Are You Ready to Step Through?
2024 is the year of open doors of opportunity! This is an invitation to enter through three open doors in the book of Revelation. On the Day of Atonement, the Lord asked me, "Who is willing and who is ready to step through these doors? Are you? Do you love the Lord with all your heart and serve His Kingdom? Have you placed yourself upon the mercy seat for others, not yourself?"
These are the questions the Lord asked me, and I answered each one. Yet I asked Him to tell me the answer because only He knows the true intent of my heart. And I believe He is asking His Bride these questions today, and each one must answer for themselves. This invitation is not only an opportunity to dine with Him, but to boldly enter the throne room of Heaven where mysteries are revealed.
Mole Hills, Not Mountains
The Lord said, "You are going to see many challenges in the coming year, but each one carries a greater reward of value as you conquer each one. Know this: the challenge is the enemy's way of trying to prevent you from succeeding in Me. However, you are already equipped with success and must walk past each roadblock and barrier he sets before you. They are not mountains; no, they are mole hills. They are only mountains if you lose perspective of the success you already are in Me. Conquer each one with love and confidence and continue walking."
Amen.
Equipped with Every Good Thing
I always appreciate when the Lord gives me a heads up, especially when He forewarns me of the enemy's plan. Sometimes it's vague and other times it's detailed, but I know the enemy's objective is to derail what God has planned for good.
I realize there will be challenges, but we have already been equipped with every good thing we need to succeed in Him. If God is for me, who can be against me (Romans 8:31)? I've been given all Kingdom authority, and I can walk in its power and might (Matthew 28:18–20). I am the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13), and no weapon formed against me shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17), for greater is He who is in me than he who is in this world (1 John 4:4). The devil is a defeated foe, and he knows it. We cannot take a back seat to him; we must advance forward in power and might!
We're at a "Red Sea Moment"
I heard the Lord say, "The Body of Christ is at a 'Red Sea moment,' and it must decide if it will turn and face its enemies or face the supernatural faith of God." He said, "I am the Way, and the only way to victory. There is no other way!"
Let's take a look at Moses and his "Red Sea moment." When his door of opportunity opened, Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt after God killed all the Egyptians' firstborns (Exodus 13:15). God led them around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.
"And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people." (Exodus 13:21–22)
In Exodus 14 God gave Moses a heads up on what was going to take place. God told him, "'Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.' And they did so" (v. 4). (Photo via Pixabay)
Of course, by now the Israelites had voiced their opinion, that they should have remained in bondage in Egypt. Moses had the sure word from God saying they would prevail and be victorious over Pharaoh's army. Moses told the people, "...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" (vv. 13–14).
Moses spoke to them with confidence and boldness, yet he cried out to God (v. 15). They were up against the Red Sea with no place to go, and Pharaoh's chariots were in hot pursuit. Although Moses had experienced supernatural miracles in Egypt, he was now faced with approximately two-million discontent Israelites. I don't blame him. I would have been crying out to God too.
Moses' response brought rebuke as well as instruction from God: "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea'" (vv. 15–16).
God Will Show Himself Strong
God's plan was to show Himself strong through them by defeating Pharaoh's army. He would harden the heart of Pharaoh once again and destroy all of Pharaoh's army, his chariots, and his horsemen (v. 18).
And look what God did next: "And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night" (vv. 19–20). Therefore, the Lord reversed position and stood as a fire between the children of Israel and their enemies!
God's arm is not short that He cannot defeat your enemies today (Isaiah 59:1). I believe that oftentimes we are unaware of how God works in our lives. Many times He moves obstacles out of the way. Other times He puts obstacles in our way to prevent us from falling into a ditch or going into error. Sometimes He is the cloud by day to deliver us without interference, while other times He is the fire by night to give us clear vision. Yet at other times God sends the fire to protect us and blind the enemy's eyes. Sometimes we think it's just coincidental, where in reality it's divine intervention.
In the eternal realm, we already have the victory! And as Christians mature in the Holy Spirit, they become better equipped to follow the cloud or be protected by the fire.
I challenge you to think about different times in your own life when circumstances arose that were unexplainable. Truly, it was the hand of God moving on your behalf to get you where you needed to be or prevented you from an accident or some form of misfortune. Perhaps your bank account was frozen, and you thought it was the enemy. But what you didn't know was that your debit card had been stolen, and if your bank hadn't frozen your account, someone would have stolen your finances. Certainly, God works in mysterious ways.
Thirty, Sixty, or a Hundredfold
Here's a good example of what often takes place in a Christian's life. After hearing the voice of the Lord, they begin their journey of obeying and following new instructions. However, they lose faith and hope when distractions and challenges begin. They start doubting the voice of God instead of fully trusting Him and stretching forth their rod of authority in the spirit. If they don't strengthen themselves in the Lord, they'll lose hope and fall into the trap of the enemy instead of walking in victory.
The Lord said, "Doors of opportunity are opening for His Bride to enter through. She's being given choices to make, and depending on the choice she makes will determine the amount of victory she receives: thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. You see, not everyone who enters through the door shall receive a hundredfold. The victory comes according to obedience and inheritance." (Photo via Unsplash)
First, they must hear God's voice and obey, then they can enter through the door of opportunity. There are many doors, and one leads to another. Some people will think this is it. Some will stop and set up camp, but then stop listening. Yet the wise ones indulge in blessings, where they camp but continue to listen and obey. They will then have opportunity to move on through the next door and so on.
