Restoration and Spiritual Transformation: Embracing the Process by God’s Grace

We are moving along a continuum

By the Spirit we are being moved through a season of great difficulty which began around the end of 2021. At that time, Holy Spirit impressed upon me a very particular scripture verse. 1 Peter 5.10- which states:

“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to HIs eternal glory in Christ, will Himself, restore, secure, strengthen and establish you. ” BSB

Holy Spirit has been hovering over my spirit with this verse since July 2021. This verse has continually revisited me since. At the onset of 5783, I saw a four part process pertaining to recovery that would come after whatever the suffering this was referring to. When I got that prophetic picture I didn’t know that the time of suffering hadn’t ended yet.

Recently the Lord spoke to me concerning the words and visions I have been receiving which I associated with the Hebraic year. He said to me:

“Betty, the words and visions I have given you are not necessarily confined to the time frame you might think. My word is a word of promise!”

He began expanding my understanding, showing me how He gave the word of the promise of recovery before the suffering had even begun. By the Spirit, I now saw things quite differently than I had previously.

Having said that, one of the other words I got was about a new foundational road being established. The image below expresses the progression. Recently, I began seeing in the spirit the process of creating the roadway again.

Removing all the time constraints I believe we are still in this process. I keep hearing the words, ‘God is clearing the Way.’ A way is being made. God is removing things that are still in the way of the smooth road He is preparing for us. God is in the process of changing the way we live, not just what we think.

For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose]. – Romans 8:5 AMP

Before I expound on the progression I am seeing, I would like to take a moment to speak about spiritual gifting.

On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.. 1 Cor. 14.3 ESV

The Prophetic Word

Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation

Word of wisdom, word of knowledge and the distinguishing of spirits [1 Cor. 12] can be categorized as revelatory gifts. Dreams, visions and heavenly messenger visitations also fall into the revelatory category.

Spiritual revelation is the impartation to an individual of spiritual information. That information is given by the Holy Spirit and received by the spirit of an individual. The apostle Paul referred to this as the spirit of wisdom and revelation. [Eph.1:17]

The Spirit of Revelation is about seeing and hearing in the Spirit. This includes receiving counsel from Holy Spirit. Counsel is the impartation of spiritual knowledge for knowing what to do. When this applies to times and season, some might refer to this as an Issachar anointing. [1 Chr. 12:32]

Inspirational Gifts

Prophecy, along with tongues and interpretation of tongues are inspirational gifts. They have a much different purpose. While revelation has to do with receiving, prophecy has to do with releasing or giving out. The inspirational gifts are not necessarily intended to change the world. They are intended to spiritually effect and influence the Ekklesia, what many refer to as the church.

Some equate preaching with prophecy. All preaching is not prophecy. Yet, to prophesy according to the New Testament is related to speaking Holy Spirit inspired words for the purpose of promoting spiritual growth, to encourage and to comfort. [1 Cor. 14.3] Hopefully preaching accomplishes this.

Someone who functions as a prophet [Eph. 4.11] is reliant on both types revelatory and inspirational gifts. A prophet is one who receives revelation by the Holy Spirit and in turn releases the word of the Lord to the set apart ones, the saints.

Not everyone who receives revelation is commissioned as a prophet to the body of Christ. Neither is everyone who speaks prophetic words. Just because we speak words of comfort, edification and exhortation doesn’t mean we have been givenby Christ to the Ekklesia as a prophet.

And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. – Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB

OOPPSS, my bad

Being human, we are all subject to misinterpreting and misapplying revelatory information we receive from Holy Spirit. None of us are perfect. Anyone who implies otherwise is deluded.

We may know the words we heard by the Spirit. We might know exactly what we saw by the Spirit. Yet, how many often over the centuries have human beings misinterpreted what they saw and heard? Countless times. Not being perfect doesn’t make someone a false prophet. A false prophet is someone who speaks words inspired by the flesh or some other spirit, as if they were coming from Holy Spirit.

We are All Growing and Learning

When Holy Spirit corrects my understanding of something, I feel a sense of responsibility to the body of Christ to set things right. When I have misinterpreted, misapplied or otherwise made a mistake, especially as a teacher, I feel a duty to share those corrections.

Spiritual stuff is just that. It’s spiritual. It does not conform to the logic of this world. That being said, it is up to us to grow and develop spiritually. We are encouraged throughout the New Testament epistles to grow up spiritually. As we grow, we discover new things. Upon our new discovery we learn that what we thought previously may not have been the whole picture. It’s just a part of growing and learning.

As a teacher who receives revelation and shares prophetic inspiration I am compelled to offer clarity when I receive it.

I have been presented revelatory knowledge from Holy Spirit since I was about eight years old. That action did not make me a prophet. I was given a revelatory gift. But, I was not, as yet, given as a gift to the body of Christ. That came much later.

When I was in my twenties I was empowered and commissioned by the Spirit to speak into other people’s lives for the purpose of building them up, and speaking words of comfort and encouragement.

My journey has been a lifetime of learning and growing in the things of the Spirit. At sixty-five I’m still learning. My desire is to have clear spiritual vision and speak with a clear voice. It is my intention to build up the Ekklesia, the called out ones. I am compelled to summon the Ekklesia to live their lives by the Spirit, above the confines of this earthly existence.

