SUDDENLY

It is customary for God to take us to new heights. This may occur in the arenas of faith,

influence, responsibility, finances, anointing, or vocation. The process God uses is often an incremental, little by little, promotion but there are also times when God works suddenly on our behalf. We see this in the stories of David and Goliath, Joseph in prison, and Gideon after the angelic encounter.

• Some people feel they are in a holding pattern of stagnation and will never reach

their God-ordained potential. They will never become all God called and created them

to be. Yet we serve a God that arranges explosive leaps. It is He that can cause us to

make up for lost time. God is a redeemer of time. This means that He buys back time

on our behalf. He takes the time we have left and makes up for the time we wasted or lost. He can do in one year what we could have done in five.

• I believe we will be seeing more and more of God’s suddenlies which is tied to us living

in the time of great harvest. There are three laws that we should be aware of to be

postured for and qualified to receive the suddenlies of God. They are illustrated by a

tree.

1) THE LAW OF ADJUSTMENT

• When a tree is planted in rocky soil or near other trees or during a time of drought, it

must make adjustments if it is to reach its potential. It must focus on the health of its

roots. It needs to focus on growing in ways that won’t cause it to be stunted or entangled by other trees nearby. It also needs to use the moisture and nutrients wisely

since they are depleted by the place and season it is planted in.

• In the Old Testament we see the story of Naaman, a captain in the Syrian army who had leprosy. He goes to the prophet asking him to pray to God for his healing. The prophet simply tells his servant who is conveying the message, “Instruct him to dip in the Jordan River seven times and he will be healed”. Naaman is disappointed. He pictured a more grandiose action by the prophet such as waving his hand over him while commanding his God to heal him. He also detested the dirty waters of the Jordan and asked why he couldn’t dip in a cleaner river. Pride and stubbornness almost cost him his breakthrough.

• We don’t know when, where, or how God is going to bring our suddenly. It is important to be flexible and be willing to adjust our preconceived ideas.

2) THE LAW OF APPETITE• 

My elevation is determined by my actions and my actions are a reflection of my appetite. Many of us are filled with expectations and anticipation of what God will do. A peach tree knows it needs to bear peaches but it also knows it needs bees to pollinate the blossoms for this to happen. It has to do something to create an appetite in the bees. It finds that bees are drawn to the fragrance and nectar of flower blossoms so it produces them in abundance and the bees are drawn in.

• The enemy wants us to mismanage things we are exposed to. He accomplishes this by

tempting us to succumb to jealousy, covetousness, or a desire for self-exaltation. When

I go to a church conference I don’t become jealous or covetous of the host ministry and

their successes. I go there to get inspired and to receive tools that will help me and H

3) THE LAW OF AGITATION

• God will create a divine dissatisfaction with what you have to create a desire for

what you need. We have an oak tree in our front yard that bears acorns every year. The

acorns appear on the branches in a very small form. As the weeks pass they grow and

multiply. By November they have formed clusters that are weighing down the branches,

almost to the point of breaking. The tree recognizes this danger and begins releasing a

chemical that causes the acorns to fall to the ground.

• The oak tree has experienced what is known as “holy discontentment”. It becomes a

unique agitation that is associated with our unique assignment. The purpose God has

for your life is an answer to a problem. God will agitate you with a problem you were

created to help solve. Years ago a young man in a northern State had a girlfriend who

lived across a lake that was over a mile wide. He wanted to see her more often but

rowing a boat to her house took a lot of time and energy. He finally came up with an

invention of a waterproof, compact motor that attached to the stern of the little boat.

The young man’s surname was Johnson and he was the inventor of the outboard motor.

His agitation caused him to find a solution which brought great elevation to his life.

• God wants to bring suddenlies into our life through the power of His Spirit. He asks us to be willing to adjust, He gives us an appetite, and He creates an agitation that will prod us to actions leading to our breakthrough. If you sense that any or all of these three laws are evident in your life and circumstances today, you are on the brink of a breakthrough. God has great things in store for you!