Two mornings ago in my 5 a.m. groggy state, I felt a stirring in my spirit of what was on the Lord’s heart that morning. As I sleepily tried to focus and clutched my authentic Indian Masala Chai (of which we adore and keep readily on hand because it reminds us of ‘home’) for joy and warmth from this sudden and brisk change in weather, I turned to John 4 that we were reading from while discipling a friend the evening before. I had that night realized something that I had never knowingly noticed before. I will be sharing about this in a two part word of which the second half should be up soon, so be on the look out for it! Now, on to the meat!

The first half of John 4 is telling the account of Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. Just as Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah that the world had been searching for, His disciples returned to Him with lunch. Instead of being intrigued and interested in what was taking place in that very moment, they were distracted and possibly even offended to find Him not only conversing with a woman, which was culturally unacceptable in those times; but more so with a woman who was not a Jew.

After the woman ran off to town to tell everyone about Who she had just encountered, the disciples urged Jesus to eat the lunch that they had brought. Jesus’ response is, ³⁴“My food (‘nourishment’ in NLT) is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to completely finish His work. ³⁵Do you not say, ‘It is still four months until the harvest comes?’ Look, I say to you, raise your eyes and look at the fields and see, they are white for harvest.” The first thing I want to point out is what Jesus said in verse 34. Jesus and His disciples had been traveling for quite some time leading up to this and when He stopped at Jacob’s well, it says that He was weary from the walk. It only makes sense that after a strenuous, exhausting activity that one should drink and eat to regain strength for the journey. Instead, Jesus responded that His nourishment comes from Heaven, doing the will of the One Who sent Him and completing His work in the earth.

My question for you is, do you like to fast? I never enjoyed it and it definitely felt like dying to self; for I realized how much I enjoy chocolate and meat. Jesus told me about five months ago to begin intentionally and frequently fasting if I truly desired to see many things I had been seeking Him in prayer about as well as for global revival to come to full fruition. I will be honest and tell you, I was disobedient up until Jeremiah went to Southeast Asia two months ago. I was caught up in the ‘now’ nourishment and sustenance. I am so grateful that He is such a gracious and patient Papa and sees where we are and will also come to meet us there and call us upward.

Before Jeremiah left, He gently reminded me of His last call and with a great desire and hunger for Him and His will in Asia, I fasted for the duration of Jeremiah’s leave and forsook my ‘good’ chores to sit at His feet. Let me tell you, in my ‘dying to self’, I came alive in the manifest Spirit of God and encountered more of Jesus and heavenly activity than in the culmination of my walk with the Lord. I will not be fake and pretend that since then I do not struggle in my days of consistent fasting, nor do presume to make it perfectly through every day without fail, whether intentional or not. I do recognize there was a special grace upon those first weeks; but fasting is warfare. I will, however, say that I have found a realm far beyond any earthly substance that would sustain. I now understand what Jesus meant when He said what He did. 

Recently, I have noticed the purity of my son, Azariah’s bold faith in increasing levels. It has been his practice for about a year and half of praying himself before bed after we do. Over time, his prayers have become interesting, precious, spirit-led, and awakening as we have seen him grow and his love for Jesus increase. Since Jeremiah returned from Southeast Asia in which they saw 4,612 souls reaped in Jesus’ name into the Kingdom of Heaven, we have faced varying levels of attack and warfare. It is no mystery to us for we know the enemy is angry and threatened at our obedience in seeking His face and doing His will. We do not question where these trials originate, for we stirred up and ransacked hell in warfare over every one of those souls.

Two weeks ago, I had to take Elam, our 19 month old to get 5 stitches on his nose after a freak accident and I was emotionally worn. The enemy took the next day to hit me at every turn, including enduring a freak accident and injury myself. That night while experiencing a unwarranted attack of vertigo while praying with Azariah in bed, I encountered the love of the Father through my three year old and gained much understanding in His ways.

Azariah’s nightly questions before bed are, “How was your good day today?” and “What was your favorite part?” Truthfully, I responded, “Mommy did not have a good day today, baby; nor do I have a favorite part.” I began to explain why, including Elam’s accident the night before. He responded, “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’m so sorry.” I asked why. He stated, “I should’ve prayed for you when the cheerios spilled.” (Right after my own accident, in pain, I got the boys a snack to try and distract them as I cleaned it up. As I handed Elam his cup, the container of cheerios crashed in a massively dispersed mess on the kitchen floor. Azariah ran in upset thinking he wouldn’t get a snack now…never fear, there’s another box.)

Shocked at his statement in bed, I told him it wasn’t his fault. He said again that he should’ve prayed for me because I was hurt and having a hard day. He then proceeded to hold me, rub my back, and pray the most powerful and precious prayer over me. As I wept an ugly cry, the love of God entered this bubble and invaded every place of pain, brokenness, anxiety, and fear; completely uprooting and replacing them with His love. It was then as I reflected what we are really fighting for, what we are really fasting for…a whole other dimension. This was the nourishment that I desperately needed. Each of these things are not to be done out of selfishness, but out of a whole-hearted, genuine desire to see the totality of His Kingdom invade the earth; and to see the coming generations operating in the fullness of the Spirit and power, from the youngest of age. These things can only be done by first doing it yourself, then setting an example for those coming after you to follow. THIS is true discipleship. THIS will change the world. The battle and the sacrifice is worth it.

(NLT) ³⁵“But I say, WAKE UP and look around. The fields are ALREADY ripe for harvest.” (emphasis added)  The harvest is truly RIPE all around us, if we will only WAKE UP and look at what is right in front of us. The hearts of our children are ripe. If we do it right, if we will seek His face and ascend the hill of the Lord, our children will see where we are going and the why behind it; and they will develop the desire to follow right behind, for the prize of Jesus here on earth will be the why behind their ‘yes!”

Soon, I will share the “The NOW Harvest: Part 2” with the rest of the revelation from John 4 as well as the Word the Lord spoke to me that morning while resting in His wonderful Presence.

I leave you with these final reflections:
What are you willing to give up in your ascent to the mountain of the Lord?
All of the baggage can sure weigh you down and prevent you from receiving the full nourishment needed to complete the will of the Lord for your life and in the earth. I implore you to be seeking out ways to be intentional in sitting at His feet in ever-increasing heights, receiving your replenishment, furthering the Gospel and discipling those around you, especially the children in your life!

Katie, Pure Fire of Yahweh