One of the more creative ways I receive revelation from God is through certain movies. One of my favorites is The Lion King. There are so many things about the Kingdom, my identity, and the heart of the Father through this movie. So let's start with the beginning.
The movie begins in a kingdom. From the beginning there are two kingdoms at war, a kingdom that represents light (the pride lands- everywhere the light touches) and a kingdom representing darkness (shadowlands). After Simba is born, Mufasa does his very best as a father to teach his son how to rule a kingdom. Much like the Lord in the garden with Adam, Mufasa tells his son that he must never go to the shadowlands. But curiosity gets the better of him, and much like any of us would do, he decides to check it out, totally rebelling against his fathers' instruction. He doesn't understand the consequences of his disobedience. The scene of Mufasa coming to the rescue reveals the following about the Fathers' heart:
-He comes to our rescue, even when we get ourselves into trouble
-His anger lasts but a moment because He loves us! He wants his son to live! And after the rebuke, he speaks identity over his son and also says "Nobody messes with your dad!" Our heavenly Father is jealously protective of us!
The next scene that I always get revelation from is where Scar puts his plan into motion. As the enemy he lures Simba into a place of danger. He also puts him down for needing his father to come and save him ("Good thing daddy was there to save you"). The enemy also knows the heart of the Father, he knows that he will come to the rescue of his son. After it's all over, the enemy immediately attacks Simba's identity. He puts him to shame by making him feel like it was all his fault ("what have you done?!" "what will your mother think?!"). I have experienced this first hand from the enemy. When we have sinned, the enemy's strategy is to cause us to pull away and feel ashamed for what we've done. He makes us fearful of bringing it into the light. But in reality, it's bringing it into the light that will set us free. Imagine what would have happened if Simba had recognized the lie of the enemy and just told the truth to his family!
Then enter Timon and Pumba. As funny as they are, they really don't help Simba. They try to get Simba to sweep his past under the rug. And even though he seems happy, he is not walking in his destiny and claiming his inheritance. He's very selfish and doesn't see how his actions are impacting those he loves dearly. He is immobilized. I would equate this to a "sleepy" Christian or church. I mean, Simba really hasn't done anything bad, he's not currently living in sin, but he isn't taking on the kingdom of darkness and establishing a kingdom of light and life.
When Rafiki goes to Simba, we see what it looks like to "speak the truth in love." Rafiki doesn't care what Simba has done, he cares about the fact that Simba has forgotten his identity as a son. He speaks first to his identity, not his actions. Rafiki's words cause Simba to cry out to his father for the first time. When we cry out to our Father, He responds!! We can be open and real with Him about our emotions. And what does the Father say? He first speaks to His identity! He tells him that he has forgotten who he was and so had forgotten his father. We must know our identity as sons and daughters! His father affirms him as a son and calls him to a higher standard in order to walk in our identity. That is the heart of the Father when He disciplines us. He doesn't say, "shame on you." He loves us too much.
Then we have the return. The most powerful part of the movie is when the truth is brought to the light! It empowers Simba and causes others to join together to take on the enemy. The enemy spreads lies that people don't expose and what it does is causes weakness and division. Agreeing with lies gives the enemy power he doesn't deserve. But what a prophetic picture of what happens when the truth is exposed and transforms what was once darkness into light!
Final thoughts:
Our King lives IN us! We have His authority inside of us.
We are on mission to expose lies and bring the kingdom of light everywhere we go.
We must know our identity as sons and daughters.
We must know the heart of the Father.
