Let's Avoid Creating Ishmaels

Let's avoid creating Ishmaels as we seek to fulfill God's destinies for our lives. We each have a vision and destiny placed in our hearts by God. The passion to see it fulfilled is also placed in our hearts by God. Abraham had a destiny given to him at 75 years of age (Gen. 12). After waiting for more than a decade for God to fulfill it, he and his wife decided on a way they could help bring about the fulfillment of this vision. Ishmael was born. This was NOT a directive that God had given to them. It was a work of their flesh, and God rejected it. In the journaling below God spoke a warning to me, and to all of us.

Journaling Through Mark Virkler

Mark, yes, I have given you a vision of saturating the world with the message of communion with God. However, that is NOT something you need to strive to do. Striving is MAN’S effort. Resting and tuning to the flow of My Holy Spirit is the way you are to proceed.

I know you are wondering about doing more advertising and strategizing for greater impact. However, was it advertising that made this training a world phenomenon? No, it was My Spirit that has spread this message worldwide.

I was the one who picked you up and put you at Full Gospel Tabernacle, a church that presented you to the world.

I was the one who gave John Arnott a dream to come to Buffalo and ask Tommy Reid if he knew where the three milk cans were that he had in his dream. Tommy Reid sent him to your office where John received one of those cans of milk, which was the training on four keys to hearing My voice.

It was I who blessed Toronto with an outpouring of My Spirit, and it was Me who caused them to make communion with God one of their core messages which resulted in you going there and teaching it 100 times over 25 years.

It is I who inspired everyone to share the four keys with all their friends and acquaintances. It was I who inspired Tim Taylor to invite you to India to record your key courses through a translator. It was I who inspired and funded the translation of these into many languages. It was I who inspired an individual to take the Russian translations (which you made freely available) and post them on YouTube where you just discovered they have reached over 70,000 viewers. The message is spreading worldwide through many languages through the breath of My Spirit.

So NO, you do not need to come up with your ideas as to how to spread this message. It is being done by My Spirit.

This is a caution to all of My children. The gifts, mission, and calling I have placed in their hearts will be fulfilled as they follow the leading of My Spirit, not by the strivings of their flesh. The strivings of the flesh create Ishmaels, which in turn beget  problems. As you have noted, the war between Isaac and Ishmael (Jews and Arabs) is still going on after thousands of years.

My instruction to all My children is to come, listen, and obey. It’s truly as simple as that.

Thank You, Lord.

Journaling Application: Lord, show me the ways You are supernaturally intervening in my life to propel me forward to the fulfillment of my destiny. What would You have me do today to partner with You in Your plan?
 

Want to hear God's voice like this for yourself? Register for our free video event beginning October 12, 2023! Ten hours of training over 13 days on the 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice.