the invitation

The times and seasons are a-changing. The atmosphere is charged with an electricity that is coming from battles in the heavenlies and it is spilling over into our lives here. We may not be able to physically lay eyes on the clashes happening but you most likely can feel them. This is a time to be prayerful and seeking the Lord's direction like no other. Yes the calendar will flip over to a new year shortly and I believe that is driving some of this but on a more personal note, your destiny is being fought over and it is up to you to decide to receive and carry out the plans of the Heavenly Father for your life.

We are all here on assignment. Some of us are intimately acquainted with that assignment and are already walking it out. Some of us are walking, faithfully serving in the area we currently have stewardship over. Both places are good. But now as we enter into this key moment of transition it's time to make a decision. What's next? If you're like me you may have a general idea but you may not be sure of the next step, but you are willing to take it. In this place it is so easy for spirits like confusion, doubt and fear to rise up. Just because they decide to show up does not mean that we have to invite them in and entertain them.

It is a basic principle. In order for someone to join you in your home you have to agree to let them in. You can invite someone in because you want to spend time with them. Someone decides they want to spend time with you and they ask to come in and you can agree to let them join you. In either situation you have a choice to agree with the one trying to enter your home. If your best friend wants to come spend time with you, there is a good chance they are readily invited in. However, that one friend or relative who always loves to cause a scene in your home may not be someone you invite back in. Even if they show up unexpectedly, though they are familiar, it may not be the best thing for you to agree to invite them in to relive the same nightmare.

As I sit here contemplating everything I have before me and what I want to see in the coming year I will openly tell you the spirit of fear has been trying to paralyze me today. I have stood at the door all day debating whether or not to let him into my house (my heart) yet again. I have cried and felt uncomfortable most of the day. As I lay before the Lord in prayer a little while ago I asked myself a key question; Why?
Why am I sitting here feeling worthless and like a failure? Because I let a lying spirit come in while I was standing at the door debating whether or not to let fear in. DUH! Sounds dumb right? But while I was distracted talking to one familiar spirit a myriad of others were able to ease on in, bringing with them confusion and the paralysis of fear already had me!

So what should I be doing instead? Well first off, I did pray. I believe going into a quiet moment alone with the Lord is so key. Even though at the time I felt distant and like nothing was happening, I knew that was the safest place to be, in His Presence. That is where revelation and illumination take place. Secondly, my words are ineffective in dealing with spirits unless they are powered by His Word. Because I can talk all day long but when I talk like Him, it is then and only then that things change. Today I specifically went to Psalm 91 for He is my Refuge and Sheild, my safe place and protection. When I am feeling beat up by lies, deception and bullied by fear, the only way to face them is from a safe place of truth. I not only read it, I declared it boldly - out loud in a serious voice. I needed to hear myself say it and so did the enemy coming against me, because this very Word of God is my Mighty and Uncommon Weapon! Next, I literally let those intruders know where they needed to go and it was not here. I commanded them to leave by the Power of the Name of Jesus and renounced any association with them. I then declared who I am. I am the beloved daughter of the Most High King. I am in relationship with God Almighty fully received and loved by Him. Finally, to really fight, I'm telling you about it :)

Now I have gone into my Safe Place, surrendered myself and confessed my current situation. In that place, as always His faithfulness met me. He revealed to me that I had invited in unwelcome guests and that I needed to command them to leave. Now I am ready to move forward beyond distraction to tackle the project from work that is making me weak-kneed and not in the good sense. And then personally to work on my goals, action plan and vision board for 2012 because there is a real Guest I want to invite in, The Holy Spirit. He has with Him an invitation to my date with destiny that will allow me to expand the King's dominion in my area of rule. This is so exciting!

I pray in this season that you will have intimate time with Him like never before and that He would speak to you through dreams and visions and that you would receive your invitation to the next phase of your destiny. May the rest of this year see your life blessed with victory!