Push Through the Curve and Come Out with Momentum

 From Dutch Sheets' podcast:

Hello and welcome to Give Him 15. Today our GH15 is a little different. I have a bit of a surprise for you, a plan I feel God has given me. I’m always asking Him, “What are you saying to the Ekklesia, Your church today?” I’m talking to my prophetic friends, asking them, “What do you hear God saying?” And I know most of our listeners feel the same way. So I’m going to start bringing on people whom I feel have a strong prophetic gift and are tuned in for the nation and the church. I plan to have them share on every Friday’s Give Him 15, letting you hear from them. I’ll also be on, and we will dialogue, discussing what Holy Spirit is saying to us today. I’ll be asking them to share what they hear Holy Spirit is currently sharing with them. Today I have my friend Greg Hood, whom you have seen/heard before regarding some of the dreams we have shared with you. I have asked Greg to share with us here today.

So, welcome, Greg - tell us what you’re hearing.

Dr. Greg Hood:

“Thank you, Dutch - it’s an honor to be with you today. I will share what I feel Holy Spirit is sharing with the church today. I believe we have been journeying with the Lord through the past several years, wondering, at times, what He is saying to us.

"When God speaks to us, what He says may not always be for that minute or that day, but it could be for down the road or even years later. But I’m hearing the Lord say that much of what we have heard for the past few years is beginning to sprout through the ground and bear fruit. For the church, we need to be in a place where we have our ear on the heart of God and listen like we haven’t listened before. God has brought us into a place of maturity, not to just withstand what lies ahead of us, and I think there are a lot of challenges lying ahead of us, but not anything that we can’t overcome. However, we must be careful. I used to go to an old butcher store as a young boy and watch the butcher trim the fat off the beef. I think that’s what God has been doing in us for the past few years, trimming the fat and getting us into a place where we are not serving Him for comfort, but for the breakthrough. The Kingdom of God is coming in a way that we’ve not seen before, and God is giving us opportunities to take ground like we’ve not done before.”

Greg continues:

“I believe the church is coming out of boot camp and training. We’ve had a number of great books written in past years. God has given us great teachers, programs, and Bible colleges have sprung up to get us equipped in our Christian beliefs. Now we need to get out of the bootcamp mindset and into battlefield mode and mindset. The Lord is bringing us into a place of harvest - traditionally, we think of this as people receiving Christ, getting saved. But I feel harvest isn’t only for individuals but also regions, nations, and governments. God is bringing culture back into the hands of the church. The Ekklesia has grown to a place where we can actually make a difference spiritually and culturally.

“Dutch, I’ve heard you teach regarding the Jesus movement of the 60s/70s and what happened during the Charismatic Movement - it’s so clear that we missed it during that season. But I believe we won’t miss it this time - we are ahead of the game and are ahead of the curve. The pressure is still there, but the church has to get used to being in a place of pressure. Through different churches and teachings, we have been used to living a life of ease, even compromise - living a life of a “it’s all about me/us” mentality. Some people go to church just to help them over a hump. But that’s changed. If you need a pat on the back and help over the humps, you may be disappointed over the next several years. We are headed into a place where there are going to be a lot of humps. But the church has emerged into a place of being able to carry the weight of God without buckling the knee.

“Pressure is important. I like to ride motorcycles. When you come to a curve, you want to put on the brakes. However, the pressure and acceleration you give the motorcycle help you get through the curve. As the church/Ekklesia, we are in a place where we are in that curve, pressure is there - cultural, political, and ideological pressure - we are coming to a place where the world is telling us we need to put on the brakes. But we can’t do that, we need to accelerate and use the momentum the curve gives us to propel us to the other side. Once we come through these tight places, there’s an acceleration that God gives us from the momentum, and we’re going to see a rapid harvest. People will come into the Kingdom like never before.

“But I also sense the greatest barrier, even the largest obstacle, will be the religious spirit (not people, but principalities). If we aren’t careful, we will find ourselves on the wrong side of awakening and revival. We must make sure the judgmental mindset is gone from us and from what God wants to do. Many of us are holding on to things that can be great hindrances, keeping us from God’s plan. We must especially be careful our doctrine lines up with God’s Word. I think God is asking us to meet with Him personally, individually, and corporately to deal with our doctrines. I relate them to the precious pigs that the Gadarene was raising. When Jesus showed up on the shore and cast the demons out of the man, they went into the pigs. The pigs didn’t want to live with the demons, so they ran off the cliff. God wants to run some of our previous pigs off the cliff. God is looking for oneness in the body of Christ that will release the power of God in this hour.

Greg continues:

“During the next few months - even as we walk through the upcoming elections - we must be careful as we look at the candidates - looking at their character and lifestyle. We may need to be reminded that God used Pharaoh, Cyrus, Hezekiah - many others who were not the ideal candidates, but He used them. We are there. We are asking Holy Spirit what Father is saying - what is He wanting today. The answer may surprise us and take us backward if we are steeped in a religious ideology that makes us more heavenly-minded than earthly-good. I see that shift coming and God bringing us into a place where we hear Him clearly.”

