As I study more and more about the process of deliverance from strongholds, I’m learning so many simple yet profound things regarding my own process. Is it possible to be delivered from a stronghold but yet still behave like a slave? I’ll give you a BIG and HEARTY YES!
As I was in devotion, The Lord lead me to Joshua 1:2-3 which says,
“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan , you and all this people, to the land which I am giving them…Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you….”
So at this point, the older generation of Israelite’s have died off and now, God was causing the new obedient generation of Israel to inherit the promise-land.
Prior to this point, the Israelite’s had been freed from slavery from the Egyptians, yet, as a people, they were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years due to their lack of faith, their disobedience towards God and their unwillingness to change.
Why were they forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years for a trip that should’ve taken 12 days?
The Israelite’s never let go of their past and they continued to think, feel and behave like slaves. They were ungrateful, disobedient, bitter, angry, resentful and unsatisfied. Truth be told, they we’rent ready or prepared for such a grandiose land, power and authority.
God was calling them to a higher place, a place of expectation, but, was showing them His way, a new way to change and transform their lives in order to take hold of the promise, but, they were too stuck in their past, their slave mentality to change. Therefore, the older generation that refused to change died without ever seeing the promise.
The question The Lord is asking,
“Are you behaving like the Israelite’s in a particular area of your life?”
Has God delivered us from something, a trauma, hurt, pain, death, separation, whatever that thing is, but, we’re still walking around slaves behaving like we did in the past, yet, we’re free?
For me, I still carry around a lot of grief over the loss of loved ones which has contributed to my obesity, but I know a while back, God delivered me from that. However, I find myself from time to time still behaving as I did in the past prior to receiving that deliverance.
Here’s something interesting I read in “Adventuring Through the Bible” by Ray C. Stedman,
“The Christian life is not only a matter of being called out of a wilderness, it is also a matter of entering into an inheritance, the Land of Promise. The problem is that many of us are quite content to be brought out of Egypt…but we never quite get around to entering into the Promise-Land. The land is given to the people of Israel, just as the life in Christ is made available to us as Christians without any effort on our part. But though the land has been given, it still needs to be possessed.
CATCH THIS, it goes on to say,
“Title to the land is a gift of God; possession of the land is the result of an obedient walk…You can have all you are willing to take…But possessing the land would not be easy. The way to victory was through the battlefield of spiritual warfare….”
God said to them “Moses is dead…arise…go.” The Lord was calling their attention that the past was over, period, it’s time to stop mourning, shake off your grief and move forward. This is what Christ is saying to me, to us…stop holding onto your past and go after your promise.
God is calling us to let go of who we were, the things that use to be and create for yourself a new norm. Stop reaching backward trying to get what you once had, its over, all those things of our past are gone and we can’t change a thing about it. Christ is challenging us to come up higher, to let go of who we were and walk into what He’s created us to be. The past is robbing us of God’s promise today and our future tomorrow. We can’t afford to carry or wear the mentality or burden’s of our yesterday.
2 Corinthians 5:17(NKJV) says,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
God is calling His people higher. He’s telling us,
“Arise my people, go after what I have called you too. Although I’ve made you free, you still walk around as slaves carrying the pains of your past which is robbing of you of your future, of your today. Arise, go take hold of your calling, that promise I’ve given you before the creation of the world. You can have as much of it as you want, but what are willing to die for to get it? It’s yours for the taking, be brave and courageous, I AM with you as you go forward in me. Arise, go possess the land I’ve promised you.”
Continue to join me as I share with you what Christ is sharing with me about overcoming. As always, Be Encouraged, Stay Connected, Fight & Let’s Become Free Together.
Wash Your face (Change your Attitude) Td jakes Motivation
Grace Digital
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2yiyIwz8Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xft07c44Zs
In His Name,
Ke’Shawn Adamson
B.O.O.M!
