A time to let Him break the 'ceiling above you'!

I saw a vision during a time of prayer recently. In the vision, I saw myself in a room, and all of a sudden, the ceiling above me was ripped off by a strong wave of water blown by the wind. I was actually wondering how could such a strong wave of water sweep through above the room, yet the room wasn't damaged at all! I then began to see the sky and the stars above. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and there were many new stars, stars that I have never seen before.

The Lord then spoke these words:
"This is a time to let Me break the 'ceiling above you', and you shall begin to fulfill your God-given potentials. Be set free from the limitations put on you by men, and look up! For each new star you see is a new opportunity birthed forth for you!"

I asked the Lord for the interpretation of the vision that I saw, and He began to show me one by one.

The 'room' speaks of 'a person's current situation or condition in life'. There are some of you who may be 'confined' or 'restricted' by the limitations put on you by men, or by the standards (or traditions) set by men on you. But this is a time to look up, and see the Lord setting you free from such 'confines' or 'restrictions'.

The 'strong wave of water' (that ripped off the 'ceiling') speaks of 'the work of the Lord that is beyond the imagination of men'.

The 'sky and the stars above' speaks of 'the unlimited and infinite work of the Lord', and those who behold and believe shall begin to see many 'new stars', which speaks of 'the many new opportunities' being set out for them.

As I was pondering over what the Lord has just spoken, I was immediately reminded of what the Lord had spoken to Abram (his name was not yet Abraham at that time) in Genesis 15:5, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them... So shall your descendants be." And in Genesis 15:6, the Scripture says Abram believed. As you can see later in the Scriptures, these words of the Lord eventually came to pass.

The word 'descendants' here is 'zera' in Hebrew, which can mean 'seed, conception, posterity, offspring, fruitfulness', and it implies 'the good things that are to come in the future'. And because Abram believed, he was in turn set free from all the limitations (even physical limitations) put on him in this world! (Genesis 17:1-21, Genesis 21:1-7)

By the way, have you wondered why Abram was ready to receive such great promises from the Lord? Let's roll back a few verses, and look now at Genesis 14:21-23, 'Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the souls, and take the goods for yourself." But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich...'"'

Do you see it now? Abram was ready to receive such great promises from the Lord because 'he did not sell his soul to the king of Sodom', but instead, he looked to the Lord! The word 'Sodom' in Hebrew means 'scorched, burnt', and it speaks of 'the worldly way of seeing things (or doing things) that will not pass the test of fire, and will eventually be scorched or burnt'.

People of God, just as Abram those days, this is not a time to look to the left or to the right, but this is a time to look up! Look not at man's hand, but look to God's hand! He is your real provider, and He is your greater paymaster! He will know how to open the right doors for you, and He will know how to open up new opportunities for you! Put all your trust in Him, and you too shall see many stars, even new stars that you have never imagined you could see! Hallelujah!

There remains a rest for God's people

Hebrews 4:1-3 (NKJV): Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest...

The word 'rest' here is 'katapausis' in Greek. We shall break this word into two parts now. The preposition 'kata' means 'with reference to'; and the word 'pausis' means 'to settle down, to cease (from striving or struggling)'. By the way, this word 'pausis' is where the English word 'pause' originates.

The expression 'let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it' means 'this place of rest (i.e. 'katapausis') is so glorious that it should concern us when we (or others) seem to come short of it'.

And the word 'Therefore' at the beginning of Hebrews 4:1 shows this verse was written in the context of the previous verse in Hebrews 3:19 that says, 'So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief'.

In other words, it was 'unbelief' that has kept those who escaped Egypt from entering the Promised Land! For the record, they ended up wandering in the wilderness for forty years, when they could have reached the Promised Land within weeks!

I heard and released these words from the Lord recently:
"In the midst of the striving and struggling in this world, there remains a rest for My people. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For I have promised rest for those who believe."

People of God, whatever the striving and struggling may be in this world, the Lord wants you to know that His promise of rest remains for you even now. Enter into this rest!

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Interestingly, the word 'rest' here is 'anapausis' in Greek, from the same word 'pausis' you find in Hebrews 4:1, but with the preposition 'ana', meaning 'moment by moment'. Do you see what I see here? The Lord wants to give you 'moment by moment' rest! That is to say, a 'present time, continual' rest! Not just a 'one time' or 'once in a long time' rest!

So, even in the midst of the striving and struggling that you see in this world, or no matter how busy you may be today, the good news is this 'anapausis' that comes from Him is available for you right now! In fact, all the time! Receive by faith! It's yours! And never allow anyone (or anything) to rob you of this rest! In Jesus' name. Amen!

Don't buy the lies of the enemy!

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV): Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The word 'steadfast' here comes from the Greek word 'hezomai', meaning 'to be resolutely firm and unwavering, no matter what'. Notice this verse comes right after 1 Corinthians 15:57 that says, 'But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ'. In other words, it is on the very foundation of Christ's victory that you can now be 'steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord', no matter what the devil throws at you!

I heard and released these words from the Lord recently:

"This is a time to stay steadfast and immovable on the Rock. For I am the Lord, your Rock. Do not be shaken, whatever the enemy throws at you, for he is the father of lies. Keep looking to Me, and you'll see your victory for sure!"

Your enemy, the devil, is the father of lies (John 8:44), and just as a serpent spits poison at the prey, the devil spews lies about you all the same! At every opportune time, he would spew lies after lies about you - that your God doesn't care, that you will never be forgiven of your past sins, that you will succumb to ill-health, that you will suffer financial lack, that you have reached your 'ceiling' in life, that you cannot advance any further, and whole load more! But these are all lies! Because the truth is God's will is that 'you should prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers'! (3 John 2) 

Your enemy, the devil, is an 'opportunist', 'walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8). And if the devil cannot get you to sin, then he'll try to make you feel down and discouraged. And his modus operandi? To spread lies about you!

For some of you, the devil wants you to believe that you are living on borrowed time. That's a lie! Because the truth is, as a beloved of God, you are on time! You are now living in the victory that Christ has already given you! (1 Corinthians 15:57) In other words, it's your victory time! Not borrowed time! It is the devil who is living on borrowed time! Why do I say so? Because he has already been long defeated some 2,000 years ago!

For some others, the devil wants you to believe that you are too weak for him, and you are at his mercy. That's a lie too! Because the truth is you have already been given 'the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall be able to harm you'! (Luke 10:19) It is the devil who is too weak for you, and it is him who is at your mercy!

Do you see now how the 'father of lies' works? A truth is being twisted into a lie, and a lie is being twisted into a truth. And his aim has always been the same - to steal, kill, and destroy your life! (John 10:10) Don't buy his lies!

Your part, as God's people, is to wield 'the sword of the Spirit' (Ephesians 6:17), i.e. to say what God says in the Word! Because the Word of God is truth, and this truth shall set you free! (John 8:32) Yes, free indeed from even the lies that the enemy wants you to believe! Amen!