Sandie Freed: "Maintaining an Environment of Expectation"

From the desk of Steve Shultz:

There is no doubt that we are in a "birthing season" and the Lord is directing people to start new ventures and take new paths... an exciting time of expectation! Yet on this path, there will most likely be some obstacles, some doubt in our faith, or that we even "heard from God"... that is normal!

Sandie Freed gets right to the point on this issue and much, much more as we are eagerly in expectation:

As I stated in my previous article, we have entered into a birthing season. This means that destiny, dreams and expectations are coming into fruition... The key is to keep maintaining an atmosphere where expectations can continue to arise until the vision is finally fulfilled.

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Be blessed in expectation!

Dear Believer, at the beginning of 2015, I wrote an article which The Elijah List posted entitled "A Season of Answered Expectations and Divine Favor." I would like to encourage each of you to take time and reread this article to reignite your faith! The season we are in awaits our accessing divine increase and multiplication! Wherever your expectancy is, God desires to fulfill it.

I am writing to you today because I believe that you are like me in that I have tremendous faith at the beginning of each new year (or new seasons in God) and after a short time I get busy (or even side-tracked), finding myself feeling disappointed and hopeless once more. Why does this happen? How can we start off each season with dynamic faith and then shortly feel that all faith has waned?

If we are not careful, hopelessness and despair can easily settle into our hearts and, thus, we become like the children of Israel who were hardhearted and had unbelief! I'm certain that you don't want to keep cycling in a wilderness – neither do I!

While I was in prayer recently, I heard the Lord say that the Body must continue to maintain the environment of expectation. Actually, I was encouraged by this word. It speaks hope to me and I believe that as you continue to read this article that hope will begin to arise within you as well. Think of the environment of expectation as a garden. To reap a good harvest from a garden, the garden must be maintained. Gardens must be weeded, watered and cared for on a consistent basis.

It is the same with the soil of our hearts. When God plants a seed of hope within our hearts, we must be sure that the lies of the enemy (weeds) don't choke out the nourishment needed for the seed to grow. This is why we must spend quality time with the Lord and ask Him to open the eyes of our hearts. He is faithful to speak and show us areas of our hearts and mind that need attention. (Photo via pixabay)

A Birthing Season

As I stated in my previous article, we have entered into a birthing season. This means that destiny, dreams and expectations are coming into fruition. However, we are all in a different time of pregnancy. Some of us are in the first trimester. Some are entering into a second trimester. Many of us are entering into the time of birth. It's important to understand that while one may have already birthed or is near birthing, we are not going to be left behind in this season... we will birth the promise if we faint not!

The key is to keep maintaining an atmosphere where expectations can continue to arise until the vision is finally fulfilled. We must also be careful to not compare ourselves with others and their progress as this will only fuel more disappointment and frustration. Each of us has our own unique assignments from the Lord and He will bring breakthroughs forth in His divine timing.

You see, God is giving us strategies when it appears that nothing is happening. In the natural, a baby is developing inside the womb at all different stages though we may not see it. Sure, there are changes in the mother's body which indicates the baby's growth, but we cannot see anything occurring on the inside. Yet, when we see a woman nine months pregnant, it's very obvious she is ready to deliver! And, we trust the fact that a fully developed child is in her womb though we cannot actually see it. But, when the child is birthed, we can actually see him/her!

Spiritually speaking, we must believe that we have the promise, the favor of God, and the breakthrough before it manifests. We are going to have to build it and they will come, so to speak. And, as you will study about next: digging ditches and expecting rain when it seems as if we are in a drought!

Digging Ditches

A quick study of 2 Kings 3 will encourage you. Let's take a look at it. The chapter begins with Joram, the King of Israel, setting out with Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah and the King of Edom into battle against Moab. After a seven-day march, they were out of water for themselves and their livestock. Yes, they were in a terrible dilemma. Let's now read their responses to their situation:

Vs 10) "What!" exclaimed the king of Israel. "Has the Lord called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?"

Vs 11) But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?"
An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."

Vs 12) Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the Lord is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

Thank goodness that Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, demonstrated some level of faith! He suggests to the others that they inquire of the Lord through Elisha, the prophet. Elisha was the servant to Elijah who poured water on his hands. I like to think of it like this – Elisha had an anointing for "water issues!" The area in which he had once served became a mighty tool of anointing! Keep reading; this is really going to bless you!

Bring Me a Minstrel

I love how Elisha responded when the three kings asked for his help. He asked for a minstrel! Yes, he had a harpist begin to create an environment for worship! And during worship, the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha and he said:

"This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; He will also hand Moab over to you. You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones." 2 Kings 3:15-19 (emphasis mine).

This is an awesome passage as it speaks to us today concerning the power of worship! When we are dry – worship! When everything seems hopeless – worship! When we need a miracle – worship! When we worship, the hand of the Lord comes upon us and we receive what we need!

Did you notice in the previous passage that God gave prophetic direction and sealed it with a promise to them? Yes, the Lord said to begin digging ditches, even though they would see no wind and no rain at all, yet the valley would be filled with enough water for them and their livestock. Dear one, even when we can't see the promises being fulfilled, God is fulfilling them! Yes, begin digging your ditches. Even if you don't see anything occurring in the natural, God is faithful to fulfill His Word! (Photo via Pixabay)

God told them: "This is an easy thing for the Lord!" Yes, it's easy for God to move your mountain. It's easy for Him to fulfill His promise. All we have to do is our part – begin digging! Act upon His Word; believe what He says and He will do His part. When you worship, you are digging ditches. Whenever you pray and/or intercede, you are digging ditches! Renewing your mind to the truths of God's Word is digging ditches. Believing His Word and applying faith to promises is another example of digging ditches! He is promising you today, just as He did to the three kings, that He will empower you to defeat your enemies.

The Land Flowed with Water

Scripture states that the next morning (after they dug those ditches!) the land was flowing with water from Edom! Elisha's predecessor prayed rain into existence out of clouds. Elisha obtained it from we know not where, yet there was water flowing! Ordinarily, water flows due to rain, but there was no rain, at least not there! What would have happened if they hadn't dug those ditches?

Most likely, there would be no water; why take a chance to not dig? Why don't we believe God when He gives us a promise, even though the odds are stacked up against anything miraculous? I'm certain the three kings were excited they dug those ditches, even if it took a while. So water they got. Now for the victory over their enemies.

Believer, this story continues to get better and better. Keep reading; let's now discover another purpose for this water other than to drink! God always supplies in abundance. When He answers prayer, He has increased blessings in mind.

The Victory over Moab

When the Moabites heard that the kings were coming up against them, they fully dressed in battle array and stood on the border. The next morning when they awakened, the sun was shining upon all of the water on the other side and the Moabites saw it as blood. They reasoned that the kings had slain each other and they rushed to take the spoils. However, when they came to the camp of the Israelites, the Israelites rose up powerfully against them. The Israelites slew them all the way back into their own land.

Then, the king of Moab, seeing he was losing the battle, took seven hundred of his choice warriors with drawn swords into battle to break through, but they could not. With the last battle plan failing, the king of Moab did something barbaric and brutal. He took his own son, the next in line to reign, and offered him up as a burnt offering upon the wall to his false god....to no avail. Then, Moabite king left the land and at the close of this chapter, Moab is completely defeated.

Dig Those Ditches!

It is time to believe the Word of the Lord and begin digging those ditches. But also we should remember that standing on the promises of God involves a level of spiritual warfare. Paul encouraged his spiritual son, Timothy, with this important key "...according to the prophecies which led the way to you, that by them you may wage the good warfare" (1 Timothy 1:18).

In other words, for each of us today, we need to take our promises and your prophetic words that speak concerning the certainty of our future and wage warfare over them. Israel was told by God that their inheritance was the Promised Land, however, Israel had to drive out the enemies from their land of promise!

In my recent book, Silencing the Accuser: Eight Lies Satan Uses Against Christians, I expose the seductions of the enemy and how he speaks lies to us concerning our destiny. Another book I would highly recommend is Destiny Thieves: Defeat Seducing Spirits and Achieve Your Purpose in God. In both of these books I talk about the fact that, "God is back from the future!"

By that I mean when He speaks a promise to our hearts through the written Word, a prophecy, or even through a teaching, He has already been to our future and has seen us experiencing that promise or breakthrough! He then visits us and gives us a promise to stand on, war over, and especially remind the devil that he is already defeated! It is then that we are in agreement with His Word and receiving and believing those promises that we are also digging ditches!

Again, the Lord is encouraging you to take a firm stand, hold onto our promises, and maintain an atmosphere of faith and expectancy. Yes! Hold on to faith! Believe what the Lord says is true. He is faithful and He promises to fulfill all that He has spoken to your heart. Even though you may not see it, even though it appears far away and not within reach: R-E-A-C-H out to Him today! Believe Him today! Maintain your atmosphere of expectancy. Pull out every lie and every weed in your garden of faith and believe... believe... believe! There is NOTHING too difficult for God! (Photo via Pixabay)

Believing with you, my precious brothers and sisters, for your breakthrough!

In Him always,

Sandie Freed
Zion Ministries
Co-pastor, Lifegate Church, Hurst, Texas
Email: zionministries1@sbcglobal.net
Website: lifegatechurch.org

Dr. Sandie Freed co-labors with her husband, Mickey Freed, doing the work of the Lord as a ministry team. In addition, they are the founders of Zion Ministries Training Center in Bedford, Texas, and Lifegate Church International. Sandie has traveled nationally and internationally teaching dreams and visions seminars and on spiritual discernment. Her ability to adequately prophesy and discern spiritual strongholds over regions has released numerous breakthroughs for individuals and ministries. Sandie has authored, Dream On, and eleven other books, most of which are in several different languages. Dr. Sandie and Apostle/Pastor Mickey are ordained with Christian International Ministries, serving on their Board of Governors. They have been married since 1973, and have one daughter, Kimberly.

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