February 20, 2017 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

The Return of the Prodigals

A prophetic word by Victoria Boyson

(This article came to me this morning; I believe it is correct and important, so I decided to pass it along. Claim the promise what the Holy Spirit is doing among us, but not just for yourself but for others…God’s revival is to begin with us.)

There’s been something I’ve been sensing recently that I haven’t felt in many years. It’s something I’ve been waiting for – the Holy Spirit’s movement on His people. His subtle outpouring seems to be increasing everyday with a renewal of a hunger to reach the lost increasing and dramatically. And in particular, I feel His increased desire for the return of His prodigal sons and daughters to the bosom of His trusted Church.

Because of what they’ve endured, the prodigals are very treasured by the Father and He’s been waiting to bring them home until we, the Church, are prepared to receive them and fight for them.

The Father told me, "My prodigals want to come home!"

He said it with such ardency that I was literally undone, because the Father rarely says things with mere words. No, when He speaks, He imparts His heart as well. And, truly, His heart for the prodigals is overwhelming. I broke down as He let me feel some of the yearning and longing they are experiencing.

However, we have to ask ourselves, "Why has the Father waited so long to return them to us?" If they are so longing to return, why are they not just returning?

Father shared an in-depth view with me of the story of the prodigal son that Jesus shared in the Gospels…

A View of the Prodigals

I saw the prodigal returning home carrying an all-encompassing burden of shame. Indeed, he was at a place of such despair, He was desperate to feel the love of the Father and did not feel worthy to receive His forgiveness. He was afraid, afraid because of an oppressive demonic cloud that covered him as if it owned him.

In the world, he’d tried desperately to fight against this oppression, but got little more than a moment of relief from it. With its grip inevitably strengthening through pains of disappointment, the prodigal was utterly convinced he was irredeemable, which was the message the demons utilized to hold him captive to shame.

However brief, there were moments when the prodigal would wonder about the Father, most often when he would meet up with a loving Christian who’d been well seasoned in the love of the Father. Yet, shame all too often rose up like a blinding barrier reminding him of his past and convincing him, yet again, of the impossibility of his redemption.

I heard the words of lying spirits say things like, "You’ve tried that before, they will not accept you." Or, "You are too far gone, God could never love you." On and on the lies continued until he stopped fighting the objections of the enemy and simply let his mind relax in their seeming truth.

It is an absolute miracle of the Father that the lost have the courage to attempt to return to Him. It’s the desperation of their heart and the longing in their soul that gives them the strength to come back to God. Love-starved led redemption is incredibly powerful and its strength lies in its fervent humility. Broken to the point of hopelessness, the prodigals have nothing left to lose, and so they find the courage to return.

Feeling he could not be humiliated any more than he already had, the prodigal son felt he had no other choice but to try to go back home.

On making his way back to his Father, he recited the appeals for help he would make to him over and over in his mind. Feeling certain the Father could not love him after all his waywardness, he thought, "If I can only be a worker in my Father’s fields, that will be enough for me."

The idea that he deserved to be received back into his Father’s loving embrace did not occur to him, but he longed even to be near Him and close to His goodness – to feel the warmth of Him.

After what seemed like an impossible journey, he drew near his Father’s home and his resolve began to weaken. Nervousness, hopelessness and fear fought urgently to gain the upper hand in his heart, but his feet kept moving. Closer and closer, he suddenly begins to see off in the distance a bit of a commotion. He tries to focus and understand, but it seems incomprehensible.

Before he can comprehend what’s happening, he feels himself stop as he is suddenly wrapped up. Literally, engulfed in powerful arms, he’s overwhelmed by strength and feels the familiar scents and senses he’d not felt in some time.

Like an avalanche of emotion literally thrust upon him, he can scarcely breathe. He hears his Father’s voice, but can hardly take it all in. The familiar trusted voice is exploding in his mind. "What is he saying?" he tries to reason. "Wait," he questions. "Is He crying?" he asks himself as he senses the convulsing of his Father’s body against his. He couldn’t be crying, he reasoned. "NO," his mind screams. "I’m unworthy," as he is simply overwhelmed.

Suddenly, the Father grabs his son’s shoulders and holds him out at arm’s length. He wants to, again, look at his face and take in the return of a dream.

The Father’s face now covered in dirty tears, He is overcome with emotion at the sight of His beloved son. Grateful for his courage, the Father looks to assess the immediate needs of His son. Brimming with emotion, there isn’t anything He would not do for His son.

Wanting only for the stain of the lost years to be gone, the Father endeavors to draw him back into the fold as quickly and as assuredly as He can. He needs to make the return of His son COMPLETE!

Reestablishing him in all the gifts he’d once possessed, He washes away the smell of shame and fear and replaces it with a homecoming of peace and safety – to restore His son’s place in His heart.

The prodigal starts to relax, as he’s able now to accept what is happening to him. The servants begin to take part in the Father’s joy as He beckons them to come and see the prize returned to Him. Overjoyed for the Father, they congratulate the prodigal on his return and embrace him as the Father has done.

What a joyous scene! The endangered lost lamb has been returned to his Father!

The Return: "My Prodigals Want to Come Home" by Victoria Boyson

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What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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