(This is part two of my word of the Lord for the Hebraic year 5784.)
When we look at the Hebraic calendar, particular attention is paid to the last two numbers of the year to gain insight regarding all God has ahead. As previously noted for the decade of the 80’s, the number eighty in Hebrew is the word peh which signifies the mouth, the voice and sound. This is a year for tuning in to God’s Voice on a new level, but also activating our own voice to speak, pray, decree and prophesy by faith all we are hearing God say. The fourth letter in the Hebraic aleph-bet is the word dalet, which is also the word for door or gate. This indicates this is a year marked by open doors of opportunity, significant supernatural access in the realm of the spirit as well as breakthroughs of major proportion. This will be a time of voice activated doors – things that open because we speak and see things shift. Your miracle is voice activated. Your breakthrough is voice activated!
A Season of Battle
As I sought the Lord regarding what this year would look like He gave me two scriptures that indicated we would be walking through times of new spiritual battles as well as some natural shaking that was designed to shift the Body of Christ into action, but also shift nations. I Corinthians 16:9 declares, ““For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” So yes, there are incredible doors of favor and opportunity being opened to believers to advance God’s Kingdom cause in this new season, yet there will also be adversaries we must overcome. I know, the last few years have been years of contending, so many are not excited about the prospects of having to continue to engage in the fight. But a few years ago the Lord encouraged me by saying, “Your opposition will become your opportunity.” I also heard the Lord say the battle is shifting out of a time of just battling to survive, into a time of battling to possess! There is joy that arises when we fight to win!
The second scripture the Lord gave me is out of Hosea 2:13: I will give her….the Valley of Achor for a door of hope. The valley of Achor was where Achan and his family were judged for taking things that were dedicated to the Lord and bringing them into their own tent. Achor means “trouble, disturbance, calamity” and it became known as a place of judgment. However, in Isaiah 65:10 it says the valley of Achor became a place for herds to lie down. In other words, a resting place. This year, God wants to turn our valley of trouble and calamity into a place of rest and a door of hope and expectation for our future.
To be clear, the enemy will want to stir up trouble and create situations of calamity in the earth. This will be a contentious election season in the US where nothing will be ordinary or status quo. The global economy will go through a period of shaking. Even the church will be shaken as God raises the standard of righteousness in the land and fights the enemies of division and lawlessness. But the shaking will bring awakening to both the church and to nations as God arises as the Mighty Man of War.
Victory in the Valley
I heard the Lord say to tell the Body of Christ that as we cry out to Him in this season He would bring victory in the valley. We all want to live on spiritual mountain tops: places of glory, vision and presence. However, He is calling us to the valley in this season. Valleys are symbols of trials, difficulty and yes, even battles. But it is in the valley that fruit is grown.
I began to study valleys in scripture to see what is in store for us and what weapons we are to employ to see victory. Here are a few for us to pray about.
1). Victory in the Valley of Rephidim – Exodus 17 – This was the first place Israel mobilized as an army to fight as they were coming out of Egypt into their promised land. This battle teaches us the value of inter-generational connection as well as proper connection between leaders and those called to hold up their arms in battle. Moses stood on the mountain holding his rod as a symbol of connecting to heaven. At the same time Joshua led the army in battle in the valley swinging his sword. Moses needed Joshua’s sword to fight, but Joshua needed Moses’ rod to prevail. Moses also needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms so the whole army could win the fight. This season it is so important for each of us to know who our Moses is, but also, leaders need to know who their Aaron and Hur are. They fought the Amalekites, which were a tribe always trying to rob and plunder Israel. When we get connections right, we will defeat the robber and move into a season of divine recovery!
2). David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah – I Samuel 17 – We are all familiar with this famous battle. Goliath, whose name means to take captive and strip bare, was a Philistine giant challenging Israel to come fight him. He filled the atmosphere with his intimidation and threats and seemed impossible to defeat. But David, full of the spirit of God, rose to meet the challenge. (I heard the Lord say this will be a time for His people to rise up and risk! This will look different for each of us, but be sure to answer the call and not shrink back.). When he stepped into the valley, Goliath immediately began to curse him by his gods. Believers need to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit dwells inside each of us and we therefore, cannot be cursed. Goliath also began to prophesy to David about his impending death. Did you know the devil will prophesy to you? He will prophesy failure, destruction, death and disaster over your life. But we’ve got to be like David, who prophesied right back!! David rose up in boldness and began to declare to Goliath of his own demise and the ultimate victory God would bring to him and Israel that day. Isaiah 30:31 declares, “The voice of the Lord will shatter the enemy!” Like David, this is a time for God’s people to go from intimidation to determination. We must open our mouths and boldly declare the victory in our valley of impossibility.
3). Victory in the Valley of Jehoshaphat – 2 Chronicles 20:20 – The people of Judah were surrounded by many enemies who sought to destroy them. They were dramatically outnumbered and the situation was dire. Jehoshaphat called everyone to fast and pray, and the prophet Jehaziel gave a prophetic word about the victory God would bring. So Jehoshaphat sent the praisers out first proclaiming, “Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever.” When they opened their mouths and created a sound, it shifted the atmosphere over the valley. The enemy began to turn and destroy one another. When they arrived at the enemy’s camp their foes were already defeated and they spent days gathering the spoil in the Valley of Berachah (which means blessing) . God is going to show us how to go from the Valley of Battle to the Valley of Blessings this year and how our praise becomes a weapon that causes God to rise up and fight for us, causing confusion in the camp of our enemy.
Perhaps I will write more later regarding victories God will give us in the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37) where dry bones become an army or the Valley of the Shadow of Death (Psalms 23) that we are being delivered from. There are also some keys to warfare God wants to teach us out of the Hebron Valley when Caleb rose up and defeated the giants of Kirjath-arba (City of four giants). This city sat on a small mountain in the midst of a large valley of which Caleb proclaimed, “Give me my mountain.” We all want to take the mountain, but we must understand something: We must take the valley before we can take the mountain. This will be a year God gives the the valley of Achor (trouble) for a door of hope and expectation for our future.
Finally, in this year of battle for the door of our future, we should always remember that Jesus won a battle for our future in a valley. The Garden of Gethsemane was located in the Kidron valley. It was here our Savior sweat drops of blood for the redemption of mankind. Though our salvation came through his death on the cross, it was in the garden he won the battle with his own flesh, declaring, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42). This was the beginning of the shedding of his blood and therefore, the beginning of our redemption. This year, you may find yourself in a valley when your flesh cries out for comfort to escape the challenge of the Spirit. Like Christ, let our response be, “not my will, but Yours, be done.” Only then will we be able to know victory and step through the double doors of blessing that lead to our future.
