Those with ears to hear and hearts to perceive will prepare their hearts to take hold of God’s grace that is now coming forth to take us into a great new move of the Holy Spirit. The church is about to cross over into the Promised Land.
The crossing of the Jordan represented death to the self life and a new way of living; the laying down of our lives is required of us like never before. Over 120 years have elapsed since the birthing of the Pentecostal movement.
It is now time to cross over into the fullness of the Pentecostal experience – that which the early church had was just a token of what God intends for us today.
Once we experience the fullness of the Pentecostal experience, then we can move on to Zion, and the tabernacle experience.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
The word earnest is the Greek word arrhabon, which means pledge or deposit (not the total amount).
DEUTERONOMY 31:2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3. The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
We have heard a lot about the Joshua generation, but we have not seen it in its full reality. But now, it is time for Joshua’s to cross over and take the Promised Land. He that has ears to hear let him hear what God is saying to the church today!
EPHESIANS 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19. And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power…
If you were to die today, would you still be able to see and hear? The answer of course is yes. Even though you would no longer have physical eyes and ears, you would still be able to see and hear.
This highlights the fact that you have two sets of eyes and ears. The Apostle Paul refers to this as seeing with the eyes of your understanding. Greek dianoia the eyes of your heart, also referring to the imagination.
The Apostle Paul also put it this way:
2 CORINTHIANS 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
We inhabit two worlds at the same time:
JOHN 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Jesus was both in heaven and earth at the same time. How can this be? We tend to think of heaven as someplace far off in the universe and this does have some merit.
However, we need to think of heaven as another realm – the realm of spirit. Jesus clearly said that the kingdom of heaven is within you:
LUKE 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21. Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
The Apostle Paul also said that we have been moved into the realm of the Kingdom of God:
COLOSSIANS 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son.
You have been translated into the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom.
JOHN 8:23 And he said unto them: Ye are from beneath, I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not of this world.
Your Spirit has entered the Kingdom of God:
LUKE 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
There is another world all around you that can only be seen with the eyes of the heart. It is God’s will that you become familiar with His world – the world that He lives in. Where your heart is determines where you dwell. Your focus in life determines your habitation:
MATTHEW 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Where the focus of your heart is determines where you are living. You are either earthly-minded or heavenly minded:
I CORINTHIANS 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
It takes faith to walk in the spirit realm because it is contrary to all of our natural senses. Without faith, you cannot walk with God. We walk by faith and not by our natural sight in this physical world.
Unbelief is the darkroom where you develop your negatives. It is where your heart is that reflects where you are in your present personal world.
It is good to reaffirm the promises God has given you and to seek the Lord for further vision and understanding for your life.
Take some time out and let God speak to you about your direction and focus for this year. It is important that the vision of your heart and the words of your mouth agree.
This is a time of real change, a time when new mandates can be imparted. Many prophetic timelines are intersecting at this time and we need to seek the Lord for fresh insight to know God’s purposes for us more clearly for the days that lie ahead.
Walking with clarity in the spirit is becoming more essential than ever before. We cannot walk blindly through another year.
Repositioning of lives is occurring as this is critical to be in the right place at the right time in the future. Many are being taken home at this time through death. This is not necessarily a negative; it is part of the strategy and timing of God as He works to have all things in place for the next move of God.
Spiritual Discernment
It is becoming more and more critical that we become “spiritual”. Spiritual discernment requires that we walk in the realm of the spirit by faith, having our spiritual senses awakened to perceive and live more fully in the realm of God.
Walking with Jesus in the Spirit is required of us to survive the days ahead. Tribulation is coming. Our focus must be not on this world but on the heavenly realm. We must dwell in the secret place of the Most High.
HEBREWS 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
True perspective can only come as we dwell in God’s realm, hearing His views, knowing His voice, walking in His ways. The eyes of your heart must be single as we seek first the Kingdom of God.