Follow God When He Moves
Abraham didn't stay in one place but followed God when He moved. Abraham moved approximately seventeen times in his life's journey. Each one opened another door of opportunity. I believe our inheritance is tied to the land we possess through obedience. In Genesis 11 Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans, taking his son, Abraham, and grandson, Lot, with him, as well as other family members. Terah died in Haran. Then God spoke to Abraham to leave his father's house and by faith go to a land God would show him, and there he would receive a blessing. So, he departed but took Lot with him (see Genesis 12:1–4).
You Can Only Take through the Door What Fits through the Door
I believe people oftentimes take too many people and other things with them that become a hindrance. I have always believed that Abraham was only supposed to take his wife Sarah, and perhaps his household servants and livestock, and leave everything else behind.
"And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: 'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.' Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD." (Genesis 13:14–18)
Dwell and Settle in the Blessings
Abraham was a blessed man because of his faith, and God "counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6 ESV). God's hand of favor was always on his life; therefore, he dwelled in the blessings of God.
However, there were different times when he received a greater portion of blessings, and these were tied to the location where he settled. Thirtyfold after he separated from Lot, sixtyfold with the birth of his son, Isaac, and a hundredfold at Mount Moriah. For it was there that God told Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed, because he obeyed God's voice by not withholding his son, Isaac (Genesis 22:18). A hundredfold blessing came after he tithed a tenth of all of his belongings to Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Genesis 14:18–20). After that, God gave him the promise of the land his descendants would inherit (Genesis 15:1–21).
God's Blessings and Our Choice
There are times when we receive thirtyfold blessings, and at other times sixty, or a hundredfold. I believe that all born-again Christians live in the blessings of God. We are the seed of Abraham, the father of faith, and therefore entitled to receive spiritual blessings.
Many blessings are tied to the land we possess. No matter where our physical location is, we remain blessed. However, being in the right location increases our ability to receive more abundantly. We may receive thirtyfold in one location, yet in another a hundredfold, where it seems like the blessings are chasing us down. Subsequently, we may relocate and become complacent. By our own hand we limit our blessing, and therefore only receive thirtyfold. That's why it's important we continue to hear and obey and not let our guard down. We must be willing to leave Haran for Beersheba.
Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying we need to pack things up and move to another town or state. Perhaps that will be necessary for some people; however, this could relate to many things.
God is not short in blessing His children. However, His children can be short in hearing and shorter yet in obeying. Some become complacent, comfy in their camp. Many have followed man's voice, and it has caused them to be in the wrong place for seasons in their lives. But God is speaking loud and clear to those who have an ear to hear. Let there be no mistake, He's uprooting many and bringing them into the land of plenty. Some have been in dry and arid places, but that's about to change; what was once dry will become an oasis! (Photo via Flickr)
The Door of Opportunity That's Always Open
Right now, we're in the middle of the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever experienced. However, many Christians are still shying away from their responsibility to witness to the lost. Every born-again Christian has been given the Great Commission; this is the commandment from the Lord before He ascended. The entire Body of Christ is commissioned to carry on where He left off. He gave all authority to the Body of Believers, so why do we make excuses, roll up the carpet, or throw in the towel?
The Great Commission is given in both Matthew and Mark. However, Mark 16:17–18 adds the signs that follow the Believer who lives according to the Great Commission.
"And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.'" (Mark 16:15–18)
"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on Earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen." (Matthew 28:18–20)
More people have a born-again experience outside the four walls of the church. They have a one-on-one encounter with a stranger who took time to witness to them. You don't have to be an ordained minister or evangelist to spread the good news! If you're born again, then Christ, the Anointed One, lives inside you and draws near to the lost.
So why do we as Christians keep Him for themselves? We can make excuses like, "I'm too shy; I'm too busy; I'm in a hurry; I won't know what to say; or maybe they don't want to hear about Jesus; I think they already know Him; what if they won't accept Him or what if they won't accept me? I just feel awkward."
However, freely we received salvation and freely we're to share this precious gift of eternal life. The door of opportunity that's always open is salvation, and His name is Jesus Christ. In this time of great harvest, this door is open wide for all who are willing to enter in.
Remember this: You might be the only "Jesus" someone will encounter, and it might be the most unlikely time or place. But God puts people in our path so we can be a light in a dark place and witness to lost souls. Our greatest witness is how we live our daily lives. People pay attention to how we act, interact, and respond in everyday situations.
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Bonnie Jones
Bonnie Jones Ministries
Email:Â click here
Website:Â bonniejones.org
Bonnie Jones speaks the word in Spirit and truth through love delivering a much needed message for the current times. Through her passion for the Lord and quick wit, she delivers a power packed punch that drives home truth. She continues to expand on her late husband, Bob Jones, message "Did you learn to love?" as she reveals the heart of the Father for the harvest. Bonnie Jones has written several books including several Shepherd's Rods, Fruit of the Spirit, Poetry from the Heart, The Power of the Spoken Word and Did You Learn to Love.
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