Critical Thinking For Critical Times!
The Year of Release I have been writing about is the coming Jewish Shmita year. The Shmita was to be a Sabbath year of rest, a year when slaves were released from captivity and fortunes were restored—it was therefore a time of rest, deliverance, and financial restoration. It was a year of freedom and release.
This is a year to take the positions ordained for us, will stretch into a Decade of Release, having a new spiritual Dynamic. We have entered a Kingdom era and God’s plan is for His Kingdom to come to Earth! As this is such a critical time, it demands Critical Thinking! I heard the Lord say the words critical thinking, so I went digging.
There is much written in regard to critical thinking, so it is important to differentiate between the Kingdom’s approach from the world’s. According to the Foundation for Critical Thinking, it is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.
The Lord, however, revealed that Spirit-led Critical thinking is the God-given ability to cut through what is false from what is true, by applying strategic revelation received from God in His Word, or directly, to arrive at accurate conclusions with which to proceed and take action. What may seem logical or reasonable to the world’s standards, yet does not align with the Word and precepts of God, becomes evident in Spirit-led critical thinking. It is vital to grasp this way of thinking as the Leviathan spirit is presently distorting and saturating all communications with deception and mind-control.
Satan employed this trick in the garden of Eden with both Adam and Eve. Neither were thinking critically by weighing the words spoken to them against the Word of God. Eve did not spiritually discern the evil lurking behind words that seemed quite plausible in the moment.
In Matthew 16:22, Peter was not discerning the greater significance of Jesus’ words, as they did not appear to be reasonable, triggering him to step out from his place of a disciple to rebuke Jesus. Peter did not recognize that evil was influencing his reasoning. Jesus had to confront the demonic influence and rebuke it: “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” In Matthew 4:7, Satan even tried to use the Word of God to sway Jesus. However, Jesus pierced through the deception with the Word of God.
Without taking the time to think critically, pray through and discern what God is saying, ensuring that it lines up with the Word of God, puts us on a trajectory toward great trouble. God’s higher ways never seem to make sense in the passion of the moment, so patience is also required. We need light! The light of Heaven that releases truth and revelation for the moment and direction for the season ahead.
It is essential to maintain our objectivity in the dichotomy of the present times, to stay balanced and grounded in Christ, in a season characterized by the best and the worst of times, and darkness and light—a time when the wheat and the tares are growing to their fullness.
God will have an administration suitable for this present dispensation; one that is tailored and equipped to meet the challenges of these times—just as he has had for every decade of this century (Please listen to our last podcast on Stewardship of the Time). Because we are alive, we are that generation—this is our destiny! It is, therefore, necessary to God’s interests that we think critically and strategically to:
- Understand the dynamics of the times.
- Understand God’s intentions for the times.
- Know the framework and boundaries of the times
- The enemy’s limits in the times (Dan. 7:25)
- Receive directions and tactical assignments to implement and steward the plan of God for the times.
How do we receive understanding? Light will be breaking through into our consciousness causing us to see and receive revelation. This requires a Breaker Anointing coming from another dimension that pierces the veil and opens the door or portal to allow light, revelation, and understanding to come through to our spirits. A word escapes through the veil when someone is positioned rightly in a heart-to-heart connection with the Lord—the Breaker comes. Using critical thinking, we then apply what we have seen and heard into the equation.
The veil between the realms and dimensions is now getting thinner—to which both Heaven and the demonic are taking advantage of. This is a heightened spiritual time that we are living in that calls for the supernatural life of Christ in us to come forth.
The path ahead will require a close walk with our Lord and will necessitate becoming fully alive to our identity as supernatural saints in Christ as things may get much uglier before they get better. As the administrators of the season ahead, we must press in to receive all that God wants to deliver to us and begin to think critically as to how He would have it executed. Don’t worry if other people are not understanding what you are getting—in its time they will. It’s an important time to be intentional about grasping and processing what God is saying.
We will not be able to go through the coming days without being deeply rooted in Christ, having full assurance of His Lordship over our lives, and walking in the fear of the Lord. It is a time to be ready for anything. In the days ahead it will become necessary to recognize that many things are being deliberately labeled as conspiracies to deflect attention. Things can shift suddenly and like Elijah, we must be ready with our loins girded up, ready to run our supernatural race.
