Darkness has always been very busy, aggressively moving forward. In the time of Genesis, darkness was already doing that.

Darkness had already moved so far ahead in the time of Noah that the whole world had to face divine response from heaven. But in the midst of that darkness, God still chose to find one man.

When I once asked the Lord what the great need of the hour is today, He told me, “Jess, it’s still the same. The great need of this hour is that there will be people who live on earth whose mindset is connected heavenward, in an intentional way, in an ever-increasing, deeper way.”

I love the word “but” in the Bible. Even though everything in that generation was defined as darkness, even though every intent of the human heart was evil, there is this phrase: “But Noah found favour in the eyes of God.”

Noah entered into the purpose of his existence for that hour of need. The Bible records that his heart and mind had enough connectedness with God and heavenward perspective. And thus, Noah became a powerful answer in humanity’s most desperate hour.

We don’t have to think about what “great things” we will do. We just have to believe that those who know God will stand and will carry out great exploits in the eyes of God (Daniel 11:32). Greatness has to be defined by the eyes of God, or we simply get into comparison with others.

We run after many things that make us feel great, but at the end of the day we realise it’s quite empty. Greatness has to be defined by God and within His personal interaction with you, otherwise one day, we may desperately regret that we have chased after nothingness.

For one man, greatness in God’s eyes could be sharing the Gospel with one person. For another, obedience to God is raising up a megachurch. I believe it sincerely with all my heart. That’s why I have just as much joy speaking to a church of 20 (which I often do), as I have with 15,000.

God is saying that in the need of the hour we have to be so real – so real that we’ll feel like dying if we keep anything from God. Are you willing to get that troubled feeling in your heart so that you don’t get numb to sin?

Don’t get numb, don’t get jaded, because Jesus never said it was going to be easy. You must contend for your faith. You must contend with desperation. Internally there must be that place where you say, Lord, I must know You, I must encounter You.

I feel a strong burden that we in the body of Christ must have strong faith and a determination to find ourselves in a place where we know why we are living today. That definition comes from the God who knew you while you were in your mother’s womb, who ordained your life.

Your life must be an intentional discovery of what you have been ordained to do. Don’t look left and right – there is no need for comparison. Because it is your life. There must a breakthrough in your life, in your current level of encounter with God.

But it comes with being troubled. Feeling the hunger of it and letting it bother you so much that you might even find yourself screaming for it. Because when you say yes to these glorious things, you realise how far you are from these glorious things. That is the principle of hunger.

Such provoking by the Spirit disturbs you. It disturbs your sleep, it disturbs your time. But when that breakthrough comes, you will go, “Wow! That was worth it. When is the next time? I want to get disturbed again.”

Your life must be an intentional discovery of what you have been ordained to do.

Contend for breakthrough so that you may know Him, that you may know His active leadership over your life.

We must connect ourselves with His leadership because He has already defined our lives for eternity. Wherever you are now, you can ask, “Lord I want to have breakthrough in your leadership over me in the context I am in. I want to know Your ways in the very context I am in.”

I don’t want to boast in my wisdom, in my strength, though everyone around me is doing that. Why not be number one in the desire for the realness of God to manifest in our lives? To know His ways and leadership. When you know, you become familiar.

When you become familiar, you desire more.

Your life will become a manifestation of His leadership over you – because you were ordained for that.

I want to be honest with you if you are willing to take this route. When you begin to hunger, you will want to align yourselves with what has been preordained for your destiny – and you may have to go through radical change.

Why? Because chances are that for many of us, our life directions have been set by the influences of the culture. Don’t feel disheartened no matter what age you are at, because out of His zeal for His eternal plans for you, God will not let go of you.

Often times, aligning with God looks like craziness. You must have enough hunger to say, “I want to exist the way You want me to exist.” For some of us who are saying yes to this, you may find that you have to transition to where God wants you to be, and that transition may be violently difficult.

But it is worth it. We are in an hour of crisis. The only real answer is us aligning with God in this way.

This was a transcript of Jess Shao’s sharing at THE GREAT NEED OF THE HOUR 2017. 

Jess will be speaking at THE GREAT NEED OF THE HOUR 2018, a special seminar that will speak forth the very Word of God for the now – what He is returning for and how we can align ourselves to His desires. It will be held on September 22, 2018, at IHOP-One Thing Ministries. The seminar is free but registration is required. Seats are filling fast, register to secure your seat.