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Getting
Over the Hump! By Pastor Tim Hodge Isn’t it amazing that there are times that we all have to periodically experience the draining trials of life? To some it would seem the situations of adversity and conflict may be more frequent in their lives than in the lives of others. However, today I want to encourage the Body of Christ, the triumphant procession of Believers that your God is BOLD, MIGHTY, and is not afraid to show off His grace in your behalf. Yes, there may be storms in life. Yes, there may be the foggy nights of our life’s journey where we are surrounded by indecision and the fatiguing pull of the seemingly unchangeable, antagonizing moments of existence. Yet, there are times when the SON rises and the fog dissipates, the storms cease, and His peace prevails. He always prevails. Whether it seems as though He may not… He always prevails. His omnipotence may be challenged by our dark foe, but His reputation is untarnished. Fear not little one. Great is His grace toward you. He has not left you. He has not forsaken you. Have you ever had the disparaging feeling that “If I can only ____________.” You must fill in the blank: “Get through this week,” “Get this thing paid off,” “Get him off my back,” “Kick this habit,” “Make it through this situation.” Where I come from we called this trying to make it over the “hump.” The “hump” was this mental place sort of like “OZ” where if you made it there everything would be alright. Enough of the present muck, mire, and mess. A “just-get-me-through-this-particular-event” mindset seemed to overtake us. I’ve seen this yearning surfacing in some of God’s people here of late. I’ve seen the discouragement. I’ve seen the moping. I’ve seen the dragging. I’ve seen the drowning, overwhelming problems try to sap the life, joy, peace and passion out of you. You have been scrambling trying to put your finger on the culprit of these situations. May I tell you a little secret? Maybe God is using the coarseness of your adversity to prepare you for the next level of your life. You are going to “GET OVER THE HUMP”. Isaiah 40:28-41:1, KJV Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. (v29) He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (v30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (v31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 41:1) Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. It is amazing in this passage that the Holy Spirit did not
say you will mount up with wings as “chickens.” Then we’d have to feel our lot in life is to scratch in
someone else’s yard, eat someone else’s chicken feed and worms, give someone
else our eggs (our offspring) and finally be someone else’s dinner. It is equally amazing that God didn’t say we would mount
up with wings as peacocks. If that
were the case we would just walk around trying to impress people all the time.
Unable to fly. Unable to defend ourselves.
Unable to do pretty much of anything constructive or beneficial, but let
someone look at us real good and we’ll poof out our accomplishments and
inflated realms of “wanna-be land” like the pretty tail-feathers that
impress but don’t help us fly. We
would look good, but be no good. Unfortunately,
there are a lot of people who are peacocks. Then God blessed us by NOT saying we were as BUZZARDS.
Yuck. God also didn’t liken us to “PARROTS”. Looking all good, but just a bunch of repeat…. This Polly doesn’t want your cracker! However, God did say we would be like the EAGLE! Here are some characteristics of eagles:
They that “WAIT”… this word is defined as “to look
to something expectantly and with hope”.
It does not imply any lack of action. “…Upon the Lord”…. Too many are looking for hope in
the WRONG thing. We MUST look to
the Lord. “…Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles….” God can always fly quicker than you can fall. The eagle becomes “MATURE” between four and five
years old. Restoration Ministries
is now between four and five years old. Eagles may live up to 60 years of age and may go through a
molting stage up to three (3) times in their life. THE
MOLTING PROCESS:
God’s intent is to see to it that His people are renewed! He is conducting spiritual warfare to see to it that those barriers in your life will release you.
WARFARE ON THE COASTLANDS Isaiah 41, KJV Note how God is speaking to the “islands” or
“coastlands” to BE QUIET and LET the people renew their strength. DRYPLACE DEMONS. Matthew 12:43 and Luke 11:24 The word “islands” is found “7” times in the KJV.
Six of those occurrences are found in Isaiah. Isaiah 11:11; 13:22; 41:1; 42:12, 15; 59:18 Jeremiah 50:39 Demons undoubtedly like “moisture.”
In the dry places Jesus made mention of they are in a “restless”
state. I have sensed in deliverance
sessions that mentioning these “dry places” undoubtedly riles fear, dread,
and disgust from demonic powers. Could the moisture of the “islands” and “coastlands” be a reason why demonic entities are so congregated in such areas and the vices of men reflect the presence of said evils? Humans are made up of how much water? Up to 75%! We are walking containers of moisture. This is why demonic entities want to possess humans. Jesus has come as our DELIVERER! Isaiah 13:21 – GREEK TRANSLATION – “devils or demons shall dance there.” (cf Jeremiah 50:39). BE RENEWED CHILDREN OF GOD. Don’t allow the hindrances to stop, thwart, or inhibit
what God wants to do in your life! Mount up with wings as eagles! |
