Climate Maps, 2024 and the decade ahead! [Mike Writes]
I (Mike Betts) have been very mindful recently of the next 10 years ahead.
How does the Lord want us to proceed should Christ not return within that time? What will the Relational Mission ‘Map’ look like in 2034?
I felt the Lord draw my attention to the ‘world climate map’ in an atlas I have. I put the atlas on my desk with a view to pray that my eyes be lifted to bigger global perspectives and horizons as He seems to be beckoning us, as a family of churches, to collectively think further and wider wherever we live.
I have always felt part of my ongoing prayer is for God to ‘multiply apostolic families of churches amongst us through the raising up of spiritual sons and daughters in the nations’. As I gazed at this map, my prayers and vision were affected by what I noticed.
World Climate Map
A Change of Climate
I believe that, as 2023 closes and 2024 begins, these are things to carry in our hearts:
The map has been redrawn, placing the global south and east more central to the whole picture. The world’s spiritual climate is what is dominant rather than the political map we are used to seeing. First the natural, then the spiritual, I thought.
I also noticed how the UK is on the edges of the climate map! We are used to the UK being thought of as front and centre! As in the natural, so in the spiritual: she and the western world in general are presently somewhat on the margins of spiritual influence - but not of God’s care. Praise God for his global church and the help we can receive from each other. The western church must humble herself and gratefully receive help from the global south and east.
It is not a political map - a climate map highlights what is not ‘in control’ and emphasises what is! For sure, politics and humanity are looking and feeling far less ‘in control’ than ever. The reality ‘blowing’ now and becoming more visible is that the Lord reigns and is shaking all things, so that only that which cannot be shaken will remain.
The Globe is shown as being governed by winds and rains etc, - things out of man’s control. I believe the Holy Spirit is increasing His seismic activity globally.
There are massive winds of the Holy Spirit blowing; ‘trade winds’ that we must follow as we see the effect of the Spirit blowing. God will widen and deepen our global mission (making disciples, planting and strengthening churches) and our global connections through this next season.
Huge monsoon seasons are coming: times for being still before God, staying still while the rain pours, aware of the awesome power of the Lord Most High. Just as nations experiencing monsoons find life is affected when nature unleashes its full force, so I believe we will find times of being on our faces before the Lord Almighty. In such atmospheric conditions God will grow and deepen our collective ability to wait on the Lord, experiencing his powerful presence and praying in his powerful name, wrestling through demonic forces and the strongholds they have built and sit entrenched in, sometimes for many generations.
Brothers and Sisters, may I encourage you to keep your eyes on God’s global spiritual climate map? And may we posture ourselves for spiritual climate change.
Maybe get an atlas or globe and ask God to show you places to pray about or hear God for? Let us lift our eyes to new horizons.
Build local, think Global.
Mike
About ‘Mike Writes’
Mike Writes is a series of short posts by Mike Betts, one of the apostles serving our family of churches. They cover a mix of vision, biblical and prophetic themes, often reflecting on current issues that are relevant to the Church.