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Crossing Over into Greater Authority
by Rob Hotchkin
Study includes:
A. Prophetic EncouragementI have been meditating on Exodus 34:10 for about a year now. I have read and prayed over and over again about this covenant agreement God has made. He wants to show Himself through us to nations and people groups as never before, so that all may come to know the reality of His Kingdom. I have asked Him many times what the key is to our going in and inhabiting the fullness of this promise. Recently He took me to Joshua 3:5. He showed me that generation of Israelites who were on the verge of crossing into what God had promised them. Just before He brought them in, He asked His people to consecrate themselves anew. That consecration, that setting themselves apart afresh to Him and for Him, was a key to God working wonders amongst them and bringing them into the fulfillment of His promise. One day I was praying into this, seeking God on how, like that faithful generation of Israelites, we can consecrate ourselves anew to Him – not just in words, but truly and deeply in our hearts. He spoke something to me that took me by surprise. He said, “My people need to know that ‘Lord’ is not simply a synonym for ‘God.’” I asked Him what exactly He meant by that, and He whispered to my heart, “God is who I Am. Lord is who My people choose to allow Me to be for them when they trust and obey Me.” I feel God is extending His hand to us just as He did for the Israelites in Joshua 3:5. He is ready to bring us into a new place with Him that is full of wonderful expressions of His power and authority – awesome displays like we have never seen before! But we, just like those Israelites, must prepare for this by giving ourselves to Him anew – not just as God but as Lord. God is asking us to trust Him and submit to His Lordship. He is asking us to align with His will and His ways in all areas of our lives. That obedience, I believe, is the key in this hour to crossing over into a place of greater authority as His dominion people in the earth. This place of consecration and obedience, where we recognize God as our Lord and Master, is the place of triumph where we will inhabit the fullness of everything He has promised!
B. Devotional TeachingRecognizing God as Lord God is God. He always has been and He always will be (Revelation 4:8). But it is when we allow Him to be Lord that we come to know the fullness of all He is for us as God. It is when we choose Him as Lord of our lives that we open the door for Him, and all of His copious goodness, to fill and overflow us. In the Garden, God created man. It was God who formed Adam from the dust of the earth. It was God who brought forth Eve from Adam’s body. It was God who blessed them with all the bounty of the Garden of Eden, and the dominion authority to be fruitful and multiply in the earth. From the moment of their creation Adam and Eve knew God was God, but they also chose to know Him as Lord. They chose to heed His will and His ways. God had created them in love. He had made a place of plenty for them in love. And in that same love, He gave them a warning to keep them safe (Genesis 2:15-16). For a time, Adam and Eve chose to trust God’s love, to heed His warning, and follow His will and ways. When they did, they inhabited the lush fullness of all He created them for. But then they gave place to the twisting lies of the enemy. Instead of trusting in God’s love, they listened to the enemy’s deceit. They chose to no longer follow God’s ways, but to determine their own path, to be lord of their own lives, and decide for themselves what was good and evil. God was still God. But they no longer heeded Him as Lord. Because of that, they lost the place of plenty (Genesis 3:23). Taking Back All Adam Lost! God did not stop being God at the Fall. He did not stop loving us, and He did not stop wanting us to inhabit the place of plenty with Him. That is why He came as Jesus – that through the finished work of the Cross we could be restored to all that was lost at the Fall. Jesus, the “second Adam,” won back all the first Adam lost, and it is made available to us when we choose to receive Him as Lord of our lives and are restored to relationship with our Heavenly Father! In the original Greek of the New Testament the word for Lord is “kurios,” and it means “he who has the power of deciding; master; owner.” The lies, deceit, and temptation of the enemy that would draw us away from God are defeated when we recognize Him as Lord in every area of our lives, trust in His loving wisdom, and submit to Him as Master. When we do this, we take back what was lost at the Fall – the place of plenty where we inhabit all that God has for us. Jesus brilliantly models this for us during His time in the desert. There is Power in Knowing God as Lord! Jesus went to the desolate place, the desert, where He resisted the temptation of the enemy to disobey God’s will and ways. Jesus, as a man, knew His Father not only as God, but also as Lord. He chose to obey. He chose to let God be Lord! When Jesus went into the place of testing, He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1). When He consecrated Himself to God, choosing to ignore the temptation of the enemy and heed His Father’s will and ways, He came forth in the POWER of the Holy Spirit. He had crossed over into all that God had for Him during His time on