PHILEMON 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The word conversation in the verse above is the Greek word Politeuma G4175. It has the meaning of citizenship or the place where we live. If we live in the Kingdom of God, our conversation will reflect it. The words of your mouth must agree with the vision of your heart and where your heart is, that is where you dwell.
MATTHEW 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
As we look back in contemplation, we need to ask ourselves: how much ground have we taken in the last year?
I’m not so much talking about the external battles – it’s the inward battles that really count the most. Winning the battle on the inside is a prime requirement for us to advance in our walk with the Lord. There is a direct correlation between how much of the battle we have won on the inside and how much ground we can take externally:
2 CORINTHIANS 10:5 Casting down imagination, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6. And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
One of the greatest inner battles we face is that of coming to rest. The account of the conquest of Canaan in the Old Testament is a picture of this inward battle. The story of Israel’s struggle to enter the Promised Land was written for us as a picture of the inward battle we face today:
HEBREWS 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18. And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
HEBREWS 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
The Apostle Paul describes Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land as entering into rest. Paul also said that the journey of Israel to the Promised Land as an example to us today (1 Corinthians 10:1-11).
We have strongholds in our minds that keep us from the fullness of God’s purposes and promises. These mindsets are strongholds that keep us back from entering our inner Promised Land.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Unbelief – the giant that holds us back. Removing the veil of unbelief opens a doorway to an incredible walk with God, a walk the takes us into a realm of intimacy and relationship with the Lord that goes way beyond the norm of the present mediocrity of Christianity.
Fear, doubt, unbelief, is the giant that most Christians carry with them to the grave. Most Christians do not believe that God will take care of them. That statement may shock you; nevertheless, it is true.
The children of Israel had experienced the power of God in the defeat of Pharaoh; they had witnessed God take care of them in the wilderness, but when it came to the crunch, they failed because of unbelief:
HEBREWS 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
HEBREWS 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
The problem was, they could not trust God with their lives. God has a plan for your life. As you submit your life to the Lord, following Him, obeying His voice, abandoning your life to Him, trusting Him to take care of you – your own striving will begin to subside as your will, desires, and ambitions melt away in the vastness and greatness of God’s will for your life.
HEBREWS 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Giving up our own life to the will of God and ceasing from our own will and desires opens up for us the vast supply that God has laid up for us before the world began.
HEBREWS 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
1 PETER 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
When God commissioned you to come to this earth to fulfill your purpose and destiny, everything you needed to successfully fulfill that commission was laid aside for you.
However, it is only as you sync with and enter into that plan and purpose for your life that this provision is released to you as you need it.
In heaven, there is a vast storehouse of all kinds of provision. There is money and gifting such as heavenly business wisdom and spiritual gifts of various levels of the authority; there is a huge pile of wisdom, along with many earthly possessions such as lands and buildings.
This storehouse is so vast that you cannot see the end of it; angels had it all cataloged according to the names of people for which these provisions were set aside for.
When I left the storehouse, I looked up at
The sign over the vast doorway of the storehouse says: Unclaimed Provision.
Do you really trust God with your life to the point of being willing to follow Him even unto death?
The early Christians could walk into the arena singing hymns because they trusted God with their lives and they were committed to the will of God no matter what that entailed.
As the conditions in the earth become more and more treacherous and law and order break down, we need to be in the place where we love not our lives even unto death.
REVELATIONS 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
You can only come to that place where all the inner fears, strivings, and insecurities cease when you understand the great unconditional love that the Father God has for you when you know that He knows what is best for you, and you are completely comfortable with that.
When you come to that place, you can readily abandon your life to God, trusting Him no matter what. Only then do the battles on the inside stop and you begin to enter into real union with the Lord.
HEBREWS 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest,
10. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Winning the battle on the inside
DEUTERONOMY 12:9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you. 10. But [when] ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and [when] he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety
Rest was equated with Israel coming into their inheritance. The New Testament equivalent is found in Matthew 11:
MATTHEW 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
HEBREWS 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Spirit Transformation
When we are born again, our spirit received the very nature or the spiritual DNA of Jesus. This seed, when given the right conditions, will grow and bring forth the image of Jesus in us.
