Crossing Your Jordan

You’ve been saved. You had a powerful experience of salvation and you know beyond a doubt that HE has called you out of darkness into HIS marvelous light. You’ve been water baptized for the remission of sins. You’ve been filled with the Ruach HaQodesh of promise. You have gifts and you know HE loves you.

You have received many promises and prophetic declarations of HIS intentions to bless you but so far, you’ve been just surviving and you’re starting to wonder … what’s keeping me from experiencing the blessing?

What extends your time in the wilderness?

When we look at the children of Yashar’el as they picture the believer moving from Egypt (bondage and sin) to the Promised Land (fulfillment of promises and blessings) we see that there is a wilderness in between.

We know that this is the “place of death” and so the wilderness is where things go to die. Unfortunately, we see that an entire generation of people died in the wilderness, including Moses. They were prohibited from entering into the land of promise.

As we know that YAHUAH is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we need to look at the pattern here to see what keeps people from moving into the land of promise.

Offense!

The number one thing that stands out is OFFENSE. When two parties are offended at one another, the relationship dies. In the case of the children of Yashar’el, they repeatedly were offended at YAHUAH Elohim for the way HE handled their deliverance.

We can also see that YAHUAH was so unhappy with the children of Yashar’el that were it not for the intercession of Moses, He would have destroyed them all. Instead YAHUAH Elohim cursed them to DEATH IN THE WILDERNESS! If you feel like you’re dying in the wilderness, you need this lesson. You need to know the things that keep you in the wilderness.

Due to the offenses, Yashar’el turned an 11 day walk into 40 years. An entire generation died without experiencing the promises. Let that be a warning to us all!

We must pause now and see what are the characteristics that perpetuate offense and continue to war against the breakthrough that each of us need in our lives.

Any ONE of these contaminants will cause delay and even death if not cleansed. Let us examine our own hearts and see if perhaps we are struggling in any of these areas so that we can be rid of the hindrance and go boldly into the Manifestation Of The PROMISE in our lives.

The Original Offender

We must remember that LUCIFER or Satan was the first OFFENDED who sinned and was cast out of the blessing of YAHUAH Elohim. We DO NOT want to follow in his footsteps and allow his evil thinking any room in our lives.

If Lucifer can trick you into being offended at YAHUAH or HIS CHILDREN, then the devil can trick you out of your blessing and even seduce you into dying in the wilderness.

Let’s look at the enemy’s subtle tricks that keep people from entering into the Promises of YAHUAH Elohim.

We know that we have an adversary who walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He requires permission. Here are ways that we grant permission to our adversary to come in and devour our blessing and keep us from having breakthrough in our lives … even if we’re not even aware of it.

I will call them Promise Blockers and all of them can be deactivated in the humble heart that sees and acknowledges this legal ground has been yielded.

We bear fruit because we are rooted and grounded … if we get offended, we are UPROOTED and give ground. So let’s look at what causes us to do that and ask the Ruach HaQodesh to cure these strongholds in our thinking so that we can start to EXPERIENCE the blessing and not just “hear” about it.

Promise Blockers

SIN: Let’s not overlook the obvious. While each of these below are subtle variations and doorways, they are all SIN. When we sin, we break our closeness and relationship with YAHUAH Elohim and we open the door for evil. We are told that “sin crouches at the door” so we must always be sober and do what YAHUAH tells us to do so that we do NOT forfeit any blessing that HE intends for us to have.

Denial: Offense is like a fungus or cancer. It grows in the dark. When you bring it to light, it dries up and does no harm. When we deny that we’ve been offended because we want to pretend something didn’t bother us when it did, WE ARE LYING and we prolong the offense and it goes dark … where it can grow.

Self-Pity: When we allow ourselves to feel justified in being offended we are prone to fall victim of the demonic loop of self-pity. We plead our case in our own minds and with any listening ear to get them to see how “right” we are … and in the process are retaining the offense. In addition, we spread our offense to others under the guise of “warning” or “consolation” but in reality we are seeking company in our self-pity party. This is how Lucifer drew a third of the angels into rebellion and damnation. Don’t let him take you too.

Pride: Walking hand in hand with denial is the Pride that only lesser “baby” believers fall victim to offense. The adversary takes advantage of this because the proud refuse to acknowledge that anyone could possibly hurt them. Love makes us vulnerable and indeed, we can be hurt by those we love. Pride goes before destruction and we are all admonished that “he who think he stand, take heed lest he fall.”

Collateral Damage: The more offense remains, the more collateral damage is done in our lives. It is a plague that will ravage us if not stayed with forgiveness. For many this causes them to make things worse by going even further into sin. Unfortunately, when there is collateral damage because of offense or disappointment, we tend to use this damage as further justification for self-pity or pride which only serves to keep the cycle going.

