“All Eyes on Jesus & All Hands on Deck!” - Heidi Baker
(Taken from our interview with Heidi & an interview with Hiram Pangilinan)
Heidi Baker shared this message in our online event!
Heidi Baker, the founder of Iris Global, shares an urgent word from the Lord in regards to how the Church ought to respond during this covid 19 crisis. She said “The Lord was bringing back memories about excruciatingly difficult times we had in Mozambique with floods, famines, nullified tours, and radical insurgencies.”
She then heard God say so clearly: “All hands on deck, all eyes on Jesus.” Implying that we as brothers and sisters in Christ are all on the boat with Jesus, and He is our captain. He’s calling us all to do something right now. All hands on deck!
God continued to say to her; “Wake up sleeping beauty. This is our time to shine!”
This wasn’t a passive call to God’s beautiful bride, no, “This is a 911 emergency call,” she said. In many countries, 911 is the number you’d call when it's an emergency.
Revelation 19:7-8 “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear. Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.”
This verse beautifully upholds Heidi's words, she says “This is the greatest time for the church to shine. We are the hands of Jesus. We are the feet of Jesus. We are called to be a voice of Jesus.” Jesus is not coming back for a second rescue mission or a damsel in distress. No, he is coming back for a beautiful bride that readied herself by metaphorically wearing “righteous acts of God’s holy people.” This is our time to shine!
This is an urgent opportune time to wear what was given to us as God’s holy people! “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
The ministry of Iris Global has been a significant light source to Mozambique and many other nations. It currently operates feeding programs for thousands of orphans, runs free health clinics, manages primary and secondary schools and has fostered several thousand church plants from their base in Mozambique.
When Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique in March 2019 with winds of 120 and gusts up to 175 mph, Iris Global didn't stand by. It was the worst tropical cyclone to affect Africa and the Southern Hemisphere. Heidi says “When the cyclone hit Mozambique we didn’t say let’s have a conference. We didn’t say let’s fill the stadium. We said let’s all ask Jesus what we’re meant to do. The ones who had chainsaws went out and cut trees. The ones who could cook, cooked for the teams. Some rescued people from dying under the mud. All of us were all hands on deck. In a disaster, it’s all hands on deck. Everybody is called to shine.”
She continued to encourage us in the fact that we need to know that we are going to be okay in the arms of God no matter what. She said “We have to believe that God will protect us.”
Psalms 91:1 says “When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High. He’s the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence. He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and he will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse.”
Heidi persisted that we need to believe that God will protect us as we hide in his presence, the shadow of Shaddai. She boldly shared with us “Even if you die, if you know Jesus, you go straight into the arms of Jesus. Either way you are totally secure.”
Daniela Morf asked Heidi what would you say to those who are struggling with hopelessness and anxiety in this pandemic?
She believes hope is found in scripture. She reads from Psalms 23.
Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life…
Heidi zones in on each word of this psalm and encourages us to believe each word from this scripture. God is your best friend! You are never alone when you believe God is right next to you. He consistently offers us a place of rest when we rest in his presence. His tracks from His footprints and His voice, guide us to the quiet brook of bliss. A place of pure peace and joy! Let's take this extra time to dive into knowing scripture!
She also said “You’ve been asking God for more time. He says ‘here you go... I know the enemy is behind this rotten virus, but the Lord is saying (Romans 8:28) “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We need to know this time is a gift from God to rest in him.
Benji Morf asks Heidi how to practically receive love and hope.
Heidi responds with “Be in the word, listen, soak in the presence of God. We don't feed ourselves from the news. We can listen to it, but not feed from it. We feed from Him. We take communion every day. We need to feed on Jesus… We need to get in the word and express ourselves the way David did through the psalms as we read.”
One of the listeners asked Heidi, What do you feel the body of Christ needs to grasp around the world?
She reiterates; “Wake up sleeping beauty. All eyes on Jesus, we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus and we are all called to be living from the secret place. When the world has gone mad, He is calling his bride to reconnect!
She directed those who might be hurting right now, “to go comfort somebody else. Get your eyes off of your own suffering. Allow yourself to be a listening ear.”
She recalls an experience she had with the Lord a while back, she said “I saw chickens running around without heads and they didn't know they were dead. Many people who call Jesus Lord have disconnected themselves from the head, which is Jesus.” She continued to share what God was saying to her: “You're not called to be chickens. Dumb birds that cant even fly. You're called to be eagles. To rise up, to fly above the storm. There you will be able to see with those eagle eyes, those prophetic eyes. You see, we are the solution, we are not to live in fear. We are called to live in radical shalom, radical power, radical provision!”
