Build Your Houses & Plant Your Gardens

How God’s Grace Moves in Times of Captivity to Bring Forth His Promises

Jeremiah once wrote,

“Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat fruit of them; take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city wither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace…

Jeremiah 29:5-7

One might have expected that the economy and spiritual climate would have been really great in those days, when The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah and exhorted him and others to build and be fruitful and multiply. But, did you know that God gave this exhortation to His prophet in the midst of Babylonian captivity, confusion, and false prophecy? Yes, it was a terrible day for God’s people with no end in natural sight.

“This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them… For therefore he sent us into Babylon.”

Jeremiah 29:28

We have SO many personal, corporate, and national promises from God that AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED and JUSTICE IS COMING… and these are all true! These prophetic decrees are the heart and will of God!! Yet, we are staring in the face of many false prophets in the great media manipulation, telling us that we are on a sinking ship and that things are only going to get worse, in addition to the great paralyzation of God’s people who are in shock and desperately waiting for the “time” when these promises will happen or something or someone will fix the disasters in our land.

But WHAT IF the salvation of nations and the justice of God is actually ushered in through the awakening of men’s hearts who realize the great authority and power they have in Christ to build and establish the Kingdom of God in their homes and spheres of influence through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, to the contrary of the narrative and circumstances of the natural realm?

WHAT IF that which we are obedient to build in faith in this building season, when it looks and feels like it couldn’t possibly matter and we want to draw back, is actually releasing the GRACE of God into our future which is the power of God to SAVE and REDEEM?

WHAT IF Jesus was actually telling us the truth that the Kingdom of Heaven is NOW at hand and we don’t have to wait anymore?

WHAT IF the calling to build in times of captivity activates the mystery of God’s GRACE, which empowers us to do the work of His Kingdom and ushers in our future according to God’s promises.

Transformation Points

"Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Romans 5:20

• “The people which were left of the sword found GRACE in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.” (Jer. 31:2)

So, what did Jeremiah do? He went and bought the field in Anathoth, which the Lord commanded him to buy from his cousin, and he prophesied to the earth that God’s promise was coming as he was fashioning his future. This field was the place of Jeremiah’s birth where he first heard the voice of God call him to be His prophet to the nations.

"Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days. For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." Jeremiah 32:14-15

• “Hanani (GRACIOUS)…said to [Nehemiah], The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

So, what did Nehemiah do? He governed the rebuilding of the city wall and fashioned a future day when Israel would turn back to God.

"So the wall was finished on the twenty fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God." Neh. 6:15-16

These Scriptures reveal to us three witnesses of God’s grace being released to build and to plant in the middle of the darkest days for future increase.

Looking back at the passage in Jeremiah, and to our consolation, Jeremiah the prophet even struggled to fathom the power of God’s grace in such evil times and immediately began to argue with The Lord about the logic of the matter after he bought the field….

”And you have said to me, O Lord God, ‘Buy the field for money, and take witnesses’!– yet the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.”

Nonetheless, The Lord responds to Jeremiah in his imprisonment, and to us, with these famous verses:

• “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?…Call to Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know”. One day this nation is going to be great again and …”then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.” (Jeremiah 33:3,9)

What HOPE we have in these promises- that when we are in such dark times our families are empowered to continue to increase and that when we are faithful to build and to plant, according to the leading of God’s Spirit, we are actually prophesying to our future and our children’s future that the promises of God are not just on their way but He is already here! Yes, Christ is within us as believers, the hope of glory! We are preserving our children’s future and we are prophesying to the earth that God will finish what He started.

And it is upon this exhortation to build and plant and to prepare which we find the great promise of 29:11-

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a FUTURE AND a HOPE.”

Action Points

I discovered at least five practical instructions that believers can grab hold of in Jeremiah’s original passage that will stir up our faith and awaken our hearts to draw back into God’s Presence, prepare us to move forward in His strength, knowledge, and provision to obey and complete those things He has shown us we are to do right now. The Word of God will always encourage us and break hopelessness off of our lives and we need it now more than ever in this season of national captivity, confusion, and prophetic manipulation!

Paul once said: “Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning [when you were passionate about the work of the Kingdom] be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.” (2 Corinthians 8:11 NLT, with my emphasis added)

If I could, I would say it a different way in this year of 2021, paraphrasing:

Let the eagerness you showed for the Kingdom when Trump was leading the nation be matched now during the Biden administration by what you continue to give in service and worship to The Lord, according to the proportion and instructions you have been given by God’s Spirit to release The Kingdom. Let the eagerness of The Lord arise as you give yourself to the Lord’s call in this season!!