Entitlement: This mentality that we are “owed” can cause us to perpetuate the “violation” to maintain the worthiness of our cause, if only in our own minds. This prevents us from moving past the difficulty and acts as a cement which is difficult to penetrate. Footholds become strongholds.

An entitlement mentality robs us of authentic gratitude and humble joy … and quenches the joy of the Father in giving us breakthrough.

Unforgiveness: When we struggle to forgive someone we are indicating a failure to understand how much we ourselves have been forgiven and how serious it is to hold unforgiveness. This is not just in the words, “I forgive” but in the heart that releases a “cause of action” which says, the matter no longer exists. Real forgiveness is not a buried offense, but a cleansed heart that is as if the offense never occurred.

Shortsightedness: When we hold an offense that is keeping us from greater blessing, it is often because of a shortsightedness that only allows us to see what’s in our hands and not what is in HIS hands and plans.

Hyprocrisy: Without realizing it, many adopt “double standards” that mean two different standards are being applied to a situation. This is called the “leaven of the Pharisees” and is a deadly toxin. We must understand that YAHUAH calls us all to be holy and there are no exceptions nor double standards in His Kingdom. We must see our own flaws just as we see the flaws of those around us lest we begin to apply a double standard.

Self-Interest: Without realizing it, we often see only our own needs, burdens, and “side of the story” when indeed there always more than one side of any story. The redeemed are called to lay our lives down for others and rather be defrauded and turn the cheek than harbor resentment and bitterness. When we operate from our own self interests, we do not sacrifice ourselves but instead sacrifice others for our own ends and whether or not we realize it, we have adopted Lucifer’s tactic of stealing, killing, and destroying to get what he wants.

Hatred: If you bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart, you are essentially siding with their adversary for their demise. While this can be hidden, it will not remain so and will manifest given the right opportunity. When we have hatred, we have a desire to see another person’s destruction and in so doing bring about our own.

Anger: The Word tells us NOT to let the sun go down on our anger and if we allow it to move to the next day, we take the risk of that anger turning to bitterness and resentment that leads to defilement.

This vessel cannot be now used for holy purposes for the sake of the decay that now infests the vessel. It must be cleansed and sanitized before it can be used again.

Anger that is not laid to rest is like a mold or mildew that we allow to fester and grow. Be angry and sin not … never letting any disappointment cause you to be defiled.

 

Unholiness: If we are called to be HOLY, this should matter more to us as an Eternal state than any natural or carnal thing. We reveal our understanding of Holiness and the value of sanctification by how easily we would forfeit it. What YAHUAH Elohim calls to be holy is meant to be used for HIS purpose and never used of the enemy to harm themselves, or the household of faith.

Rebellion: When we KNOW the right thing to do and yet still argue or rebel, we have knowingly or unknowingly started an argument with Almighty YAHUAH and are fighting against HIM. Unrepented rebellion opens the door for Lucifer and all the demonic host to take up residence in the vessel and keep the person from experiencing any blessing.

Witchcraft: We are told that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft which essentially is the effort to circumvent the will of YAHUAH with our own plan using manipulation of natural, spiritual, emotional and all sensual means to accomplish something. The demonic see this stubbornness and latch on causing some measure of success which furthers the cycle and hold the victim prisoner of the demonic cycle.

Idolatry: When we allow anything to be more important to us than YAHUAH, we have erected an idol whether we realize it or not. We can give more time, energy, love, devotion, and passion to these things making for a very jealous Elohim.

Adultery: One whom says with their lips that they are in covenant but in practice will “cheat” or “defile” the covenant for personal pleasure, gain, advantage, or any other temporal benefit has committed adultery even if there was no natural commission of the act. We can see clearly that there is a spiritual adultery as described by the KING that is dealt with ruthlessly by the throne.

Covetousness: Desiring what belongs to another is a most destructive doorway as it distracts from one’s own diligence and entices to “shortcut” character development and reap benefit that belongs to another. This sin is at the root of all evil. Lucifer desired what was not his and wanted what was for another. This can be a possession or a privilege, it can be a position or even authority. We must see beyond money and things and realize that covetousness extends to influence and power in all forms.

Let YAHUAH ELOHIM destroy these demonic and evil things off your life so that you can enjoy HIS blessings!

These variations and doorways will cause you to lose ground, lose blessing, fail, suffer, and eventually die in various forms of misery. This is NOT YAHUAH’s will. He would rather that you REPENT and turn from these things and LIVE.

He provides the atonement in Messiah so that you can stop the plague but HE will NOT force you to. Instead, you must choose life and reject these doorways of evil and curses.

If you now see that you have opened these doors in your life, now is the time to STOP THE PLAGUE of death that is trying to kill you.

Ask the Ruach HaQodesh to reveal to you if ANY of these doorways have been opened in your life and if so, ask HIM to help you close them now in humble prayer before him.

Remember, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”