I believe God is asking us to
begin to go against the grain of the natural more than ever in the coming days
in order to see a faith breakthrough. We are in a time of transition where the
kingdom of darkness is losing ground to the greater power, authority and impact
of the Kingdom of heaven. Times of
transition always require us to go through labor pains that increase in
intensity right before the birth of the new thing. Those pains can make us feel out of control
and exhausted but God is saying to us, "push, it's coming!"
Now is the time to align with
what heaven is releasing in earth. Our faith has to rise to a new level if we
are going to meet the supernatural challenges ahead of us. Harder times require
greater faith. The enemy isn't going to rest even if we do. He's bringing out
his big guns in this hour to assault the Kingdom of God. We have to begin to
stand and face the enemy in the armor of God instead of running away or using
worthless, natural armor that offers no real protection. We can't fight
darkness by hiding, being passive or shouting at demons. The armor in Ephesians 6 is our only security
against Satan. Besides the Word of God,
faith is the most effective piece of armor we can use to shield us against the attacks
of the enemy (Eph. 6:16).
Faith Goes Beyond the Natural
Faith will cause the natural
realm to give way to supernatural changes if we don't give up. The blind man that Jesus touched first saw
men as trees walking (Mark 8:24) because faith was in the process of changing
the natural, but there was a pressing in that had to be done before a complete
healing could take place. Jesus had to
place His hands on the man a second time before he was made whole. Faith has to
shatter the realm of the natural before proof of what is already accomplished
in the spirit realm can manifest. This often takes perseverance to receive the
breakthrough.
There is a cumulative faith that
builds in us when we keep stepping out and pressing into the supernatural
regardless of outcomes. God will often
test us to see if we will continue to believe after we experience failure or
when He is silent or delays answers. Each time we push through the natural and
believe God to do what He said He will do in spite of setbacks, our faith
muscle is built up and our spirit man gains new confidence and determination.
We mustn't let fear or discouragement cause us to lose our momentum. It's the
firm, unshakeable yet childlike decision to believe that changes us, which in
turn changes atmospheres. There is a violent shaking and rending that occurs in
the natural when God's people hold on and refuse to let go of what they see
through faith eyes.
Stop Fearing the Opinions of Others
Fear of man has to go in order
for us to begin operating in faith that generates supernatural results. If we
care what people think more than we care about what God thinks or wants then we
will never move in much power or authority. We have to decide to abandon
ourselves to the desires of God and stop fearing the opinions of others. Luke 14:26 says: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his
father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own
life also, he cannot be My disciple." We have to first determine whether or
not we even fit the bill for discipleship according to Christ's standards
before we can begin to step out with power and authority. We need to know if we are able to surrender
enough to have what it takes to do the things that will require a death to our
own desires and reputations for the sake of the Kingdom (Luke 14:28-31).
Elijah had an incredible
childlike faith that believed God would show up and do exploits. Throughout the book of 1st Kings we see how
Elijah would decree and believe for a thing and not give up until it occurred.
He trusted God in spite of the odds and impossibilities. He knew God would back him up because a
mutual partnership and relationship already existed between the two of
them. Even though the things Elijah
believed for didn't always happen immediately, he refused to be defeated
because he knew God would answer. He
kept believing until the natural gave way to the supernatural. Elijah's close alliance with God removed
doubt and fear of failure and supplied him with the trust needed to overlook
delays. In 1st Kings 18:41 Elijah assured Ahab that rain was coming even when
there was no sign of an approaching storm.
He made his servant return 7 times to the sea to check for rain clouds.
The seventh time the servant returned, a small cloud appeared, the sky blackened,
rain poured and the drought ended. I believe that even if it had taken 100
times, Elijah wouldn't have given up.
Take the Kingdom by Force
The enemy wants us to believe
that pushing into the Kingdom will just result in a cycle of more failure and
unbelief. He is hoping we will settle
for a dumbed-down Christianity where we will never have to face any challenges
or failures because we never attempt to do anything that is beyond our own
capability and power. Much of what is
called Christianity today never forces the natural to bow to the supernatural
but instead only strives for the highest and best that man can do. It is a form
of godliness that denies its power. We must resist the temptation to abandon
the supernatural foundation that Christ laid for us for a benign and socially
acceptable gospel. We must be willing to violently take the Kingdom by force
regardless of setbacks. Failure,
ridicule and disappointments will at times happen, but we can't let anything
deter us from our goal of walking in the miraculous, supernatural lifestyle
that Jesus walked in.
All that we say we believe is
going to be put in the fire in order to burn away that which is worthless to
the Kingdom of God. A transition must be
made from a natural to a supernatural walk where we absolutely know who we are
in Christ. Human strength can be as
useless and at times even more of a hindrance than human weakness is against
the enemy. God can't use human
attributes to fight hellish opposition.
He has to purge us of the dross that has been keeping us from becoming
simple and pliable. We think we have earned the right to be grown-ups in God's
Kingdom. We have studied religious
patterns in order to expertly maneuver throughout the spirit realm. We use our
buzz words and catch phrases based on a superficial knowledge of scripture and
say them loudly but with no real authority. We wield the sword of the Spirit
again and again but we have dulled its blade through consistent unbelief. We
have to be willing to let go of all we know in order to embrace powerful,
childlike faith. All of our spiritual "maturity"
can hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives unless we give up our right
to be scholars in order to be children again. Satan's greatest fear is that we
discover the true power of pure simplicity.
Above all Else He Loves Us and is Faithful
The mightiest weapon we possess
is the word of God. The Word is sharper
than a two-edged sword but if we believe that much of it has become obsolete or
if we don't fully grasp it or implement it, we will never see print transformed
into power. Most of all, we can't fully
walk in that power unless we believe that God is for us. He is waiting for us
to step out in faith and yet He wants us to know above all else that He loves
us, that He is good and that He is going to be faithful to us. That has to be settled in our hearts before
we can ever become effective conduits of His power and glory. A relationship of loving, secure trust is
God's first priority. He knows that once we truly believe in and embrace His
faithful goodness toward us, it won't really matter if it takes 7 or 100 times
for Him to come through for us. We just
know He will.
Lisa Dickson
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