This word is submitted by Kathy Kallen (KathKallen@Juno.com)

Vision Of Renewal Runners
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Kathy Kallen ~ October 11, 1998

This morning I woke up in the middle of a dream that continued as a prophetic vision. In the dream I saw Christians running a race through an easy green meadow that represented the current (1998) renewal movement. The Christian's run was their worship to God, their ministry to others, their family life, and their function in the church.

As the runners continued they found themselves hit by something unseen, and they'd fall down. After they were face down on their bellies, the grass turned to hard jagged rock. Every movement forward took great effort and energy.

Only by exerting every bit of strength were these runners able to move forward inch by inch. They'd dig their fingers into the dirt and pull and strain, and at the same time push with their feet and still barely move forward. This is a spiritual picture of many people in the body of Christ right now. The runners had the will and mind to be swift and to hold their heads high-not out of pride, but because of the knowledge of their Father's love and calling on their lives. So the runner's minds were struggling with confusion and disillusionment.

At this point the enemy is attacking many of the runners. He taunts them with thoughts like, "Oh, you thought you were a runner! Look at you, crawling and barely moving in the dirt! Why do you even try? You won't make it, and you should have known that all along."

But these runners kept at it. Every movement forward took great concentration. There was pain involved. It took all their strength. But in their spirit, these runners would not give up. Their spirit was set on Jesus. They would run again. They continued forward.

They battled the attack of the enemy by claiming the blood of Jesus over their circumstances. They called out to their Father to give revelation. They examined their previous run, and asked the Father to reveal anything they'd done that had caused such a change. They let go of deeper levels of worldly connections in their spirit, mind, and flesh, and held even more tightly to the calling of Christ within them.

Then, I heard the Holy Spirit ask me if I wanted to see the BIG picture. As I said, "Yes," I was moved quickly back and up, and the terrain began to change.

The meadow and the rock were not one continuous plain; it only looked that way to the runners on it. It was a spiritual optical illusion. The runners were, in fact, now climbers. Yes! And they were already a good way up a very high cliff.

I asked the Holy Spirit why these climbers still thought they were runners. He showed me the great fear they would have-similar to a person with a fear of heights. It's the Father's plan to take his children up, and that's exactly what is happening to them. The strange thing is that we've been feeling down. It's merely a matter of perspective; to the Father, this season we're in is called, "Up."

We need to climb faithfully, and not let fear affect our willingness to climb.

I looked to the top of the cliff for just a glimpse of what the lad was like up there. For a moment I "fell" into it, and the Holy Spirit revealed these thoughts to me. The land above represents the next outpouring of revival. It's a place of strong gifting and anointing. The meadow below the cliff was the place where we received the call and began to run in it. The cliff is where we develop spiritual muscle, we sweat it out, we are tested and the impurities leave. It's a season to sort out our lives. The place above is a place of singular service to God. Worship there won't be merely a good church service; it will be a continual experience like breathing.

Ministry there will be God moving in His power, through his vessels. It will be signs and wonders. I saw there would be victory and closure in the spiritual realm over struggles that have gone on legally between Satan and God's people. The voice of God as judge rings throughout the land against Satan. Many nations will have spiritual closure regarding Satan's territorial boundaries and rights in their countries.

There'll be a big shift in the heavenlies as God's angels, like those who guarded the entrance to the Garden on Eden after Adam and Eve were cast out, guarding the work of God and the open heavens He established. There'll be countless numbers of them guarding the work of God in a way we've not seen yet. The voice of God as the Father of love and mercy will ring out strong. There'll be thick anointing for salvation and billows of clouds of his presence.

(Before I share the end of this vision I want to point out that I'm young in the prophetic gifts. This is my first experience sharing anything with timing in it, so I'm going to just lay out what I heard and let you evaluate it by your own integrity and discernment.)

I asked, "What is the timing-when will your people be up the cliff and into this new move?

The Holy Spirit revealed to me that the climbers would make it to the top of the cliff in 2 years. Then, in a steady stream, for the next three years after, an army of his people would begin to pour over the top of the cliff. By 5 years the people involved in this move would be up and over.

He showed me that there have been people, those moving in the prophetic, who have been exploring and learning the lay of this new land. They are shown what it's like, they've been like spies sent on ahead to see where the streams are, where the vineyards are, where the places to build cities are. God is giving them maps and information. But he is giving this information for them to take back to the leaders and fathers and together they will hear the plan of action. It will feel to some of the prophets like they've been asked to put their "baby" into the arms of someone else to raise up. But this will be so vital for them to do.

If you feel as if you're crawling and it hurts, I pray God will use this dream/vision to encourage you. There is an end ahead. It's for a purpose. It's building Christ inside of you, and its very necessary for what is coming.

Kathy Kallen, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA