SEASON OF DISCLOSURE

Season of Disclosure
By Alice Smith
 
Relationships, whether with God or his people, cycle through seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” 

I’m convinced that these eight verses provide a foretaste of the seasons we must walk through with our heavenly Bridegroom in order to truly know his heart, in order to become intimates.
 
Seasons of Disclosure
Don’t you just love springtime? It’s that time of year when every living thing seems to be alive with song and the world is suddenly awakened to joy. The warm breath of spring thaws the frozen lakes and blows across the fields until the flowers open their sleepy petals. Everything feels fresh and full of life.

Spring seasons in our relationship with God are those “first love” periods when the Lord is actively disclosing himself, and we just can’t get enough time alone with him. We feel his closeness, and there is almost a tangible presence in it. During these seasons, life is abuzz with fresh prophetic words from the Lord, new revelation, and rich times of seeing him kiss our lives with unexpected blessings.

It’s as if we have just awakened to love. We want to gorge ourselves with more and more of his Word. Our conversations with him are lively, and even the simplest prayers seem to receive answers. Yes, these are seasons of disclosure. We tell him every detail about ourselves (as if he didn’t know) and share our hopes and dreams with him. The fragrance of our prayers is sweet and lingers in the atmosphere we carry. We feel known and loved and want to share that love with the whole world.

Spring is a planting time, everything is in seed form, but each new season of disclosure will require a new process of trust and maturity. After decades of walking with the Lord, I assure you that many of the prophetic words I received in my seasons of disclosure made my heart leap with joy. What I did not know is that they would take years to come to pass and that those words would go through many seasons before they would finally burst into the reality of my life.

Are you in a season of disclosure? If so, know that the prophetic words and new revelations you are receiving may take time to become a reality. Permit me to explain.

On June 27, 1985, I had a powerful encounter with God. I had just become a new mom. My sole ambition at that time was to mother our children, our new baby, and stay intimate with the Lord. Eddie and I had started a new church so I was also teaching Sunday school. I thought my life was as full as it would ever be.

The Lord, however, had other plans. That day in my prayer closet, the Lord gave me a prophetic word from Isaiah 55:3-5 in which he said, “Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”

I sobbed, thinking that God wanted to make a covenant with me and that he loved me even as he had loved David. When he told me he was calling me to be a leader and that I would change nations, I thought, The only thing I’m changing is diapers, Lord! How can this be? But I also knew that if God gave that word, and he did, he would bring it to pass in his way and in his time.

Remember, I received that word in 1985, during a season of disclosure. But, it wasn’t until September of 1995 that I spoke at my first national meeting and started ministering to the nations. I felt so unqualified and so nervous before that first conference that I chose to wear my longest skirt so people wouldn’t see my legs shaking! Today, I jet travel internationally about the globe, teaching the body of Christ about the history of their nations and how to pray for change.

Another component God used to fulfill his word to me is the publication of Beyond the Veil. The book was rejected fourteen times when I finally decided to self-publish. Shortly, thereafter, Kyle Duncan (at that time from Regal Books), attended one of my conferences and sought me out, even though his company had turned down the book twice before. But Regal finally published the bestselling book, and it has been translated into eight other languages to date. Dear friend, if the Lord tells you that he is going to do something in you, or through you, believe it--because nothing is impossible with God!

I’d like to stop right here and share an important key that the Lord taught me about seasons of disclosure. When you receive a word, hold it in your heart and do not share it unless God tells you to do so. Secrets must be held until they are ready to be fulfilled. Psalm 25:14 says, “The LORD confides in those who fear Him, He makes His covenant known to them.”  

One detriment to sharing with others is that some people cannot visualize you the way God sees you. They may dash your dreams and drive you into a spirit of unbelief, which can become a stronghold. So just trust the Lord to bring you forward when the timing is right.