Access Key To Deliverance

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that is beyond your human ability to get yourself out of? Have you ever felt like you were surrounded on every side by enemies within and enemies without? Well, you are not alone, King David felt the exact same way, while his was physical imminent danger, for you it may be physical or maybe it’s financial, emotional or even spiritual. Nonetheless, many people have and do feel trapped in a situation that they do not know how to get themselves out of. The challenge is many people, tend to seek their own solutions to these problems. Some turn to alcohol, sex, drugs (pharmaceutical or recreational), anger, food, or some other pain reliever. But they soon find out, it may relieve the pain temporarily, but it does not deliver them from the situation they find themselves in.

 

In Psalm 22, King David found himself in a situation and he said in verses one and two, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest” (NIV). One of the greatest treasures I have discovered this year is how we are not the first person to go through something. The Lord has invited me to pray a Psalm a day and as I prayed through this Psalm, I recognized, King David experienced the same feelings, thoughts, issues, that many are facing right now and he like so many of us, was not afraid to share his struggle with God in prayer and on paper, so we can hear we are not alone.

 

The Lord has shown me, that we are an afflicted generation, but that He is going to turn our mourning into dancing. We are not going to stay afflicted, we are going to be delivered. But like King David, it is not enough to just identify a problem, that is the obvious part, but what is usually hidden from our sight is the solution to the problem. Some people never ask for help, others try to figure it out themselves, still others seek answers from counselors, pastors, friends, books, etc. but thanks be to God through David, the answer is right here in Psalm 22. King David did not just share his struggle, he shared the solution he discovered in remembering history.

 

Psalm 22:3-6 gives us the solution, “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame” (NIV). David looked back on the history of his forefathers, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Gideon, Joshua, Moses, Deborah, Jael, Sarah and he discovered the access key to deliverance is trust. He said, they were delivered because they trusted in the Lord. No wonder Solomon said in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Trusting God is the access key to deliverance.

 

Trust, however, is a big word, to trust means you have to know the character, the voice and the nature of the one you are trusting. Trust means, you do what He says, when you hear, what He wants you to do. Trust is a verb, it is not something you only say with your mouth it is something you do when He gives you instructions. I remember when I was $25,000 in debt with no house, no spouse, no nothing to show for it and God showed me how to be delivered. He said, give me 15% of your income. I was trying to get out of debt, so why give more money, is that not counter-productive? Yes in many logical ways it is, but I trusted the Lord and I was out of debt in 2 years. Trust is an action word and trust is the access key to deliverance.

Sticky Righteousness

The Midwest got hit with what the weather reporters have called a snow apocalypse. We have experienced here in Missouri a rain/snow mixture for 24 straight hours, and it’s still snowing. Being from Minnesota, I find the snow something of great beauty and joy, specifically, I love shoveling snow. Therefore, at 5 am this morning, I was out in my backyard shoveling the snow off of my patio where I pray every morning. Once I finished shoveling, I began to pray and the Lord spoke to me through the 7 or more inches of sticky snow that we received.

The first thing the Lord spoke to me is, righteousness is going to stick to people who repent and turn from their sins. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us settle the matter, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” As I looked at the snow, it was a pure white. It spoke of purity, that only forgiveness of sins can give us. It spoke of newness and it reminded me of what King David said in Psalm 51 as he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart and a renew a right spirit within me.” The snow spoke of the cleansing God is releasing to all who repent.

The next thing the Lord showed me is that it was a rain/snow combination. The rain in scripture speaks of God’s blessing, just as the snow speaks of forgiveness of sins. The rain and snow are going to fall together and it created a sticky snow or as the Lord said to me a sticky righteousness. God is going to release forgiveness for those who have been living in sin, rebellion and disobedience and He is going to release rain or blessings on those have been living in obedience. Both the blessings for obedience and the forgiveness for disobedience are going to stick, it is going to produce sticky righteousness.

The third thing I saw in this sticky righteousness is that it will cause everyone to bow before the Lord. As I looked at the trees in the yard, they were all bowing from the weight of the sticky snow on their branches. The Lord showed me that His glory is weighty and it is going to stick and it will cause us to bow before Him. Those who repent will bow and those who are blessed will bow, for what this rain/snow mix will cause everyone to bow before the Lord, whether disobedient being forgiven or obedient being rewarded.

