Being A Catalyst

Newton and Yisel Perez ministering

Do you know what a Catalyst is? Let me give you the definition I found:

cat·a·lyst

ˈkad(ə)ləst/

noun

1. a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.

A Catalyst is also a person that causes change; major change. Many of us want things to change but we are unwilling to be those agents of change. 

I truly believe that in this season the Lord is calling many Catalysts to arise. You are called to change completely the culture of your home, work, church, neighborhood, etc. You are being called to be an agent of change. This is no longer the season where you stay behind and you let others work. This is also not the season when you do some things but leave out others. This is the season where you do everything. None of it has to be perfect but you have to show up. If you don't show up, things don't change, that is simply the reality.

There are many things you are dissatisfied with; so there are many things you are being called to change. You cannot leave it on the lap of others. You cannot assume they know. If the Lord gave you the eyes to see and the ability to do, don't wait! Go do it!

I didn't understand it myself until Newton and Yisel started talking to me about it. They are being catalytic and moving at a rhythm where many others around them are also impacting change. The words they have spoken over me have resounded greatly. Newton says to me: "Pray for hearts to be aligned to that level of glory" and Yisel says: "You are a Catalyst. Keep moving. Things are already changing."

I have begun many things and spoken to many people. I have been doing things I would've been terrified to do in the past. But the Lord has blessed it because of obedience. I have also encouraged others to move forward in their catalytic calling. Some embrace it and some don't. But I still have to keep moving. We have to be catalytic in season and out of season.

Nehemiah was a catalyst. He moved in obedience but mostly, he moved in prayer. He was also incredibly strategic. What is going to be your strategy as a Catalyst? 

First, begin with prayer. Start travailing and crying out to God. 

Second, listen to the word of the Lord. What is He saying? How is He moving? 

Third, begin to enroll others for the building of the vision. The ones who are called will be watchmen, watchwomen, creators and builders. 

Fourth, place it in the hands of God. Though God gave you the vision, it is He who will carry it through. He will do it in His timing and His way. Remember that He will only give you a glimpse. You have to trust He has the whole picture and you only need to do your part.

Are you willing to be a Catalyst? Will you be an agent of change in this season? Do it. Your loving God will bless it and carry it through. 

"Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work." Nehemiah 2:17-18

I said to the Lord I want more of Him and He said I don't really...

Last night before prayer meeting

Last night Alexa and I went to a prayer meeting. It was a powerful time of intercession. Before we began the corporate intercession, we had a personal devotional time. During my devotional time the Lord spoke to me. I said to Him: "Lord, I want more of you. I want and need so much of you. I need you always". Softly and gently, the Lord said: "Daughter, no,.. you don't. If you wanted more of me, you would have more of me."

These words were a dose of truth and love shot straight to my heart.

So many of us are concerned with giving more to the Lord and at the same time being worried about what is happening/not happening, what will/will not happen. We are always on the watch for the things that need to be done, the people we have to talk to, the things the Lord has given us to have responsibility over. But we forget about what we want and need the most. We also forget that when we started those things we were on fire for God. 

We want to secure our future but we forget that it is Him who secures our future. Do you remember that verse, Jeremiah 29:11? We love to quote it. We want to believe it. But we have done with this verse what we tend to do with many other verses: we completely get rid of context. We take the easier parts "I can do all things through Christ...." and we leave out the harder parts: "I know how to be brought low..." Here is some context for Jeremiah 29:11 and why it is so connected with our future:


 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." Jeremiah 29:11-14


The "then" on the following verse does not imply that we will call upon the Lord only when He gives us that future.We know this to be true when keep reading the following verses: "I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes..." 



So, let's break this down:

First, it is not my job to worry about my future. The Lord already said His plans for me are for welfare and that He has a future and a hope for me.


Second, my job is to call upon Him and pray to Him. My whole life should be marked by my call for and relationship with the Lover of my Soul.


Third, I do not have to worry whether He will hear me or not because He already promised me He will.


Fourth, I will find Him when I seek Him with all my heart. So my job is not only to seek Him, but to seek Him with all my heart. Let me say something quick here. Your thoughts and actions are a reflection of what's in your heart. If you are not seeking the Lord and are seeking other things, those things occupy a bigger space in your heart than God Himself. If you truly wanted Him, you would seek Him... You know what I mean, seek Him instead of Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr or people...


Fifth, all of our fortunes will be restored when we seek Him and and find Him. Throughout the whole Love Story of the Bible, there are numerous of blessings that follow those who seek the Lord with all their hearts. But there are also many misfortunes for the ones who turn away from the Lord.


Why don't we get this? We are not like the Israelites back then. We have Holy Spirit living inside us and we have the privilege of having an amazing and vibrant relationship with GOD! Why do we still try to cut corners or change Biblical principles that will stand forever?



Seek the Lord. And seek Him today. Seek Him with all your heart.

"Come, everyone who thirsts, 

come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-9

Another Confession: The Parts That Need To Die

Because I am no longer the woman in this picture- not at all

If you are a close friend of mine you know to be true that for the past 2 months I have encountered a rise in my faith. I have enjoyed a deeper level of relationship with Jesus Christ. I have dedicated my time to encourage those around me to rise up in their faith as well. The love and manifest presence of Jesus I've experienced is like never before. It is evident that the Lord has done something powerful in me; something that only He can do.

But as I have been reflecting in amazement at the goodness of God, I have also encountered battles with my flesh and my soul. This is my confession about the parts of myself that still need to die. The following are the parts that haven't yet caught up to what the Lord has done in my spirit.

I'm letting anxiety rule my life

I have been so busy. The projects the Lord has placed on my life are incredible. But even though I walk in the peace of God for the most part, I still let anxiety rule me. When this happens I am very aware that I need to release it and give it to the Lord. And I don't! What is wrong with me? It's like I'm saying: Thanks Jesus, but no thanks. Why would I choose my ways above His? At the end of the project, when I meet the deadline, I realize it was not that serious. I let myself be worked up for nothing. I need to let Holy Spirit lead me and fill me in every endeavor. I need to kick anxiety out! Not only is anxiety my enemy, but it also reveals my lack of trust in Christ with every area of my life.

I'm not getting up in the morning because "I'm tired"

I have a difficult living situation and I'm using that as an excuse to not spend quality alone time with Jesus. If you are like me, you cry when you pray. You have to travail before the King. I actually need to weep before Him. I miss Him when I am not in deep connection with Him. When I am alone with Him, I get to be in heaven and experience His manifest glory. There is nothing like it. But even though I know I need that, I STILL don't get up! I use so many excuses- good ones even. But you know what lets me know they're just excuses? Because if I needed to minister to someone at that time, I would get up and do it. So why don't I get up for the King of kings??! Something in my heart needs to die.

I'm prioritizing ministry above my relationship with God

It has been so amazing to walk in my authority and calling. I cherish every encounter, conversation and prophetic word. I also cherish the quality and depth of the relationships God has given me. But I stand God up on our dates to go minister to someone I know is in need. The worse thing is that after I've ministered to them, I don't prioritize making up that time. I feel the Holy Spirit for that ministerial encounter and I think it's enough. It's NEVER enough! I need Jesus so much. I need Him all the time. I crave sabbathing with Him always. There will always be people in need on this side of heaven. But my engagement to Him is forever. He comes first.


I'm letting my mind contemplate my old relationship and life

I am not who I used to be. I am a new creation in Jesus. But I still find myself thinking about my old relationship. I'm letting the same patterns of thinking rule me and my emotions take over. One minute I could be completely happy and content with my life. The next minute I am incredibly sad and I want to call my ex and tell him. The interesting thing is that my spirit recognizes the falsehood of it all. Even when I get "sad" I'm not really sad. I am fully aware that if I let my Spirit-filled spirit take over, I will be my true self again. This happens when I get anxious as well. This is because I  am no longer an anxious person, or a sad person, or a hopeless person. I am a new person. I am filled with joy, love, peace, etc. In fact! I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

So what is the answer?

