From the desk of Steve Shultz:
The Chavdas nailed this word... and it goes right along with the word we just posted by Victoria Boyson (click here to read). In the HEAT of the battle it would be easy to give up and speak negative words of defeat, etc. How about instead we "position ourselves for victory"? That posture will leads us where God intends for us to be.
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Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda:
Position Yourself for Victory
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions." Genesis 15:12-14
How would you like to get this prophetic word? Four hundred years of affliction isn't exactly at the top of our list of promises from the Bible! But there is a shining light at the end of that tunnel – the promise that after all the struggle and hardship, God will bring Abram's descendants out with great possessions!
This promise is for every one of us who is going through a challenge. It is a pattern that He first unveils to Abraham, but extends to each of us that come to Him in faith. We each live out our lives in the shadowland between the victory of the Cross and the redemption of our bodies at Christ's coming. We are between "already" and "not yet." In that in-between state, we have a mission, "Occupy until I come." The Greek meaning of this word, "occupy," literally means to dispossess and possess. What does that mean?
It means we have an adversary that would like to possess our inheritance and promises. It means that there will be battles and challenges. It means that we are called to action. But it also means that we have the authority and power of Heaven to kick out the devil and take back every possession he has stolen from us, from our family, from the Church, from our nation and the nations. So lay hold of God's promise for you today: "You are coming out with great possessions!"
One of our ministry friends once said, "An increase of demonic activity against you is a sign that satan has discovered your purpose, and you are about to walk into the greatest season of your life." How many of you feel like you've just been "discovered"? On an individual and corporate level, many of us are walking through a season of great challenges right now. In many ways, our nation is in a kind of economic captivity. The world is shaking all around us. But we need to think from the perspective of kings and priests of the Most High God. We need to define our lives, our nation, our future and our destiny by what the Lord says, not the world.
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23:19
When darkness grows darker, His light will shine brighter. When God got ready to fulfill His promise to Abraham, it looked like everything got worse. From the plagues, to the increased affliction of their enslavers, to the final showdown at the Red Sea, Israel's perspective on their deliverance was not comfortable. But God had made a promise. And the very hardships that seemed to increase in the season of their deliverance became the very instruments God used to bless and prosper Israel and destroy Israel's enemies.
God's Battle Strategy
Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:13-14
Fear not! This is the first strategy the enemy will always use against us – fear. So when fear tries to overtake you, shut the door in the face of the devil and say, "No way!" Make a decision to refuse all fear in the name of Jesus. Refusing to fear doesn't mean denial of circumstances, it just means that you will agree with faith and not fear. When you open the door to fear, other fears will try to come in, too. Fear multiplies and intensifies. Make no room for fear, and instead welcome faith.
You may say, "But what if I just don't have faith in my situation?" There's good news. Faith is not something you conjure up yourself. Faith is a gift from God, and you can always get more. Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." So, get faith. Read your Bible. Listen to anointed messages. Worship. Pray in tongues, and stir up your faith as you focus on the Presence of God and shut out the voice of the enemy.
Faith leads to Presence. Presence leads to promise. So faith in our awesome, victorious, never-changing, powerful, loving, merciful God is our most basic equipment in the battle to occupy our inheritance
Stand still. When we are in a tight spot, our first reaction is often to try to fix it on our own. One voice will be saying, "Run, Forrest, run!" The other will be saying, "I've got to do something." But what has the Lord said? Abraham had a promise from God, and granted, he had been waiting for a long time, but when he saw that he and Sarai weren't getting any younger, he decided to make things happen on his own. He made something happen, but it wasn't the promise God had in store for him. Instead, he got trouble. Ishmael, the work of Abram's flesh is still tormenting Israel, the children of God's promise to this day. That's what happens when we try to help God out. He knows what He has promised, and He is faithful to fulfill it.
