In a world gripped by fear of loss, Emma Stark, Phil Sanderson, and Louise Reid unleash a powerful prophetic word about God's counter-intuitive strategy: exile and the stripping away of status. This episode of What the Prophets Say challenges the comfortable Western Christian mindset, revealing how the Lord uses seasons of shaking, discipline, and even national shifts to draw His people into unprecedented revelation, intimacy, and a truer form of glory. Discover why losing your position might be the best thing for you and how to pray strategically when your world is shaken.
Key Prophetic Themes and Topics Covered:
- The Concept of Exile: A deep dive into biblical exile, from the Garden of Eden to national exiles in Israel's history (Egypt, wilderness, Babylon).
- Purpose of Exile: Understanding exile as a divine process of correction, discipline, and purification, leading to spiritual growth and closer relationship with God.
- Western Christian Perspective: Challenging the "fat Christian" mindset of comfort and entitlement in the West, contrasting it with the norm of hardship for many global believers.
- Shifting Global Order: Addressing the current geopolitical shifts and the loss of status for Western nations, linking it to prophetic insights like Haggai 2 ("I will shake once more the heavens and the earth").
- Prayer in Exile: Practical guidance on how to pray and what to focus on when experiencing personal or national exile – emphasizing prayer for restoration, revelation, and character development.
- Revelation in Exile: Highlighting how figures like Daniel and Ezekiel received profound, apocalyptic visions and encountered God in new ways during their exile, indicating a unique opportunity for revelation.
- Beyond Comfort and Status: Redefining God's "goodness" to include discipline, loss, and difficult journeys, leading to greater spiritual richness rather than material comfort.
- Biblical Illiteracy: A call to deeper engagement with Scripture to understand God's methods and purposes in times of difficulty, rather than subscribing to "theologically light" beliefs.
- Hope in Hardship: Encouraging a mindset of hope and transformation during exile, viewing it as a season for growth and preparation for greater glory, rather than just enduring pain.
Practical Takeaways or Action Steps for the Audience:
- Reframe loss and discomfort as opportunities for deeper encounter with God and spiritual growth.
- Pray for revelation and character development during challenging seasons.
- Engage deeply with Scripture, particularly books like Ezekiel and Daniel, to understand God's purposes in exile.
- Avoid the temptation to seek immediate comfort or escape from difficult periods; instead, embrace the discipline.
- Live with a "bright hope for tomorrow," making choices today that align with God's transformative purposes.
