TODAY’S PROPHETIC NUMBER – 8/29/2023
Proverbs 8:29 – When He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth…
You are not an accident or a product of circumstance. Just as the Lord marked out the foundations of the earth, He marked out the path for you. When you walk in the wrong direction, or it seems like you are going in circles, He knows how to bring you to the original path. You are never lost if Jesus is your guide. Humble yourself and ask Him for directions.
Declarations: I’m not lost. I’m on my way to my destination and Jesus is my GPS. He will always recalculate!
WHY MIRACLES HAPPEN IN PRISON
I like preaching in prison. Not only do you have the proverbial captive audience, some of them are really scary and dangerous. In those times, a special anointing of God is upon you. That’s probably why I like it so much.
Miracles break out in prison when you preach God’s mercy to men and women who had no mercy on others. It’s about loving on those everyone hates and remembering people everybody wants to forget. That’s radical and that is Jesus!
Now, most of the church fails to recognize the revival that has been going on behind bars in this country. I’ve had several people tell me they doubt the sincerity of convicted drug lords, rapists, murderers and thieves as they receive Jesus. “Aren’t most of them just playing games?” they ask.
My response is that in all my years of ministry and pastoring, I’ve never been to a service yet where somebody wasn’t playing games. It doesn’t keep me from preaching on Sunday, so why would it keep my from sharing the Gospel in prison?
Because I understand this, I see there is a radical move of God going on in our prisons today. Why? The answer is in 1 Kings 19:11-12 when God reveals Himself to a dejected Elijah.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still small voice.
Still and small is not only a description of the way God speaks life into us, it is also a description of the heart that hears the voice of God! Read that again.
Prison is a place where you are forced to become still. Your life is put on hold. You starve to be busy doing anything. You have few choices and most of them are made by someone else.
Prison is also a place where you get small. No matter how tough you are, there are ten guys tougher, and likely crazier, than you are on each cell block. You are no longer the big dog.
And prison is a place of disappointment, shame and heartache. It is perfect for a move of God because for the majority of the men and women locked up, it’s the only time they’ve truly been still and small. For the first time, they recognize the voice of the Lord. Their humility allows miracles to bust out.
What about you? You may not be behind literal bars, but are you incarcerated by your past, your addictions, your anger or your circumstances? Put your pride and arrogance aside. Get still and small. The Lord will show up in whisper and you’ll be able to hear it.