The last few weeks, I have had several recurring dreams about an army of consecrated young adults who were bringing the Kingdom of God to various areas of the marketplace. In the dream, I saw young adults who were like the Nazirites in Numbers, chapter 6. They had long hair, would not touch wine, nor go near anything that was dead. However, I instantly knew that this was not speaking about physical attributes (like having long hair), but instead it was focused on the heart response. Their long hair actually represented the public expression of their faith in the marketplace and their personal testimonies. Because these young Nazirites had saturated their hearts in prayer, they were able to carry themselves in natural excellence in their jobs. It was as though the spiritual excellence gave lift to the natural excellence in their lives. When I saw them giving up wine, it wasn’t about alcohol at all – it was speaking about consecration of the heart. These young adults knew that fasting wasn’t about “giving stuff up”, it was about tasting the infinite pleasures of God. And finally, when I saw them avoiding the dead, I knew that it was speaking about the Nazirites stance for life and being around things that are spiritually alive. They surrounded themselves with friends and prayer partners who had fiery spirits and consecrated hearts, and were thriving in their marketplace assignments.
Prophetic Decrees Meet Practical Equipping
As I continued to have this dream, some areas became clearer… one area that is really striking my heart is in direct connection with the internship program for this summer. My heart-cry for our generation is to get fueled up in prayer and with the spirit of prophecy, but then to be equipped with the practical ability to bring the Kingdom of God to the marketplace. Everytime I think of how my generation has been dulled by pop-culture, my heart weeps for the radical Nazirites to come forth to swing the pendulum of culture back toward the Lord. Instead of being fascinated the pleasures of God, my generation gives more time to fleeting pleasures in the entertainment industry. The result of hours spent online, in front of TV’s, movie screens, and other distractions is a dull heart. If we are going to see our culture shift, we must return to the ancient paths and cultivate excellence! For example, the only way to shift wicked business practices is to get fueled by a spirit of prayer and then get equipped to do anointed business. The primary way the Lord will shift Hollywood is to send anointed actors, film-makers, and designers into the midst of the darkness and equip them to be a LIGHT. In every area of life, the Lord is equipping marketplace Christians with spiritual and natural excellence that will testify of the Kingdom of Heaven. He’s not calling us to “give up on society” and hide ourselves from the darkness. In fact, He is sending us into the midst of it to be salt and light and bring the Kingdom of Heaven.
This summer is going to be unique for our Joseph International Team. Our internship staff, as we have been in Norway for 30 days, has been feeling the Lord place his finger on the “generals and leaders” of this young adult marketplace army. Some of the young people I saw the Lord touch did not think they were “generals or leaders” entering into this season, but they were equipped and launched in supernatural ways. Even the simple shepherds, like King David, have a destiny beyond the fields. So this summer, we are asking the Lord to send us leaders (and leaders in-the-making) who will equip others to pursue the Lord radically with a Nazirite-like focus. The Lord is speaking to us about seeing generals come forth from many different areas of culture and from many different backgrounds. However, this summer, the Lord is having us look for the generals!
Pictures of the Marketplace Nazirite Generals
Some generals were educators teaching in school systems that were founded on the knowledge of God. However, some of the educators were needed to be equipped to become “generals of the Lord” in the classroom. They needed a secondary type of education. Later in the dream, I saw students who were discovering God in math and science. Teachers were encountering the Lord in their lesson plan-making, and parents were seeing a move of the Lord at school that impacted their houses and families. I saw 5- and 6-year-old children praying over their parents and releasing the presence of Jesus in their homes.
In the area of business, I saw young adults in universities studying business and economics that were getting a revelation of Jesus for their future businesses. They were generals in the making. In their university days, they received training from professors, but needed to be connected to patriarchs of excellent Christian businesses who would help launch them. Many of the young Christian business majors were lacking the networks to get launched properly, but if they would take a risk and step out – the Lord would meet them. In the dream, they began to love the Lord well in business and finance, and the Lord began releasing blueprints of a new way of building. Kingdom businesses came forth that were both fruitful in the natural and brought the presence of God to the cites. There was a new sense of hope that came forth in the cities.
There were government officials who were holding the line for holiness. I saw political science majors who were taking classes and weeping in their dorm rooms for God to bring forth righteous legislation. They were weeping under their desks and asking God to come and touch their college campuses. Little did the political science majors realize, but they would one day help build Hebrews 11 cities –cities whose builder and maker was God. It was a miracle in the making and their eduction today was to be holy, radical, and set apart.
These were just a few of the areas of life the Lord was highlighting in the dream, but there are (undoubtedly) more.
Two-fold Spirit of Excellence
In many areas of life, I saw Nazirite generals who carried a spirit of excellence in everything they did. This excellence was two-fold. First, their excellent spirit was forged in the Jeremiah 6 “ancient paths” of prayer, fasting, and the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle. Secondly, their excellent spirit resulted in excellent physical performance on the job and in other areas of life. The God-given dreams of these marketplace Nazirites were great, but needed the patriarchal anointing of their fathers. I knew it was a divine moment for a Luke 1:17 work of God that would both release PASSION (zeal) AND WISDOM (experience of the patriarchs and matriarchs).
“He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” – Luke 1:17
As marketplace Christians, I believe we are being given a choice by the Lord. Will we consecrate our hearts for a season or will we continue with business as usual? Our culture is extreme in its responses (in very dark and wicked ways), so our response must be equal in measure and fire. It’s time to pray and fast and ask the Lord for a young adult movement that will shift culture in the marketplace.
To read more about our summer internship program with this focus, click here.