Dutch then shares:

“I came from a stream in the body of Christ that was very legalistic and dogmatic regarding what they believed. There are other denominations with doctrines causing them to isolate themselves from others if they didn’t believe a certain way. I’m not referring to basic beliefs such as being saved through grace by the blood of Christ, but other doctrines and beliefs. Years ago, the denomination I was with was so entrenched and controlling that we couldn’t watch tv, and women couldn’t cut their hair. It was a belief system we had built because of teachings from leaders whom we trusted. When I came into the Jesus Movement and people were being saved and walking out their salvation, I realized they didn’t believe things I had been taught. They didn’t believe things I had been taught were sinful, and it was a shock to me. I remember later in my walk with God, I was crying out for revival, and Holy Spirit spoke very clearly, “What are you going to do if I come riding on a donkey? I thought, that’s a strange question - but I knew immediately what He was saying. The Jews thought the Messiah was going to come a certain way, and they rejected Him. They thought He was coming as an earthly king, overthrowing the Roman government and taking over. When He did not do that, they rejected Him because of their traditions and beliefs. Jesus was asking me, “Are you willing to throw out some of your beliefs or expectations when I don’t do it the way you think I should, even when, or through whom? And if they don’t believe exactly the way you do, and they may be wrong in some of their beliefs, and I use them anyway, are you going to be okay with that? In other words, are you going to let Me be in charge and do this the way I want?” I believe that is what you are saying, Greg. We are all going to have to be very flexible and make adjustments. And I think we are moving quickly toward this.

“Greg, I’d love for you to comment. The other day I felt the Lord say there are several more strategic adjustments He is going to do this year, but in 2023, we will move into a completely new level of harvest, and the awakening will be strengthened. I feel it will be a huge shift. I know God doesn't necessarily go by our calendar - I’m just looking ahead to what I see in the near future. I also feel that for the rest of this year, more shifts are coming, but next year, things will shift even more toward harvest. Greg, what do you see?”

Greg shares:

“I see it very clearly, Dutch. We are in a very strategic time as a church. We are in that curve, ready to propel us. Here are a couple of things we need to pay attention to within ourselves, and if we miss some things, it won’t be because God failed, it will be because the church has not been able to make the necessary adjustments that need to happen.

“God is not obligated to manifest Himself in a structure that He has not organized or created for His manifestation. He is not obligated to manifest Himself in revival and awakening in our religious structures. He works with us, yes, but He’s always moving us toward change. I think it’s very important to pay attention to where we are right now. As we look toward the upcoming revival and awakening, we must step out of things that are trying/challenging to us. We must allow Holy Spirit to deal with what we are hanging onto as crutches, doctrine, and hindrances. During the next few months, I sense great exposure of false doctrines. There will be an opportunity to change those things and get back on track. God is going to deal with and give opportunity for this across the board - to all believers in all denominations. And as I am saying this, I am seeing a vision over the church and many question marks popping up everywhere. There have to be people qualified to answer these questions and able to say, ‘This is wrong,’ or ‘this is right’ and proven biblically. To get us through this year, God is dealing with us in order that we are positioned well enough to handle the upcoming great outpouring.

“So my challenge to you is to go in your prayer closet and ask God, “Why do I believe what I believe, what doctrines and beliefs have I held onto that are not right and don’t line up with Your Word? Give me the grace and boldness to change them.” We are coming to the place where we may have to make choices to follow Christ, even if our friends and family disagree with our decisions. We are in the time of mega decisions, stepping into this with the boldness and power of Holy Spirit, in order to push through the curve and come out with a momentum that brings awakening and revival.”

Dutch then shares:

“That’s a good place to segway into the prayer. Why don’t you mention that I’ll be with you this upcoming weekend?

From Greg:

“We are doing a service together this upcoming weekend (August 20, 2022) in the greater Nashville area. You can find out more information from my website: GregHood.org. It’s free but we ask that you register because the seating is limited. It will also be available online for a small fee.

“My desire is to bring the Ekklesia into a greater alignment in this region for awakening. I believe the greater Nashville area is primed for this and will be a first fruits for the nation for awakening and revival - we have a great expectancy for this gathering.”

Greg then prays:

“Father, we thank You today for Your presence and for what You are doing in America. We also thank You for what You’re doing in the church. Father, we ask that today You would bend us, bring us into a place that You have created us to function and flow from. We know that we are not where we need to be for the path You have before us, but we ask that You break those things off us, mentally and spiritually, we have tied ourselves to, that have hindered Your Ekklesia from being whom You’ve called us to be. Father, we know we have made great strides within the past few years. Help us to navigate and accelerate in this curve of change You have us in that will propel us in America’s awakening and revival. I thank You that everyone who is participating in the GH15 with us today is going to see themselves locked into the body of Christ like You called them to be. We give You glory and honor today for what You’re doing in and through us in America and around the world.”

Dutch closes:

“Greg, I agree with that prayer and know all of those joining us today are, as well.”

Copyright © 2022 Dutch Sheets Ministries, All rights reserved.