Sandie Freed: These are the Days of Elijah: Demonstrate and - TopicsExpress

Sandie Freed: These are the Days of Elijah: Demonstrate and Experience Gods Power in Your Life! Dear Believer, I have an unquenchable hunger for the supernatural. I know that you do, too! I believe, as sons and daughters of God, we are experiencing a fresh outpouring of Gods Spirit and power that was prophesied in Joel 2:28-30. Many of us who are familiar with these verses are also aware that this prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost which is documented in Acts, Chapter 2. However, as you know, the demonstration of the Holy Spirit is to be continued. We know this as a fact because Jesus instructed His disciples to pray...Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (see Matthew 6:10, Luke 11:2). As we pray as Jesus instructs, we are actually praying for Heaven to touch earth. Think about it – when Jesus came He brought His world to ours! He demonstrated the Kingdom of God on earth. His example of demonstrating Gods goodness through signs, wonders, miracles and powerful demonstrations was meant to be teaching tools for us to do the same on earth today. I believe it is safe to say that there is no sickness in Heaven and, therefore, it does not belong on earth! Also, there is no poverty, lack, disease or hopelessness in Heaven therefore, it does not belong on earth. Jesus commissioned His disciples with these words: Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give (see Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:9). I remember when I became a new Christian I was told what not to do and taught that I needed to be perfected – which placed much emphasis on me, my ability, and my religious performance. I was never introduced to the book of Acts until I was able to follow the Holy Spirits direction and landed in a Spirit-filled church that taught me about demonstration and power. Dear ones, the Church has been bound up with many limitations that hinder us from the fullness of the Gospel. Allow me to be even clearer about this subject. A core limitation is the false belief that God only used prophets to declare and demonstrate miracles in the Old Testament and that miracles died with Gods apostles who are mentioned in the New Testament. I want to discuss more of the various limitations that hinder most of us in just a bit because I desire that each of you walk in complete freedom – but for now I want to talk about someone to whom we all relate in the Old Testament, Elijah, who is still an example for us as New Covenant Believers. The Days of Elijah Most Christians, even those who do not believe that God is still empowering His saints for the supernatural today, acknowledge that Elijah was chosen by God to move in a powerful demonstration of His raw power. Unfortunately, as I previously addressed, many limit miracles to the Old Testament prophets and believe that miracles ended with the passing away of Gods anointed New Testament apostles. Just because Elijah was used in the Old Testament does not mean he cannot exemplify a type of prophetic ministry and power for us to walk in today! In fact, at the closing of the Old Testament, we read where Malachi prophesied that the spirit of Elijah was being sent to the earth. Elijah, of course, had died, but it would be his spirit, the same anointing to perform the miraculous and demonstrate Gods power to dethrone the enemy in every way, that was being sent from Heaven. Why? Well, Malachi states that this anointing would bring reconciliation of the hearts of children to the fathers. But also, in my opinion, the spirit of Elijah has been sent to us today to turn our hearts, as His children, back to the Father again (Malachi 4:6). And, precious ones, since it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, I believe demonstrating the signs and wonders and demonstrations of Heaven are a tool to lead many people to repentance (a change of mind) and, therefore, experience more of Gods love and power in their lives. Also, we know that John the Baptist, a New Testament example, demonstrated the same power of Elijah (see Matthew 11:14). Then, the Anointed One, Jesus Himself, became our example to follow as we endeavor to demonstrate Gods power on earth. Jesus demonstrated Heavens power to His disciples. As Believers, we have recorded Biblical history as our instruction guide to do the same. There are many of Gods children demonstrating Heavens will on earth, yet for many of us we still stumble with insecurity, religious doctrines and unbelief. To fully demonstrate Gods will for the supernatural, each of us as Believers, whether a new Believer or as those who Biblically mentor others, needs to remember our Biblical foundation for the miraculous. Again in the Old Testament, we notice Elijah decreeing no rain, releasing increase to a widow and a son, raising the dead, calling down fire from Heaven, destroying the false prophets of Baal, anointing Elisha and Jehu. (You can read about the anointing of Elijah, the miracles he performed, his slaying the false prophets and later anointing Elisha and Jehu in 1 Kings 18-19). Then, we later study about