Sandie Freed:
Dear Believer,
Are you having to go through what you might refer to as a difficult time right now? And, even though it has been prophesied that this is a year of open doors and experiencing double blessings and breakthrough, do you feel as if your faith is weakened and that it is difficult for you to hold on to finish the race?
If you are contending for your new levels of increase and breakthrough, please allow me to give some insight as to how to properly respond to the new level of spiritual warfare needed for this season. And, let me assure you that you are not alone in this. Many Believers are experiencing difficulty crossing over into their promises in this season.
Opposition At The Threshold Of Open Doors
Recently I was in Katy, Texas, to minister at Wanda Roberson Ministries' conference entitled "Stepping Through Open Doors." When I travel, it is not unusual for me to have a dream from the Lord which exposes territorial strongholds and plans of the enemy. I love the faithfulness of God to expose any area of opposition that attempts to enslave His children! Precious one, keep reading – this article will empower you to cross over into your increase!
The night before I spoke at the conference, I had a dream of a threshold with an open door. At the threshold, there was a python snake that attempted to wrap itself around God's children as they were going through the door. (More on the python spirit in a bit.) This evil spirit would attempt to weaken its victim by squeezing the life and breath out of its body.
Also, there was a strong spirit of fear attached to this python spirit, and
just the fear alone kept people from being empowered to cross over into enlargement and increase.
(Photo via Stock.xchange by krayker)
There was much contending at this threshold as the enemy would lash out with false accusations, fear, anxiety, and cause weakness (both physically and spiritually) in its attempts to hold on to each of us. Satan's desire is to keep us from getting past our past. Saints of God, listen up – the enemy does not want you to believe God for your breakthrough. He desires to weaken your faith by creating circumstances in your life that are completely opposite of what God has promised you.
Bottom line – your land of promise, your open door, awaits your arrival and crossing over, but the enemy does not like the fact that you are at a threshold of great, great breakthrough.
So, why are we being promised open doors, double blessings, and many of God's "suddenlies" if we are also experiencing such difficulties? Well, I believe that we are living in what 2 Timothy 3:1 refers to as perilous times. The word "perilous" is a Greek word chalepos (pronounced kahl-ep-os') and it is translated as meaning "difficult, i.e. dangerous or (by implication) furious." I can relate to this translation as I have also been experiencing some difficult times.
And, I certainly believe that satan is furious that each of us is determined to cross over into increase!
Interestingly, another interpretation of perilous is "reduction in strength." Okay. Again, I can relate to feeling weak – both physically and spiritually. How so? Well, the enemy would like to squeeze the life out of me and weaken my faith; plus, I am struggling with physical strength at the same time.
And, a further study concerning perilous times reveal that it is linked to another Greek word which means "to let down, strike, and to lower (as into a void.)" Translations take this even one step further by explaining that during perilous times we even experience "chasms."
(SeeStrong's Concordance #5467, #5465, and #5490.)
Reader, did you get that? Let me make it clear. Satan desires to cause us to believe that we are not seated in heavenly places in authority over him! He desires to deceive us into believing we have a lower position! He is attacking our belief systems at the threshold of open doors.
And now, get this: He wants to "void" our promises by deception.
He desires to create a chasm between us and our promises. How can he deceive us? Again, by creating situations in our life that seem to oppose our promises. Satan desires to weaken our strength, weaken our faith, and strike out with opposition at the threshold. However, we need to remember this important fact as we contend against satan and the python spirit –
Jesus Christ has already won the victory. His Blood was shed so that you are empowered with grace to cross over into your Promised Land!
Our minds must be renewed to that truth as we defeat every enemy that attempts to oppose us.
Let me encourage you with this thought –
IT IS NOT AS IT APPEARS! This truly IS your season to access the unseen!
In Greek, the term used for divination and witchcraft is "python." It is connected to a word meaning "to twist." A python is a large and muscular snake that will "twist" itself around its prey and kill it by squeezing or constricting until it suffocates.
"The python spirit is loosed whenever Jezebel is in the midst. It squeezes life out of hope, breakthroughs, finances, and lives.
It 'constricts' us to the point that we are unable to move forward into our future. As the python constricts with every squeeze, we feel the restraints and therefore are contained in old patterns of behavior and hopelessness."
It is very clear that a Jezebel spirit and python work together to weaken the hands of God's children as we build His Kingdom.
