Time to Set the Captive Free

And the Spirit of the Lord says,

It’s time.

It’s time to cut loose,

To set free those that are bound.

It’s time, it’s time, it’s time.

So go out with My Word

And set the captives free.

Go out, go out, go out.

Today is the day for release of all things.

It’s time, it’s time, it’s time.

Go out and set them free,

Set them free for Me.

The Red Sea

Do you remember when the Israelites passed through the midst of the Red Sea as Pharaoh and his army were kept at bay in their effort to come in and slaughter the former slaves? It is the most amazing thing that God did to show His power to the world. But it is even more amazing than that. We have missed the full impact of what was done that day.

Israel had a covenant with Almighty God. They had suffered for generations at the hands of the Egyptians, but finally it was time for their deliverance. The enemy was judged by the 10 plagues while Israel all the time remained secure and protected in the land of Goshen.

Finally the last plague, death of the firstborn. Again the Israelites were protected but this time they had to participate with God to employ the protection He had for them. They had to kill a lamb and apply its blood on the doorways. They needed a blood covering over their homes. They remained safe while all the firstborn of Egypt died. This was the Passover.

When they left Egypt with all the plunder of Egypt they had one more encounter with the Egyptians. They came to the Red Sea which was impassable under ordinary circumstances. But again, God had already made provision for their safekeeping and safe passage. He opened a path on dry ground before them through the midst of the Red Sea.

The thing I believe we have missed is that  the passage through the Red Sea was another confirmation to them of the ceremony they had just undertaken in the Passover. The Red Sea typifies the blood covering. It became another sign of the blood of Jesus Christ that purchased a new way for us, a sign of the New Covenant that would not be instituted for another 1500 years. The Egyptians, who had no covenant with Almighty God and had no blood covering, were annihilated when they attempted to follow suit.  


Do you remember when the Israelites passed through the midst of the Red Sea as Pharaoh and his army were kept at bay in their effort to come in and slaughter the former slaves? It is the most amazing thing that God did to show His power to the world. But it is even more amazing than that. We have missed the full impact of what was done that day.

Israel had a covenant with Almighty God. They had suffered for generations at the hands of the Egyptians, but finally it was time for their deliverance. The enemy was judged by the 10 plagues while Israel all the time remained secure and protected in the land of Goshen.

Finally the last plague, death of the firstborn. Again the Israelites were protected but this time they had to participate with God to employ the protection He had for them. They had to kill a lamb and apply its blood on the doorways. They needed a blood covering over their homes. They remained safe while all the firstborn of Egypt died. This was the Passover.

When they left Egypt with all the plunder of Egypt they had one more encounter with the Egyptians. They came to the Red Sea which was impassable under ordinary circumstances. But again, God had already made provision for their safekeeping and safe passage. He opened a path on dry ground before them through the midst of the Red Sea.

The thing I believe we have missed is that  the passage through the Red Sea was another confirmation to them of the ceremony they had just undertaken in the Passover. The Red Sea typifies the blood covering. It became another sign of the blood of Jesus Christ that purchased a new way for us, a sign of the New Covenant that would not be instituted for another 1500 years. The Egyptians, who had no covenant with Almighty God and had no blood covering, were annihilated when they attempted to follow suit.  

What protects us will bring destruction upon our enemies.

The Money Changers

You know, there is more to Jesus driving the money changers out of the Temple than one can see at first glance. Where is His temple now? His holy habitation is within us. We are the place He chooses to dwell! What an awesome privilege, to carry the presence of Almighty God!

But Jesus has to go inside each one of us and take that whip and drive out the moneychangers. Satan has set up strongholds within each one of us. God builds temples but the enemy comes in to the place meant to be the Temple of the Living God and builds his houses of worship that we call strongholds. The devil’s purpose has always been to be worshiped. That is the real agenda behind establishing strongholds within people. They are perverted temples where we worship at the feet of fear.