Elijahs servant and successor, Elisha, performing twice as many miracles. Again, in the New Testament, we read about John the Baptist who had the same spirit of Elijah on him. John baptized Jesus and then Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of God on earth. Let Go Of Your Limitations Its amazing to me that so many of us limit God today. We can even witness a miracle and almost immediately shift back into doubt and unbelief. When I think about Elisha, I believe as he served Elijah, he had to press through many mindsets and possible rejections to receive the double portion of Elijah. Yet, he did what was necessary to receive that mantle, didnt he? He had to let go of any limitation that might block his breakthrough that would empower him for the miraculous, right? Point is – Elisha had a destiny and he knew it! His destiny was to also demonstrate the power of Elijah. It is the same for us today, but, yet, we are called to demonstrate the Kingdom of God as Jesus did while on earth. However, this cannot be accomplished in our own strength; it is demonstrated through being obedient to fulfill our divine commission on earth by Gods grace. Fulfilling Destiny It is my heart to encourage you and remind you, as one saved by the finished work of Jesus on the Cross, that Gods supernatural, transforming power is available to you for the fulfilling of divine destiny. I know I am hammering this in but I want you to shift! Yes, part of our destiny as children of God is to demonstrate and experience Gods power. With that in mind, allow me to also remind you that you were born with a purpose to fulfill. God made you with a specific purpose. The word purpose means the reason something exists. Therefore, we can easily conclude that God created us for a very specific reason. Mankind, as a whole, was created in the image of God with the purpose of taking dominion. Though this is not meant to be a dominion message, I need to be clear about something – when we use our God-given authority, we are also empowered to demonstrate Gods divine power on the earth. Dear one, it is time to demonstrate and experience Gods power in your life. At the time of creation, both Adam and Eve were created to be like God and experience what I term limitless living. This type of lifestyle is experiencing our lives without any types of hindrances or limitations. Limitless living is not for the purpose of self-gain, but is experienced so that we can fulfill destiny and purpose. And, without limitations, we can fully demonstrate and experience Gods power on earth, right? Allow me to explain more. I have always believed that part of my purpose involves giving God glory. I have always been a very determined and focused person. I am also extremely passionate about demonstrating the Kingdom of God while I am on earth. This involves not only having a purpose, but is also about fulfilling our godly assignment. In fact, you might even consider them one in the same. Jesus Had a Purpose According to 1 John 3:8, Jesus also had a purpose. His purpose was to ...destroy the works of the devil. We recently discussed that Jesus brought His world into ours. But, lets delve into this more. The word purpose in Greek is the word tupos (pronounced too-pos) and it means model or imitation. According to this translation, it is made very clear to us that Jesus, when He was destroying the works of the devil, became a model for us to imitate. When we are also on assignment, on purpose, we are imitating God. In fact, this is one of the ways that we are able to give Him glory – by imitating Him! Satan is everything evil; we all know that. However, he is also consumed with targeting us, as he did Eve in the Garden, attempting to cause us to doubt our identity in Christ. If we believe opposite of who we are, (i.e.; sons and daughters of the King and made in His divine image), we become powerless to fully imitate God. Why is that? It is because when we doubt our identity in God, we also doubt our ability to be demonstrators of His power. The two go hand-in-hand. In fact, knowing who you are in God empowers you with Heavens raw power to demonstrate His glory! Wow, dont you desire that entire package? I mean, of course, to say... what a gift-package from Heaven – to be created in His image and a demonstrator of His power. I love gifts and I delight in opening presents and packages – I believe we all do! Therefore, I feel confident to say that you, as do I, desire to receive gifts from God – spiritual gifts and use them for His glory. Problem is the enemy has placed many different limitations upon us which hinder us from demonstration. Its time to take the limitations from our past off! Demonstration of His Power It has always been important for me to fulfill my destiny, but there has been an increasing desire within me to be someone who will now demonstrate His glory! Becoming a demonstrator of Gods unbridled power at this time has been one of the most exciting journeys I have experienced since I became born again. The word demonstrate means that something is being shown or proven. In other words, when we allow God to use us and we pray for someone to be