Knitting Hearts Gathering on October 13, 2018
Amanda Hill, Kingdom River Ministries
Written by Sue Sanders
Beautifully decorated tables with fall décor and Scripture cards welcomed friends and guests as they entered the meeting hall today. Women and men mingled together and enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared and served by the hospitality team. Joyce Sanders opened the group in prayer and shared a powerful declaration before the dance team presented their worship to the song, “Hineh ma tov.” The message of the song focused on how good it is for people to live together in unity. The symbolism in the song presented the center where there is joy and unity while on the outside there is movement. This represents those who are not fully in Christ. They are looking for a Savior but might not even know it. Liz Goerski made announcements, James Sanders led a birthday song for those with birthdays in October, and Taylor Smith led us in the Bible confessions.
We lifted our voices together singing, “Every praise, every praise is to our God. Every word of worship with one accord. Sing hallelujah to our God. . .God, my Savior. God, my Healer. God, my Deliverer.” Declarations continued as we sang “Chain Breaker.” We declared: “If you’ve got pain, He’s a pain taker. If you feel lost, He’s a way maker. If you need freedom or saving, He’s a prison-shaking Savior. If you’ve got chains, He’s a chain-breaker.”
Joyce prayed and introduced Brenda Hiner. Brenda testified that even though she has been through so much, the Lord has reassured her that hope is still alive. Her song focused on remembering what God has brought you through. God walks right beside each one of us and will give us so much for.
The speaker for today was Amanda Hill, an international speaker from Charleston, SC. The Scripture for her message, “A Call to Destiny,” came from Isaiah 61. Amanda explained that the year in the Jewish calendar is 5779. The 9 can be a goblet filled with wine, a snake, or a womb.
This is a year of contending, of new wine. The spiritual atmosphere in our nation is volatile. The enemy sees our vineyard. Amanda mentioned Jezebel’s evil in the stealing of Naboth’s vineyard. Amanda herself has seen massive character assassination this year, and others will as well. We need to heed the instructions of Scripture and go to those who have aught against us and make things right. If we do not, then we are thwarting our inheritance. This is the year we are to take a stand against the Jezebel spirit. She gave the following instructions: “Don’t run. Contend. Elijah ran in fear of Jezebel even after winning a mighty victory for the Lord, and the land had to endure twenty more years of Jezebel’s terror. Uncover the spirit and contend.”
This is the year of the Wild One. We can’t have new wine in old wineskins. We have to change our paradigm. The Lord wants to do a new thing. We can’t continue to long for what the Lord did in the past. When we taste wine, all our senses are engaged Old paradigms have to be destroyed. We want power and anointing, but so often we don’t want to go through the process of dying to ourselves. Fear blocks us and will make us do things contrary to faith. The disciples and Jesus were in the boat when the storm arose. Jesus was asleep in the boat when the terrified disciples awoke him. He spoke peace to the storm. Discomfort held disciples from escalation into their destiny. We tend to avoid the storms, but Jesus often uses them to propel us into our destinies. Amanda reminded us that new wine clusters can produce a full bottle of wine. In the same manner we need community and unity within it. Her warning continued, “Spirits of offense will divide us. Beware of offense. Build bridges and get over the offense. Stop complaining. Stop whining.” She reiterated that each person needs to find his or her purpose. She prophesied that we would see even more catastrophic disasters because the earth is in the midst of birth pains.
This is the year to create sound. We should be willing to be poured out. Sing new songs. Break out of old cycles. New sounds break old sounds. We are so often stuck in our complacency and not willing to get out of the box. We need to moan and groan and produce new sounds.
This is the year of justice for those who have been wrongly accused. Amanda mentioned some injustice that she has endured for a long time. The Lord has encouraged her through a prophecy given to her in a restaurant and through an impartation in a dream that promised: “The justice train is coming to your house.”
This is the year of cleansing. We need to be mindful of the little things—the little foxes—that hinder us and affect our witness. Our character and integrity must align with our anointing. We need to ask the Lord if there are any little foxes that we need to watch out for.
This is the year of healing. We need to take communion in our homes. Before taking communion, we must deal with bitterness or issues that we are harboring in our hearts.
This is the year of the womb. Intimacy must take place before there can be a birth. Amanda had a vision in February that created a deeper stirring in her for even more intimacy with the Lord. When we get on our faces before the Lord, He will deal with our issues. She suggested that we pray through the Song of Solomon for a period of time to understand the depth of intimacy that the Lord wants with each of us.
Birthing and travailing must take place. Ladies must give birth. The Lord showed Amanda through a vision that the enemy is trying to control time and seasons. Some births are premature, and some are delayed. Others feel that they are beyond the birthing season in their lives. To those who feel as if they are in this season, she decreed: “You have the right and mandate to birth in the Kingdom this year.” She asked us what we had been asking the Lord for and admonished us to be prayer warriors and to pray in the Spirit.
Amanda mentioned two reasons why we can’t birth. First, the timing is off. There are times to battle and times when we are to rest. Secondly, religious paradigms hinder our births. When Michal despised King David when he celebrated before the Lord, she remained childless because of her religious spirit.
This is the year of transformation. She went through the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. The caterpillar has to break out of the egg (box). It then eats the egg so that it has energy and so that it can’t go back to the box. So often we break out of the box, but we go back to the box because we don’t want responsibility. We want the power but not what comes along with it.
The caterpillar goes on another eating spree. It sheds its skin one more time. When it does, it is extremely vulnerable to the enemy. The color scheme exclaims: “You better not eat me.” The Lord will put a new mantle on us, and the color scheme will say: “Don’t touch her during this season.” The cocoon hardens and then free falls and hangs upside down. We must trust that when we are turned upside down, He will catch us. We must be able to trust Him this year. We must hear the Word of the Lord.
Amanda invited individuals to come forward for prayer. She and KHM team members prayed for each person who requested prayer.
The song the dance team worshipped to in the opening of the gathering seems appropriate for a closing. The song is based on Psalm 133 and exalts the blessed unity of the people of God.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of the garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forevermore.”
Hearts United Women's Ministry 