBT Who is behind all the miraculous deliverance
that is literally wiping out years of work the enemy's labored after. Truly, satan is playing right into the Lord's hands and through his own evil, destructive agenda, he will lose some of his greatest workers. They will suddenly see him for what he is and turn to the Lord's side and tell us all how truly terrified he is of us.
The Lord's Request
What a GLORIOUS AGE WE ARE ENTERING INTO! Every kingdom-minded Saint should prepare for victory as the evidence of the enemy's fear is unmistakeable! Truly, this will be the season of
the Shepherds and those who the Lord has prepared for this hour will be invaluable to His kingdom.
Shepherds will rise from all aspects of the church - especially, those who've had no known ministry at all; ie. plumbers, truckers, housewives and Sunday School teachers, etc. The heart of a good shepherd will be to help the sheep in whatever way they need it. Only sheep can give birth to more sheep. Indeed, their jobs are to eat, grow and give birth to more sheep. The good shepherd knows this and expects only this. The Lord's Shepherds will not put greater demands on the sheep than what they can handle: they will not weary them by demanding they become something they are not yet ready to become.
A shepherd's heart will want only to care, guide, protect, help, comfort, dwell with and love his sheep - to watch over them and fight anything that would try to devour his sheep. Shepherds don't have to be perfect, just willing. When Jesus instructed His disciples to feed His sheep. He spoke directly to the most imperfect disciple in the bunch.
In John 21:15-17 Jesus said to Simon Peter:
"Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," Peter replied, "you know I love you."
"Then feed my lambs," Jesus told him.
Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
"Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you."
"Then take care of my sheep,"
Jesus said.
A third time he asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you."
Jesus said,
"Then feed my sheep."
In Scripture, when the Lord mentioned something twice, it was to give a greater emphasis to the teaching. Yet, here He mentioned three times to shepherd His sheep as He would. By mentioning it three times, He reveals what should be the greatest focus of our service to Him. "If we LOVE HIM," we should love His
sheep, love those HE gave His life to save! This should be the focus of any true disciple of Christ, of those who have the heart of the Great Shepherd. We can't force people to grow, but we can care for them while
they are growing. We can reveal to them the heart of their heavenly Father Who loves them without control or domination. We can be like His Son, Jesus, who did only what His Father wanted while on the earth (John
8:28).
Any good shepherd will not drive the sheep from one field to another without allowing them adequate time to find nourishment in that field. We too, must be patient in our guidance, trusting the Holy Spirit to
do His purposed work in His sheep. He leads them to still waters and green pastures, and with the Spirit's help, we give them the refreshment they need to grow there. They belong to the Lord, and we have the pleasure to
care for them as He would. That is the Lord's call to His friends: that those who love Him would love those He loves.
Humble Simplicity is KEY!
Remaining SIMPLE will be key in this hour. We've seen
just about every kind of "fanciness" in ministry there is, and not that they're bad, but in this hour, SIMPLICITY, authenticity and HUMILITY will be what the Lord is looking for! We can't forget that He
promised to be close to the humble, and empower them. Those who are broken and desperate attract His goodness! If you want God's power, ask Him to give you a humble and contrite heart and you will change the world! And,
just like Peter, the BROKEN will hear of the Lord and be made GLAD. Though you are made weak, HE will reveal Himself as strong through YOU!
We don't have to be boring, just genuine. For, Jesus will make
Himself known in the bars and brothels. He will reveal Himself to Muslims, Buddhists and satanists alike. He will not be boxed, caged or tamed. He will roar over the nations and He will not stop until they feel His
Presence.
Get ready! Prepare your heart to receive the wave of the harvest that is coming to you! This is your hour; it is what your spirit-man has longed for! Make way, for His awakening is coming. He will call all
those who are weary and heavy laden and they will come to HIM! All those who've been trampled on and tormented by life, will come to Him! He will roar over principalities and they will crumble! Those who've been
held in darkness for decades will recognize His voice and they will come to Him! As they come, He will call His shepherds to the front-lines and nurture and protect all those who've longed to know Him. He will be made
known through them. Be ready to receive the blessing that is coming to you!
Ask the Lord to prepare your heart. Be ready and watch as situations fall into place. God is even now turning around difficulties in favor
of His plans for you. What He's been doing in your life will suddenly be made clearer to you. Take His hand and run with Him, He's going to catch you up on a path of accelerated growth in Him! Ask Him to open the
floodgates for you and ENJOY!
Prepare you heart and pray this prayer from Psalm 51:7-13 with me:
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my
joy again;
you have broken me
now let me rejoice.
Don't keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me
from your presence,
and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you.
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NEW Book by Victoria Boyson