Good morning! How are you? How has your weekend been? I have been looking forward to writing to you this morning, because of something the Lord shared with me so that I could share it with you.
Have you ever thought about how even if a lion has grown up at the zoo and knows of no other life besides being stuck in a cage, his cage still has to stay locked! Why? Because instinctively the lion knows that it was created for more than a cage, and if the cage door opens then his instincts will drive him out into the wild unknown.
You know, it sure is comfortable in that cage! You know what you have, you get food when you’re hungry, and people like you when you are in there. But I just know that you are dreaming of something else, something more. However, the fear of what you are going to encounter in the “wild unknown” causes you to doubt, and so you remain in the cage even if you’ve finally made up your mind that you want to get out.
But listen, I just received this word from the Lord: “You don’t have to take the giant leap at once! You can stumble out a bit and then return. Then take another step, and another, and the safer you feel, the less often you will return to the cage. Kind of like what happens when a lion that grew up in captivity is set free. It is a process, and one day the lion simply won’t return to the cage anymore.”
So maybe you were going to take that step, talk to that person, take that initiative, but you started doubting yourself. You got a little bit scared. That’s only natural, because what shouldn’t be the norm for you has become your norm. Maybe what you have gone through has got you worried, and you are scared of experiencing the same pain again. In fact, you know that God has something more for you, but that means you have to leave your safe zone.
Come out of your cage and into the wild unknown!
“Is this all my life was supposed to become?” you ask. No! God has a plan and he is encouraging you right now: “Get out of the cage! Take that small step! Do what you are dreaming of. Don’t worry, I have everything under control. But you have to leave your safe zone behind the bars that were both for your safety but also held you captive. I have something fantastic prepared for you.” Listen now: What God has prepared for you is far more than you had before you involuntarily put yourself in the safety of the cage. He is also saying to some of you, “No, you won’t regret it. In fact, that dream you are thinking of now will come to pass.”
I am in a period of my life right now where I am experiencing a prophetic flow that I haven’t experienced for many, many years. You know, I am 55 now, and for lots of people, after 40, once many of life’s most important visions like family become reality, it is easy to just settle down into a comfortable cage. And as you can understand, self-pity has been knocking at my door ever since my wife passed away in September. But you know what, the door of the cage is open! Jesus has opened it for me, and he is calling to you too. I can feel it now as I write this. Just two days ago I was totally knocked out in the Spirit in my living room while I was listening to one of Hillsong’s worship songs. The visions God has given me are starting to rise up in my spirit again, and I sense that Jesus is encouraging you in the same way as I write this: “There’s more!”
Isn’t it wonderful, feeling the power of God pulse forth as you weep in his presence and at the thought of his return – in the middle of your living room!
So, tell yourself: “Something is about to happen!”. Come on! Let’s do this together! The “wild unknown” is out there, and you might not know for sure how to live at the level that Jesus is calling you to, but you are a conqueror in Jesus. You can do it, because he is with you. If you don’t do it now, you might never get out of that cage.
I know what I am going to do. The next level he is calling me to is going to take another seven years to establish. It is truly an unknown area for me, and if I told you about it you might not know what to think! But maybe some of you want to join me at the next level? In different ways, depending on who you are and where you are. The kingdom of God is the body of Christ, and we are in this together!
When I was knocked out in the Spirit, I was telling the devil, “Your fun won’t last long, because we are coming after you. Your days are numbered, until we completely take over and reign with Christ.”
So all of that to say to you, “IN JESUS’ NAME, COME OUT OF YOUR CAGE NOW! Take a little step, and wait and see. Seek him, and take another step, and another!”
(By the way, the Hillsong worship song was “Oh Praise the Name of our Lord the King” – that song is the best!).
Good morning!
-Tommy
