My husband Jessie and I have been in relationship with them for many years and they also have relationships with various well-known leaders such as Leif Hetland, Bob Hazlett, Todd White, Jeff Jansen (Phillip frequently preaches at his church) and many others.
This is a word that I believe will really encourage the Body of Christ. Please take a moment to read it and be blessed! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Please forward this word to your friends! Encourage them to subscribe to the Elijah List right here: http://elijahlist.com/subscribe.
A Turtle in the Road
Recently while driving, I was having a conversation with God about the past several years. As I am super vulnerable and raw when I'm "talking" to God, I was telling Him how long and slow this season had been, and that I was ready for it to be over. I was expressing, rather vigorously, how badly I needed to get to the other side of this one. I was intentional about assuring Him how grateful I was that He did indeed show up in the last hour—and give us our promised miracle and healed my wife from a diagnosed terminal illness. A true miracle.
But I was also reminding Him of how hard it was—how many years the battle persisted before the breakthrough, and how tired we were. Suffice it to say, I was giving Him my "laundry list" of all the storms we've encountered that have been long and hard over the past several years; and like many of you, we have been inundated.
Then I literally said, "I feel like everything in my life is moving as slow as a turtle, and every time I think we're out of it, another blow comes and I have to duck and retreat back into my shell." Just as those words left my mouth, I saw a truck in the distance pull over to the side of the road. As I got closer, I saw the driver go to the middle of the road, pick up a turtle and take it safely to the other side.
God immediately said to me, "My hand is coming upon you to speed up time and take you into your new season. Get ready for the crossing over. You are moving from a season of delay and disruption into a season of acceleration and increase."
Proverbs 13:12 in the MSG puts it this way, "Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around."
Your New Season is Here! Are You Ready to Cross Over?
You can talk to most anyone and hear that the past ten years have been particularly hard to navigate. From top Christian leaders in the nation to bankers, realtors and teachers— basically anyone serving the Lord in their sphere of influence has been tested and tried and turned inside out. Most will tell you there has been one blow after another. That's not to say there haven't been great victories, because there have been many, and gratitude is abounding in those victories.
As I thought about how many people have been in a difficult season, I realized this word God gave me is a corporate word, not just a word for me. Like during my conversation with GOD that morning when I was basically saying, "ENOUGH GOD," I felt I was not alone in my desperate plea for a sudden good break.
When I shared publicly what had happened during my drive, three people came to me and had either seen someone moving a turtle to the other side of the road, or actually moved one themselves in that same week. Then someone messaged me two days later. They told me there was a news segment on national TV about a police officer helping a turtle cross the road to safety in a torrential downpour. This brought 2 Corinthians 13:1 to mind, "A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence." Since that day, I have heard so many "turtle testimonies" that it has been powerful and almost comical.
I Dare You, Be Brave and Hope Again
God is strongly verifying to us that today is a time to be encouraged, not discouraged. It is time to expect the sudden good break as his hand is coming upon us to take us to the other side (the end of this season), and into a fresh, new, flourishing season.
If you are one that has been in that long, hard season, whether it be health, relationships, financial, ministry or any circumstance in your life, and you've had one blow after another that has left you feeling frustrated and exhausted, I dare you to be brave and hope again. Be bold and dream again. God is going to keep every promise He has given you!
In the natural you appear to be a long way from where you need to be, but get ready! The hand of the Lord is coming upon you to take you safely and speedily to the other side. Get ready for your crossing over to a new season. It's a season filled with acceleration and increase with the grace to move in that accelerated state with ease and without exhaustion, and a supernatural empowerment to steward the increase well. The days of moving at a turtle's pace are over! It's coming! It's here! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Phillip Clemons
The Ark
Email: phillclemons@gmail.com
Website: www.thearkflorence.com
Phillip Clemons is the founder and co-pastor with his wife, Marsha, at The Ark in Florence, Alabama. Phillip carries the Father's heart in a dynamic way and with a strong prophetic edge that ignites people with passion and the love of God and then empowers them to grow into world changers. Phillip not only inspires the Body of Christ but is a motivational speaker who is passionate about inspiring businesses and teams across the nation. He motivates players, coaches, CEOs and businesses to focus on achieving their goals together. His heart for the Kingdom in every walk of life is inspiring in and of itself.
*************************************
Visit our webstore and check out Alveda King's book by Elijah List Publications: America Return to God: www.americareturntogod.com
This is a word written by a good friend of mine, Phillip Clemons. He and his wife Marsha are pastors of 15 years in Florence, AL at a church called The Ark.
