Important Word: Navigating the New Era – A Word by Teresa Jones

The sky looked ominous like a storm was coming. We were going out on a boat in Tampa Bay with some wonderful friends.

Tampa Bay was  named the Bay of the Holy Spirit back in the 1500s. There was no coincidence that within 2 months time, my husband and I, were led to both Bays of the Holy Spirit, Mobile Bay and now Tampa Bay.

The weather was dark it looked like a storm would be unleashed at any moment but we were undeterred that day. We got into the boat and after looking around we decided to go in a different direction than we had planned because of how bad the sky looked. We didn’t want to head straight into the storm so we went the opposite way. So then our friend says “we need to follow the GPS because we’ve never been this way before!”   

Right then I heard the Holy Spirit begin speaking to me! He continued speaking throughout  the day through our words as well as the events of the day.

So we settle in the boat while it begins to rain and I make a choice. I said in my heart , “God, I’m going to enjoy this trip whether I get soaked sitting here in this boat or not. I CHOOSE to enjoy this day despite what I see coming.”

DON’T LOOK BACK

My friend is sitting upfront and she was turned around talking to us. She’s looking at the sky behind us and says “Trust me, whatever you do – don’t look behind you!” She’s laughing and watching the dark sky  and then says “keep your eyes looking forward, just whatever you do – don’t look back!” The Holy Spirit was speaking again!! I began to realize He was speaking of the new era and how to navigate the waters in the new era.

First, in the new era, we must follow the GPS (God Positioning system) because we’ve never been this way before. We can’t rely on past experience to guide us. We cannot just do what we’ve always done and still get to where we need to go now.

We are in unfamiliar territory and uncharted waters! We can’t navigate this new era by what we know or have experienced before, good or bad. It is a brand new day with a brand new order to it! We must follow the GPS, our navigator, who is the Holy Spirit, because we will go places we didn’t know we were going to go  and even find ourselves in places we never intended to be during this new era, but He will lead us! We MUST be sensitive and tuned into to His guidance.  We must lean into Him and begin to hear His voice in the everyday steps as well as in the big moments!

Secondly, He said “Whatever you do, don’t look back! Just keep your eyes forward!”  That is a key for this time. Stop looking back and even yearning for simpler times and of so-called more peaceful times or even the normal times of past seasons. Trust him in the turbulence! It is a necessary part of the sequence. Learning to navigate the turbulence now trains you for the future battles so you can stand strong.

CROSSOVER TIME

I had a supernatural experience a couple months back that I’ll share here because I believe it is significant. My husband was preaching that particular Sunday morning on the new season and era but he’d not told me what he was preaching. Obviously the Lord was speaking to us both about the New Era! I was up early praying and I walked into a room to just throw something away.  I go through the doorway and when I do- I KNOW  by the Spirit that  I have just crossed over into the new season. I had crossed over a threshold into the new season, but also into a new era of time! It was a major stepping over into the new place! It was huge! I sensed and felt the magnitude of it! It was a huge leap and it was a scary moment!

What I sensed in that moment was so monumental it was almost overwhelming. To be honest it was a bit intimidating to me and almost immediately I wanted to go back through the door to the old. I actually ran back to doorway but I knew I could not go back through that doorway AND go forward at the same time. So I stopped and didn’t go back to the old! I chose the new!

The new era was a bit ominous feeling just like the sky was that day on the bay I’ve just described. The sky seemed dark and foreboding. It was a bit of a scary passage and I felt that! However, at the very same time it will be the adventure of a lifetime, the culmination of many years of sacrifice and training. I have great expectancy for the days ahead!

The unfamiliar part of this new era made me want to look back to what I knew, and was familiar.  I had learned to navigate somewhat comfortably in the past, in the old season. I was familiar with it. At least I knew how to “do” that season. This all happened in a matter of seconds, but I KNEW He was speaking, and I KNEW I couldn’t go back! Once I REALIZED what was taking place I didn’t want to go back! I’ve been praying, prophesying and waiting for this time. I wasn’t going back now! There was mindset change to expectancy!

We have crossed over into unfamiliar territory and we need HIM more than ever!  We cannot look back and long for the peace, safety, familiarity or the normal of the past! “Whatever you do, don’t look back! Lock your eyes on Jesus and  look forward! Let him guide you by His eye!”

Now I’m going to continue with the story of navigating on the Bay of the Holy Spirit. When you are prophetic, sometimes your very life experiences will be prophetic experiences. This was one of those times.

Now if you are a boater, you may say they should have done this or they should have done that. WARNING: if you follow that line of thinking here, you will miss what God was doing that day and what He is saying .

BACK TO THE BAY

We get soaked from very large drops of rain, but we are in a boat out on the bay.  So I think “Yay!” I’d already determined to enjoy this day even if it rained a little or a lot! It was only water! We don’t look behind us at the dark sky and we just enjoy being out on the water with our friends! We laugh, we talk and just enjoy the time.

The sky begins to clear.

All this time the water is like glass. It is calm. We are the only boat out with only the occasional boat in the distance. It’s almost low tide.

Our skipper had forgotten his phone that he usually navigated with but we have the GPS. The water is flat, calm and gorgeous. All is well.

