Michael Danforth
The Marriage of the Visible and Invisible
Editor's Note: This is not your normal "Release this prophetic word to the world" kind of post. Michael Danforth is a prophet in Yakima, WA, and this was part of his monthly newsletter for the end of 2013. Michael is a reliable Northwest prophetic voice, and the word has been judged profitable, if unfamiliar in its presentation.
I felt
compelled to write to you about a few of the outrageous transitions that are
going on in the spirit and how they will impact the years to come.
I
have always seen faith as point of entry. It’s the doorway into the
supernatural and the unseen world of the spirit. Once we step through these
spiritual doors by faith, from that moment on, we should expect to see the
invisible with our own eyes. Many have asked, "What do you believe will be
one of the most significant revelations in 2014?" Without hesitation, I
have said, "The marriage of the visible and invisible." In other
words, what is visible will be seen in a different light and what is invisible
will become just as apparent as what is already visible.”
Before
I go on, let’s settle the issue that I am not your normal everyday prophet. To
many, I come across as being a little less sociable and a bit dysfunctional. If
my mother were present today, she would be the first to say, “Michael was
always a bit withdrawn and had a tendency to view the world around him with
extreme imagination.” Of course, none of us knew then, that even as a child, I
was seeing the world from a prophetic perspective. The world I engage in has
always been very different from the visible world around us. I know many of you
could attest the same.
Like
some of you, in my youth, my spiritual understanding and sight was not nurtured
like it could have been. Therefore, it took me a while to realize that what I
was seeing was not just some wild figment of my imagination, but invisible
realms of God’s kingdom.
I
have a confession to make. During the last number of years, I have been slow to
become fully transparent about what I have believed to be the intended outcome
of God’s intentions for humanity. Much of my concealment was because many
already viewed me as being unreasonable and less practical when it came to
spiritual things.
I
sadly confess, as a result, though I have carried the appearance of being a
spiritual forerunner, I found myself dialing down the extreme radical nature of
the kingdom of heaven within me. Looking back, I can clearly see how I let the
fear of man restrain me from exhibiting the expectations of Father on the
earth. Nonetheless, that was then and
this is now.
Let
me encourage those of you who have felt somewhat restrained because of the
peculiarity of the Spirit of God working in you. The box of confinement is
ultimately being destroyed for the purpose of manifesting whatever revelation
of heaven that has been in you since the beginning of time.
Let
there be doubt, God is piloting His people completely off the known charts of
spiritual flight. I believe one of the reasons this nation and other nations in
the world are in the condition they are in, is because many people in the kingdom of God have allowed the fear of man to
hinder the revelation of heaven in them. Again, I am an example of those who
have appeared spiritually radical, but have exhibited far less than a 100-fold
potential. Therefore, the power of acceleration is upon me and is readily
available to anyone who has a desire to make up for some lost time.
There
is one important thing to remember about forerunners, whether it relates to
spiritual things or natural things. Most want to participate in the eventual
fruit of their labors; however, most are unwilling to be identified with the
stigma and ridicule that is often a part of their journey to get there.
For
a number of years now, I have referred to a spiritual gathering of the saints
that would redefine what it means to see eye to eye. Many have interpreted an
“eye to eye” encounter as people on earth coming together viewing each other on
the same spiritual plane. While this sounds reasonable enough, the fact is,
there will always be those who will be willing to lay everything on the line
for the sake of the Kingdom, while others will not. In this respect, many will
continue to have difficulty seeing eye-to-eye.
Nonetheless,
spiritual maturity is indeed on the rise and those who appeared to be living
beneath their relational potential in the Father, are now approaching a new
definition of what it means to not only have a face-to-face encounter with
Jesus, but with all the saints of God.
Having
an eye-to-eye encounter with the saints of God reaches far beyond any earthly
meeting where everyone seems to be on the same page. Even before Christ, there
has been a continual invitation to interact with the saints of God, in heaven
and on earth, simultaneously.
A
time is coming when the people of God on earth will no longer refer to those
who have come and gone, and whose permanent dwelling is now in heaven, as being
dead. Nor will they view them in the past tense. Every day, there are countless
people who are exiting this earthly realm and entering into the heavenly realm,
thus heaven is now their final dwelling place.
However, there are also those who are ascending and descending from
earth to heaven, yet earth is still their primary dwelling place.
As
I have mentioned in earlier writings, this Kingdom ascending and descending has
widened the eternal gate of glory between heaven and earth. This means that the
appearing of those in heaven on earth will become more frequent. It also means
that those on earth will frequent heaven far more readily as well. .
The
body of Christ has broken a barrier of understanding of what it means for God
to be the “God of the living, not the dead.”
Mark
quotes Jesus as saying,
“But
regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of
Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I
am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not
the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.” (Mark
12:26-27)
Jesus
is making it very clear that when God spoke to Moses and said, “I am the God of…”
it meant that God was still the God of those who had once lived on the earth,
but are now living in heaven. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still very much
alive, even more so. Thus the words of
Jesus when He said, ‘you are completely mistaken if you think I am the God of
dead corpses.’
All
the saints in Old and New Testament times, as well as, anyone else in God who
has gone before us, are very much alive. The primary difference is that they
are a living revelation that their true citizenship is in heaven, not on earth.
I have long been aware that not only do angels gather with us when we come
together, but even the saints of God who once walked upon the earth.
While
this might sound eerie and spooky to some, for others it is a glorious
expectant reality. If we are serious about hanging on to the doctrine of
repentance, then we should be repenting for excluding the rest of the church,
the body of Christ that is still very much alive in heaven.
For
years, I have nurtured my sight, my spiritual senses, to see thousands come
together and participate, in the spirit, during our public gatherings. This
will soon become an eventual visible manifestation. Like Jesus on the Mount of
Transfiguration, Moses, Elijah and countless others, will begin to appear in
plain sight. Jesus was extremely sincere when He said, “Greater things than
these, you will do.”
A
good friend of mine, who has entertained angels for years, told me that before
he saw his first angel with his own eyes, he started acting as though they were
with him all the time. He would talk to them and refer to them continually. He
even went as far as making sandwiches for them during various lunch times.
Sound ridiculous? Of course it does. However, on one occasion, while he was in
the kitchen preparing lunch for himself and his invisible friends, he heard a
giggling sound coming from the other room. When he went to investigate, he saw
three angels setting in his living room. When he saw them, they looked just as
shocked that he could see them as he was. I forgot to ask if he made enough sandwiches.
For
me, one of the most troublesome things about our western Christian culture is
that we have a desire to go far, but not too far, certainly not far enough.
This is why "forerunners" are so necessary in the kingdom of God .
One of their primary purposes is to venture out into the depths of the Spirit,
beyond our current state of spiritual understanding and reveal the hidden
knowledge of the Spirit.
Theory
is a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something. Theology
is the study of religious faith, practice, and experience. Either theory or
theology alone is sufficient to transform one’s mind into the mind of Christ,
thus our eternal state. Like faith, they are a point of entry, one of which is
designed to lead us into a genuine encounter with the Spirit of the Lord. The
future will be filled with a generation that will break the barriers of
theoretic and theological understanding. Their revelation will include both
knowledge and experience.
Isaiah
writes,
“…For
the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as
the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)
Hosea
writes,
“So
let us know, let us press on to know the Lord…” (Hosea 6:3)
True
knowledge includes the act of knowing, hearing and seeing. In fact, it involves
all of our senses. Its intent reaches far beyond mental knowledge about someone
or something. In these passages of scripture, the Hebrew meaning of “knowledge”
is to know God in the sense of personal experience, not just literal
understanding. It means to experience the ways of God, to know His paths and to
know His heart.
Michael Danforth
Prophetic word for 2014
As I write this word for 2014, it is my deepest desire to correctly articulate what the Holy Spirit has given me for the New Year. 1 Corinthians 13:9 says “For we know in part and we prophesy in part” with that understanding, this is my portion for the body of Christ.
The Spirit of the Lord is bringing healing to the Church as a whole person this year spirit, soul & body. God is bringing the Church into a new alignment with His will and purposes that will greatly affect His people for the good. The areas of your life that have not been in agreement with the Holy Spirit are going to be brought to light this year for the purpose of healing, restoration and deliverance. Where there have been wounds from the past that have hindered your ability to function in wholeness, God is doing a deep work that will produce abundant life in His people.
The Apostle Paul wrote the following:
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is expanding His kingdom into many places of influence where the Church needs to be ready to demonstrate Gods love. This is why there needs to be wholeness in the body of Christ, so we can give out of the depth of love that has been poured into our hearts through Christ. Its time for the Church to be whole!
