It’s that time of year again.
It’s the time of year that I look forward to with genuine anticipation and wonder.
It’s the time where I position myself before the Lord and wait upon Him to show me what His plans are for the year to come.
It’s the time where excitement over what I’m about to hear fills my soul.
And this most recent time spent before Jesus was no exception.
I’m taken aback by what I’ve heard, what I’m hearing, and all that I have yet to hear.
I’m genuinely overcome.
If there were one word that I believe the Lord is using to describe what this coming year entails for His people, it’d be this: OVERWHELMED.
I believe the church is going to become overwhelmed by the person of Jesus and the good news all over again.
To be honest… we desperately need to be.
God is wanting to consume us.
We need to be overtaken, overrun, and occupied with who Jesus is.
He wants us so overwhelmed with who He is internally so that what tries to overwhelm us externally doesn’t stand a chance.
If we aren’t overwhelmed by the Lord, we will be overwhelmed by something else.
Distractions will overwhelm us.
Fear will overwhelm us.
Frustrations will overwhelm us.
Offense will overwhelm us.
Things will begin to matter more that don’t matter most.
Life itself will swallow us up.
We cannot afford to let that happen.
It’s time for the wattage of our light to increase.
The word ‘overwhelmed’ can be defined five ways. As you read each definition, I believe you’ll quickly recognize that this is exactly what we need.
1. Bury or drown beneath a huge mass.
2. Defeat completely.
3. Give too much of a thing to (someone); inundate.
4. Have a strong emotional effect on.
5. Be too strong for; overpower.
I need to be buried underneath His goodness. I need to be consumed with His grace. I need to be drowned in the river of His Spirit.
I need Him to conquer what seeks to destroy me, to defeat my enemies.
I need Him to give me more of Himself.
I need Him to overwhelm my emotions, to displace my fear and doubt.
I need Him to overpower my pride and stubbornness. I need my will to be completely surrendered to His.
There is no other option.
If we are to be a Jesus people and if a Jesus movement is on the horizon, we must be
completely overwhelmed by all that He is.
We must become fascinated in the fullest sense of the word.
Life cannot overwhelm someone who is already overwhelmed.
We see this in the life of Mary.
When we choose the good part, to sit at the feet of Jesus, it won’t be taken from us (Luke 10:42).
When you’re overwhelmed with Jesus, you won’t be overwhelmed by fear, distraction, or a troubled heart.
Those things won’t be able to overtake what’s become a deeply rooted reality within you.
I believe with all of my heart that Jesus will become the most famous person in church again and it starts now.
It starts with each of us on an individual level.
He alone will be cherished.
He alone will be sought.
An overwhelmed people will overwhelm the world around them.
I will continue to share more prophetic insights for the year 2020 in the weeks to come.
My hope and prayer is that your soul has already started to feel overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation for the year ahead and that this has perhaps brought confirmation to what you yourself are also sensing and hearing by the Spirit of God.
- Brian Connolly, Faith Like Birds Ministries