Then all of a sudden, in an instant, we are in shallow water out in the middle of the bay! We are not close to the shore, but it is shallow! We slow down to a crawl. We are able to change direction and get back into deeper water! Whew! That was close! The water still looks like glass.

We pick up speed and all is well. We laugh then while talking about how beautiful and calm the water looks. When suddenly, once again, we’ve gone from a 12-15 feet depth to 2 foot of water in a few seconds! This time we have to push our way out of the shallow place with a pole but we make it out again!

We take off again but now we are more aware of the depth finder and eye it regularly. The water looks like glass. It is beautiful and we are way out in the bay going a different way than we had planned. The sky has cleared now.

WE ARE IN THE WEEDS

Suddenly, we are in 2 foot of water again! This time there are weeds. Lots of weeds! One guy gets out of the boat into the water and actually pushes us out of the weeds! We find our way slowly, carefully into deeper waters again. The water is gorgeous and looks like glass.

So now we are on “high alert”to the depth of the water and the weeds but from what we can see the water looks the same in the deep and in the shallow areas. You never know the shallowness or the weeds are there until you are IN them.

I’m thinking to myself that “I am not getting out of this boat into that water or into those weeds. That is not going to happen!” Haha!  Well, so far so good. The water still looks like glass.

We fly along, picking up speed, it’s smooth sailing now then, BAM, all of a sudden we are in the weeds again! This time all three men are out trying to get us free. I begin to say several times “do I need to get out?” They answer no, you ladies stay in the boat.

The weeds are thick and it’s more shallow this time.  We begin to scrape the sand a bit. Now it is time. I know it. It’s time for me, for ALL OF US, to get out of the boat! I’m thinking it is time to lighten this load if we are going to get unstuck and be able to move forward. 

We look around and to the left of the boat we see a sandbar. We see a SANDBAR out in the middle of the bay! They take us towards that and we get out of the boat and stand on the sand bar! I am standing in shallow water in the middle of the Bay of the Holy Spirit on a sandbar, while they get the boat into right position, rightly aligned and unstuck!

By now I’m just laughing at this circumstance! We are in the middle of Tampa Bay on a sandbar standing in a foot of water while just a few feet away it’s WAY over our heads!

GOD MADE PROVISION

Provision! God had provided a sand bar for us to stand on when we needed to get out of the boat! God is so good! I don’t know if I would have been able to tread water long enough or even stand up long in those weeds – but he made a way! He will do that again and again! He’s just good like that!

He gave me a sandbar to stand on! It was a solid place to stand on out in the middle of the BAY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! I love that about my Jesus!! 

The men work very hard at it  and get the boat around this very shallow part and out of the weeds. We get back in the boat  and slowly navigate back into deeper waters. It goes from 2 feet to 12 feet in absolutely no time at all.  The water looks like glass!

I keep saying that the water looked like glass because it looked the same whether it was 15 foot deep or 1.5 foot of shallow water with weeds! We could NOT navigate by looking at the surface of the water!!  God was speaking even in that-ESPECIALLY IN THAT!

NEW ERA  NAVIGATIONAL KEYS

You CANNOT navigate the new era by sight -by what you see with your natural eyes. This new era MUST be navigated by faith, by HEARING the Spirit of God!

The word says we must walk by faith and not by sight. That is a key for the new era we find ourselves living in. What seems ok, or even the obvious thing that seems to make sense is not necessarily the way to go or the thing to do now. We have to listen up at a whole new level now. What we see with our eyes cannot be the guiding force of the day. GOD MUST BE THE GUIDING FORCE! He knows what is beneath the surface and how to overcome it!

The water looked like glass all through this time. What was critical and what counted was what was underneath the water, the part you couldn’t see until you were deep in it. He knew what was there all the time. What was underneath, the depth of the water,  as well as the weeds got us stuck and looking for a way out.

I heard the Lord say “Even if you get into the weeds and get stuck – I will make a way of escape and lead you out. Trust ME! Don’t go by what you see!!”

He had already been faithful by making a way of escape each time we got stuck and even sending us a sandbar when we needed a solid place to stand in the middle of the water! He is so very good and faithful.

The rest of the day was a wonderfully fun and enjoyable time. We stopped and had lunch on the water. He was with us all day. I cherish these times where the Lord speaks so clearly, guides us and even orchestrates our day just to talk to us!

Ask him and he will show you direction and the ways to navigate this new season. Listen intently! Lean in to hear HIM! DO NOT MISS HIS LITTLE NUDGES!

We must navigate this season by faith, by hearing his voice and allowing HIM to guide us into all truth, because He gave us the Holy Spirit, His Spirit, who IS the Spirit of truth.

Proverbs says, there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death. We must follow the way of the Holy Spirit and what He says is right. He must be our best friend, our source, and our commander. What He says always lines up with the word of God and always points to Jesus!

INCREDIBLE TIMES AHEAD

This new era will be incredible! It will be the time that many saints have waited for what seems like forever, yearned and prayed for. It is here!

You have been chosen to live in this new era! He has placed in you the ability and a grace to navigate well. He has put inside you everything you need for life and godliness. All your paths lead to this one. All your struggling and trials have prepared you for this day. He has known all along! He holds you in the palm of his hand and nothing surprises him! He has carefully transitioned you for this day. Lean in! Listen up and soar!

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