“Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.”(Isaiah 5:1-2).
“Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”(Jeremiah 5vs24).
According to the Bible, Christians at any point in life are either experiencing the former or the latter rain. Both refer to different levels of divine experiences. The latter rain…the second season- is however greater than the former rain. In the latter rain, God shows forth in dimensions and capacities mightier than we have ever known. His promises are manifested in levels that surpass our imagination. The time of the latter rain is a period of divine endowment within which you are able to access unimaginable blessings and divine judgment in life. The grace of the latter rain makes uncommon blessings available.
A good example is David. Taking down Goliath was his induction into fame but he still had to scale many hurdles to get into the fullness of his inheritance in God. Defeating Goliath required a bold step backed by God but to become the king of Israel, he had to fight many battles and overcome them. These battles taught him the lessons required for every new phase yet to come. And so is the process of life. For a downpour of the latter rain, we must all go through tough learning phases. But that’s the place of judgment and justice! A place where divine blessing is released, and purpose(s) is unveiled.
To harness all that’s in God’s plan for you, you must however learn to secure yourself. Learn to build a shield…an invisible wall of protection around you. The enemy must not be allowed into your life. You must keep guard lest the devil comes in and destroy your testimony. Seek to understand how God works. He does not want his investments in our lives to turn sour! So, we must get interested in securing our lives, families, children, businesses, careers etc. We can only do so in prayers and through the Word, engaging spiritual truths and covenants. When we do this, we leave no access route for the devil. We must jealously guard that which God has brought our way. We must pray and search the Scriptures until we find truths that silence our fears and answers our questions.
Do not sweep issues under the carpet! Deal with them immediately. As a Christian, you must be watchful and alert. Do not just let things pass. Thrash them once and for all. Seek God’s face in all you do. If you do so, He will abundantly invest in you. He will give you the latter rain. By diligently seeking God, you show total trust and dependence on Him. You also demonstrate an understanding of the importance of being secured-not leaving your life open to the attack of hell.
We must show a high degree of maturity in everything we do especially as regards studying and interpreting the Word of God. To do this successfully, we should always ask the Holy Spirit for help. Before we can have the best vines (latter rain) planted in the soil of our lives, it is expected that we first build the fence of defense through the Word and prayers. Then, God will send us the latter rain. It will birth outstanding results which can only be ascribed to God! Ensure you secure your life and destiny on your knees! The latter rain is here!
“Poju Oyemade”