The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favourable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness.
(Isaiah 61:1-3).
Every 50 years in the Jewish calendar there was to be a Year of Jubilee (or freedom), when everyone had their inheritance restored to them. That is the ‘favourable year of the Lord’ that we are called to proclaim. God wants all his people to have everything restored to them.
We will receive liberty in exchange for captivity, healing instead of brokenness, beauty for ashes, double honour for shame, the oil of joy instead of mourning. The time for mourning is over. It is time to know the fullness of joy in our salvation. God is looking to restore all things to original condition, including us. He will restore us not to the condition we were born in, but to His original intention for us, all those wonderful plans He has had for us from eternity past.
He wants us to know our identity – who we really are. He wants us to know how He designed us, to know how we were made to be. And He wants us to grasp our destiny, our birthright, all that we are called to do.
Picture yourself
I encourage you to take some time out now.
Imagine that Father God is standing before You.
He is calling you to your destiny.
Picture yourself walking towards Him.
Come in repentance*, with your head bowed, as a servant, because that is how we all come at first.
Now, look up. See the Father waiting with His arms wide open, with love in His eyes for you.
Look into His eyes of love.
Run to Him.
Feel His loving embrace.
Just like in the story of the Prodigal Son,
Feel the ring of sonship He puts on your finger,
A seal, a signet ring you can use as His representative, with His authority.
Feel the clean robes He puts on you
All the dirt of the past has been completely removed
These are robes of righteousness
How clean and fresh they feel!
You have been declared righteous, made right with Him.
Enjoy the joy and celebration of His heart
Feel His acceptance and restoring love
Feel His affirmation.
Listen with your spirit
Just as God opened up the heavens to speak over Jesus, He has opened the heavens over you and is declaring this over you. I would urge you to listen with your spirit to what He is declaring. This is your Father speaking directly to your spirit, calling forth that eternal destiny He has placed within you.
I declare you are my beloved son and I am well pleased with you.
I call you My child
I am your Father
You are mine and I am yours.
I legitimise you as my child
I call forth your spiritual destiny.
I call your spirit to attention
Listen with your spirit to the words that I, your heavenly Father, have for you.
The Spirit of your Father gives witness to your spirit that you are My son
I bless your spirit with the spirit of sonship and the mindset of sonship
I bless you with a deep heart identity as My very own child, securely loved in My family
I bless you with the settled assurance that I have a future and a hope for you
And I have written all your days in My book with love
For your best interest and for My ultimate glory.
I bless you with the deep knowledge that I know what you need
And I have all the resources of the universe to meet that need.
Listen with your spirit to My words for you
My Spirit testifies to your spirit that you are My child
Feel your spirit pulsating with My life, My love, My acceptance.
I bless you with the ears to hear the testimony of the spirit of the Lord,
The spirit of knowledge, wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel, power and fear of the Lord
To hear what they say about you.
I bless you with being tuned into Me
With eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, and a mind for understanding
I bless you with being led by the fullness of My Spirit of Truth
To see things as I see them in the heavenly realms.
I bless you with the deep knowledge that you are an heir with your brother Jesus
To all of My treasuries
I bless you with the confidence that you lack for nothing you need
Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and practically.
I bless you with the sure understanding that I want you to have My blessings and My glory
To possess your birthright
I bless you with the desire to press forward to see the glory that I am revealing.
I bless you with a heart that does not rebel or shrink back
From the opportunities which I put before you daily
I bless you with a hunger for the manifestation of My glory day by day
In you and through your life.
I declare that you are no longer a slave, an orphan or a victim
I declare that you are mine and I am yours:
I am your inheritance and you are My inheritance.
I declare that I am your Father and you are My son
And I give you access to your heavenly home
I give you access to the river and tree of life in your heavenly home.
I call you to be a gateway of heaven on the earth
You are my child and I call you to be displayed as a mature son on the earth.
Soak
Let your spirit receive those words. Go over them again and again, day after day if you need to. Receive them as an affirmation of who you are as a son of God, as a child of your heavenly Father, as one who has a destiny in Him. Allow your spirit to just soak in it. Soak in the words of God to you. He approves of you, blesses you.
He wants you to know your identity, and outwork it.
He wants you to know your destiny, and fulfil it.
*’Repentance’ is the Greek word ‘metanoia’: it means changing the way you think about yourself – and everything and everyone else – and instead, thinking as God thinks.