A lot of times we get impatient when we wait, not because God is not doing anything, but because He isn't doing it the way we envisioned when He first gave us the promise. Israel didn't know that God wanted to not only deliver them from Egypt, but wipe out all of Egypt's army, too. They only saw that they were sitting ducks on the side of a great sea with no where to go. Often, that's just when God is getting ready to act and bring you into the greatest victory. At their most vulnerable moment, God said, "These Egyptians you see, you will see no more, ever!" That's total victory.
Hold your peace. In other words, "Zip your lip!" Fear, trial, hardship, and delay will often tempt us to speak out of our flesh. If you're in the middle of a battle, watch your tongue. There's power in your words, and what you say in the midst of your struggle will frame your situation. If you don't have the ability to speak blessing and faith, don't say anything. Don't create an atmosphere for the enemy by opening your lips to complain, criticize, accuse, shift blame, attack. Proverbs 6:2 says, "You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth." And Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Know that God has you in His hand. Even your negatives become positive when you let go and let God, and become the very instruments of your deliverance. It reminds us of Corrie ten Boom's testimony from her time in the concentration camps where she was sent after being captured helping Jews escape the Nazi death camps. When they first entered their prison barracks, they discovered it was swarming with fleas. She and her sister were reading their contraband Bible when they were convicted by Paul's words "to rejoice in all things."
After much deliberation, Corrie finally was able to thank God even for the fleas in her prison barracks. She later discovered that the fleas that had been such a hardship in their already horrible circumstances made their barracks a haven of safety and freedom to worship, share the Gospel, pray and gather, unharassed by the guards. No prison guard wanted to step foot inside because of the infestation of fleas. So let us stay in the zone of praise and thanksgiving even in the difficult places, and watch God bring His deliverance.
Let dead things lie. God said, "Let the dead bury the dead." Keep dead things buried, and don't dig them up. When God said, "These Egyptians you see you shall see no more," He meant it. He wants you to have total victory. His redemption covers all conditions, all scenarios, all history, so let it. When challenges come, the devil will tempt you to go dig up the dead bones of the past – the people who oppressed you, the betrayals, hurts, pains, and you can decide whether you want to stay there in the graveyard of your past, or pass through the waters and get to the other side in the promised land.
How do you cross over? First, forgive. Second, praise God that He is able to make all things work together for good. He has a plan for you, and it is for good. He keeps His promises. Focus on what God can do, and pass through the sea. When you do, you cut off the past to be buried forever, and step into God's resurrection power to make all things new.
Go forward. No matter what the size of the impasse, keep moving forward in faith in our awesome God. Don't run backwards. Don't retreat. God's word to Israel is His word for you, "The Lord shall fight for you." This battle you are in is not between you and the enemy. It is between your enemy and God! And guess who is going to win? God is fighting for you. He is fighting for your children. He is fighting for your nation. Your job is simply to stay faithful. He is bringing you out with blessing, possessions, and a double portion. He is bringing you into His promises.
We are in a season of deliverance. You are on the verge of breakthrough. Where you have had lack of resources, where the enemy has ravaged, God is bringing you out today with great possessions. So step into His promise. Get excited about what God is about to do on your behalf! Get excited about what God is about to do for our nation. Don't lament and get depressed; look up for your redemption is near! Let His Word frame your future. God is going to change things around. He's on the way to restore, deliver, and bring you out in triumph. Position yourself for victory.
Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda
Chavda Ministries International
Email: info@chavdaministries.org
With over three miracle-packed decades of experience, Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda lead Chavda Ministries International, a worldwide apostolic ministry. The vision of CMI is to proclaim Christ's Kingdom with power, equip Believers for ministry and usher in revival, preparing for the return of the Lord.
For over thirty-five years, the Chavdas have been reaching the nations with the Gospel accompanied by signs and wonders. Hundreds of thousands have come to salvation and thousands have received healing from critical diseases like AIDS and cancer through their ministry.
Together, the Chavdas pastor All Nations Church in two locations, ANC in Charlotte, North Carolina and the sister church ANC in Atlanta, Georgia. They also spearhead a global prayer movement, The Watch of the Lord®, where they have been leading their congregation in weekly corporate prayer for more than a decade.