earth, empowered to walk in the fullness of His calling and purpose (Luke 4:17-21). When we choose to let God be Lord in every area of our life we cannot help but brim over with His power! We see a very clear illustration of this in Matthew 8:5-13, when the Roman officer asked Jesus to heal his servant. The officer had great faith that Jesus could simply send forth the word to heal, because he understood the power that comes from being under authority. He saw that Jesus was under the authority of the Father, that He was consecrated and set apart in all things and in all ways, and in being under that authority He had all of it available to Him. True authority comes from being under authority. The Roman officer knew all of the Roman army and Roman Empire backed him up every time he gave an order, because he was submitted to the authority of that army and empire (Matthew 8:9). And he saw in Jesus an even greater authority, because He was submitted to an even greater Kingdom and Ruler. Jesus walked in the fullness of authority in the earth because He was fully submitted to the authority of heaven. “Not my will, but Yours, be done,” was the posture of His heart (Luke 22:42). When Jesus walked the earth as a man, He knew His Father was God, but He also chose to allow His Father to be Lord – submitting to His will and following His ways. He obeyed. This was key to the authority that Jesus walked in as a man, and it is a key for us, in this hour, to walk in the fullness of God’s promises and power. It is ALL About Love! Whenever we talk about submitting to God and obeying Him, there is always the danger of religion rearing its ugly head and getting us caught up in the Law and self-righteousness. But God is so good He even took care of that. God is Love. And everything He does and everything He asks us to do is informed by and filled with Love. He makes it clear that we do not obey out of religion, but out of love. We obey because we love Him (John 14:15). And we love Him because of His love for us (1 John 4:19). It is ALL about love. God does not want us to submit to Him because He is a control freak, but because He loves us and wants to keep us safe. He does not want to keep things from us, He wants to keep us from harm. He loves us so much! I think the reason God has poured out such a powerful revelation of His Father’s heart for His people over the last 15+ years is so that we will know His love, and in that safe place of His goodness and His trustworthiness, we will choose to submit to His Lordship and obey His wisdom. Consecrate Yourself Anew! The Lord is longing for each of us to cross over into all that He has for us in this hour. He wants to display His authority through us in ways we have never even imagined (1 Corinthians 2:9). The key for us, just as it was for that faithful generation of Israelites who crossed over into the fulfillment of His promise to them, is to consecrate ourselves to Him anew. To not only know Him as God, but to trust in His loving wisdom, and submit to His Lordship in every area of our life. C. Weekly Scripture MeditationWeek ONE - Exodus 34:10 D. Resource Corner
We will face challenges. God promises us that. But He also promises that He is good and that He will never leave us or forsake us. As we lean into His goodness and trustworthiness, even during times when it seems like He is far away, God will bring us into glorious depths of blessing, intimacy, revelation and rejoicing beyond anything we have ever imagined! As you listen to this insightful message from Rob Hotchkin, the way you look at challenging times of confusion or doubt will be forever changed. You will come to understand: • What God is doing when He seems to be far away or absent! • The purpose of “dry” times! • Why God sometimes “hides” Himself from us! • How to move past fear and doubt!
In this profound and powerful message, Patricia King rallies the church to align with God, be filled with light, and spread His glory in miraculous and astounding ways. As you listen, you will realize God is preparing a company of revivalists who carry the power of His righteousness and the fire of the fear of the Lord to impact the world around them.
The Lord has an amazing destiny for you – one full of hope, blessing and purpose. The enemy wants to steal that from you through discouragement, frustration, and intimidation. But God is greater, and He is well able to strengthen you and bring you into victory in every area of your life! As you listen to this powerful message from Rob Hotchkin, you will learn:
Get ready for victory! Get ready for triumph! Get ready to be empowered! Get ready to BE STRENGTHENED!
Do you long for a greater revelation of Jesus? Is your heart’s cry to go deeper in relationship with God? In this message, Rob Hotchkin shares how it is God’s great desire to draw you into a bigger knowing of who He is and how He is in every area of your life and all the situations you face … and one of the most surprising ways He does this. If you have ever wondered why God allows us to face challenges and circumstances beyond our understanding, this message will bring you peace and help launch you into a new place of security in God where nothing hell sends against you will cause you fear or anxiety ever again! These items can be ordered on line at our Store or by calling our toll free order line at 1-866-765-9286.And remember, God loves you with an everlasting love! |
