11-11-11
Today is the day we have been thinking about all year - The very significant 11-11-11!
At the beginning of the year I saved some articles written about 2011 by a few people who sought the Lord for revelation and insight, and I thought today would be a good time to share the highlights with you, written by Dr. Bill Hammon, founder of Christian International Ministries (Bio of Dr. Bill Hammon here.)
There are now less than 2 months of 2011, but we can shake off the dust, and resume a posture of expectancy and faith in our amazingly good God! I needed the encouragement today, so perhaps you do too.
Dr. Bill Hammon
As I prayed about what God has in store for His people in the year 2011 I kept hearing the Lord speak the phrase “2011 will be a Year of Great Expectations Fulfilled.”
The word ‘expectation’ means “a confident belief or strong hope that a particular event will happen; a mental image of something expected; prospects for the future, somebody’s likely prospects of wealth or success in the future.”
Expectation is another word for faith. It was at that moment that I realized that Hebrews 11 is the chapter that describes the “heroes of faith”. These are men and women who heard the voice of the Lord regarding God’s mandate on their lives to impact their nation or their generation. They succeeded in fulfilling their assignments against impossible odds.
Faith/Expectation is essential in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Heb 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Heb 11:1 “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” (TLB)
Heb 11:1-2 “Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.” – (God’s Word Translation)
Expectation is key to possessing our promises!
Mark 11:22-24 “So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to his mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Many Believers have fallen into the trap of hope deferred, which scripture says makes the heart sick. The problem with losing hope is that without hope one cannot have faith and without faith there are no miracles. If this is to be the miracle season God intends, we must activate our hope by dreaming big dreams. I heard someone say once, “How can God cause you to be blessed beyond your wildest dreams until you start having wild dreams?” This will be a time when the dreamers, like Joseph, come into fulfillment of their dreams because they didn’t give up in the hard times. We must remember what God has spoken to us and believe for an even greater revelation release through dreams, visions and the Voice of the Lord being released.
God is breaking us out of barreness. Hebrews 11:11 “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”
When a woman is pregnant she is said to be “expecting”. Sara was barren. Not only that, she was very old. After years of dreaming of having a baby, her dreams were dashed and she had hardened her heart against even the hope of bearing a child. Yet God made her a promise that would be humanly impossible to fulfill. She would bear a child in her old age! Sara’s initial reaction to God’s promise of a child was to laugh in unbelief. But God took her mocking laughter of unbelief and turned it to joyful laughter of receiving the promise. She was over 90 years old when she received the promise. After a lifetime of waiting, her dream was fulfilled.
I heard the Lord say “Many of my people have been in a place of frustration leading to unbelief because it seems that My promises will never come to pass. Some have even said, ‘it is too late’ or ‘the time has passed for the dream to be realized or the promise to come to pass.’ Do not despair because of time or circumstances. I am a God that is not bound by time or circumstances. I am the God of your dream. Yet you must put your trust in me and not in the dream. Even now I am breaking the yoke of bitterness from hope deferred, and the weariness that comes from constant grief and disappointment. I am releasing strength, as I released to Sara; strength to conceive new seed and dream an even bigger dream. You will carry this dream to full term and will not suffer from a spiritual miscarriage or abortion. For I am faithful. I stand ready to do the impossible through you as you release your faith and trust in me.”
I heard the Lord say that He is breaking us out of a holding pattern where we have felt like our future, destiny and promises were on perpetual hold. This is an appointed time for God’s people. Just as Joseph remained faithful to the vision through his years of slavery and imprisonment, then “suddenly” he stepped in to the promise and fulfillment in one day, so too God will bring us seemingly “suddenly” into our promise and fulfillment. It is then that the true work of kingdom impact really begins! It wasn’t until that time that Joseph’s position of rulership took affect. We are stepping in to our divinely mandated positions from which we will rule and reign for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
When a plane is getting ready to land at the airport, at times the pilot may be put into a holding pattern. This is where the plane circles and circles until the way is clear for him to land. Many people have been in a similar holding pattern where we have been circling and circling feeling like we are never going to get to our destination. But God is giving the GO! signal. It’s time to break out of the holding pattern and move forward.
It’s time for the suddenlies. The things you have been hoping and expecting for are at hand! Just as Joseph stepped into his destiny to be ruler of a nation, suddenly, so it is time
Expectation Breaks Desolation - The number eleven represents mercy. It is the number that stands between 10 – the judgment of God and 12 – the government of God. God’s mercy stands between His judgment and His executed government and justice. Without this, none of us could be redeemed. James 2:13 tells us that “Mercy triumphs over judgment”.
This will be a year of God’s mercy being seen in extraordinary ways!
Open doors of divine favor. I recently prophesied from the passage in Revelations 3 when God spoke to the church at Philadelphia “I have given you the key of David, I am He that opens and no man can shut….” I kept hearing God say “I am He that opens, I am He that opens.” This will be a time of mercy when God opens doors and opportunities that have so far been shut up. Gen 39:21-22 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Ps 102:13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.
Expectation Releases Restoration: All that Joseph lost was restored. He experienced restoration of favor and positioning, family restoration, and even restoration of hope for the future promise of his descendants possessing Canaan.
Activation Breaks Hesitation - No Time for Hesitation! The time is now! We must press into our future, for our sakes, our generation’s sakes, the Kingdom’s sake and for the sake of nations.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Rom. 10:17
And, from the November update on the Christian International Ministries website:
God’s suddenlies come after years of preparation. I believe this is a time of suddenlies. Expect to see suddenlies in your personal life, your family, your ministry, your finances, your health – wherever you have found yourself being pressed and challenged, a suddenly is coming!
AMEN!
Declarations:
Father God, thank you for your encouraging word through your people. We choose today to be expectant! We believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
- We come into agreement with the Word spoken by Bill Hammon, and declare that 2011 will be a year of great expectations fulfilled.
- Thank you Lord that just as You broke Joseph out of prison SUDDENLY, you are breaking us out of imprisonment:
- We declare that we are breaking out of Hope Deferred, and our expectation is that the Desire will come, it is a tree of life!
- We declare that we are breaking out of Barrenness! Thank you Lord for giving us the gift of faith to believe! Thank you Lord for turning out mocking laughter of unbelief into the joyful laughter of expecting and then receiving the promises.
- We declare that we are breaking out of the holding patterns! The fullness of time is now.
- We declare that the yoke of bitterness from hope deferred is broken, now!
- We declare that weariness from grief and disappointment is broken now - and we receive the strength given to Sarah to conceive and believe, and see the promises fulfilled.
- We declare that it is not too late!
- We declare that we have the Favor of Joseph, and the double doors are bursting open!
- We declare Psalm 102:13 - “Our God will arise over us - for the time to favor us, YES the set time has come!”
- We posture ourselves in expectation of the SUDDENLIES! Thank You Lord for your suddenlies!
- Thank you LORD for your faithfulness! You are GOOD!
- Thank you LORD for loving us today! and for protecting us.
- Thank you LORD for new mercies every morning; a fresh beginning today.
- Thank you LORD for the fulfillment of Your promises.
AMEN!
Expecting to be amazed ~
Barbara
© Barbara Nelson – 2011
