Moving from HERE to THERE
Most of us are using every ounce of faith and energy attempting to leave a place called "HERE" to get to that Promised Land of "THERE!" When we are traveling to "THERE," a season of transition and change is required. Transition, simply stated, is moving from one place to another. This implies that in order to fully arrive "THERE," we must be willing to let go of the old nature. Our destiny and fulfillment in God requires us to shift out of an old place and enter into a new place.
For many of us, we have experienced a wilderness while fulfilling destiny. Let's examine what the wilderness in your life might entail or what you might have recently experienced. According to Webster's Dictionary, the word "wilderness" is described as: 1) a desert (sandy-filled area); 2) uncultivated and uninhabited territory, wild; living in the "wild;" 3) A state of disorder
The book of Exodus documents the wilderness as the region where the children of Israel wandered for forty years. Their wilderness consisted of many tests and challenges as God measured their faith and obedience. It is interesting to note that the word wilderness in Hebrew is described as desolate, barren, and lonely. So by comparing both of these definitions, we can easily summarize a wilderness experience as:
Can you relate to this? Have you felt lonely, barren, and unfruitful? Have you been so dry and thirsty that you found yourself crying out to God in desperation? Is your life in disorder, and at times are you confused and irritated? Have you responded to your circumstances with WILD behavior while in your WILDerness? If you can relate, then read on.... Don't remain discouraged! God has a purpose for your wilderness, but He does NOT plan for you to stay there! God brought them out of Egypt for the purpose of not only proving their hearts, but also to give them opportunity to be delivered from a slavery mentality!
Slavery Mentality: Captivity, Bondage, and Surrender to Sin
Though you might not immediately recognize slavery behavior, let me first explain what the term "slave" actually means. In the spiritual sense, it is described as bondage, where one is experiencing a form of imprisonment and captivity. It is also a type of restraint of one's liberty where one is not empowered to become free. A slave is also described as a person who has no will of his own and is wholly under the control of another. Another definition describes a slave as one who surrenders himself to any power whatever; as a slave to passion, lust, or ambition! Does this sound like where you are right now? Is there any sin that controls you? Do you suffer with any type of bondage from which you cannot break free? God desires to set you free, and therefore He will sometimes allow a wilderness to provoke you into activating your faith to break free from your situation!
The Israelites, while they were in the wilderness, had many opportunities to activate their faith for their breakthroughs, but instead they remained in their slavery mentality of the past. Many times, their response was to blame Moses for their circumstances rather than trust God at greater levels! The wilderness was chosen by God to be their road to deliverance yet, because of their incorrect responses, they remained in their wilderness! The Israelites could never break free from a lack of trust in God, and from their lack of trust in Moses, and they remained in a place of total surrender to old thoughts and behavior patterns.
Old Cycles
Most all of the modern prophets are in agreement that we are in a spiritual season when God is exposing old cycles. Most likely you or someone near you have recently stated it seems as if you are continuing to "go around the same mountain again." This phrase implies that we are confronting the same past issues over, and over, and over again. Some of these are generational patterns of behavior. In fact, the word "generation" implies a continuing cycle or circle. Another implication for generational patterns is the use of the word "always." Have you ever stated a thought, "Well, I've always been this way. I can't change! It will always be as it is now!" God is declaring that it is time to "cycle-out" of our old patterns and old generational behavior.
The reason that the Israelites remained in the wilderness is because they never cycled out of a slavery mentality. The Israelites were tested many times in their faith and motives. Because they could not totally trust God, they remained in their wilderness...and DIED there! God allowed the old generation to die in the wilderness, and He raised up an entirely new generation to go into the Promised Land. I want to go into my Promised Land, don't you? In order to do so, we must be determined to cycle out of our doubt and unbelief, religious mindsets, generational strongholds, and WHATEVER so easily besets us.
No one ASKS for a wilderness experience, and we most likely don't pray to God to send us to the wilderness. So WHY do we find ourselves IN the wilderness? Once we are there; HOW do we get OUT? Well, when it is GOD who sends us there, we must embrace the season in humility and faith. By this I mean that we are to submit to His purpose as He proves us, and then allow our faith to be developed while in the wilderness.
I know it might mess up someone's theology when I say that many times it is GOD who sends us into a dry, desolate place. Though there are seasons when satan, will attempt to illegally cover us with darkness and cause us to experience desolation and hopelessness. We cannot always blame a wilderness experience on the devil! After all, Jesus was led by the Spirit to His wilderness (See Luke 4) to be tempted by satan. Know this for sure, the Tempter WILL come with his evil seductions, but if our responses are right we will overcome evil temptations and be stronger after we have endured the fire.
Our Faith and Character are Tested in the Wilderness
When we closely examine the word "tempted", it translates as "to try, to prove, and to examine." It also is translated to imply that Jesus was actually "on trial" to actually prove what He believed! It was a time when Jesus' faith was tested, and His virtue and character were tested to prove His character and steadfastness of faith. It is the same with us. When we go through wilderness times, our virtue, faith, and character are tested. It is through these times of testing that we truly recognize our responses. Our responses are responses of faith, or [they are responses of] doubt, unbelief, hidden motives of the heart, and hidden attitudes. If there are any hidden and selfish motives, ungodly beliefs, attitudes, and impure responses, they need to be exposed and addressed so that we receive the next level of breakthrough!
