And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.(Jeremiah 28:1-2)
We have now entered the fifth month of the Biblical calendar during the year Ayin Dalet. The month of Av is the low point and the high point of the year. It is the month we are either captured by fear or rise up in faith and begin to possess our promise in a new way. This month is very key every year because it is the month historically when Israel sinned in Kadesh Barnea by believing the evil report of the ten spies and rejected the declaration of faith spoken by Joshua and Caleb. This is highly significant this year, the year we are seeing our open doors, because God is propelling us forward through doors that no man can shut as we align with Him by faith. If we choose to receive the glory of the last season and fail to receive His new manifested glory we are captured by fear this month.
Av is the second month of the summer season where we press through the narrow place to experience a new level of God’s glory. This season consists of the months of Tammuz, Av and Elul. We have come through Tammuz, the time when we arise in worship, which allows us to see what have not seen and receive new vision from the Lord. This month, Av, is known as the high point and the low point because it was predestined by God to be a time when the Lion roars announcing protection, blessings and victory. Instead it has been a time historically that Israel has experienced multiple tragic atrocities. Elul, the final month of the summer season, is the time when our King, the Lord Jesus Christ, is more accessible than any other time of the year. It is said to be the time when the “King is in the field” and is the gateway to the “Glory” we experience during the Feast of Tabernacles.
Av is also linked with the Tribe of Simeon, who was Jacob’s second son born to Leah. When Simeon was born Leah said, “Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon”, as such his name means “to hear with acceptance”. The root word for his name, shama, means to hear, to listen to or to obey. When Jacob blessed Simeon, or cursed in this case, he said, “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel”. When Moses blessed the sons of Israel he did not mention Simeon. Most scholars believe that this was because of the curse that Jacob pronounced over his anger in slaying the men of Shechem along with Levi. Simeon ended up as Jacob had proclaimed; scattered among the other Tribes of Israel.
As I have mentioned multiple times over the last couple of months I believe we are in a historic shift that is initiating the greatest revival and reformation the world has ever seen. That is a pretty bold statement when we look at how the early church turned the world upside down as they moved in great signs, wonders and miracles preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. Because of this we must be especially diligent this summer season because it is the time when we are most vulnerable to the enemy. We must continue to worship the Lord and allow Him to reface our shield of faith so that we are able to withstand the wiles of the enemy in days ahead. Get ready to turn the world upside down as He restores His glory to us in a new way!
Let Faith Arise as You Hear Gods Voice
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Hebrews 4:1)
The writer of the book of Hebrews reveals to us a very important key that enables us to remain faithful in trying times. As seen in Hebrews 4:1, the writer is referring to the fact that not everyone received Jesus as the messiah when He came. The same is true when the Apostles went about preaching the good news of His resurrection. Instead some chose to believe the other religious leaders of the time and failed to mix the gospel with faith. The tragic end was that those who rejected the report of the Lord failed to receive the power and blessing the gospel brings to humanity. This month we must be able to discern the voice of Truth and the voice of the deceiver so that we can arise in faith when we find ourselves between a rock and hard place.
Hearing is the doorway to faith and is the key that unlocks the working of miracles as the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 and Galatians 3:5. Biblically hearing is more than just the physical ability to process sounds that enter our ears but it is the ability to discern God’s voice of truth. This ability, to discern God’s voice, is what produces miracle working faith in our lives. As we are able to discern truth then we can align with it and allow it to liberate us from the lies of the enemy. As we are able to hear what the Spirit is saying then we can choose to believe His report rather than the report of another. This allows us to unlock Holy Spirits miracle working power in our lives.
One of the most tragic events in the Bible is seen in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Numbers when Israel comes to the edge of the promise land. There were twelve spies that were sent to see if the land was as God said it was. As it turns out everything was as He said but the land was filled with giants. Ten of the spies were moved in fear and said they would not be able to defeat the people of the land. In spite of this, Joshua and Caleb pleaded with them saying that God would give them the land as He had promised. As it turns out the people chose to believe the deceiving voice of fear rather than words of faith presented by Joshua and Caleb.
