Discern the time, season and purpose of God
The Lord spoke to me that it is time for God to fulfill that which He promised His children. It is time for God to be seen in our lives, and so it is time to discern what is happening in the spiritual realm. The Bible tells us that My People perish for lack of knowledge; if we continue to live in ignorance we will miss out on God. It is time to discern what is going on, what God is saying we do, what is going on in the calendar of God.
If a farmer sits back to wait for
the rain in order to plant, then he will be left out with the harvest and not
have anything while the others harvest. It is prudent that the farmer starts
planting while waiting for the rain, so that when others are harvesting the
farmer will harvest. It is the season and time for us to be a church that is
harvesting, not a church that is barren or being laughed at. It is time for the
church to be viewed with honor, for the church to harvest for the harvest is
ready as Jesus said.
When a chicken is lying on its
chicks, for 21 days, you have to be patient for the chick to hatch out on its own.
By you being impatient and cracking the egg prematurely you will lose the
chick. You have to wait for the time and season for the chick to hatch. If the
chick overstays in the egg for more than 21 days, you throw out the egg as it
will start stinking. I want us to be pregnant with the word, carry something. How
many times have we ran ahead of God, instead of staying and waiting in the
shell? We’re supposed to be maybe praying, worshipping, while waiting. How many
times have we aborted God’s purpose because of not waiting for the right time
and season? How many times have we hesitated to plant, while others are
planting, and when the harvest time comes we complain for not having? While
others are worshipping and praying, we sit and when they start harvesting we
start complaining? How many times does the time come for us to harvest and we
overstay in the egg, becoming useless? Arise, for it is the time and season for
God to fulfill His purpose over our lives.
When the 9th month
reaches for a pregnant mother, the mother cannot wait for even a single minute,
or will lose it. If you rush the pregnancy, you will also lose. You have to
discern the time and season and be very alert. Same with spiritual aspect, you
have to discern the time and season and be very alert.
I pray that for anyone who
discerns the time and season of God every mountain be removed, and for the
wilderness to be turned to abundance. Let them know what abundance is, and have
testimonies and miracles in their lives.
When the children of Israel were
delivered by the God, it had come to that time and season.
Exodus 3:7
And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
All the while when the children
of Israel were crying, God was seeing their cry and oppression. In this verse
the time came when the Bible reckons that God heard. It came a time when the
cry became too visible that He could not ignore the oppression anymore. It was
time that they experience deliverance. We may have been crying and seeking deliverance,
but a time has come for His children to experience physical liberty. It is a
time for God to manifest physically. It is time and season for His own purpose.
Read Exodus 12
Whoever would not have done what
Moses had commanded, for them to slaughter the lamb and paint the door with
blood, would have been left out in the deliverance. Someone who had not
hearkened to the instruction from God through Moses would have been destroyed
with the Egyptians. What has the Lord commanded you? They discerned the time,
season and purpose of God, and this is why when the Egyptians were mourning
none of the Israelites did not mourn, and walked on to the promised land.
Those who rely on chariots will
mourn while the children who discern the time and season will be released, and
will not be one of those who are left in the wrong camp. Time has come for us
to judge if we are hearkening to what the Lord is saying. I pray that none of
us miss out on what the Lord is saying.
Numbers 9:15-23
Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. 18 At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped.
19 Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey. 20 So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord they would journey. 21 So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. 23 At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
The cloud was signifying and representing the presence of the Lord. Child of God, remain in the presence of God. Sit in the presence of God. Let them talk about you, sit in the presence of God, and when the Lord says rise up then start of. When the Lord says rise up and start wiping the church seats, do it because the cloud has started moving you in that direction. You do not have to be afraid because you know Pharaoh and his chariots have been wiped away (sin and the old life of sin).
Never again shall the church of God miss out on the time, season and purpose of God, and never compromise. Even in the days God lifts us up, we will not compromise and miss out on God. What made the children of Israel soldier on to the promised land is because they were following the cloud. May the Lord help us to discern the time to move, wait and the time to seat. May the Lord help us not to lead ourselves.
This is a special message that the Lord wants us to pick, for us to know that it's time for God's people to be moved, to be raised. God started by making us understand about His purpose, before He makes us understand the times, season and purpose for us.
Daniel 9:1-3
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Daniel discerned that the 70 years of the children of Israel living in bondage were over, and that it was time for their restoration. When he did this he did not complain or talk about it, he went into prayer and even before 3 days were over his prayers were answered. When you discern the time, season and purpose of God, do not complain or go to the neighbors to talk about it; talk to God about it.
