A few weeks ago our Pastor constructed a wooden door frame on a piece of plywood. He had got word from a Prophetess that we honor that the old door had been shut for a long time and the Pastors in the area have the power and the authority to open it for a new move of God. I can’t tell you how exciting it was for our whole congregation to walk through that open door into whatever God has for our region. It was a very powerful visualization of something in the natural mirroring what is happening in the spiritual realm. Here is the Sermon from Pastor Jeff Hanson of Janesville Apostolic Ministries, “The Door is Open”
But this morning, God gave me another vision. Because we had walked through the door into the newness of life, I saw an old wooden door shutting behind me. I didn’t shut it, God did. I believe this was the door to the past. God shut the door to the curse, the lack, and the sickness of His people. No more. We can’t live in the past. We must forget the past and press on towards the prize. Old things have passed away! We won’t be going back my friends!
All things are being made new. This is a new season for us. I encourage you today – walk through the open door that God has put in front of you. And He will close the door to the past!
Here is an old hymn I am working on putting new music to. It was originally published in 1887 and is now in the Public Domain. Ever since I started singing this song amazing things are happening! It was based on these scriptures:
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; (Psalm 130:1 NKJV)
Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord— Your salvation according to Your word. (Psalm 119:41 NKJV)
JESUS, I COME
lyrics by W.T.Sleeper, music by George Cole Stebbins
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair, into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
(Isaiah 22:22 NKJV)
Opportunities come in strange packages sometimes. You know, you are expecting a pretty package, wrapped perfectly, with that pretty bow on top. And you receive a box, wrapped in an old brown grocery bag, beat up on the corners, that shakes when you rattle it. Yep. Not what we expect at all right?
Yet with every obstacle comes an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to change. And perhaps things will be better. No one likes a stagnant pool of water right? It’s all green and stinky. The water has to MOVE to be fresh. And so do we.
What would you do if things did NOT stay the same?
How do you respond to change?
Do you welcome it or run from it?
12 QUOTES ON OPPORTUNITIES
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”― Winston S. Churchill
“With each opportunity before me, God presented me with a choice. I could accept His offerings, His wisdom, His grace. Or I could choose to hold onto the pain, the anger and the resentment a little longer.” ― Sharon E. Rainey, Making a Pearl from the Grit of Life
” Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” ―Galatians 6:10 NIV
“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.” ― John F. Kennedy
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”― Colossians 4:5 NIV
“Strength comes from struggle. When you learn to see your struggles as opportunities to become stronger, better, wiser, then your thinking shifts from “I can’t do this” to “I must do this.” ― Toni Sorenson
“Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty.”― Thomas S. Monson, Pathways To Perfection: Discourses Of Thomas S. Monson
“For a wide door of opportunity for effectual [service] has opened to me [there, a great and promising one], and [there are] many adversaries.”―1 Corinthains 18:9 AMP
“How would your life be different if…You didn’t allow yourself to be defined by your past? Let today be the day…You stop letting your history interfere with your destiny and awaken to the opportunity to release your greatest self.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work”― Thomas A. Edison
“It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.” ― Eric Hoffer
Today I would like to share my experience with doors and tokens. This is a true story of how I learned to protect myself, my family and my home from the enemy. Thank you Lord
Doors open from both sides.
One side is good and one side is bad.
And unfortunately when we open the doors of our homes to others, they bring things with them – both good and bad.
Recently I believed a liar. Yes, I fell for it. There was a girl I knew that lied to me. She said she had been raped. Being a former teacher I took this very seriously. And of course, because I had been raped as a teenager it was an open doorway for the enemy to enter.
Now I thought this door was shut.
But when this girl knocked on the closed door – I was the one who opened it.
And I let her in.
She lived with us for a while. We fed her, I played taxi driver, and I took her to all her appointments. I did her laundry. She is definitely a Jezebel Spirit. I am learning more and more about that. And then the truth was revealed.
She had used the ‘rape’ story to go from house to house for years. I caught her in lie after lie and finally told her to move out. She was very promiscuous and tried flirting with my husband, my son, and all the men at our church. I helped her get an apartment and food and helped her enroll in college. Despite the enemy, I did and still do want her to be delivered from the demons that are inside her. She seems devoted to destruction.
When she left there were still some of her things in the room we let her use. I removed them and returned them to her. While I was cleaning this room I felt something jump off the curtains and onto my back. Yes, a bad spirit. I rebuked it in Jesus Name, and anointed the room with oil. God uses oil all the time for His Spirit.