divinely healed, we are at that time imitators of God. (Just like Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist; Jesus Christ, our Lord, and others!) We are proving Gods love as we pray for the sick or the needs of His children. But also, consider this fact: when they are healed, it is then that Gods perfect will has therefore been proven and demonstrated. What a privilege it is for God to use us to prove His love through demonstration. As I have previously stated, it is my belief that we each have our own personal purpose in life. I am completely certain that God has called me to pray that Heaven touches earth, and that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (see Matthew 6:10, Luke 11:2). My purpose involves touching Heaven in prayer and receiving divine revelation that unveils different hidden mysteries. To put it plainly, I am called to release divine revelation through my books, teachings and prophetic directives. To me, that is all a type of demonstration. However, I have to be honest with you and admit that there are many times that I feel limited! Why? Because satan targets my mind with lies. The lies of the enemy that limit us sound like this: • Youre not smart enough to teach Gods Word. • What makes you believe that God would use someone with a past like yours? • You are a complete failure in life. How can God use you? • If you pray for the sick, they might not get healed. Just think of what people might say about you. • You are not qualified to demonstrate Gods power • You are flawed. God cannot use someone like you! More Limitations Dear one, there are many other limitations that the devil uses to rob us of the privilege of demonstrating Gods miraculous power. In my new book, Letting Go of Your Limitations: Experiencing Gods Transforming Power, I explain how to let go of religion. Religion completely negates our need for relationship with God. In fact, many times it completely replaces it! I have gone to great length to discuss what religion looks like, how it begins to take root in our belief systems, and also how to let go of it to become a demonstrator of His glory. Another limitation I discuss and believe is a serious issue in the Church is the pressure to get results. This is all rooted in performance, perfectionism and self-introspection. How many times have we believed the lie that we are a failure because we did not witness the desired results? Dear Believer, the enemy will use this lie to limit you. On the other hand, God desires that we experience His limitless lifestyle! After all, didnt Jesus say that all things are possible to those of us who believe? Is it then any wonder why the devil attacks our faith? And, yes, the lack of faith ends up being another limitation that I discuss in my book. So, What is Holding YOU Back? Let me ask you a couple of questions: What do you believe is holding you back? What are your limitations? I believe God desires to empower you to let go of such limitations as: • reliance on yourself • efforts to please God through religious performance • disappointments • emotional pain and trauma • defensive and defeated attitudes • and much more! Believer, one of my favorite teachings is on this subject: God is never not pursuing you! Yes, thats right – He never, ever gives up on us! Im so glad He believes in me. Well, He believes in you also! As I wrote in my new book, His desire is to restore us, heal up the brokenhearted and demonstrate Kingdom power... Allow me to pray for you: Father God, I pray for each reader today to become fully empowered to demonstrate Your Kingdom on earth. I agree with what Your Word says concerning each ones destiny and purpose and that he/she is created to give You glory. I pray that You reveal the limitations which rob us of being Kingdom demonstrators. I pray that You shift each of Your children into continuous seasons of limitless living. I decree that there are no limits to what we do or experience in You. In Jesus name. Amen! Now, only believe and limitless living is yours to experience! Yes, these are the Days of Elijah, Elisha, and YOU demonstrating the Kingdom of God on earth! In His endless grace, Dr. Sandie Freed Zion Ministries Email: [email protected] Website: lifegatechurch.org and sandiefreed Sandie Freed co-labors with her husband, Mickey Freed, doing the work of the Lord as a ministry team. In addition, Sandie is the Founder and Director of the School of the Prophets and Apostolic Training Center in Bedford, Texas. With a strong anointing of discerning of spirits, Sandie has been known to discern territorial strongholds and release churches and regions from spiritual assignments that withhold finances, deliverances, and breakthroughs. Prophetess Sandie and Apostle Mickey are ordained with Christian International Ministries, serving on their Board of Governors and the Board of Directors. Together they serve as the Mid-Southern Regional Directors of the Christian International Network of Churches, which is the Prophetic-Apostolic oversight for Texas and Oklahoma regions, as well as several other states and regions. They have been married since 1973, and have one daughter, Kim Putman.