There’s a purpose for every day of our lives!

At the age of 52, The LORD called to me, via a seasoned prophet, to learn and practice the gift of Prophecy.

First under him as my mentor until 2007, twelve years later, when The LORD took me on my first mission trip at age 64.

It was on that mission trip that I was introduced to ‘Deep End Ministry’. He also introduced me to this passage of Scripture from Jeremiah 1,

“Then the word of The LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
But The LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” says The LORD.
Then The LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and The LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”” Jeremiah 1:4-10.

In my case, the discussion revolved about my age — am I, or was I, too old? Apparently not!

I now understood why He had me label it ‘Deep End Ministry’!

You see, The LORD often speaks to us through His Word. He gave me Ezekiel 33 when He first called me to the baptism of The Holy Spirit and, once again, I didn’t understand until that day, five years later, when He called me to prophesy in 1995.

Similarly, in 2006, when my late wife was diagnosed with liver cancer, The LORD took me to Ezekiel 24, thus letting me know that He was taking her home!

( We don’t always hear the things we want to hear from The LORD. He just prepares us in the way that’s easiest for us to handle. I’m a pragmatist and I don’t like surprises, so if I know what and where He’s taking me, then I prepare myself, with God’s help, as best I can! )

Now, why do I tell you these things?

I certainly wasn’t planning it! I’m just trying to prepare some older hearts, whom The LORD is calling into, what for them, is a New Ministry!

Therefore, let me take you into the Deep End of Ministry and Prophecy.

There are many older Saints wandering around, saying to themselves, “I know Revival is coming — but what is that to me?”

This is very often followed by this — “After all, I’m retired, so what use can I be now. I’d like to think I can be useful, but how?”

God isn’t like the world!

At 65, or whatever age we retire, the world literally throws away, and discards, however many years of experience and life we have.

Our grateful government gives us a pittance to live on and effectively disregards any useful experience we might have.

God doesn’t do that! No, He doesn’t!

We can do so — the choice is ours — but God never does!

In this next season, God, or at least His Church, is going to need all the experience it can lay its hands on as He pours out His Spirit and reaps thousands into The Kingdom.

God may reap the harvest but we will be responsible for the stewardship of everything.

Our biggest task will be in raising disciples who in turn raise more disciples. But The LORD, The Holy Spirit, will be with us every step of the way — encouraging, leading, teaching – you name it: He’ll do it WITH us, not for us. WITH us!

It’s time for the older generation, the seniors (the 60+ age group folk), to prepare to be used by God for things most have never even thought about.

Having practiced this retirement thing for nearly 20 years, I can tell you that getting older, ‘retiring’ some playfully call it, isn’t boring; it’s not dull; it’s not monotonous!

Life is as busy as we choose it to be, and for us personally, it’s far from boring!

So — wonderful older Saints — prepare to still be useful for as long as you’re able, and even then, there’s still plenty of things for you to do if you want to!

God isn’t in the business of wasting available experience and expertise.

If you’re willing to help, God is willing to use you.

 

~ Chris G. Bennett

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Chris Bennett came to salvation in 1962 but didn’t begin ministry until 2007 — a late-comer! Now mandated by The LORD to prophesy and open old wells of revival in the U.K., but especially in Wales. He has also operated Healing Rooms, and worked with deliverance teams, all with his wife, Linda. Happily now doing whatever The LORD asks of them! Founder, with wife Linda, of their ministry The Upper Room Encounter.

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