The Lord told his people in captivity to act on 5 (the # of GRACE) things:

BUILD– First of all, as God’s people we have everything we need to start, continue, and finish building Kingdom blueprints, according to God’s direction, no matter what the economy or circumstances around us say. So, we can build with The Lord in the worst of times and know that it matters! Secondly, building in the eastern culture has everything to do with family and generational wholeness. So…keep praying for, building, equipping, multiplying, and loving your family tree. There is a great future for you all and what you are doing now is ushering in God’s perfect will and divine design for each person in your bloodline.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” 2 Peter 1:3

PLANT & EAT– Plant your gardens, literally and spiritually, and continue to cultivate the areas within the boundaries you have been given. In understanding your “metron” of influence and authority given to you by God, you will know where your boundaries are and can move in God’s governing power to cultivate the Kingdom of Heaven within divine relationships and the covering of the Lord. In working and resting these areas, you can be assured that you will eat of the land, according to what you have sown and the multiplication of that harvest in Christ. We are not dependent on the economy of the reign/rain of men, but the reign/rain of God for our provisions. Start the business or ministry, grow the business, create, write, sow extravagantly, etc. You are sowing seed for your future and the preservation of others who you are called to feed.

“For the Kingdom of heaven is likened to a man which sowed good seed in his field…”Matt. 13:24

INCREASE WHOLLY– We don’t have to draw back in fear in this hour! God’s desire is that we increase and not be diminished. Inheritance is part of sonship. Get rid of any poverty mindset that is even insinuating that the Lord would decrease you. Rest and let the Lord heal trauma and repent for unbelief as you get to the place where you can “WHOLLY” give yourself to the Lord- spirit, soul, and body- like Caleb. The only decrease the Lord is interested in are in the areas which are draining us, distracting us, and holding us back from wellness, intimacy, and the work of His will. Humility and Sabbath rest are extremely important heart positions in this hour, and increase is always the heart of God for the poor, needy, and hungry- both naturally and spiritually. We can each discover what that looks like for us in Christ and grow and be whole! Wholeness is key to inheritance.

“Save Caleb…he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath WHOLLY followed the Lord….Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb….because that he WHOLLY followed the Lord God of Israel.” Deut. 1:36, Joshua 14:14

SEEK THE PEACE OF YOUR CITY– The Lord said to seek the wholeness of our cities, not just our personal lives. God made us captive to the land we are in (Acts 17:26) so that we can become seekers of the Lord and be His catalysts for healing, redeeming, baptizing, and discipling the nations for His glory. For The Lord Jesus Himself is the Prince of Peace, and so when we seek Him, we can discover His strategies to impart His Spirit and resurrection life to our cities. There is a grace to fall in love with our cities in the middle of captivity that perhaps we were missing in our times of comfort. You can SEE—-K with new lenses, as Nehemiah did (Neh. 2:12-15) when he investigated the conditions of the land he was called to in the dark of night.

“By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted.” Proverbs 11:11

PRAY FOR YOUR CITY– We can adopt our cities in prayer and practical acts of obedience, being faithful to steward and protect the people within. We are assured that in the midst of all chaos, our intercession will become the wall of fire around the land and it will preserve lives and open up the heavens for every available opportunity for The Lord’s peace to come in tangible ways. Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace, is actually based on our covenant with God and connects to the complete soundness of every aspect of humanity- our body, societal welfare, sound, our friendships and relationships, war and peace time, spiritual connection, finishing a building project, restoring what was owed, imparting comfort, and prosperity. How wonderful that our peace is based on God’s covenant promise to us and not our circumstances, no matter how evil the day!! We can impact our cities right now for God’s Kingdom through prayer evangelism and acts of kindness!

“For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” Isaiah 54:10

So, we are truly not waiting on God to fix our circumstances or our government so that we can move in righteousness and more freely release the Kindom of Heaven. No, God is waiting on us to obey His command to disciple the nations through our gifts, callings, and the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit and it is never dependent on our surrounding circumstances or a matter of time.

Yes, in the midst of confusion and false prophecy and great warfare- God’s people are called , by the covenant of peace we have with the Lord, to establish our families, be seated in loving authority in our boundaries and cities, cultivate the land, and bear much fruit. We continue to wait and pray for the promises of God while we labor because there is an appointed end, with an expected outcome- HOPEFUL & CONTINUING! But, we are not diminished in doing so for the present-future Kingdom of God is always near. The Ekklesia always increases and is full of peace in Jesus’ name!! “For the government is upon His shoulders and of the increase of His government there shall be no end.”

“As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict- So will I watch over them, to build and to plant, saith the Lord.”
Jeremiah 31:28

Who is the Jesus we follow if our increase is only possible in the best of times? The Spirit of God poured out in Jesus’ day and the Book of Acts caused the Ekklesia of the Lord to increase in manifold ways in the midst of great persecution and trouble. We must be wise to discern what that increase is, and is not, in The Lord’s eyes, but we must press on!!

The Lord is with you to build and to plant!! So go forth today, in the grace of our Lord, for the hope of glory is within you and all of creation groans for the revealing of Christ within!

You have what it takes and you are recalibrating your DNA and the future of your family, your city, and your nation with every act of faithful obedience in The Spirit of Love. Speak these words of Joan of Arc over yourself, “I am not afraid, I was born to do this!”

Much Love, Jamie