"But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-25 

I am putting it off..... goodbye old Anel! All of my deceitful desires have NO place in my life. As soon as they try to come my way, they will be shut down. Anxiety is not allowed in my mind and heart. Neither is discouragement. Why are they not welcomed? Because they're not who I am.

I'm being renewed in the spirit of my mind... hello new Anel! The Word of God says that my new self is created in the likeness of God. Wow! That is whole new level of righteousness, holiness, confidence and authority. It is also a new level of faith, peace and joy. This is who I am.

I am putting the things in my life that don't belong to death. How about you?

Confession: I Wasn't A Faithful Christian

I don't know if I can remember the countless times I have made vows to the Lord. I said to Him: "Lord, I will pray every day for X amount of time. I will fast. I will be faithful. I won't do this again. I won't be distracted by the things of the world anymore, bla bla bla".

I did the whole Jonah thing every year, several times a year. I've been a Christian for 13 years so you do the math. I felt like a failure at this Christian living. It wasn't just about me not keeping my promises to God. It was also about believing that this was "just the way that it was supposed to be". I cannot tell you the countless times the Lord did amazing things for me. He dug me out of pits that were far too deep for me to come out of myself. Everything he did supernaturally stayed with me. It was an eternal imprint. But why didn't I sustain it? I didn't know how to and sometimes I just didn't want to. This is the reason I stopped binging on sermons or going to Christian events for a "high". I was tired of the temporary things and I knew I needed more. It wasn't for the lack of trying. My friends will tell you of the crazy commitments I would make. I would really truly wake up at 4am every day, read my Bible, pray and worship for at least 4 hours every day. I would truly do it. But no plans I could ever make were ever perfect- or constant. How can it be that God does something amazing in me and that I take measures to keep my freedom, but I still end up bound again?

The problem is that we don't understand Christian living. See, we were made to live with Him. The gospel was never meant to be just an experience. We were created to have a vibrant on-going and exciting relationship with Him. If I start quoting Bible verses that reflect this I would NEVER end! I am convinced now more than ever that the reason we don't get to keep our freedom for all of the amazing things the Lord does in our lives, is because of us!

First of all, we are not committed to living holy and obedient lives. But even if we do strive to live holy lives, we want to do it our way. We want to set our own parameters for what it means to be holy. No matter what you try to do, there is no way of getting around it! Our hearts need to be fully and completely in love and submitted to Jesus. But a heart that is fully and completely submitted to Jesus knows first that it is loved. Did you know that most Christians do not receive the love of God? No. We'd rather earn love than receive it freely. We have disbelief, doubt and pride to the core of our beings. It all happens in a chain of events:

We don't believe God loves us freely. We don't believe we have been made new creations in Him. We don't receive God's love. We can't love ourselves. We can't love others. We resort to our human logic and plans.

The second thing we do is that we compromise! We want the gospel to be comfortable and it was never meant to be comfortable! Full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control? Yes! But comfortability? Most definitely not. We live in disobedience. We have no idea who our God is. It truly pains my heart. I have lived 13 years of my Christian life this way too but

I got tired.

Not only was I proven over and over again that all passes away but God, but I also knew that I had to change the way I was doing things and start living with Him. Every day. Did you know that wherever I am, God is there too with me? He loves me so much. He never wants to leave me. And I never want to leave Him. I want to be with Him all the time. I want to take out of my life anything and everything that separates me from Him or that doesn't allow me to have His presence always. It is so amazing to walk with Him and rely on Him. I still strive to wake up at 4am every day but even when I don't, it's okay. He never leaves me. I can talk to Him all day. It is so fun. I get to be grateful for the little things and watch Him perform miracles all throughout my day. It is the most amazing thing to walk with Jesus.

Have you tried it? You should. Lay down your life and follow Him. Maybe we'll get to tag-team one day being about our Father's business. I love you. Whoever you are. The Lord loves you so much. Let's have fun and watch heaven come.