Remember now, it was not the devil that led Him; it was God that led Jesus to the dry place. It was Jesus' victory over the demonic temptations which helped empower Him for the miraculous. In His desert experience, Jesus grew even stronger in His faith and gave the devil a black-eye at the same time. Also, in the wilderness Jesus developed what I refer to as a "proceeding word!"
God is Expecting "The Proceeding Word"
An example of using a "proceeding word" is when Jesus proclaimed to satan that "…man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God!" (Matthew 4:4) A proceeding word is the Word of God which becomes proclaimed to the enemy when we are tempted to come into a negative agreement with the devil. Proceeding words are God-given declarations (based on the Word of God) which begin to flow from our inner-most being. Like a mighty river, there should be an outflow of God's Word that gushes forth whenever we are in a wilderness, and the enemy is tempting us. God is seeking a people that are allowing themselves to be developed in a wilderness, so that they are also empowered with these proceeding words. Rather than feeling sorry for ourselves because we experience dry places, realize that God has a much greater plan. He is empowering us for the miraculous and "greater things!"
Tests for Promotion: Moving into the Miraculous!
I believe that we are in a season where God is testing our hearts, motives, and responses because He desires to promote us! There are tests of promotion whenever we desire to grow, have a more effective ministry, and desire to extend the kingdom of God. Though there are many different types of tests that we pass while in the "School of the Holy Spirit", a test of promotion is one of the most difficult tests to pass. When we examine what Jesus endured, the forty days of fasting and the temptations that He faced, we also notice that He went forth in victory with power and might.
We might look at our tests of the past and notice that once we were on the other side of that test, there was an arrival at a greater spiritual level. This is what I commonly refer to as "promotion in the Spirit."
I have observed, in my own life, that whenever God is planning to move me to a higher spiritual level, I go through a dark, dry season. I feel that I am going through a dark tunnel; I can't see clearly, I am spiritually dry and therefore crying out for a breakthrough. In other words, I GET DESPERATE FOR GOD! In the midst of all of this, God is watching and listening to all of my responses! How did I respond? As a result of not having all of the "right" responses, I would find myself repenting, and repenting, and repenting MORE! To my amazement, though I felt that I didn't really deserve it, God would promote me. (Thank God for His amazing grace!) Once I was out of that wilderness and flowing again in the Spirit, I would look back and thank the Lord for that lesson in spiritual maturity. Then I would realize that I began to "come out" of that wilderness when I had firmly developed that "proceeding word!" In other words, the Word of God was firm and solid in my spirit and my response to the devil was to quote the Word of God and my prophetic promises.
Our Season for Miracles
Most all of the prophets are declaring that we are entering into a season of apostolic signs and wonders. In order for us to "believe and receive" miracles for ourselves and for others, we must have a developed proceeding word. We must know and understand the Word of God. Also, we must rid ourselves of religious mindsets concerning the miraculous. We must flow by His Spirit, and allow Him to move WHEN He desires. Timing is very important when following the Holy Spirit. He moves in His own timing, and we must develop a hearing ear to hear Him when He directs us. Developing a spiritual sensitivity is crucial as we fully embrace the Kingdom Message.
The Truths of the Kingdom of God
God is going to begin to reveal many hidden truths concerning the Kingdom. Many of us feel that we already know the message of the Kingdom...but there are hidden things of the gospel that He wants to reveal. These are truths from the Bible that will have a fresh breath of life upon them. Also, there will be a fresh, steady fire to burn away the old mindsets, and set us on fire to seek the Kingdom as never before!
Your Time in the Wilderness
Some of you are in the wilderness, and God is cycling you OUT. The way to come out is to realize that God is seeking a proceeding word. He wants to promote you and use you in a mighty way. You might come out for a while, and then find yourself back in another test. If so, it's ok! Just begin to cycle out again with another proceeding word! The main thing is that we learn that we are to grow and mature and have His Word so impregnated in our spirit that we come forth in power and might!
Breaking Free of a Slavery Mentality
This is one way that you will cycle out of your slavery mentality! Begin to speak what God says about you. Find all of your prophetic promises that concern your future and begin to proclaim what God has said. At every test, use a proceeding word to break you out of your captivity. A slave mentality says that God will not fulfill His word. The proceeding word is that He promises to perform His Word! A slave mentality says that you will not find your place in ministry, but a proceeding word says that God has firmly planted you into your destiny, and you will not be plucked up!
Closely examine every ungodly belief and replace it with God's Word, and then you will experience your deliverance. When you begin to respond to every wilderness test with a proceeding word spoken in faith, you will cycle out of your captivity!
ZION MINISTRIES by Sandie Freed © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).
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