The Bible says we are to be fruitful and multiply! (see Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:1) However, to increase and multiply, there are times we'll also need to leave the 'old' and move into the 'new'. Isaiah 43:18-19 (from the same Isaiah chapter 43) says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Just an illustration here. If a plant in a small flowerpot keeps growing and you let it remain in that same small flowerpot, it will eventually outgrow the flowerpot. And what happens if you choose not to transplant it (i.e. uproot and re-plant the growing plant) into a bigger flowerpot? This plant will eventually wither and die prematurely! The same it is with us. The Bible says we are to grow from glory to glory, grace to grace, faith to faith, and blessing to blessing! But the moment we choose not to 'transplant' ourselves (say, from one season to another, as and when He leads us to), or move from blessing to blessing (one level of blessing to another level of blessing), we will also eventually 'go down'!
Abraham in the Bible is an epitome of a man who kept 'crossing over' from blessing to blessing! And of course, he did not 'go down'. One characteristic all through his life was that he's a man who always 'crossed over' whatever 'barrier' (again and again) into a new level of blessing.
Genesis 11:31 was the beginning of Abram's many 'journeys' in his faith walk. It says, 'And Terah (Abram's father) took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there'.
The whole entourage journeyed along the River Euphrates, and in order to reach Haran, they had to 'cross over' the Euphrates. Interestingly, the word 'Hebrew' is pronounced 'abar' or 'eber' in the language, which actually means 'cross over'! In other words, 'Hebrew' means 'cross over'! And who was the first Hebrew in history? Abram! In fact, this act of Abram's 'crossing over' the River Euphrates (and then, further 'crossing overs' all through his life) eventually defined his name and identity! In short, by continually 'crossing over', he later became known as 'Abraham', meaning 'the father of multitudes', or 'the father of many nations'!
Therefore, through his covenant with the Lord, Abraham's descendants (and all those grafted in) would also be a 'crossing over' people! That's you and me too, the believers today!
People of God, what are the areas the Lord has been speaking to you to ‘cross over’? For some, it may be a new business venture, and for another, it may be a career change, a ministry re-direction, or even a location change. Whatever it may be, a new level of anointing, blessing, and prosperity is awaiting you as you 'cross over', just as happened to Abraham!
Recently, the Lord released these words in Isaiah 43:1-2 to me personally, and I believe this is also for those of you who have received 'greenlight' or 'confirmation' from the Lord to move on to the next level, but somehow, for one reason or another, there seem to be some hesitations. He says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine. When you pass through the waters (i.e. 'cross over' the waters), I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow (overwhelm, drown) you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you."
When a 'barrier' is overcome, you'll then begin to see God’s promise (or promises) spoken
to you coming to pass! Isaiah 43:1-2 says 'He will be with you' as you ‘cross over’ any 'barrier'. So, fear not! And that's how you move from blessing to blessing! As a matter of fact, 'movement' is normally required in order for one to ‘cross over’ into a new season, and your inheritance as Abraham's descendants is to keep on moving in God's timing, like he did.
Prosperity will eventually come as you align yourself with God's timing and season. In other words, 'as He moves, you move', 'as He stops, you stop', and 'when He says so, you say so', 'when He says no, you say no'.
This is also a time to meet with Him in His 'tabernacle' (shelter, tent, booth, hut, or 'sukkah' in Hebrew) and encounter His glory (see Nehemiah 8:14-17) like never before. New anointing is going to be released as you 'tabernacle' with Him.
When my daughter, Sophia was in her pre-school, one of our favourite pastimes was to build a tent together at home, and we would then dwell inside that little tent together and play. She loved it, and we would pretend we're really camping in the woods. We would eat our favourite snacks and drink our favourite drinks together. She especially loved being in the warm embrace of her daddy and mommy, especially on a cold, rainy day. There's just something 'warming' when you are in a tent together. You feel
protected. You feel the 'togetherness'. You feel the 'oneness'. You feel loved. And you feel you are not alone. This helped me to understand the warm embrace of our Father God. The 'daddy and mommy' here speaks of ‘our Father in heaven’ and the ‘child’ here speaks of ‘you
and I, the children of God’. And today, your Father in heaven wants to and enjoys 'tabernacling' with you (His children) too!
Also, as you move on and 'cross over', remind yourself to remain in His joy always. Nehemiah 8:10 says, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Receive this joy of the Lord today!
Notice this joy doesn't come from the
world, but comes directly from
heaven. This joy will in turn be your strength. Never allow the devil (or anyone else) to take away this joy from you, no matter what 'bad news' you hear (say, from the media), or no matter what people may say against you. The
enemy will do anything to rob you of this joy, because he knows if you
lose your joy, you’ll also lose your strength. And if you lose your strength, it's never going to be easy to carry on and walk into the fullness of God’s plan and destiny for your life in the new season. But fear not! Because the Lord has promised in Isaiah 43:1-2 that 'He is with you', and 'through the rivers, they shall not overflow (overwhelm, drown) you'. Continue to look to Him and abide in Him (John 15:4-5). Amen.