Anyway I also closed the bank account that we had for her and gave her the money. But she still kept calling. I didn’t answer and I unfriended her on FaceBook. Can I tell you that since I started helping her our finances took a nose dive? And I had thing after thing break – lawnmower, coffee pot, outlets, lights, dryer, cell phones, grill, flat tires, etc. It was like a tornado went through our house. My daughter was in a car accident. My son had a really bad bout with depression. My old ways of self-harm surfaced, and my husband took a bad trip. Very strange things happened. We were not our normal fun selves. All of us were affected by the spirits she brought into our home.
Then when I dropped off the last piece of stuff I had of hers at her new place she gave me this card that said “I love you”. The next week things went haywire here. It was then that God said to get rid of that card – there were bad spirits attached to it and they were infiltrating. I threw it out on the highway and cursed any and all demons that came to me and my home and family because of it.
It was a token and the enemy was using it as a doorway.
My Pastor gave me some Queen Esther oil. I anointed every doorway and window in our home pleading the Blood of Jesus for protection. God promised the enemy would pass over us if we are under the blood of Jesus.
She is still knocking at the door. But today I am not opening it. I do not pick her up for church anymore. I do not entertain the spirit of the enemy. I will not coddle it, feed it, or enable it to hurt me or my family. I cast it out in Jesus Name. No more valley of trouble for our family.
Would you believe that since I got rid of the tokens and kicked her out the door has shut. I opened it so I had to shut it. Our finances are back on track. Our business is doing great. My music is taking off. And all is well. Thank you Lord, for protection, and wisdom, and Truth!
7 Lessons Learned from Doors and Tokens:
1. Get rid of all tokens no matter what they are. Curse them, burn them, and send them back to the pit where they came from in Jesus Name.
2. Don’t invite the enemy in. Jesus is the Savior, not me. I can’t change someone, He can. Not everyone wants to change. Some people are perfectly content spreading chaos and confusion everywhere they go. Some people are devoted to destruction. Don’t let them in.
3. Be wise – test the spirits. Often a wounded person will carry with them the spirits of division, destruction, and desolation. When you invite them in you also let those things in.
4. Evaluate relationships and be cautious. Be careful who you share your personal life with. Not everyone is looking out for your best interests. Not everyone wants to see you succeed. Many want to kick you when you are down and laugh at you due to their own insecurities.
5. Just ‘going to church’ does not mean that a person is under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The enemy goes to church all the time. That’s where the battle is. Even the demons know the Word.
6. God is greater and He will restore all things. Nobody can take us from His hand. His arm is mighty to save.
7. Clean house today. Close the door to the enemy, and don’t answer if he knocks. That’s why Jesus says He is the door. Let Him guide us as to who can come in and who needs to stay out. And let go of the garbage!
GOD’S WORD
Joshua 7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
7 But the Israelites committed a trespass in regard to the devoted things; for Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the things devoted [for destruction]. And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, Go up and spy out the land. So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, Let not all the men go up; but let about two thousand or three thousand go up and attack Ai; do not make the whole army toil up there, for they of Ai are few. 4 So about three thousand Israelites went up there, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and slew them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua rent his clothes and lay on the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all only to give us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned to flee before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name? 10 The Lord said to Joshua, Get up! Why do you lie thus upon your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. They have taken some of the things devoted [for destruction]; they have stolen, and lied, and put them among their own baggage. 12 That is why the Israelites could not stand before their enemies, but fled before them; they are accursed and have become devoted [for destruction]. I will cease to be with you unless you destroy the accursed [devoted] things among you. 13 Up, sanctify (set apart for a holy purpose) the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: There are accursed things in the midst of you, O Israel. You can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction]. 14 In the morning therefore, you shall present your tribes. And the tribe which the Lord takes shall come by families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come by households; and the household which the Lord takes shall come by persons. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be [killed and his body] burned with fire, he and all he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord and because he has done a shameful and wicked thing in Israel. 16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel near by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought near the family of Judah, and the family of the Zerahites was taken; and he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 He brought near his household man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession to Him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me. 20 And Achan answered Joshua, In truth, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this have I done: 21 When I saw among the spoils an attractive mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath. 22 So Joshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent, and behold, the spoil was hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and laid them out before the Lord. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned him and those with him with stones, and afterward burned their bodies with fire. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor or Troubling to this day.
