Growing Pains

Much like a teenager experiencing growth in their physical body, we all have seasons in our lives where we experience growing pains. These 'growing pains' mean that change is happening. As we are stretched in the spirit, we 'grow taller' in our faith. As a result, we can see much clearer and further ahead because our perspective changes, and is higher than before. When I was in growing up, I reached a certain height in 8th grade and stoped growing any taller. I hit a plateau. That was until 3 yeas later when I grew 2 more inches. Up until that point, the other years of growing did not hurt physically, however those last 2 inches hurt! I would wake up at night with leg cramps and my bones ached in my legs so bad. I remember one night, I got up out of bed, fell to the ground and crawled to my parents bedroom for help. It was not a fun experience! That being said, those 2 inches gave me a new strength and helped me become a better athlete in volleyball because I could jump higher and reach farther than before.

GOD IS MAKING ALL THINGS NEW

I tell you that story so you can have perspective on what a is happening right now in the spirit! God is making all things new! Spiritually, as a new wave of His Spirit is being poured out, the old ways of doing things won't work any longer. Our church is experiencing a season of growth and expansion. God is continually showing us new strategies on how to manage this growth and new wave of His spirit. Much like my teenage body was experiencing change and growing pains, so are many in our congregation and the Body of Christ at large. We are in a new and exciting season, and much of this change is happening quickly, but we must stop resisting and choose to embrace fully what God has for us!

Matthew 9:17 gives us a great example about moving forward and letting go of the old. At that time in history, wine was held in animal bladders, or bags sewn together from animal skin. These skins would often burst if you tried to place new wine into them. Much like these old wine skins, if we try to contain the new wave of the Spirit in old patterns of thinking, we are liable to burst at the seams and not be able to move forward with God. If we don't let go of the past and hold on to the old or "traditional" way of doing things, we will be guilty of resisting God and what HE is doing. We must be open for change, in every area of our lives. Let God invade your world and bring you into all HIS newness and goodness.

MATHEW 9:17 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” ISAIAH 43:18-21 18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 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. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.

LISTEN UP!

Your soul focus should be to run after God, Yeshua (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Everything must point to Him and be open for change. Throw off any denominational or religious theology you have thought to be true. We serve a supernatural God who can do ANYTHING! Just because you haven't seen it before or were taught that He couldn't do it, doesn't make it true! Don’t resist the urging and moving of the Holy Spirit. God is exposing these things to us so that we can use them for His glory! Instead, rejoice in the freedom and power your will gain in God as we move into new heights in faith and begin to utilize the supernatural things of God as they are manifested within us and in the world around us.

THE OVERTHROW OF THE WICKED

ISAIAH 31:2-3 2 Yet He (GOD) is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house (LEADERS) of evildoers, And against those who help them work iniquity. (Evil) 3 Now the Egyptians (people’s ) are only men, and not God; And their horses (strength) is only flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped by them shall fall down; They all will perish together.

A perfect example of the resistance to the Spirit of God, is what we see every day in the news. The slogan for President Trump's campaign in 2016 was "Make America Great Again". However, that has been met with resistance every step of the way. Obviously, not everything the President says lines up with the Word of God, however - we have to believe that God appoints our leaders and that the changes being made are under His grace. That being said, there is constant turmoil and seeming chaos on every news station from the backlash and resistance to what I believe God is doing through our President. The resistance, slander and lies come from corrupt people trying to resist what only God can do - restructure what has been broken. Which is exactly why so many people are being exposed for their crimes and outright wicked behavior, and being brought to justice. The Lord is cleaning the waters of our country and "draining the swamp", so to speak. The wicked are being overthrown so the righteous can rise up! Amen!

A RELIGIOUS MINDSET WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED DURING THIS NEW WAVE OF GOD

Much like what is going on in our country, so shall it be in the body of Christ for those that choose to resist and fight against EVERY GOOD THING that God is doing. They are a part of a corrupt mindset caused by the of the Spirit of RELIGION. We have all been exposed to this spirit, and unfortunately it has run amuck throughout our culture and the body of Christ. We all must sever ties with it!

Right now, as act of your will, speak this aloud, "Spirit of Religion, leave right now! I’ll have no part of you. You will no longer have power over me to control my thoughts or actions. I bind to myself the mind of Christ in all things! In the mighty name of Jesus, amen."

After you do this, dive into the Word of God, and ask Him to reveal truth to you, and allow you life to truly be a reflection of Christ. Sadly, the term "Christianity" has been made into just another 'Religion' in today's world because of deception. There are far too many people claiming to be "Christians", but their lives show absolutely no fruit or evidence that Christ is a part of their life at all. They are what's known as 'Carnal Christians'. Their lives look-like, act-like and stink just like the world, hiding behind that cloth of 'Christianity'. This is far too common in today's Churches, which is exactly why people claiming 'christianity' who resist the new wave of the Lord and refuse to come in line, will be exposed and brought to justice. The separation between the righteous and the wicked has begun, and the wicked will fall. WATCH FOR IT! God is on the move, and He is returning for a PURE BRIDE (Ephesians 5:7). That means we've got a lot of cleaning up to do!

THE WONDER OF GOD

Be encouraged! These are necessary changes that must take place. We have nothing to fear if we are chasing after God and His Kingdom. Growing pains are real, and a part of the season the Body of Christ is in, but the end results are glorious! So push through, pray, praise God and watch our God do wonders!

Luke 21:25

25 “There will be signs (attesting miracles) in the sun and moon and stars; and on the earth [there will be] distress and anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea and the waves

All theses things are not only written in the word of God but also in the stars. Just like Luke 21:25 states, there there is a sign happening in the stars RIGHT NOW as I am writing this devotional. The planet Jupiter is passing through the constellation Libra, which represent the scales of justice and judgement. Things are going to start manifesting and happening very quickly. God is bringing justice forth throughout the earth, and with it He is bringing His wonder. For that to happen, it can ONLY be the mighty hand of God. So be ready!

2018 is the Hebrew year 5778. These numbers are significant and part of what is happening around us. the number 5 represents God's grace; 77 represents the church, and the number 8 represents new beginnings. Put it all together and it means that God has granted His Church grace for new beginnings. 2018 is a year of seeing all things new. It's a year where we will see the Undeniable Glory of God. We will see things take place rapidly, and dreams come forth faster than ever before. This is a season of growing pains, but this season of growth and change should excite you, not scare you!

PRAYER Thank you God for your goodness and truth! Thank you for freedom and the ability for growth so that we may move in the new wave of your Spirit. Grant me the wisdom to heed your voice and move with you and not resist what your are doing. I want to be right in the middle of what you are doing. Thank you for the overthrow of the wicked on a grand scale. I thank you that we are seeing this worldwide, both in the natural and spiritual. Bring forth your power like never before, as your Kingdom is being set up and established on earth as it is in heaven. Manifest Your power in and through us, the true sons and daughters of the God Almighty and the followers of YESHUA, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD! AMEN