1 Kings 17:7-16
And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’”
15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
Elijah discerned when the brook was dried, and moved on. Instead of staying there and dying, he looked up to God who told him that He had prepared a widow to feed him. He did not care about what people would think about him, that he, being a man, would be fed by a widow. Look at the place where you are. Is it dry? When the brook is dry, get out. The Lord will command a widow to feed you. If you are a widow and the Lord commands you to feed someone, do it and do not care about what people saying. Are you still desiring the dry brook? You will die of thirst if you do not move on.
2 Kings 7:3-10
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.”
What label are people giving you? A leper? Uneducated one? The poor one? Refuse the label, get up from the leper's clothes, and know that God is your Father, your Husband. When the lepers discerned that the time and season had come, they left and went into the Syrian's camp, ate and were full, and called others to partake in the blessing. Out of four lepers, all of Israel was fed. When you discern the time and season, you will be a blessing to many others. Who leads your spirit?
Elijah too, when he rose from the brook, ate and caused the widow and her son to be fed. Discern God's purpose and get out to fulfill His purpose.
Let us look at a few people who missed on God.
Genesis 19:12-28
Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! 13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”
21 And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
It was time for God to rescue Lot and his family, but the sons of Lot failed to discern the times, season and purpose of God, and fell in the category of those who were destroyed. Lot's wife failed to discern the time, purpose and season of God and when she turned to see if it really happened she was turned into a pillar of God. Hearken to the voice of God. Stop leading yourself. When time comes for God to lift you from a job, to lift you from the place you are living in, leave.
Numbers 14:1-10 describes 10 people who failed to discern the time, season and purpose of God, as they were led by their carnal minds; those who were led by the Spirit and were spiritually minded did. The 10 caused the children of God to complain, but they did not bring back faith. They brought back complaining and bad report. What do you take back to the camp? The two, Joseph and Caleb, who discerned were taken into Canaan.
Esther 7:10
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.
Haman also failed to discern the time, season and purpose of God, and did not discern who Esther was. There are people in Kenya who do not understand who Christians are, and they resemble Haman. All the evil that Haman planned befell him.
1 Samuel 15:26
But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
The same God who anointed Saul is the same one who rejected him, because Saul failed to discern the purpose of God over his life. The purpose was to obey God and destroy the city, but he failed. The people who were recorded who missed on God were for us to learn from, so that we do not miss out on the time, season and purpose of God.
What makes people miss on God?
- Selfish ambition: Saul and Haman were looking out for their selfish ambition. Why do you serve God? Many serve God because of self interests, self ambition.
- Obedience to your flesh: Lot's wife was obeying her flesh, and was turned to a pillar of salt. Lot's sons in law also failed to obey what God has said, and this will cause you to miss out on God. Ananias and Saphira also obeyed their flesh and missed out on God (Acts 5). David also missed out on God and caused him much sorrow for that period (2 Samuel 12:1-19).
- Walking by sight and not by faith: When you do not walk by faith, you hesitate, because you want to see. The just shall live by faith. (Habakkuk 2:4b, Hebrews 10:38). When the time has come for you to obey God and you fail, you will miss out on God and become useless like a useless egg.
- Pride: Lack of submission and humility to God will hinder you from obeying God. Pride causes many to miss out on God. Submit to the anointing, as the anointing is greater than the man, than the woman. Let us not feel like we are so full of ourselves that we cannot submit.
- Impatience: Galatians 4:4-5 talks about the fullness of time, and until this come you will not have completed the phase to take you to the next level.
- Ignorance: Hosea 4:6. Lack of knowledge will make you miss out on God. Throw away the ignorance.
What must I do so that I do not miss out on God?
- Submit to God and allow His Spirit to lead you in all things. Romans 8:13-17. If He be the Good Shepherd, He will lead you. He orders the feet of righteous men (Psalm 37:23).
- Identify trusted man and woman of God to be your mentor, to pray with you, to support you, and give you guidance in the journey of faith. Timothy had Paul. The disciples had Jesus. Ruth had Naomi. Elisha had Elijah. David had Nathan. Esther had Mordecai.These are people who will help you discern the time, season and purpose of God. How sad for Ahab who had Jezebel, Samson who had Delilah, who caused them to miss out on God.
- Guard your heart. Never carry bitterness, anger and back hurts.
- Remain in Christ. Remain in Him and keep His ways. Read Psalm 1:1-3, John 15:4-8. Abide in Christ. Avoid the wicked and bad counsel. Disconnect from the company that misleads. Surrender to God. Let Him lead you. Do not miss out on God.
-- Pastor Mary Mugo.
(18/08/13 Sunday Service Sermon, Africa Transformation Mission. Pramukh Plaza, 6th Floor)
Pastor Mary Mugo is the Administrative Pastor at Africa Transformation Mission, a ministry under Christ Harvesters Ministries.
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Blessings.