Finally, the Lord showed me that sticky snow, like sticky righteousness is going to release a joy that is fun for all people. I was having so much fun shoveling the snow, then I looked out in my front yard and there was a kid on riding his bike down the street and he fell off his bike in the snow and just laid there, it was as though I could hear him giggling, he was having snow much fun. Then of course as the sun rises, I will be bringing my son outside to build a snowman, for it is sticky snow, so a snowball fight and snow angels will happen as well. This sticky snow is very fun and sticky righteousness is going to be a lot of fun for all of us as well.

Get ready for some sticky righteousness to land on you. I was enjoying what God was saying about this so much, but in true God fashion, He topped it off with a confirming word from Isaiah 55:10-13, only God!

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.  “For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, and instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, and it will be a memorial to the Lord, for an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”

Breaking Cycles

It is the beginning of a New Year, people are prophesying what the year is all about, sharing what they are seeing, speaking what they believe God is saying. Many voices, but one message. This is a year of Breakthrough. But as Bill Johnson said, this year of Breakthrough will come as we pray. Prayer is going to be the key to this year of Breakthrough. Jeremiah Johnson said the same thing, he said at Morning Star Ministries, this is the year of the Watchmen and we must watch and pray. Dutch Sheets at Glory of Zion said, this is the year of prayer decrees. Finally, Lana Vawser said, it is a year of increased strategy, which can only come from being with the Lord in prayer and hearing His voice. These are just a few of the many people who are releasing words about this year, all of which are connected to breakthrough and prayer.

Are you ready to break free? Do you need a breakthrough? Well, if you do, you are like so many others that do, the cry for breakthrough is coming from all directions, as people are finding themselves unable to breakout, but Yahweh Perazim, the God of the breakthrough, is about to come through for you. What cycle does the Lord want to break in your life in order for you to breakthrough? Many people have many prayer requests they can share, many troubles they can tout, but God is a root revealer, for He knows if He can reveal the root and deal with that, the fruit will follow. So, lets take a look at a root, I believe is a cycle, that the Lord is going to breakthrough for you.

In Psalm 4:1 it says, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.” David was seeking relief from distress. This was not the first time he needed relief from distress, nor would it be the last time. David was in the distress, relief cycle for quite some time. Whether he needed relief from the distress of his brother’s attitudes toward him or from Saul who was pursuing him with a spear and we should not forget the distress he went through as he fought the lion and the bear in the wilderness. David knew, the distress, relief cycle for he experienced it for much if not for all of his life up to this point. But Yahweh Perazim, the owner of the breakthrough was about to break this cycle off of David and he was about to experience victory after victory as he reigned as king of a united Israel.

But, that’s David, what about you, can you see how you are in a distress, relief cycle? Can you see how you get distressed because of your job, your money, your relationships, your health or whatever is distressing you? Can you see how you tolerate the distress as long as possible, then you cry out to God for relief? This is the distress, relief cycle and I believe it is a root issue in many people’s lives. I know I have lived it and I am here to decree to you today, that God is breaking us out of the distress, relief cycle. He is going to break us out of this cycle, because He is Yahweh Perazim, the owner, the master of the breakthrough. He is going to break us out of this cycle, so we can advance the kingdom of God on earth in victory after victory. We will still face enemies, we will still have battles, but when this cycle is broken, we are going to move from glory to glory or victory to victory.

Remember, we are called more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. That means, that Christ broke the distress, relief cycle when He conquered sin, hell and the grave, so it is time, for us as the Church to breakout of the distress, relief cycle and embrace the risen King, Jesus Christ. Victory after victory will come from laying hold of the resurrected Messiah, the Ascended One, the Lord of Heaven and Earth. For too long, we have lingered at the cross as sinners saved by grace, it is time we arise and shine as ones who have a resurrected King. Yahweh Perazim is going to break you out of the distress, relief cycle, so you can walk by faith in the resurrected Son of God. You are breaking through, I decree it today!