I recently preached at the School of Worship at Bethel, and as I was getting my things together to walk up to the podium God stopped me and began to speak. He told me to prophesy over the students before preaching. When I asked Him what the word was, He responded,
The epoch season has changed, and it requires a new prophetic mascot. The prophetic mascot for this hour is no longer the eagle; it’s the owl. The owl is nocturnal, so it is designed to live in the night, to see through the darkness and to know who’s who. It’s the symbol of wisdom, and it feasts on rats and snakes.
That word did not only apply to the School of Worship students, but to every believer. It’s a word for the current epoch we’re stepping into as a church! So the Lord has called for a changing of the guard from the eagle to the owl, and we must align ourselves with this change in order to see what God is wanting to do in the world.
SEE LIKE AN OWL
Let’s take a look at the characteristics of the owl a little further so that we can fully partner with what God is wanting to do in this season. An owl’s eyes pierce through the darkness. It can go to the darkest places and still see clearly. This clarity of vision is natural for the owl so he doesn’t have to force it or make it happen. Owls represent wisdom.
So what does this mean for us? It’s time for the Body of Christ to carry the Kingdom into the darkest places of society! He’s giving us new eyes to see through darkness, cloudiness and fogginess so that we can see the gold in people clearly—precious souls who are wrapped up in sin are just waiting to be recovered and set free! This is how we will see cultures transformed by the Kingdom; by going into dark places and bringing the wisdom we carry as believers.
JESUS: THE FRIEND OF SINNERS
We need to learn how to have influence society in a way that draws them to us. Many people have had some exposure to the Bible, but few have encountered the live and active Word of God. Religion has filled in the gap for some, but it feigns in comparison to the fulfillment of an encounter. Transformation of people, and cultures, requires more than the consumption of the idea of Jesus, but the actual assimilation into what life with Him is; enticing and irresistible! We owe the world a face-to-face meeting with their Creator and His extravagant love.
Jesus painted a beautiful picture of how to lovingly influence the world. He became a Jewish man and folded himself into the culture He was called to impact. He didn’t try to control people into transformation. Instead, He loved them and lived His life as an example of what was possible. He wasn’t afraid to go to the darkest places of society or be around those considered impure or immoral. He met them where they were at without ever compromising His own character, and He shattered the boxes that religion tried to put His love into. The religious community called him a drunkard, but that did not change His response to the mandate on His life.
OUR MANDATE
We are called to be like Jesus. We must be willing to reach into the cesspools of darkness for the sake of our mandate to disciple nations. I encourage you to take a moment now to align yourself with this new epoch, join the owl brigade, and invite Holy Spirit to show you your specific role in seeing cultures transformed by the Kingdom! Are you willing to get your hands dirty? Jesus did for you.
How do you see yourself going into dark places? Is this something that’s already easy for you, or do you find it challenging? I’d love to hear where you’re at with this in the comments below.
