Gale Sheehan
by Gale Sheehan
2018 brought an unusual prophetic revelation to
me that I believe the Lord wants to birth in 2019. This revelation began at the city of
“Gettysburg” during a Christian International City Tour. The conference hosts, who are of
African-American ancestry, felt that Gettysburg was a strategic location. Although they had a more established Campus
elsewhere, they felt the Lord told them to move the event to Gettysburg. They had also been stirred recently concerning
the “underground railroad” and the path of freedom it brought to many who were
confined to slavery. Gettysburg, of course, was known as a strategic
battleground and was the location of President Abraham Lincoln’s famous
Gettysburg address and declaration of the emancipation proclamation.
The very first night of the conference I ran
into some friends of Asian ancestry. They
also said the Lord had been stirring their hearts concerning the “Underground
Railroad” and had just been to the Mason Dixon Line to anoint it with oil and
pray. They had recently hosted 22
individuals that escaped from North Korea and stepped into a new freedom in
both the natural and spiritual realms. Reading
their Bible and memorizing scriptures had been key components for this
new-found freedom. This confirmation of
events concerning freedom began a three-month progressive prophetic revelation.
Our Gettysburg host told me he was originally from Rochester, New York,
the home of Harriet Tubman, who was one of the most recognized agents of
freedom leading many slaves from Florida and other southern locations through
Gettysburg and to Rochester or Buffalo, New York and finally to Ontario,
Canada. Ontario was known to be the
“Promised Land”, because it represented a location where one could not be
captured and returned to slavery. Slavery,
of course, represents a horrific stain on our nation’s history. This type of stain is not unique to the U.S.,
but we can find it replicated in many other nations. It is an entrapment of the enemy that brings
racial division, strife and war.
Shelly and I have an adopted African daughter
from Trinidad. Her perspective and
experience of racial tension and strife is with different ethnic groups than in
the US. This is also true of Asian nations and many others. So, the common dark denominator of the root of
all racial division is Satan and his group of fallen angels perpetuating this
lie that all men are not created equal. It
is a season where Christians must see that they are of the same kingdom, the
kingdom of light, regardless of race ethnicity, skin color or culture.
This Christian Allegiance should supersede any other allegiance. Only then can the army of the Lord truly arise
in the earth today, because this army is called to arise in unity where God
commands a blessing.
What do we think of when we think of Freedom?
As one who has grandchildren, Freedom for a two-year-old is being just
far enough out of your reach.
When that happens, they feel free. This new-found Freedom causes their eyes to light up with joy and their motive to
do what they want to be released. Just a
few steps out of your reach can trigger this short-term freedom. As years progress there comes a time when
another type of Freedom is
experienced. About age 16 comes another
type of Freedom. As a teenager gets ready to get a
driver’s license suddenly, without having to have parental rides, teenagers are
able to go where they want seemingly unsupervised. However, with today’s technologies, parents
can put trackers on their cars that will not only reveal where they went but
also how fast they went going there. This
makes me thankful this technology missed my teen years, or perhaps I would have
had more limited vehicle privileges. Finally,
another age-related Freedom is when
children are able to move out of their parents’ home. This brings opportunity to begin making choices,
whether good or bad, concerning the direction of their own household.
Now let’s look at the more literal meanings of Freedom:
Definition of Freedom
1. The ability to act, think or speak without outside limitations or
restrictions.
2. The quality or state of being free, such as, Liberation from slavery or restraint from the power of another: Independence.
There are many references to freedom in both the Old and New Testament, but for the purpose of this Word we are going to focus on the New Testament. Here are a few scriptures that refer to Kingdom Freedom:
17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was
handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was
written,18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed
Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to
proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of
sight to the blind, To set free those who are
oppressed, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the
Lord.” 20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant
and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21
And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:17-21, NAS)
31 So Jesus was saying to those
Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are
truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the
truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants
and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You
will become free’?”34 Jesus
answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin
is the slave of sin.35 “The slave does not remain in the house
forever; the son does remain forever.36 “So if the Son makes you free, you
will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36, NAS)
These are just a few of the scriptures that tell us Jesus is the reason
for all the true freedom and apart from his Lordship, we can never experience “Kingdom Freedom”. In addition to any
personal or natural freedom, there is also a spiritual Freedom in the Kingdom of God. This freedom will ultimately change the earth
and can now be available to those who choose to align their wills with the
Lord’s will. The book of Romans highlights several scriptures that have to do
with “Kingdom Freedom”.
18 For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation
waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because
of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also
will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory
of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and
suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also,
we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption
of our body. (Romans 8:18-23, NAS)
This passage of scripture reveals that everything,
including our natural bodies and creation, groans to birth the “Kingdom Freedom” that both will realize
in the days ahead.
There is yet another passage of scripture that reveals an even more amazing
analogy of freedom and slavery. This is recorded in the book of Romans.
16 Do you not know that when you
present yourselves to someone as slaves
for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either
of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in
righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of
sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which
you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves
of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your
flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to
lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness,
so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in
sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. (Romans 6:16-21, NAS)
Here, the Lord gives us the true key to “Kingdom Freedom”. If we truly want the supernatural freedom
available to us, we must be freewill slaves or servants of righteousness and
freewill slaves or servants in obedience to the Lord. In the way that human
slavery represents injustice, oppression and ungodliness, being a freewill
slave of the Lord brings “Kingdom
Freedom”. This prevails in justice,
victory, and hope. In due time, every
knee will bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, some by force and some by
choice. We can be those that by our free
will choose to be servants of the Lord in this season of time. As we do, we will see the true Army of the
Lord, the Church, arise.