Envision a woman with tears streaming down her face as she stood in a pool of greyish, pale green-colored, stagnant water. Looking toward heaven, she pleaded, “Help, Lord, help!” The response I heard in the Spirit was, “This will be a year of explosive growth!” Such was my spiritual encounter at 8:44 a.m. on January 17, 2023.
As I waited on the Holy Spirit for further revelation, I heard, “Put your hand to the plow, and don’t look back.”
‘Tis Time To Count The Cost.
Jesus bluntly spoke and instructed His disciples and those walking with him toward Jerusalem regarding the cost of discipleship.
“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.’
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’
“Then He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’
“But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’
“Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.’
“And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’
“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:57-62)
Now more than ever in the kingdom of God, ‘tis time to count the cost. The relevant scripture passage can be found in Luke 14:27-33,
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish?’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
A Supernatural Sensation & Smell.
I would like to share a “spiritual first,” of sorts, that I received when authoring this prophetic blog post which has never happened to me before.
When searching online for an appropriate image to portray the message in my prophetic blog post, I located the one featured herein. As I was loading it onto my desktop computer and typing, I literally could smell fireworks! Whoa, now that’s a confirmation and 7/8ths! Hallelujah, Lord!
It’s my hope and prayer in sharing this with you that it will spur you on and stir up love and good works within you to advance the kingdom of God on earth.
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)
Stay Within Spiritual Boundaries.
When exercising our spiritual gifts, it’s important to stay within spiritual boundaries.
Romans 12:6 encourages and cautions us to not prophesy beyond our measure of faith. In other words, we accurately convey what we are seeing and hearing from the Holy Spirit without adding any flesh to it. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” (John 6:63)
After we convey what we are given and nothing more, the Bible instructs others to test all things, especially any manner of the prophetic realm.
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)
With this backdrop, I deem it important to consider the adjective form of explosive.
According to a dictionary definition, it is “resulting from or as if from an explosion.”
An example would be thus and such is a result of explosive population growth.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explosive
While some may take issue with the prophetic wording, it’s the Holy Spirit Who imparts the revelatory realm to believers in Jesus Christ.
My April 29, 2021, prophetic blog post speaks to Beneficial Boundaries. Here’s the link:
https://sheilaeismann.com/broken-fence/
New Beginnings, Open Doors, & The Sound of Victory!
Was I ever jazzed to receive this prophetic message on this particular morning!
Let’s break down the new beginnings, open doors, and the sound of victory, shall we?
Seventeen (this message was given to me on the 17th of January, 2023) symbolizes victory, and not only victory but a victory that overcomes.
Surely, the woman standing in the stagnant pool of water needs to secure her victory.
It also represents our spiritual walk in all areas, but especially with God our heavenly Father, resting completely in Him and allowing the Trinity to set all things in our lives in the perfect spiritual order.
This happens when we are fully yielded to God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit and have totally abandoned the Lone Ranger Route.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4)
There are seventeen promises listed in the book of Revelation given to believers in Jesus Christ, i.e., “he who overcomes.” (Revelation Chapters 2, 3, and 21).
Eight (I received this prophetic word at 8:44 a.m.) is symbolic of new beginnings. The stagnant water certainly signals the need for a new beginning and a fresh flow of water which represents the Holy Spirit in our lives.
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive.” (John 7:37-39)
This number also signals regeneration, resurrection, increased strength, abundance and satisfaction, and removing the fruit of the flesh from our lives.
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I (the Apostle Paul) tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
Four & double fours (I received this prophetic word at 8:44 a.m.) represent doors and double doors.
In your upcoming conversations and your daily activities, listen for the word door and watch for doors, especially those that suddenly open to you.
However, when a door opens for you, it’s imperative to seek the Lord to see if and when you are supposed to walk through it. He will be faithful to show you in this regard.
The enemy of our souls can and does masquerade as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14) Unfortunately, he has a history of opening the wrong doors.
God, in His faithfulness, will send you sufficient, positive confirmations and keys to let you know your correct doors.
Since the number eight preceded the number four when I looked at the clock to record the time I received this prophetic word, your new beginning from God will help to open the door or double doors.
Some other symbols for the number four are time and the spirit realm which exist in the fourth dimension (Revelation 4:1); the earth or physical realm; creation or creative works; worldwide; universal; rule or rulers; fleshly efforts opposing spiritual ones; and worldly cities.
Marrying up all of these numbers and their prophetic meanings, there’s an opportunity for explosive growth and for the plowman to overtake the reaper.
Amos, the Old Testament prophet who prophesied Israel’s restoration, proclaimed,
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
‘When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
The mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.” (Amos 9:13)
Explosive growth literally does occur when the plowman enters the field during the spring to prepare the ground for planting, and there’s still so much harvest from the prior year that the reapers continue to gather. It’s as if there’s not room for both to function in the same field at the same time.
What a wonderful situation to experience in our lives!
Prophetic Insights For Daily Living.
#1. In what area(s) of your life, both physical and spiritual, do you need explosive growth?
#2. At the beginning of my prophetic blog post, the woman was stuck in the mud and stagnant. Can you relate to her?
Is your spiritual life stagnant? I would encourage you to extend abundant grace to yourself and get out of the polluted water. If you’re unable to do it yourself, seek help from trustworthy source(s).
#3. Do you need to overcome any areas of devastation and defeat to secure victories? If so, what are they as it’s most helpful to specifically identify them and not in just generalities?
#4. There’s a heavy emphasis upon the number four as it relates to create and creation. What is God calling, empowering and entrusting you to create?
#5. What new beginnings do you need to embark upon or secure this year?
To begin or undertake a God-given task, you must seek Him to find out what you are supposed to be doing.
Using an agricultural example, it would be like planting corn in a field where you needed to plant wheat. You have a minimal crop because you failed to seek direction and weigh all of the alternatives. How many previous years had corn been grown in that same field? Perhaps continual planting and harvesting had depleted all of the nutrients.
#6. In whatever manner or place you put your hand to the plow will be your area(s) of explosive growth. How exciting this will be!
Please plan to bookmark this prophetic blog post in your prophetic journal to record your fulfillment(s) at the end of 2023.
“But as it is written:
‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Until the next message,
SFE (Sheila, Fellow Encourager)
Sheila F. Eismann, Prophetic Seer, Blogger, & Author, publishes her blog posts endeavoring to encourage others through God’s word. Her writings include instructions on how to apply prophetic insights for daily living.
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Image via Unsplash.