“Sanctify yourselves,
for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
Joshua 3:5
Hello Friend,
I am grateful to be with you again for the Prophetic Discerner’s Podcast. I first want to highlight that last week was Rosh Hashanah and we have officially crossed into the new Hebrew year of 5787. We are now heading into the Ten Days of Awe and the countdown toward Yom Kippur, the most holy day on the Hebrew calendar.
It is a special time. I want to say one thing up front: many prophetic voices bring forth a word at Rosh Hashanah. I tend not to release the fullness of what I sense the Lord is showing until at or after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Today I want to share some of the prophetic pieces I see for this New Year.
Crossing Over
My theme this year is one I keep coming back to: crossing over into the new. And my primary text is the account of Israel crossing the Jordan — going from one side of the river, which is a promise revealed, to the other side, which is a promise fulfilled.
Joshua 3:3–4 sets the scene:
“When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it… that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”
It is all about the presence of God — and we follow it. The ark must go before us, and we do not go anywhere the presence of God has not gone first.
And notice those words: you have not passed this way before. We have heard them often, but we can truly say it now.
We have never been this way before.
Then comes my primary text, Joshua 3:5:
“Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
Look at the order. They align with authority. They follow the presence of God as it goes before them. Obedience follows. They step out with what they already have and nothing more is given until they do. Then comes the word: consecrate yourselves.
These are the preliminary steps of crossing over from one epoch to another: new levels of authority, supernatural activity, signs and wonders. And on the far side of the Jordan, they build a memorial of living stones.
Then the Lord says to Joshua, “This day I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel… as I was with Moses, so I will be with you” (Joshua 3:7).
From Exposure to Promotion
Here is what stirs me. We have been in a prolonged season of exposure. And my prayer is that we have allowed it to do its work. I pray that conviction has settled in, and that values and boundaries have been re-established or established for the first time.
This is often what happens around the time of the shepherd’s rod on the Day of Atonement: the sheep pass under, there is an inspection and then the Lord gives promotion.
Why promotion? Because the level of warfare on the other side intensifies. The battle across the river requires greater revelation, greater authority, and the absolute assurance that His presence goes before us.
A Lion Has Roared
Amos 3:8 says:
“A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”
In some seasons, an intensity comes upon the gift of prophecy — a weight, an increase, a governmental shift. Notice that last phrase is a question: Who can but prophesy? For the one who prophesies, it is the bubbling up that keeps happening until, like a volcano, it spills over. For the seer, it is more like, “Oh, whoa.” The revelation stays, clearer, and more exact.
Around two months ago I had what I called the dream of a decade — so detailed I can still walk right back into it. And just this morning, preparing for these podcasts, I sensed again the need for healing among prophetic vessels, and the need for nurturing and encouraging one another as long as it is called today. So many have been beaten down that they don’t know if they want to continue.
But that season of exposure is giving way to cleansing, to greater conviction, and then to a greater ascension. And then, who can hold it back?
The roar is returning to the lion. And people in the world will take note, because there is greater humility, less defensiveness, and a place where we can say again: the Lord has spoken; who can but prophesy?
The Sword and the Mouth
This is a season of clashing swords. The war concerns the mouth. As we grow in cleansing, in purity, and in actualized authority, we come into the connection between the sword and spiritual warfare.
So we must watch our words — beginning with negative self-talk.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
If you want to be entrusted with a new level of authority to address things in a city, a congregation, a ministry, or the marketplace, understand that a shift is happening. The prayer-and-prophetic movement is now taking on giants, but with wisdom. Not in a renegade manner, but in a company of people, with training, humility, and knowledge. Wisdom builds a house.
And I believe the Lord’s desire is to restore the spirit of the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:3 tells us the Messiah would delight in the fear of the Lord. If it is not alive in your life right now, ask for it: Holy God, I call forth the spirit of the fear of the Lord. It will make things clean and make us people of integrity.
God With Our Mouths
Ephesians 6:19 is Paul’s request:
“…that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.”
The Lord wants to be with our mouths that we might speak with courage, faith, precision, and greater boldness. We have to conquer the fear of man and the fear of rejection. And I believe the Lord is raising up a people to be released into the cultural mountains of government, media, and arts and entertainment.
Right here in my own backyard in Nashville, I see this shift happening. My friends have released The Jesus Mission, and on a major scale a film about the life of Daniel the prophet is in production. This is the creative arts and the prophetic moving into new places, releasing the word of the Lord, Daniel and the fiery furnace. That is where we are headed.
A Word to the Compromising Church
Revelation 2:16 carries a strong word to the church at Pergamos:
“Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”
Remember how Jesus was revealed to John on the Isle of Patmos? Out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword (Revelation 1). That is the word of the Lord being released, and it cuts. It is a weapon of spiritual warfare.
As I walked back through the seven churches of Asia Minor, I landed on this one because I don’t believe we are a loveless church. I believe we are a compromising church. And here is the good news: there is a solution even for a compromising church.
Even to lukewarm Laodicea, the Lord says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” That is not merely about an individual; it is about the church in a city, an entire region. God gives invitations to cities.
Join Us for the Journey
Leviticus 23:4 calls these “the feasts of the Lord… which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” So that is what I am doing, helping to proclaim the appointed time. And what time is it? It is time to cross over into the new year of 5787, continuing in exposure and cleansing, and shifting now into empowering the church with boldness.
I invite you to participate in prayer with me and the steering team of the Nehemiah Alliance. Walk with us in prayer over these fifty-two days and stand with us in Washington, D.C., on October 31 and November 1. You can learn more and sign up at na52.org.
We are at a crossroads, a threshold into power, and also into peril. Daniel 12:4 tells us that in the last days knowledge will increase, and wisdom is needed for a wider platform. Above all, His presence must go before us.
There is more I could say about whether other nations will try to escalate what is happening in the Middle East, but I’ll leave that alone for now, except to say: pray for those in authority.
It is time to consecrate ourselves, and to cross over into a new space with signs and wonders.
Go Deeper
The resource I most want to put in your hands for this season is The Triumph: Your Comprehensive Guide to Spiritual Warfare, because this is all about the sword of the Lord. A wonderful companion is Hearing God’s Voice Today, which makes hearing Him simple and obtainable for every believer. You can find them both at GodEncounters.com.
You can watch the full podcast video of this week’s exhortation below.
Remember, God encounters are for everyone. And yes, God encounters are especially for you. They really are.
Amen and amen. God bless you!
James W. Goll
