Calling seekers into the wilderness (part 3 from "Hatching")
Part 3 of 4 from the "Hatching" series.
Part 3 of 4
This is the third excerpt from a single dive experience. The posts can be read in any order. To check out the first excerpt click here, or jump to any of the chapters at the end of this post. Subscribe to have the following chapter sent directly to your inbox.
Nature track
Sometimes I listen to music to aid my dives, other times I put a single nature track on repeat, each has a slightly different effect. Hit this track on repeat to deepen the immersion as you read…
Context
This dive started a little differently. The dive had begun late at night, I rode a griffin as he flew and eventually fell asleep on his back. Soon sleep overtook the rest of my body and I was asleep in both realms. Later I awoke to find myself in heaven with Jesus…
Calling seekers into the wilderness
“I want to know you better.” I told Jesus.
“Little One, you have always wanted to know me better.” I could feel the warmth of a smile.
“So why did it take until a few years ago to start have experiences like this?” I asked as my face pressed into his shoulder while we hugged.
“I did not wait until now. Every step of your early journey, even being forced out of the church you grew up in. I used each step to grow you and pull you out of your egg shell. Imagine if you had stayed there, at that church, which was very much your egg shell.”1
“Oh,” I began to understand what he was getting at.
Jesus continued, “You would have never developed your prophetic gifting. ALL my prophets are sent out into the wilderness for their training. In fact Israel’s schools for prophets were always in the wilderness, a long ways outside of town. This was necessary in order for them to be successful. Yes, one may eventually be sent back to the people. But one must know when they are being sent out. They must also know when they are to stay and speak to those who come to them. John The Baptist never went to the people, he stayed in the desert and let the seekers come to him. There are several things that can be accomplishing by behaving in that manner:
“One, you are more likely to attract seekers. Those who are half-hearted are filtered out that way, unless they decide to move as a herd. This a barrier to entry, is critical for the success of any community.”
“Two: teaching in a quiet place eliminates distractions. This means John did not have to yell above the noise and conflicting options. Instead, he drew them away from all of that, and could then speak without constant competition.”
“Sometimes it takes the quiet to be louder, rather than a raised voice.”
“Three: John was habitating in a place that increases prophetic effectiveness, this is not just for his sake, it was also to increases the success of the seekers. By putting them into a context for success, they also have the opportunity to hear prophetically and thus to better weigh-out what is being said. John was giving them space to chew on the things he was proposing.”
“If people are not ready to listen, they are not ready to listen. You should not have to shout. If they are ready, they will be willing to come away to a wilderness. If they are not ready, they will demand their nugget be served on social media, where all the clamoring is. Those who are hungry, those who are seeking, they are willing to try interesting things and make evaluations. They are willing to follow a man into cold water and see what it brings, or to sit in the desert and listen. They are willing to try a new diet for 30 days. Things like that. Afterwords they will see what they think of the experience. You want to draw out the seekers, for those are the ones who are willing and ready to learn.”
See part 1 of this series to learn about the metaphor of the egg shell.
Dive date: September 24 2022
Lunar: 1 day before the “Dark Moon.”
This is often referred to as the “new moon” in modern vernacular. But many traditional cultures considered the new moon to occur once the moon is once again visible. Because I too hold to this idea, I am using the words “Dark moon” to refer to the days when the moon is hidden.
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