By Kathi Pelton
As I’ve been watching the ice storm that has hit the Bible Belt region of the United States, I have been reminded of an ice storm that we experienced here in Oregon a number of years ago.
My family was living on a six acre property covered with very large fir trees. These fir trees surrounded our home, our barn, and our physical lives. As the ice storm our land those fir trees froze and the tops of the trees and their overgrown limbs began to snap off and fall to the ground.
The sound of the ice cracking and limbs falling was unnerving. I couldn’t sleep at night and it felt like our very lives were endangered.
Many in the body of Christ in this hour are feeling the very same way but keep reading because there is great hope!
As I remembered that time of our ice storm I began to see a multi-layered image (vision) unfolding in my spirit which I will now share with you.
The Three Little Pigs:
The first image I saw was the cover to the children’s book, The Three Little Pigs. In this familiar story the first pig build his house with straw. When I saw the straw house the Lord showed me “houses built upon men’s giftings and personalities.”
The gifts of the Spirit were never meant to build a house but rather to compliment and be a spiritual blessing within the house.
Building a house upon the foundation of giftings is like building a house made with straw. Unfortunately, we are seeing that far too many benefitted in reputation and financially from the gifts and then began to replicate them through deception and manipulation.
Then I saw the tops of the trees that fell in our ice storm and the Lord said, “The tops of the trees represent the gifted men and women used to build many houses.” They represent the straw material that the wolves can take down (these houses represent churches, ministries and structures that we have looked to for safety and refuge).
Then the story goes on to say, the wolf came— then he huffed and puffed and blew the straw house down. We are seeing this tragic scene played out again and again before our eyes over the past number of years.
Side Note: Please know that I am not specifically referring to the most recent exposure or those who failed in bringing healing and Biblical guidance. I am merely submitting to your discernment what I believe the Lord showed me today.
Then I saw the second little pig who built his house with sticks. I saw the sticks like the overgrown limbs that fell from the fir trees during the ice storm. They were brittle and could not withstand the storm. Yet this little pig was building his house out of the brittle sticks. I asked the Lord what the sticks represented and he answered, “Those who put their trust in man and men’s words that fed their flesh.” God wants our trust to be in HIM and his Word that redeems our lives. This false trust has caused them to become dry and brittle. They cannot hold up a house. Again, the wolves came and the house of sticks fell down.
Finally, I saw the third little pig who built a house of bricks. The foundation was solid and the Spirit said, “Brick by brick, wisdom will build this house and it will sit upon the foundation of Christ alone.” The wolves may try to blow it down but his sheep (not pigs) will be safe within this house.
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.” Psalms 46:1-2
It is time to build on the foundation of Christ alone! Not on giftings or charismatic personalities made from straw or words formed from brittle sticks but on the purity and righteousness of Christ our Solid Rock and our sure foundation.
We are in a time where we are witnessing the falling of those at the top of ministries and we are seeing the limbs that held them there breaking. But the good news is that God is bringing us into a time of reformation and a Jeremiah 7 moment.
To understand Jeremiah 7 we must first look at Jeremiah 6. In this chapter God invited his people to walk in his ways and upon his paths but the people reject his paths and choose their own. This is where we have been in many ways— and for many years.
“Yahweh said to his people: “Stand at the crossroads. Now, consider your ways and ask for the ancient paths. Which is God’s way? Walk on his path, and you’ll enjoy a resting place for yourselves. But they said, ‘We will not. That’s not the path we want.’ ” Yahweh said, “I raised up prophetic watchmen to warn you: ‘Pay attention to the sound of the shofar!’ Still, they replied, ‘We will not.’ Hear well then, O nations, and observe as witnesses what’s in store for them. Hear, O earth! I am bringing a catastrophe to these people, the fruit of their own evil schemes. For they refused to listen to my words, and threw all my instructions and warnings to the wind.”” Jeremiah 6:16-19
We are now in a Jeremiah 7 moment of instruction and invitation. A time of repentance and reformation.
“Here’s what the God of Israel, Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, says: Change your ways and start living right, and I will let you dwell in this land. Don’t fool yourselves by trusting the deceptive words, saying: “The temple of Yahweh is here, the temple of Yahweh is here, the temple of Yahweh is here, so we are safe.” For if you truly change your ways and start living right, if you deal justly with one another, if you don’t mistreat the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, if you don’t shed innocent blood in this land, if you stop your self-destructive ways of chasing after other gods, then I will let you dwell in this place, here in the land that I gave to your forefathers for all time.” Jeremiah 7:3-7
These are the ancient paths!
We have believed that we were safe as we dwelt in houses made from straw and sticks but they have proven to not be safe from the wolves. Yet in God’s merciful kindness he is showing us his way and his path— the right way to walk, how to build and the only safe place to find refuge.
Repentance is a wonderful gift!
He will let us live in the land given to us in peace and safety if we will change our ways and let this reformation take place. But we must reform even the very foundations that we have built upon— the foundations that had mixture of idolatry and gave glory to men and not to GOD ALONE!
It is an ice storm but SPRING IS COMING!
““But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’ O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips, and you will never mention them again. On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord.” Hosea 2:14-20
This is his promise to us— this is how much he loves his church— his bride!
As many are going through a wilderness of emotional pain during this season— I would like to suggest getting my book,
“Finding Home— A Doorway of Hope”
This books has helped many people going through wilderness seasons.
Oceans in the Desert 
Leave a comment