Ascend & Dwell - God's Love at Work - Week of February 5

Ascend & Dwell

By Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of February 5, 2023

Very recently, I had a dream early in the morning. It was a nightmare, actually, that was so vivid, I knew God was speaking to me through it. The short of it is that I was out on a vessel in the ocean with someone I knew from my past. It was dark everywhere. At one point, I realized I was in danger and tried to escape. So, I ran up a staircase that appeared out of nowhere. But when I got almost to the top, I ran face-to-face into a demon that stood between me and the door to freedom. Then, suddenly, I woke up and looked at the clock. It was just after 4 a.m.

I didn't have to pray for an interpretation, because God revealed the meaning to me as I experienced the dream. I believe it's not solely for me but for others for whom it may apply. This is the interpretation:

The enemy has stood at the door, between you and Jesus in a certain area, using your flesh against you in terms of you wanting your way, your lack of knowing a better way, your distrust of God, and your fear of letting go. But the enemy at the door cannot stand in your way when your way is Yahweh’s and Jesus is your Door. It’s time for the strongholds of old tethers and coping vices to go. These compromises, these false compensations can limit God from bringing forth His true recompense. They have been causing anxiety, because they have held you in bondage.

But Holy Spirit is now shinning His light on the root to set you free.

Where you were submerged in deep darkness in this area of your life and the enemy's "sub-version" has tried to play out, he has now been exposed! I AM is here for the repentant. I AM is The Door of your escape. You can be set free from this falsehood that I AM never intended you to bear. One prayer and the enemy has to go! Where he tried to come between you, as the bride of Christ, and Jesus this cannot remain. I AM is greater. I AM is stronger. I AM is your defender. I AM is your Avenger. I AM is The Living God of Justice, who offers the only true way.

So, friends, our Lord is dealing with a final issue that has prevented some of us from entering into our promised land. He is delivering His beloved from lingering root-level issues, especially ones we've held onto out of deep grief for so long that they became part of our normal. These are the underlying enemy operations that have brought a slow despair and delay.

But God is saying, "Trust My way."

He is bringing breakthrough once and for all for His beloved ones who awaken to His truth, choose repentance and follow Him up and out of darkness into His marvelous light to dwell with Him in this area. His way will require full submission, nothing withheld, like Caleb, who had a different spirit and a whole heart.

His invitation is to His higher holiness. His scripture is Psalm 24:7 TPT, which says, "So wake up, you living gateways! Lift up your heads, you doorways of eternity! Welcome the King of Glory, for he is about to come through you."

Holy Spirit is inviting us to trust Him with our most precious losses and move forward with Him. It’s time to hand them over fully so we can be set free and move into all God has for us. It’s time for the limitations we brought upon ourselves to go because grace has lifted from them.

God has bigger and better fruit forward. It’s time for grapes so big that men have to carry them on poles (Numbers 13:23). "How much evidence do you need?" asks The Lord of Hosts. "Shift your eyes and heart on Me. Trust Me and I will provide more than enough."

God will make things right when we surrender our "hold-outs" to His will. We can do what He says, knowing He'll take care of it all.

Some call this passing the test. I like to think of it as finding Jesus in the midst to help us get past bondages and rise above limitations. When we choose to go "past and above," it’ll manifest in our lives, according to God’s timing.

I love the Words of Psalm 118:17-20 MSG that reveal a beautiful new beginning. They say, "I didn’t die. I lived! And now I’m telling the world what GOD did. GOD tested me, he pushed me hard, but he didn’t hand me over to Death. Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates! I’ll walk right through and thank GOD! This Temple Gate belongs to GOD, so the victors can enter and praise."

Pray with me if you will . . .

Dear Lord,

Thank You for saving me from myself, from the pain and lies that limited Your will in my life. Where I have chosen selfishness and refused You, I repent and choose to submit to You. I lay my sin at the foot of Your cross, Jesus. And I renounce all agreement with darkness and command it to go now, in Jesus' Name. I choose to receive Your light of life deep into every fiber of my being.

I ask You, Lord, to infuse me with Your loving-kindness to the extent that all false things will seem as though they never were. Thank You for faithfully forgiving me. Thank You for leading me back to life again to ascend and dwell with You. Thank You for filling me afresh with Your Spirit.

Help me to trust and obey You for Your glory.

In Jesus' Mighty Name,

Amen.

Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.