The Hard Life Of A Prophet Part 2

I want to take a time to look at Biblical accounts that give us some characteristics pertaining the life of a prophet. One thing we can all agree on is that a prophet's life is not an easy life.


Prophets get TIRED

Let's take a look at one of the most famous prophets: Elijah. His ministry was like no other. He would pray and it wouldn't rain. He would pray and fire would fall from heaven. He would pray and consume whole armies. You would think: "Wow, a man with that kind of power would have no problems!" But if we look a the Biblical accounts, we find that there was a spiritual and emotional turmoil that Elijah was going through.

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. 1 Kings 19:1-8

Why didn't Elijah have confidence that God would deliver him from the hands of Jezebel just as he had confidence that God would rain fire down from heaven? We have asked ourselves that question over and over again. The truth is that even if someone is a prophet of God, they are still human. We still get tired. We make mistakes. And since the office of a prophet demands so much from one, it is actually very common for prophets to become tired. This is why the Lord put him in a place of rest and nourishment. I have been in this place many many times. I didn't understand why God didn't just take my life, but instead He strengthened me. As a prophet, I'd like to skip the part of "take my life Lord" when my soul gets weary. Instead, I want to run to His arms and rest. I want to say: "Strengthen me Lord for my soul is weary".

Prophets suffer because of the people

Elijah himself confessed it in verse 10 of the same chapter:

He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

It is very hard for a prophet to hear the words of the Lord and know the heart of God and not lament. Since the beginning of time we have been unfaithful to God over and over again. Prophets hear of this and live it with the people. Hosea had to marry a prostitute. Samuel had to anoint Saul even though he knew what would happen next. Jeremiah lamented with the Lord. Let's look at these hard words the Lord was saying about Israel to Jeremiah:

The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 3:6-10

How can we read this and not want to weep and lament? Prophets carry the burdens of the people. Sometimes, they are almost too much to carry.

Prophets see things others don't see

They get to see mysteries of heaven they themselves don't even understand yet:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:1-6

They also see the plans of God beyond what makes sense to mankind:

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

They are always hearing, seeing and sensing the things of the Lord. That does not happen on a regular basis to people unless they are tuned into the things of God. Today, even though not everyone is a prophet, everyone believer can prophesy through the Holy Spirit poured out to us.

Prophets lead very lonely lives.

Very rarely do we see that prophets were married. Most of them were sanctified and set apart unto the Lord for this very purpose. This was the case with almost all of them. The only prophets I can remember being married were Isaiah, Deborah and Huldah.

And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 8:3-4

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. Judges 4:4

So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son ofTikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter), and they talked with her. 2 Kings 22:14

Hosea was also married. But he married a prostitute according to the word  of the Lord. I don't think Hosea had much in common with her, though he loved her. He, too, was lonely.

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Hosea 1:2-3

Prophets are called to a higher level of submission and holiness

 And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 17 for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’” And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.

And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you, but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. And as he went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body. 1 Kings 13:14-24

This account is so serious. It prompts me to never ever disobey the voice of the Lord. I have done it in the past. But I discovered this story recently in addition to many of other things that happened to me. God calls us to another level of obedience. This was the case with Daniel and many others. Disobeying the voice of God can cost a lot. It costed Moses not seeing the promised land. God knows how many things I have missed because I did not obey the voice of God. He is rich in mercy and has been incredibly loving and merciful toward me. I never want to take that for granted.

I hope this has given you but a little insight into the life of a prophet. I wrote purely out of what I know. I hope my journey helps you whether you are a prophet or a friend of one. It is a hard life. It requires a lot of discipline and the right God-ordained people around us. Do not faint. The Lord has promised you joy and His joy can be your strength. He has also promised you a future and a hope. He will strengthen you like He did to Elijah and Jonah. He is your God also, not just the God of the ones you minister to. Take a hold of His blessings. They are for you.

Lastly, do not run away from your call. Wherever you go, there you are, and there's your call. Call yourself a Prophet. Whether you admit it or not, you are. Be a prophet. Be you.