Having said that, God has given me a mandate to call the Ekklesia to be moved by the Spirit of the Living God from where we are to where we need to be.

That is progressive continual action. It is a call to continuously learn, continuously grow, continuously mature in the things of the Spirit. We all learn, grow and mature in different ways and at different rates. It is imperative that we care for one another empathically.

As a prophetic voice to the body of Christ, it is my desire to share what Holy Spirit inspires me to share, for the purpose that each of us is built up in our inner man, and that we all mature and grow in our walk with God.

Likewise with you: since you eagerly seek the things of the Spirit, seek especially what will help in edifying the congregation. – 1 Corinthians 14:12 CJB

Restoration is Coming

I don’t know what the suffering has looked like in your life. All I know is what the Lord has spoken to me so far. Something started that is still rolling out. That something has left many people exhausted. I don’t know the extent of why the verse below was highlighted to me at the same time I received 1 Peter 5:10, except that Holy Spirit impressed it heavily upon me. I haven’t been able to get away from these two verses since then. What I do know is that there has been a spiritual attack of the enemy against the saints of God for the purpose of wearing us out. I believe this is what the suffering is referring to.

And he shall speak words against the Most High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law; and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time [three and one-half years]. Daniel 7:25 AMP

The Word of Promise

1 Peter 5:10 was given as a word of promise that after the time of suffering or being worn out begins to lift, restoration will come by God’s grace.

The warfare against the saints is shifting and restoration is coming.

For those who can identify with being worn out, understand that the only way for us to endure is by God’s grace. It will not be by trying to strengthen ourselves. As much as we might like to. The more we try to do this in our own strength, the more worn out we are going to be. Our warfare is to remain reliant upon God’s grace for everything. If God is not giving us the grace, the empowerment by His Spirit, then we must be asking ourselves: by what strength am I trying to accomplish this? The power of our own human ability won’t win this battle.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV

We will only win this battle as we move by faith through the grace God is providing for us in the moment.

Our lives are one of total and complete dependence upon God. Even when it doesn’t make sense to our natural minds. Even when it defies human logic. We must trust Holy Spirit to lead us, even in the small things. Especially in the small things. Grace is not just for believing God for salvation. Grace is the divine power to live and walk by the Spirit.

Trust the Process

As restoration begins it would be helpful to understand the work of the Spirit which has been happening. There is a reason our lives have been in upheaval. We, the body of Christ are undergoing major alterations. Many of these changes are internal as something is being constructed behind the scenes. We may not be seeing the work that is being done in the spirit-realm. But, I assure you it is being done. God is removing debris as He restructures and lays a new foundation.

The above image is just another picture to depict the process of restoration described in 1 Peter 5:10 – restore, secure, strengthen and establish.

Removing the Obstacles

God, by His Spirit is removing the obstacles in our lives that could possibly trip us up. He is making a new way for us. He is changing the path we have been on. He is creating a new one for us. But if we bring the old debris with us it will eventually lead us back to the old path. God has something new in mind for His people.

Just as the people of God were under attack from their enemies when they were attempting to rebuild the temple during the days of Nehemiah, Ezra and Zerubbabel, [Neh. 4], the Ekklesia is under similar siege. Despite the attack we are still called to build. Since we are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit lives in us, [1Cor. 3:16], the enemy does not want to see God’s work completed.

We need to trust God in the midst of this very difficult process. Are we under attack? Yes. What should we do about it? Trust God in the midst of it. He is not delivering us from this trial. He is delivering us through it. We will emerge on the other side. We will come out in a better place than we went in. Right now we are still in the mist of it.

When will it be over? I don’t know. What I do know is that signs of recovery are beginning to filter in. As it does we must stay in a posture of dependency upon His grace. He is working this dependency in us. This isn’t just for practice. It is a lifestyle. We are going to need to be so dependent upon God’s grace that we don’t move out in our own strength.

The Big Move

God is moving the entire Ekklesia onto a new path. This is a massive undertaking. As the called out saints of God we need to rely upon God’s grace, give grace to others and lean on and depend upon Holy Spirit for His leading and guidance as never before.

God is on the move. The total revamping of the Ekklesia, the Assembly of the Saints of the Most High is under way. Collectively we are being renovated and renewed. We are being prepared for going forward on a path that has not been seen before.

Wait for it. Don’t try to create your own path right now. Don’t try to go a new way until you know that you have heard from God and have His instructions for implementing His plan.

Hold On

Don’t lose heart. The word of the Lord is coming to pass. You may have words Holy Spirit has given you that right now you can’t see how they are going to come to pass. God is the one watching over the word to see that it comes about. Hold on to God. Keep your eyes fixed on Christ, not the promise. Remain in HIm. Abide in HIm. He will lead you. He will guide you. He alone will bring about every word He has spoken over your life. Rest in His love. Rest in His provision. Rest in His sufficiency. Jesus is here for you. He loves you. He is providing all that you need. He is able to sustain you. He is carrying you through. He will surely see you through this trial. You will emerge triumphant. You will come through by His Spirit.

“…It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Zechariah 4:6 (NLT)

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