Let's get back to more on "perilous times." A careful study on 2 Timothy 3:1-9 describes what is experienced during this season. Mankind will witness a season where they "love themselves," boast in themselves, are "disobedient to parents," ungrateful," "loving money," and "unholy." It goes on to describe mankind as "unforgiving," "without love," "loving pleasure more than God," and "having a form of godliness but denying its power."
I have written often of how the traditions of man have robbed us of demonstrating God's power, being unthankful and ungrateful – and how these areas rob us from experiencing freedom in Christ. For the sake of this article, I will only discuss just one of these manifestations that we might be experiencing during such troubled times, because I believe it is very significant. I italicized "without love" for this reason – that we simply must return to our first love. Precious Believers, love is a powerful weapon against our enemy.
There is no doubt that we are in a new season of contention. We are instructed in 2 Corinthians 10:4 that our weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. However, did we really ever consider the fact that
love is a weapon?
Think about this: God is love, right? And because He loved the world, He sent His Son. Yes – because Heloved – the Father sent Jesus. Jesus came to earth with a purpose. 1 John 3:8 tells us that Jesus came with the purpose of destroying the works of the devil! And because Jesus also loved, He laid down His life as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Because of love – satan was defeated.
As New Covenant Believers, we are no longer under the Law. In fact, Jesus said that the greatest commandments were to "...love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31, paraphrased). Those two commandments are centered on love.
Love is the greatest gift, and also the greatest tool in warfare.
Restore Your Love and Passion
It's possible to lose our passion when we experience hard times. Yet, there is another reason we lose passion – I call it spiritual burn out. How does this occur? Well, when we are believing that what we "do" for God is more important to us than who we already "are" in God, we get completely caught up in "works." Dear one, "works" will weaken us, wear us out, and cause us to lose passion for God. I know this from first-hand experience.
When we are burned out, our fiery passion leaves. What we need are two things in order for us to experience restored love and passion for God: The fire of God to touch us and, secondly, repentance.
To experience His fire, we simply need to lay our lives on the altar. It's not a difficult thing, really.
We have a tendency to make this action difficult. Think about this: In the Old Testament, when a sacrifice was laid upon the altar, the fire of God came to consume it! If you want God to consume you, and I believe you do –
simply lay down your will and surrender to His perfect will for your life.
Think about it as "total abandonment" in Him. Remember, one of the manifestations during perilous times is being "lovers of ourselves," and the lack of love for God.
Now, let's talk about repentance. Many believe that God is just waiting for us to mess up so that He can smack us with a big stick! I believed that for years; and a belief system like that sends us running away from God rather than to Him. Repentance is all about changing the way you think. In other words, we need to change the way we think about God and also about ourselves.
If we press into the love of God, running to Him in times of trouble and difficulty, we will be empowered with grace to cross over our thresholds!
His love for us will become our weapon against any python, Jezebel, or witchcraft stronghold! And, when we are empowered with the love of God, we are also empowered to love our neighbor and ourselves! This is important because we need each other. Unity releases life (see Psalm 133)! Unity will destroy the destructive power of python that attempts to steal life from us!
Christ died to give us salvation. The Greek word for salvation is the word sozo, which basically means that His love and sacrifice provided salvation, healing, deliverance, protection, and all that Heaven has to give us! Aren't you thankful for the love of God today? I know you are.
Dear one, your threshold awaits your crossing over – today!
Allow me to pray for you:
Father God, today we are believing for Your empowerment of grace as we come to Your throne. We repent for settling for religious works rather than pressing into Your desire for relationship. Forgive us for losing our passion for You. We turn from dead works today. We surrender our will to Your perfect will today. Consume us with Your holy fire and restore passion. Thank You that Your love is a weapon against our enemy during these troubled times. Thank You that love has already defeated satan's plans and that I am now empowered to enter into my future. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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 spiritual discernment. Her ability to adequately prophesy and discern spiritual strongholds over regions has released numerous breakthroughs for individuals and ministries. Sandie authored the book entitled,
Dream On, and eleven other books, most of which are in several different languages.
Sandie has been featured numerous times on various radio broadcasts as well as Daystar's "Celebration" program and "Life Today" with James Robinson. Coupled with her interviews concerning dreams and visions are the many other featured programs concerning overcoming eating disorders and generational strongholds. Her powerful testimony has ministered to thousands world-wide.
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.
Source: The Elijah List