Overcoming dualism
God is dealing with wrong understandings that have created conflict within the Church about the spirit and the soul. There have been dualistic teachings that have kept many people in bondage to a performance based relationship with God. This kind of teaching has been harmful to the body of Christ because it separates the spiritual from the natural, and creates a wrong understanding of how God views the individual person. Many people have been taught that the spirit is good, but the soul and body are corrupt, needing to be brought into submission to the spirit. This understanding is incorrect, and does not take into account that the spirit and soul are deeply intergraded and do not function apart from one other. God wants the Church to stop living their lives miserably for Him, to stop living as though we are not pleasing God because of a lack of spiritual performance (not enough prayer, not reading the bible, or denying self). There are multiple layers to what this looks like, but I feel like God is going to give the Church greater revelation regarding how much He loves us (our entire being) and how to function as a whole person in the earth.
Led by the Spirit
The Father has been looking for sons & daughters that will yield to the leading of His Spirit. This will become clearly evident in the days ahead, as God is going to display His purposes through those that are led by the Spirit of God, and not by the spiritual climate in the world. The leading of the Holy Spirit is going to take on a new dimension in 2014, because many people are being freed from patterns of living and wrong thinking that have hindered their walk with God; He is going to free many for the purpose of leading many.
Romans 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Character matters
2014, will be a time when the character of Christ is going to come to the forefront of the Church. There has been a great imbalance regarding our focus on the power and works of God, yet operating without the character of God. God wants His Church to function with all the resources of heaven, but He also wants His people to function with His character.
Character can be defined as the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves, someone’s personality. God is going to develop the character of Christ in His people that desire to be more like Him, this will require a much needed sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as He shows us the things that need changed in our hearts and minds. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is going to appear in the lives of Gods people this year in an extraordinary way, due to a willingness to yield to His inward working.
God is also in the process of redefining what ministry looks like, He is getting to the core of our value system, regarding what we do. Ministry by definition is about serving others, not about serving yourself. Everything Jesus did was for the benefit of others, from turning water into wine, to washing the disciple’s feet; He taught that whoever wants to be greatest must become a servant of all. I feel like God is going to give us new perspective regarding ministry, He is reveling the motives and intentions of the heart as we move forward into maturity.
The last will be first
We have entered a time where the last will be first, and the first will be last. Many people have bypassed Gods way to get to the front of the line in regard to “success” at any cost. There have also been many people that have chosen to take the lowest seat; and have not attempted to be first in line. Because of this decision, not to run to the front of the line, they will not be passed by in this new season. God is going to promote many people who have been patiently waiting their turn. He is going to exalt those who have humbled themselves, and bring low, those who have been unwilling to humble themselves.
Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
There has been a refining fire moving through the body of Christ that is now causing a deep humility to flow out of the hearts of Gods people. This humility is an entrance into a deeper intimacy with the Lord. God is going to exalt those who have chosen to humble themselves over this past year, as He has been doing an inward work in His people that have yielded their hearts to Him. (Luke 14:7-11)
Identity being restored
We have entered a time of full restoration, as the Father is restoring the identity of His sons and daughters who have forgotten who they were, and have departed from His will. The enemy has attempted to destroy the lives of many people, and keep them from accomplishing what God has purposed for their lives. The Lord is intervening on their behalf right now, and bringing to their remembrance the Fathers love for them. This is a time where those that have seemingly departed from the Fathers will, and chosen a path in life that has led them to destruction, are going to “come to their senses” and return to their Fathers house. The Father is going to place the robe of identity and the ring of authority on many sons and daughters that have walked away and been hurt in the body of Christ. He is restoring their identity, because they belong to Him. (Luke 15:11-32)
Financial independence
2014 will be a year of financial independence for many people. There are wise investments, and financial breakthroughs that God will give insights and strategy for, if we are willing to wait for His leading. 2014 will be a year when multiplication comes upon many people’s finances; as we are entering into a time when people are going to experience what it truly means to be debt free. Many people are going to experience ownership for the first time, I feel like there will be houses, lands, cars, investments that are paid for in full this year, giving people full ownership of what they posses.
In early 2013 the Lord spoke to me about the price of silver, that it was a good time to buy and invest, I believe there are many opportunities to increase financially if we ask the Lord to show us.
Love breakthrough
The Holy Spirit is highlighting 1 Corinthians chapter 13 this year. Because there has been a surface understanding of love that the Church has demonstrated to the world, I feel like we are going to experience a deeper revelation and demonstration of love this year that will transform us into a greater expression of Jesus Christ. God has given the Church a clear blueprint of what love looks like as we read the verves below:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.
Jesus Christ is the complete definition and fulfillment of true love; I believe the Church is going to experience a love breakthrough this year that will change our priorities and reshape our focus back to His character and likeness.
Blessings,
Josh Crofton
Josh Crofton
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