This is a powerful, life-changing revelation. Now there is more reason than ever to drive that worm out of our souls. We have been worshiping him. We didn’t know what we were doing, but that is exactly what was happening.

Every time there is a problem in our lives that looks so overwhelming, there is a place in us that whispers fear of every circumstance; we have been bowing down in that place and worshiping the one who hates us and seeks our lives in vengeance against the God Who created him. That vile, contemptible worm.

God is not willing to share His Temple. It is to be a holy habitation fit only for the Lord and no other. No squatters allowed here!

Ps 135:4 says that God chose Jacob. It is just like when He said that Jacob was the one He had loved while Esau was the one He hated. Esau did not get the right hand of blessing of the Lord because he esteemed it of little value. He took it for granted whereas the one who had no right to inherit the blessing coveted it with all his heart. He esteemed it to be of great worth. He was far more honorable than Esau, no matter what Jacob’s name and his actions suggested. He was called “Supplanter” I believe by the design of the Lord. God knew the heart He put within Jacob and He knew Jacob was the true heir. He was the one chosen by God from eternity’s past. Jacob was willing to put his life on the line, if necessary, to have that blessing.

We can’t want something good that much without the Lord hearkening to the cry of our hearts. He draws near to the one who is earnestly pleading and seeking The Presence. He turns His face to shine upon that one. Oh, to look upon the face of The Lord Most High! Oh to be one of His chosen ones! I am!!

Watering Can

The Time of Our Visitation Is Here

There is a serious warning  in Luke 19 that I discovered this morning. This warning still applies today, to the church as well as to the world. This is no time to fall asleep or to be complacent. Here is the scripture:

Luke 19:  41 Now as He drew near Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  44 …. because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

The "church" of their day was trying to put God in a box. Jesus did not fit their expectations of who Messiah should be. Does that sound familiar? Time to wake up and wake up everyone we know. The time is truly short. God is speaking to those who will have ears to hear.

The Faith and Hope Link

Romans 4 gives us a picture that has been overlooked. Many of the "faith" ministries exhort solely about faith, completely overlooking that we cannot operate on faith without hope.

Romans 4 (NKJV)

 ¹⁷  ...  God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,

²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

²² And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

It is crucial to remember, Abraham had no "Bible"-he had the direct word of the Lord and that is what he relied on. His promises were one-to-one, God to Abraham.

Hope is a seed that God plants in us when He has a dream for us. Without hope, we cannot achieve anything. Faith will not work without hope first being anchored within us. It is the anchor of our souls. Hope is what faith attaches to.

Once we have the hope which comes through the promises of God, we can then begin the process of believing. Whatever we need at the moment, say healing, we start with hope which is either directly given by God or is found in scripture. Then we use the measure of faith that He has given us (Romans 12:3) and we begin to build, exercising that faith. Faith now begins to wrap around the hope and give it flesh. The hope begins to take on a form that was not there before. Hope is the seed in the center of it all.

You can either consider that faith attaches itself to the seed or that faith becomes the water that nourishes the seed. Whichever way is easier to see. Hope and faith together paint a picture.

Every promise of God has HOPE at the core. It is the LIFE contained within the word that our faith begins to water. Without attaching faith to the hope in that word, be it logos or rhema, nothing will ever happen. The seed of hope will remain dormant and inactive. Kenneth Copeland is fond of saying, “The word of God has the power within itself to bring itself to pass”. That power is the life contained within the seed, HOPE.

And how was Abraham strengthened in faith? How did he become fully convinced? I am convinced it was by the visions the Lord gave him of Isaac as a young man or as a father himself. We don't know the exact nature of the visions but this is how God operates. And Hebrews 11 does say that Abraham received Isaac raised from the dead in a figure. That means a vision even if only one of those vaporous images God so often grants us. This is a standard pattern He employs with His children. He gives us the images to hang onto so we can dream The Dream with Him!