I saw a vision, I was holding two things, one in each hand. One was a sword, the other, a loaf of bread. I used the bread like it was a sword, and the sword I ate. And I heard the Lord say to me, ‘You have been swallowing knives, and fighting with bread.’ 

The bread is symbolic of His body: that which was broken for us, so that even in our brokenness we could be made whole. Of course, there is power in the body and blood of Christ. We feast on it and it nourishes us, and restores us, but the bread has been confused with the sword and has not always been eaten as it was intended. The sword — the truth that cuts through lies like a knife — has instead been swallowed, leaving feelings of condemnation and guilt, which do not belong. 

There is coming a clarification and restoration to the Church, and there has already been a shifting and purifying in the lives of His people. What was once tolerable will become intolerable, as we enter into greater levels of purity and holiness, ascending to the hill of the Lord. However, we cannot allow the truth — those things that bubble up in the purification — to lead us into condemnation, swallowing the swords. Instead, eat of the bread, coming to Christ and seeking His glory, so that in light of the surfacing brokenness, we are made whole. 

God’s intention is not for us to live forever in a place of feeling pulled apart and broken, but to live in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. I feel that the Lord has His finger on righteousness at this moment, for the sake of His name. He has promised us freedom and He intends to keep His promise. So take this as an encouragement, if you feel like you have been pressing into the things of God and it feels like you are in a worse place now than when you started, take heart, you are in the process of ascending the hill. Distinguish between the sword and the bread, feed on His righteousness, His mercy and His love: and instead take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and use it as your weapon against the lies of the enemy. 

A weary soul doesn’t give God glory, a restored soul does. God is restoring souls that are feeling weary and beat down, and giving them strength and making a way where there seems to be no way. Give thanks in the process, but the process is not the end — you are not destined to stay there forever. He has not come to make you weak and weary, but strong and courageous. Where there is righteousness by the work of the Holy Spirit inside of you, there also is peace and joy. Take heart, have courage, and be restored, made whole and pure in the presence of the Lord. 

I heard the Lord speak earlier this year through Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV), ‘Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.’ The Lord is encouraging us not to look at the past: what was, who we were, what has happened, or even the process that has already come and gone. But — and He instructs us — to look to the new things, and more importantly, look so you do not miss it. Look to see what the Lord is doing. It is gracious and kind. Good beyond your imagination, and especially, your expectations.