ROMANS 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
The problem we have is the incompatibility between our Spirit and Soul. Your soul has to come to rest for your spirit to flow out through it, but bringing your mind and emotions to rest is not easy.
Israel’s rest was the Promised Land, the land of Canaan – but it was acquired by fighting for it. In the New Testament equivalent, THE LAND IS YOUR SOUL.
The incompatibility between your spirit and your soul sets up a tension that is very destructive in terms of physical health and peace of mind.
The Bible talks a lot about the importance of unity, but first and foremost, unity must occur between our spirit and soul. If you are to be sensitive to the Lord and walk with Him, your soul has to come to rest.
Self-pity, depression, jealousy, anger, bitterness, resentment – these all set up a barrier, hindering Christ who is in your spirit from coming through your soul to the outside world. Your unrenewed mind comes into conflict with the mind of Christ in you and becomes an enemy of the Lord within us:
ROMANS 8:7 Because the carnal mind (natural mind) is enmity (an enemy) against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
When there is unity between your soul and spirit, the mind of Christ can flow through you easily. Our will controls both our mind and emotions. God gave us a will so that we can choose as to how we are going to live. The will must be surrendered to God and His will.
This is a choice that sets the rules of the game. Once we surrender our will to the Lord, we have to be careful to ascertain the mind or will of God and choose to follow it. This takes faith and implicit trust in God.
As we have already seen, Hebrews 4:3 says: For we which have believed do enter into rest. The will of the Lord is understood through the written word and direct revelation – God speaking to us:
HEBREWS 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Unity is first an inner quality. We live in an extremely competitive world: in sports, business looks, and yes, even in the church. Competition drives us to want to be better than the other person; this is diametrically opposed to Kingdom Ethics and it is rooted in pride.
Remember, God resists the proud. Pride is a terrible bondage; it is a time bomb just waiting to explode. There can never be any rest in competition.
We strive to be fair to our children; we try to equalize everything out for them, but life is not like that – life does not deal the same cards to everyone. Life is not fair.
If your children grow up believing the godless assumption that the world owes them, they are going to have a hard time.
Learning to handle injustice is part of our training. Children must learn to handle disappointment – it’s part of life.
A competitive spirit is alien to the Kingdom of Heaven; there is no competition in heaven. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Being content with what God has purposed for us and seeking to attain the highest in it is pure motivation for advancement in the Kingdom of God.
We must achieve unity or compatibility between our spirit and our soul; the two must become one for God to use us at the level He wishes to.
We must win this battle on the inside. The Apostle Peter wanted to know what God’s purpose for the Apostle John. There seemed to be a little rivalry emerging here:
JOHN 21:21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what [shall] this man [do]? 22. Jesus saith what [is that] to thee? follow thou me.
When we don’t trust God, we tend to become manipulative and controlling.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
The word study here is the Greek word prasso G4238: to practice.
The word quiet here is the Greek word hesuchazo G2270: to keep still, to refrain from meddlesomeness or speech, cease, hold one’s peace, be quiet, rest.
Practice to be quiet and mind your own business. We are supposed to be about our Father’s business. Come into rest; let the competitive spirit go; love everyone, being kind and good-hearted – that is the nature of God, and when it becomes the nature of your soul, you become more compatible with the Lord.
Jesus clearly implies that there will be no rest to our souls until we are yoked with Him
MATTHEW 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Take His yoke. His plans for you depend on this. The battle on the inside must come to an end; only then will you have rest.
Most of the greatest miracles of Jesus were performed on the Sabbath, the day of rest. This is a prophetic picture of what will happen when we come into rest – our Sabbath. Stop fighting for your rights, trust God; we must die to the self life and live unto God.
MICAH 6:8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?