Are You Ready For The After? : Pastor Jeannette Samuels
It’s one word, five letters, but in it contains such depth to our walk with the Lord. The connotation is that if there is an “after,” then something had to happen before. ABSOLUTELY!!! There is no after, there is no result, until we take action… or no action if directed. We just completed our 21-day corporate time of fasting and prayer; that was the action. Now, we are in the after, and we should be in expectation the rest of this fasting year until January of 2024 to see the results of what we fasted for come to pass.
Isaiah 58:6-12 (AMP) says this:
“[Rather] is this not the fast which I choose, To undo the bonds of wickedness, To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke, To let the oppressed go free And break apart every [enslaving] yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth; Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity], The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression], The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech, And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry And satisfy the [a]need of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your soul in scorched and dry places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste]; You will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
Did you notice that when you participate in the type of fasting that God desires, there are a lot of “then’s” that happen? Those are the “afters;” those are the things that He says will happen. He says that when you listen for His direction, apply what He is saying (follow those directions), that it is only a matter of time before the “after” takes place.
In order for us to walk in the fulfillment of the “after,” we must do what He is asking. We must follow the directions He has laid out in His Word, and then be in expectation and thanksgiving because He said that His Word cannot return void and has to produce where it is sent, and prosper that place. In essence, you can say that He has put us in charge of obeying what He says to do or not to do “before” so that He can manifest the “after” in our lives, in this community/region/territory, in this nation, and beyond.
Are we ready for the “after?” It takes more than you may think or want to hear about today. But to go where the Lord is taking us, we have to get ready, or the “after” will always be hindered, blocked and delayed… not only in our lives personally, but in this congregation, in our families, in our community, in our region, and even in this nation and around the globe. Let’s get real; let’s get vulnerable; and let’s get ready, because He’s ready and waiting to release the “after” and watch it burst forth from this place!
