2015 was the year of the whirlwind! On the Hebrew calendar it was the year 5775. The symbols are Ayin (7) which means to see and Hey (5) which means wind or breath. Year 5775 (our 2015) was a year marked by the wind and the breath of God. It was a time to see the wind.
“Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits” (Song 4:16).
The mighty north wind has come, releasing the fragrance of heaven in the lives of many in 2015!
Many were caught up in the whirlwind. Why was the wind significant? A strong wind has the power to move and shift things that were fixed. There were many who entered 2015 with prophetic promises but they seemed to be stuck. As the mighty whirlwind blew, things were dramatically shifted, released and moved.
Many people experienced a variety of winds:
1. The winds of adversity. Some experienced adverse winds that brought extreme testing. You can breathe a sigh of relief now; you made it! You are still standing. The enemy tried hard to shake you with adverse winds but you remained steadfast.
2. The winds of change. Many were moved out of one thing and into another. I see a massive shift happening in the kingdom. There is a rapid speed of evolution, growth and advancement happening. Many experienced swift and uncomfortable changes but they were necessary to properly connect and align you to where you needed to be! Do not despise the changes. Embrace it and trust God in it. We saw a natural picture of what is happening in the spirit as so many things in the political realm swiftly changed; leaders stepped down, new people rose up, rules were broken and long standing traditions went by the wayside. The old guards were rejected and radical reformers came to the forefront. This is a picture of what is happening in the kingdom as people are hungry for authentic kingdom ministry. The church will continue to evolve, the wineskin will change and new paradigms will burst forth. Technology will empower many kingdom expressions in the coming season. The changes will continue into 2016 in order to solidify lasting results and kingdom exploits.
3. The winds of promotion and favor. There were many kairos moments for people in 2015. For those that properly discerned the time, the advance was significant. Things that had been declared for years came with swift and sudden power! It was a year of vast potential but the spoils belonged to the brave. The timid were sidelined because they did not seize the kairos.
“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said” (Job 38:1, MEV).
The voice of the Lord was heard in the midst of the wind! In the midst of the whirlwind of God, His voice was still heard and His pathway made clear.
“As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11, MEV).
Elijah was taken up higher in the whirlwind! The whirlwind can bring promotion and fulfilled promises.
The winds of divine shaking and separation. We saw the wheat being separated from the chaff. In the natural this process was done by taking a winnowing fork tossing the wheat up in the air. Once in the air the wind would separate the hard outer shell (chaff) from the wheat kernel. In a single day over 400 Pastors resigned as the whistle was blown on massive immorality. We also saw winds of doctrine blow through churches as they accepted political agendas that are contrary to the word of God.
Lacking maturity in the Scriptures, they were tossed to and fro and carried about by these winds of doctrine and deceptions.
“The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away” (Ps. 1:4, MEV).
“May they be as chaff before the wind, and may the angel of the Lord cast them down” (Ps. 35:5, MEV).
“So we may no longer be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, by craftiness with deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14, MEV).
Many did not heed the prophetic warnings and Holy Spirit promptings that were wooing them to repentance and deliverance.
The changes and the shifts have been properly positioning us for advance and to cement our feet in purpose. 2016 will build on the adjustments that were made in 2015.
Many opportunities will arise this year for God’s people.
Ryan LeStrange has been preaching the gospel for more than half of his life. As a young man, God led him to leave his home and travel to Tennessee to study and train under Dr. Norvel Hayes, who later became his spiritual father. Pastor Ryan shares the apostolic call of Dr. Hayes to establish churches, ministries and Bible colleges, and to train leaders in the body of Christ. Ryan hosts a weekly television show on God TV called Power4Today. Ryan is the apostle and leader of Impact International Apostolic Fellowship, a network of churches and ministries around the world with a single vision to birth revival. He has founded two Bible colleges, served as an associate pastor and traveled as an evangelist. Visit him online at ryanlestrange.com.