Though, I have a word on my heart, for The Salvation Army.
Let it grip your heart and inspire you in 2015.
I pray that you would let the Holy Spirit's wisdom be upon you as you read this word, and let God give you a sense of its credibility and trustworthiness.
(I probably need to say it for someone reading: My views, thoughts and opinions come from Pete Brookshaw and not from The Salvation Army).
A Prophetic Word for The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is restoring its focus. It's learning its identity again. Innovation is springing up from unlikely places. Salvation found in Jesus is becoming central once again. Holiness is getting a facelift. There is a growing, renewed faith-expectation within its officers, soldiers and friends of The Salvation Army. Some are saying, 'God has only just started with The Salvation Army!' Others are suggesting that, 'God is doing a new thing.'
See, God is the one who brings streams in the wasteland and it is in that place of wrestling with God in the desert, that God teaches tenacity and perseverance and can recalibrate a wrong direction.
One could say, the direction of The Salvation Army, at times, has been slightly askew. Maybe not by much. Though, if for 40 years you walk 1 degree off course, you understand the implications. In what way has The Salvation Army been off course? Good question. I suggest, we find ourselves off course from God's original intentions, when we care more about the status quo than we do about the transformative power of the gospel. I suggest we are off course, when we inherently embrace traditionalism as opposed to giving thanks for our tradition; when the useability or otherwise of our Corps buildings encapsulates our missional imagination; when trivial theological debates cause dissension and when contemporary church expressions of missiology wrongly redefine our salvationist identity.
2015 is a big year for The Salvation Army. As we celebrate 150 years, would it be, that God is saying, 'Are you ready? Are you ready to embrace all I have for The Salvation Army?' It seems the Holy Spirit is stirring up Salvationists around the globe to recommit to their covenants and stay steadfast in their following of Jesus and helping the hurting and broken. In a world, that seems to 'have gone mad', the Lord is rising up a holy, loving army, that will represent to the world a Jesus who can bring peace into the midst of the madness.
Our God is boundless. No limits. Boundaries do not contain God. Now, if we have the Spirit of Jesus living inside of us, we live in a paradigm that is boundless. Many have said to me, that 2014, was something liken to walking up hill with a chain around your ankle. It was a difficult year, and yet some saw some great Godly outcomes. As we embrace 2015, we take hold of a year with boundless opportunities. We worship a God without limits. We believe for healing from a God who can heal. God has no financial debt too difficult to repay. There is no mission that is too arduous for God. There is no mountain that cannot be moved.
Get ready Salvation Army. Put on faith like a uniform. Be sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see. God is about to answer unanswered prayers, and bring fulfilment to broken dreams. This is a time of favour and a time of blessing. God is using the challenges that The Salvation Army have faced in recent days to build our resilience, right some wrongs and realign our focus.
The best days are still ahead for The Salvation Army.
This year, many Salvationists will see that.
The word is BOUNDLESS.
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Two BIG Posts you will want to read:
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