I heard the Lord say, “I am transforming the hearts and minds of My people so they will be more effective for Me in the days ahead. I am burning off the dross in their lives. I have called My people to walk in freedom and life. Many are carrying what they do not need to carry. Many are weighed down by worries and obstacles as they have not released them to Me. Many are hindered by incorrect mindsets and roots of fear, bitterness and unbelief. I am breaking strongholds of the enemy and recompensing My people for what has been stolen. As My people align their heart and will with Mine, surrender afresh and put their faith in Me I will bring healing and freedom. With this freedom will come a peace and hope they have not known before.

 

I am pruning and refining at this time to prepare My people for the time ahead. I am readjusting, repositioning and realigning. Those that embrace this process will be prepared for My purposes ahead and will be used powerfully by Me. They will walk in abundant life. I desire to bring a refreshing and a renewing to My people. I desire to fill them afresh with My Spirit. This is a strategic time as I am preparing My people to carry the new assignments and mantles I am releasing. They must be free from any hindrances that hold them back in this hour. With the pruning and preparation will come transformation which will equip My people for My purposes. I am giving My people increase in the anointing of My Spirit and I am expanding their area of influence in the days ahead. I am transforming My people and raising them up for this time.”

 

I then had a vision of the people of God laying all at the feet of Jesus and inviting Him to remove anything that was not of Him or anything that was holding them back. They were asking for the refiner’s fire to fall on them so they would be prepared for the purposes God had for them. I saw the love of God wash over the people; waves and waves of love poured out on them. Jesus then looked at them with such kindness. I saw Him reach inside them and pull out roots that were the cause of things that were not of Him. Roots of brokenness, fear, shame, despair, bitterness and unbelief. He then pulled out what looked like vines that had entangled around the minds of people. These vines represented incorrect mindsets that were stopping the person from seeing God as He truly is and seeing themselves as God sees them. Jesus breathed over them and they were filled with life, peace, hope, joy and freedom. They were transformed by the touch of Jesus. I then saw them being given new garments by Jesus which represented new spiritual positions and new levels of spiritual authority.

 

The Lord is highlighting the following as ways He is bringing transformation to people’s lives –

 

Transformation of Hearts and Minds

 

Our heart and mind are very important to God. The bible tells us the high importance on keeping our hearts pure. Being pure in heart involves having a singleness of heart toward God. A pure heart has no hidden motives and has an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. The only way we can be truly pure in heart is to give our lives to Jesus and ask Him to do the cleansing work.

 

Psalm 24:3-4 (NASB) – Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully.

 

Matthew 5:8 (NASB) – Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

 

Proverbs 4:23 (NASB) – Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.

 

Psalm 51:10 (NASB) – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 

By renewing our minds as Christians, God will give us wisdom and discernment to know and do what is good, acceptable and perfect for our lives. The bible tells us to set our minds on things above and to have heavenly perspective. When we do this we are not moved by our circumstances. Having a heavenly mindset is important in advancing God’s kingdom on earth. The person whose thoughts are consumed with God and His kingdom will have perfect peace instead of anxiety and worry. When we place our trust in God He pours out his peace on us that will guard our hearts and minds. Believers can develop a heavenly mindset by understanding their resurrected position in Christ as we are seated in heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2:6). The Lord wants us to see our authority and position in Him. Romans 8:17 says we are ‘co–heirs with Christ’ so everything He has is ours.

 

Romans 12:2 (NASB) – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect.

 

Colossians 3:1-2 (NASB) – Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.

 

Philippians 4:8-9 (NASB) – Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

 

Pruning and Refining

 

Allow the Lord to renew and transform. Trust in Him and the work He is doing in you as He loves you and is preparing you. The Lord wants you to reflect His glory and light to the world! The Lord wants to remove our impurities, our dross, so that He may refine us. Silver is refined in the fire because it removes contaminates and impurities. In the same way, God allows us to go through various tests and trials thus perfecting our faith. It is the Lord’s intent and desire to transform us into His image and likeness. He is a willing potter ready to do the work necessary to shape us as He wills. Our role is to yield and submit to this process. This is the road to intimacy with God. The bible also talks about pruning. God prunes away parts of us that are bearing no fruit so that we can be more fruitful.

 

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB) – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

 

Proverbs 25:4 (NKJV) – Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the refiner.

 

Psalm 66:10 (NASB) – For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined.

 

Isaiah 64:8 (NASB) – But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.

 

John 15:1-2 (NASB) – “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

 

Removal of Hindrances and Strongholds

 

The Lord wants to make us whole in every area of our lives. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to restore His children to the fullness to which He created us. He came so we could have abundant life. The Word tells us that He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3) and the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). We need to leave our worries in the hands of Jesus knowing He cares for us and wants to take those things from us. The Lord will heal hidden hurts as you hand them over to Him knowing He is the one who can bring healing and true liberty.

 

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) – Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

 

Matthew 11:28 (NSASB) – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

 

It is God’s plan for spiritual strongholds to be demolished. The bible tells us our weapons are not physical, for our warfare is spiritual in nature. The Lord wants us to rise up and use our spiritual authority and the spiritual weapons we have been given. Jesus has given us the authority to use His name to expel and come against the forces of evil.

 

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV) – The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

 

Increase in Anointing

 

Matthew 3:11 tells us Jesus baptises us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. When we receive Jesus’ baptism we receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit that sets us apart to minister with His gifts in power. The anointing does not point to us, but to God who empowers us. We are anointed to transform our area of influence for the advancement of the kingdom and to bring glory to God. God anoints us to fulfil the plans and calling He has for us. The anointing allows you to move into a supernatural walk with God. The Lord is filling people with His Spirit and increasing the anointing on the lives of people so they may powerfully impact their area of influence for Him.

 

 

This is a time of transformation for those who surrender to the Lord, and submit to the pruning and refining the Lord is doing at this time. There is a repositioning and realigning that is occurring as part of the preparation for what is coming. The Lord is removing hindrances and refreshing His people. He is filling them with the power of His Spirit and raising them up to carry out the plans He has for them.