The other day I watched a YouTube video entitled “Zed’s Surfing Tips”. Not being a surfer, I was intrigued by his simple steps. However, each step included focusing on the wave, not looking right or left, but straight ahead.
Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of a vision given many years ago at a conference. It was a vision of people on a beach and a huge wave racing toward them. Some of the people were sunbathing and playing. Others were poised, their eyes on the wave and surfboards in their hands. The wave broke onto the beach and those with surfboards rode the wave as it carried them high into the mountains to places they had never been before. The wave transformed the landscape and the people were transformed as they now saw and experienced new things. The interpretation of the vision was “once more I will break onto the sands of time and I will call my people to be prepared for a mighty visitation of my power. For I will transform what you see and know, and as my Spirit moves among you so you too will be transformed as I refine and prepare you for my coming”.
Though given a while ago, I felt the Holy Spirit say that the vision was for these days.
There are ripples of this wave all around. In China there are now more Christians than members of the communist party. In Cuba, the government is asking the Church to work and preach in bad areas of Havana, as they see the gospel of the Kingdom transforming lives and therefore whole areas. In universities, the Spirit is moving dramatically among students. Christians from all denominations from Greek Orthodox to Catholic are coming alive and being baptised in the Holy Spirit. There is fresh life in the churches as we see miracles and salvation, healing, provision and deliverance. From country to country we hear the same message … get yourself ready for what God is doing. The wave is coming, don’t let it pass you by.
Stop playing like those on the beach in the vision. Be real and focus on the Lord. So often our problems and worries cloud our vision. They become idols which we talk about constantly. We tell others about them; we look at them and think about them all the time. We give them all our attention, and our focus is where our attention is.
The Lord wants our focus to be on Him. Get rid of your idols and focus on Him who is the answer. By His Spirit, He will lift us to places where we have never been before. Let Him be the centre of our thoughts, words and actions. As we focus on Him we will see things differently. Fill your space with the word of God. Sing it, speak it, write it down and put it where you can clearly see it. “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”. Don’t give space for the enemy to whisper negative thoughts into your mind. Tear down everything that raises its head against what God says. Focus on Him constantly.
Right now the world is in turmoil. People are afraid of wars and famines, floods and fires, fears for life and future. But God says “Be still and know that I am God”. Let’s pray the prayers that the Spirit gives us. Standing strong, not being swayed by what we see, for He is in control.
He will transform the spiritual landscape of the world. This wave is going to be big. We need to be the able surfers that He has called us to be. As we let Him take us into new dimensions, so the world will see Him through us. Let’s stay focussed on Him and ride the wave.