As a result, Israel did not possess the promise land in that generation as God had intended. Instead all of those who chose fear were sentenced to die in the wilderness. From that time forward, this month has been filled with a curse for the nation of Israel. To reveal to you what I mean here are some historical events that have taken place during this time. It was during the month of Av that the first and the second temples were destroyed and Israel was sent into captivity. It was during this month in 1942 that the deportation of the Jews began in the Warsaw ghettos. More recently in 2005 it was during this month that the expulsion of the Jews from the Gaza strip began. What was predestined to be a time filled with blessing, abundance and victory has become a time filled with tragedy and despair for the nation of Israel from generation to generation.
Just like Israel we have destructive cycles working in our generations and this is the month we either destroy the curse by faith or find ourselves taken captive once again. I encourage you to ask the Lord to reveal to you any form of counsel that is causing you to be seated on the seat of the scornful. Our culture is becoming more and more ungodly and much of the information being communicated both in secular and Christian media is filled with ungodly counsel. Most forms are obvious and easily identified but others have a form of godliness making them only discernible only by the Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord to give you ear to hear what the Spirit is saying.
Worship in Your Narrow Place
Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.(Lamentations 1:3)
One of the things I have learned over the years is that true victory over the devil is nearly impossible to obtain without worship. There comes a time when we must arise in worship so that we find ourselves enveloped by the presence of God. In Lamentations 1:3 the prophet Jeremiah is making his lamentation for the tribe of Judah who has gone into captivity because of affliction. He goes on to tell us that she was overtaken between the straits. This verse reveals the danger of being taken captive during this time as we press through our narrow place to possess our place of increase.
Judah, the tribe our Lord can be traced back to, means praise. It was said of Judah that there would always be a ruling anointing found within him. When we receive the Lord Jesus we are then grafted into this redemptive promise. No matter where we find ourselves there is a ruling anointing that can rise up within us so that we are not overtaken while we are between the straits. The key to unlocking this ruling anointing is our praise. When we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place we must begin to worship and sing praises to our God. As we do that our atmosphere begins to shift and we are able to withstand any oppressive force that is trying to lead us into captivity.
Another aspect to this is the fact that when we worship and sing unto the Lord we find ourselves in His presence. God enthrones Himself in the praises of His people. It is in this place that we are able to receive the bread we need to sustain us and the seed we need to sow into the heavens so that the heavenly dimension becomes a reality in our lives. In order to shift our atmosphere, we must plant the heavens with the word of God. We must rise up in worship and begin to prophecy. I have found that it is not enough to make a confession of faith in order to over throw the enemy. We must allow God to put His words in our mouth and then begin to prophecy.
In Jeremiah 23:29 God said this through the prophet Jeremiah, “Is not my word like as a fire? says the Lord; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” The Hebrew word used here for word in dabar, which is defined as speech or an utterance. God is saying that His voice is like a fire and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. He isn’t speaking of the written word, the Torah, in this verse. This of course does not mean that we cast aside our bible, it just means that we must be able to hear God’s voice and when we hear His voice say what He is saying. When you move this way when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place you are able to break through because His voice is like a fire and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.
In the final moments of Jesus’ passion he found himself hanging on the cross between the rock of Golgatha and the hard place of what appeared to be a closed heaven. The scriptures tell us that darkness fell upon the face of the earth and Jesus was hanging there between two thieves forsaken even by His Father. In His last breath He said three words, “IT IS FINISHED”. As He gave up the ghost the bible tells us in Matthew 27:51 that the veil of the temple was ripped from the top to the bottom and the earth started to shake with a mighty earthquake. This violent reaction to death of Christ shook the earth broke the rock of Golgatha into pieces. His words released with the fire of Holy Spirit, which broke the rocks in pieces.
I want to encourage you that no matter where you find yourself in days ahead Jesus has made a way of escape for you. He endured the rock and the hard place so we would have a way to rule and reign with Him in Heavenly places. Continue to worship the Lord in a new way so that you are able to hear the voice of the Father. When you hear His voice begin to say what He is saying and you will find yourself in the place of victory.