Embrace the hidden season

In this episode, we examine a weighty prophetic message from John 12:24–26 about hidden seasons, holy surrender, and the true reward of serving Jesus. Through the picture of a grain falling into the ground before it multiplies, this message calls us to embrace the costly places where God breaks self-visibility, removes unhealthy attachments, and prepares us for greater fruitfulness.

You will hear an exhortation on the price of multiplication, the cost of pleasing God, the requirement of truly following Jesus, and the honour that comes only from the Father. This episode is a call to yield, to let go of what still holds power over you, and to follow Christ until His ways, words, and perspective are formed in you.

If you are in a season of pruning, hiddenness, surrender, or quiet obedience, this message will help you see that God is not diminishing you. He is preparing increase.

Scripture focus: John 12:24–26

Theme: Embrace the hidden season and settle for the honor that comes from God alone.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Beautiful morning to you and welcome to this morning's expression of igniting your day with Baby Daily Laura Thomas. The title of my message for you this morning is Embrace the Healing Season. Embrace the Healing Season. The Lord shared something important with me from the book of John, chapter 12, verse 24 to 26. And I believe that this will be a huge blessing to your life. John chapter 12, verse 24 to 26. I read, Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my father will honor. Friends, from this passage, the Lord shared with me four important lessons. Number one, the price for multiplication. Look again at verse 24. The Bible says, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. Friends, there are things in your hand that are still tied too closely to your visibility. People are seeing the thing, but they are also seeing you. And because they keep seeing you, they are unconsciously attaching the growth of that thing to your constant appearance, your constant involvement, your constant visibility. But the Lord is saying that if that thing is truly going to multiply, there will be a season when people must stop seeing you. That grain of wheat does not multiply while it is being admired on the surface. It multiplies when it goes into hiding. It multiplies when it enters the ground. It multiplies when something that looks like death begins to happen. Unless it falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. That means there is a sacrifice required for multiplication. There are prices that must be paid. There are seasons when the Lord may withdraw your visibility so that He can establish increase that does not depend on your public presence. What people may call disappearance may actually be preparation. What people may call withdrawal may actually be multiplication in progress. The Lord is saying, Let that thing grow, let that thing increase, let the Lord give increase. People are attaching every unit of that thing to you, but it is not meant to remain that way. It might have started that way, but it is not meant to remain that way. For multiplication to happen, there may be the need for a hidden season. But I know what the passage says. If you really want to please the Lord, there will be invitations he gives you that will not make sense to the flesh. There are divine invitations that will make it look as though you are becoming careless about the life others are trying hard to preserve. There are invitations from God that may make it seem as though you no longer care about comfort, convenience, or even what other people consider a sensible quality of life. But if you are sure it is the Lord, please do not say no. It pays to follow Jesus, it pays to obey him, it pays to yield when he calls. Sometimes pleasing God will look like loss to the natural mind. Sometimes it will look as though you are becoming too available to God. Sometimes it will look as though you are becoming too detached from what the world values. But I tell you, there is profit in obedience. The Lord may say, Do this for me. He may say, Give this up for me. He may say, step away from this. He may say, Follow me here. And if you respond only from the standpoint of self-preservation, you may miss the deeper life He is calling you into. The top thing the Lord showed me from that passage is the requirement and target for serving Jesus. Verse 26 says, If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. This is powerful. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. That's the requirement. And where I am, there my servant will be also. That's the target. When I read that, I began to think about our position in Christ. We already seated with him in heavenly places. But the Lord made this practical to me. He showed me that in this context, where I am, there my servant will be also, means something more in daily life. It means practically my servant's views will become my views. My servant's perspectives will become my perspective. My servant's words will become my words. My servant's ways will become my ways. My servant's actions will become my actions. In other words, if anyone serves Jesus and truly follows him, that person becomes an extension of Jesus on earth. Where he is, there his servant will be also. That means his mind begins to shape your mind. His response begins to shape your response. His way of seeing things begins to shape your own. His ways become the pattern for your life. Your presence in a room should begin to convey Jesus. Your participation in a meeting should begin to convey Jesus. Your words in the difficult moment should begin to sound like Jesus. Your conduct and pressure should begin to reflect Jesus. The Lord is calling us beyond merely claiming his name. That means it is God who gives honor for service, not man. It is God who honors his servants. Stop looking to men for the compensation that only God can give. Stop measuring your service by human applause. Stop waiting for people to reward what only heaven can truly evaluate. The Father honors those who serve Jesus. Men may acknowledge what you do, men may see your labor, men may even appreciate your effort, but the highest reward is not the honor of men. The highest reward is the honor of God. And when God honors a man, that honor satisfies more deeply than anything people can offer. I pray that you will enjoy the honor of God. I pray that your service will not be rewarded merely by human notice, but by divine honor in the name of Jesus. And when that honor comes, it will satisfy you more than the approval of men ever called. After seeing all these friends, how then should we respond? From everything the Lord showed me in this message, there are some things we must take seriously. Number one, let your eyes be open to what must lose its hold on you. Yes, let your eyes be open to what must lose its hold on you. This is one meaning of what it means to die. There are things in your life that the Lord wants you to live independent of. This could be that requirement for multiplication. Secondly, if you are going to please God, then yielding must become part of your work. Yielding happens before visible action, it happens within. It is that inward surrender where a man concedes to God before his life outwardly reflects obedience. Yielding is what I would call the wisdom of the just. The wisdom of the just is not merely intellectual sharpness. It is not simply knowing facts, it is not merely the ability to reason well. What makes the just wise is their persistent, continual, heartfelt concession to the Lord. Yielding. Yielding. Yielding. That is what positions a man to please God. Also, follow Jesus until he is seen in you. Do not follow trends. Do not follow noise. Do not follow whatever men are saying. Follow Jesus. Follow him until his views become your views. Follow him until his perspective becomes your perspective. Follow him until his words become your words. Follow him until his ways become your ways. Follow him until his actions become your actions. This is the real target of serving Jesus. Settle also for the honor that God gives. Friends, there is an honor that comes from God which no human recognition can replace. There are sacrifices men will never fully understand. There are hidden obediences men will never properly value. There are nights, tears, surrenders, and private debts that no public platform can repay. So do not build your life around the honor of men. Settle for the honor of God. If anyone serves me, him, my father will honor. That is enough. That is weighty. That is lasting. So this morning, the Lord is saying to you, the Lord is saying to me, there is a price for multiplication, there is a cost to pleasing God, there is a requirement and target for serving Jesus, and there is a reward for service. If the grain will multiply, it must fall into the ground and die. If you will please God, there will be invitations that cost you something. If you will serve Jesus, you must follow him until his life is reflected in yours. And if you serve him faithfully, the Father Himself will honor you. May the Lord open your eyes to see the things that must lose hold on you. May He teach you to yield. May He make you a true follower of Jesus. And may you know the honor that comes from God alone. I believe you have been blessed by the inspiration and revelation shared this morning. I look forward to coming your way again tomorrow. I wish you an amazing day ahead. God bless you.