How are we as believers to stand in this hour without fear? Firstly, the fear of God must be our foundation. This is not a time to be complacent about God and about sin. The enemy is prowling about and sin is his attraction.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. Psalm 27:1-3
Second, it helps to have a history with God. If you don’t have one and are a new believer, then read someone else’s history, their biography, and their testimonies, and build your faith. The saints of God released in the High Call of serving God in this hour will have attained through much refining, a high level of character, integrity, and faithfulness.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” Ephesians 1:7-10
God significantly highlighted the word prudence to me as a word for the times. God will lavish on the saints “… all wisdom and prudence.” The definition of prudence reveals the high level of wisdom and insight God will give the Saints to steward His plan for the times, it is defined as:
- The ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason.
- Sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs; keen discernment and perception
- Skill and good judgment in the use of resources
- Caution or circumspection as to danger or risk; the ability to see ahead.
To Christian philosophers, prudence was considered the ‘mother’ of all virtues by its ability to see ahead and make right decisions.
“Prudence has a directive capacity with regard to the other virtues. It lights the way and measures the arena for their exercise…
Without prudence, bravery becomes foolhardiness; mercy sinks into weakness, free self-expression and kindness into censure, humility into degradation and arrogance, selflessness into corruption, and temperance into fanaticism. (Wikipedia)
God says: “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence…” Proverbs 8:12
Prudence will become a virtue, crucial for the times; it will be at the forefront in the attributes of those equipped in the fulness of resurrection power, who serve God in the high call of stewarding the times. It could be said that the tribe of Issachar functioned in the virtue of prudence—they were in possession of the wisdom and understanding needed for making the right decisions:
“…of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…” 1 Chronicles 12:32
God is presently transitioning His people from one level of experience to another; one that has a very new dynamic that is vastly different from what have previously known. He is urging us to a new and deeper level of covenant relationship with him. He wants to take us to places that we’ve not experienced before! He is calling us to become signs and wonders to this generation. To be vessels of God’s rule and reign breaking into the earth!
I heard the Lord say, the wheels are turning and I saw a picture in my mind of a horse and buggy that carries hay, in the setting of rugged terrain. The ground was dirt and stones and the buggy had large wooden wheels. God revealed from this picture that through our worship we were pioneering new spiritual territory.
The big wooden wheels represented that in the early stages it is sometimes slow going as we plow the ground of new territory. The wheels don’t always turn as quickly as we would like, and it takes time for the rocky terrain to become smooth paths and paved roads. The hay represented the harvest, and I sensed God say He is preparing for the harvest, that we were to keep digging the spiritual ground, through our praise and worship.
I then saw another picture of a beautiful shining Rolls Royce. It was not a typical Rolls Royce—it looked like a new model. It was long and sleek, low off the ground, and appeared to be a sports model. It was designed with excellence, built for speed, powerful acceleration, and was clearly designed to carry royalty. It was a Divine engineering feat and technologically advanced beyond our age.
I sensed through this picture, God saying that as His people persevered in faithfulness, worship and obedience to His Word, that the paths were going to become smooth; and the rugged terrain transformed, into a highway. This vehicle was built for the high way of God, for the saints who were persevering in faith. It was a supernatural model built for this hour to carry a Royal Priesthood, and a chosen generation into the Glory of God. It would be a vehicle that would accelerate God’s purposes in this hour. It was a new model, built to function in a new dynamic. It could and would get the job done! It was built for speed; speeds that the enemy would not be able to match. It was a supernatural vehicle that could move in and out of dimensions in Christ—with Christ at the wheel.
We’re now about to enter the era of the supernatural and God has gone ahead to prepare for us a vehicle to carry us through—a new model, a new thing, a new wineskin, having a new heart-engine running on the high praises of His people. It’s important to not turn back to the old model, the old ways of doing things or even interacting with the Holy Spirit. God is taking us to a new place—a higher dimension having new ways to move in the Spirit. New sounds are being released—sounds that will carry us into new realms and Great Glory.
I believe God is saying to learn the new sounds, to think critically with a renewed mind, to learn and understand the new dynamic—to press in for the new to leave the old mindset behind. I believe that we begin by simply fixing our eyes upon Him in worship, gazing on His beauty and Glory, exalting Him with all of our beings. I believe that is all we need to do, and He will lead us where we need to go. God will move in our praise, to bring in and establish His New Thing, to fashion a people for His New Wineskin.
The Lord will do it, we can’t strive to try to make it happen, and we cannot work it up. We have arrived at a season characterized by the rest of God, where we rest in Him and He moves in power to do the work. It’s not that we’re going to lie down and let him do everything—it is a holy partnership, but it requires quietness in him, listening for His voice, and simply following and allowing Him to do what only He can do. It is so important right now that we recognize our limitations apart from Him, to recognize and magnify the majesty and the magnitude of the power and ability of the God that we serve.
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