“Rise, Ramp Up and Breakthrough”

Faith Marie Baczko, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

During the first week of this year, I became quite sick and had to take a few days off to rest. As I lay on my couch, I took the opportunity to spend some time in prayer and soaking. God took this opportunity to get my attention! As I soaked, I began to perceive that God had something awesome on the horizon for His people in 2019. I also began to understand that the visions and promises God had given me, that related to my destiny in Him, were not necessarily going to be fulfilled in the manner I thought they were, and that it would probably look very different than what I was anticipating. I had a deep sense that in 2019 and 2020, we are approaching something very holy to God. It is wisdom to adopt a spiritual posture of humility before the majesty of the King in full surrender to His will, and in acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is Lord!

A Sacrificial Fire

“When things seem as if they are at their worst and the days look dark, that is when God tells us to look up, for our redemption draws near, and He moves suddenly to show forth His great power!“

Directly in front of the couch where I lay soaking was our large screen TV, set to the fireplace channel. As I stared into the fire, the Lord said that I was to put everything into the fire as a holy offering onto Him—the ministry, the websites, my books, and courses! This is all my work and projects over the last 20 years, including all my hopes, dreams and expectations. Along with everything, I was to put myself on the altar and let the flames reduce it all to beautiful ashes! The fire symbolized the cleansing work of God where He would be purifying my life’s work, the motivations of my heart, and the hidden desires of self.
I readily submitted to this process, fully expecting Him to refine the work for His greater glory, never expecting that He might not return some of the things I had placed in the fire—but that is what happened! God soon began to highlight certain things that were to remain in the fire. Certain projects I had worked on for years, others more recently—gone. These things had all bore a certain measure of fruit, but not to the level I had been expecting.
Having given birth to these endeavors, it was with some tears that in obedience, I put an end to them. After I got over the initial shock of what I had done, surprisingly, I began to experience much relief as the burden for these ventures lifted. I felt freedom! I have chosen to be vulnerable and transparent as I believe that many will relate with this word, and that through obedience they will experience the same relief and freedom I felt.

Laser-Beam Focus

I then heard the Lord say that I was to now “focus like a laser beam” on the original mandate He had given me: the primary vision. He revealed that the things He kept, although good, were not His first intention for me; they were secondary visions I had attached to the primary. He helped me to see that the secondary had become a hindrance and a distraction to the primary. I began to see and possibly others will relate to this: over the many years in long preparation and training for the mandate, the primary vision toward His destiny for us can become blurred and distorted by the flesh, emotions and enthusiasm. Because of a lack of clarity as to the manner of the fulfillment of the vision, the flesh tries to fill in the gaps and to add or subtract in an attempt to complete a picture given in seed form. Remember He says that His ways are so much higher and beyond our reasoning (Isaiah 55:8).
God impressed upon me that He has heard all the prayers of His people, knows all our desires, understands all our expectations, and acknowledges all the demands made on Him in faith! However, as we approach Him this year, I believe He is saying, “I acknowledge it all! Now, let it all go into the fire! All that I need you to understand for 2019 and beyond is to be still and know that I am God. Trust that I know what I’m doing in every sphere of your life and in the world, even though you may not understand it at first.”

Trimming Away the Secondary to Bring Forth the Primary

This year, God is going to be trimming away the secondary to bring forth the primary in glory. The glory of God shall be seen on His people. The Lord will receive all the honor, and He alone will be exalted and glorified through all that we are and do for Him! (Photo via Unsplash)
In the years ahead, the sons of God will come to fullness as they partner with the Lord’s plans and the Lord’s intentions—a partnership in sonship. A new dynamic will come forth through this strategic alliance with the Godhead that will see ministries, businesses and creative and innovative endeavors emerge on the world’s stage, clothed in the majesty of transcendent excellence.
The work of cutting away the excess and pruning us back to the core vision is in preparation for the unveiling of His masterpiece: the sons of God and their release onto the arenas of the world. The pruning comes to trigger supernatural increase and garner the maximum output from His investment.

Submission to God: Our Most Important Posture

The most important, productive position we can take at this time is stillness in His presence, listening for His voice, and receiving fresh directions for 2019. The season ahead comes as a new dynamic with its own unique challenges; it is marked by a way we have not walked before. The willingness in our hearts to become nothing so that He can arise in us to become everything and receive all the glory, is a posture of submission to love inspired by wisdom. When Jesus shows up, He is the only star and all fall prostrate!

“In the years ahead, the sons of God will come to fullness as they partner with the Lord’s plans and the Lord’s intentions—a partnership in sonship.“

The Word declares that in our flesh we cannot imagine or think of the exceedingly great things God has prepared for His people—for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9)! This is the reality of this moment. God is about to surprise beyond expectations those who submit to His process. Minds must be renewed and prepared to comprehend and receive what God is about to release. He is clearing away the excesses and narrowing our focus so that our eyes can see and process His revelation of the primary in completion and fullness.

Leave the Small Place Behind! Cross Over to the Promised Land!

The sons of the prophets understood the need for change and a new dynamic, they said to Elisha in 2 Kings 6:1-2: “…’See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.'”
In this passage the Hebrew word for “place” also means “a condition of the mind” (Strong’s H4725). It is from a root word which means “to rise.” The Jordan represents the Cross—the river of complete surrender and death to self—the preparation for crossing over to possess the Promised Land! In this passage as a word for today, God is saying that the Body of Christ has been living in a small place, that our minds need to be stretched, and our hearts enlarged to contain the great thing He has stored up for us! God’s desire is for each of us to go down to the “River,” the place of absolute surrender, and let go of the past which also means good intentions, good deeds, our agendas, idols, self, comfort, ungodly beliefs, etc. The place where we surrender to His cutting away of the excesses.
The “River of Sacrificial Love” beckons us to come in and collect our beam—our contribution to the building of God’s house—a beam that fortifies and strengthens relationships. The Hebrew word for build is “banah” from which we get the word for son which is “ben, the builder of the family name” (Strong’s H1121). We have each been given a part in building up the family name of Jesus Christ and becoming built together as a spiritual house, as we are transformed into His Bride. When we dwell together in this holy union, we become a force to be reckoned with, having power and authority to gather the Lord’s harvest and the love to care for them.
“Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and resettle the ruined cities.” (Isaiah 54:2-3)
God is saying that it is now time to intentionally rise, ramp up, transcend, breakthrough, and prepare to penetrate the greater dimension of His glory! He is calling out to us to begin to move in step with Him in the next season, a season that demands a deeper place in Christ, in order to possess broader places in Him. The River of Life in abundance awaits the bold and courageous! Many will begin to pass over at Passover to possess the promises of God. You have been fully prepared and equipped for this day! (Photo via Unsplash)
The glory of God will descend through the perfecting of our love, unity and submission to His will. From that glory, the sending will begin—the sending of an army of saints who will possess nations and do mighty exploits in His name. Yahweh is a covenant keeping God. He is standing ready to fulfill the covenants He made with us in His Word. A multitude of angels is standing at attention, ready to be released, to execute the will of God on Earth. In these times of volatility, it is crucial to our faith to always remember that Yahweh is also the God of resurrection. When things seem as if they are at their worst and the days look dark, that is when God tells us to look up, for our redemption draws near, and He moves suddenly to show forth His great power! He reigns! 
Faith Marie Baczko, Executive Director
Headstone Ministries International | Schools of The Last Wine
Email: contact@headstoneministries.com