Handling Transitions

In 2020, during a time of prayer, the Lord showed us that we were entering a decade of destiny. We are now at the halfway mark in this decade of destiny. It is a time of mid-point evaluation, not man’s, but Jesus’ evaluation of His church. The next three years are crucial for the church, and for individuals. It’s a time of repairing, re-positioning, and rebuilding the house; it’s a time of transition for many to true purpose and destiny. It’s a time for the sons and daughters to arise!

Elijah’s question to Israel on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18:21is therefore hugely relevant for this time as it speaks of a battle for covenant faithfulness “how long are you going to be paralysed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is follow Him! But the people did not say a word.”  While the church experiences transition, the world itself is going through a time of transition. We see this in governments, in politics, and in economies across the world. This not something that can be taken lightly. When God’s Word is taken lightly, people postpone the building of the future to build their own houses. This was true in prophet Haggai and Zechariahs days, and it is certainly true today. God sent His prophets to admonish, instruct, and direct Israel in a time of transition. This is what we are talking about today.

So, how do we handle transitions in a godly way?

A transition will always involve a death of the old- old mindsets, old ways of living and relating to God and people, old approaches to understanding the Bible to name a few. It also involves a birthing of the new, of identity, purpose, and destiny. While transitioning from the old to the new, there are snares or traps all along the way until God’s people step into and own the new. What are some of those snares that we must discern and navigate in Spirit and in truth?

First, there is a snare of the fear of man.

Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of people becomes a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high.” The word high means “inaccessibly high, too high for capture, to be high of prosperity, to be exalted of God, to exalt in effective hostility.” Amen!

These may be authoritative sources like spiritual leaders, family members like parents, uncles and aunts, siblings especially in joint family set ups, a close friend, and other influencers. Peer orientation is a powerful tool the adversary uses to keep the church from moving forward into the new. In this regard, God instructed Moses before they entered the promised land. Jesus warned His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees that would entrap them and keep them from the kingdom of God. Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Matthew 16:6. This was an evil to be purged from the camp before they entered the land. It is the same today, the fear of man is an evil, and there is still a sacred ban surrounding it.

Second, the snare of entanglements with words. Pay attention to what comes out of your mouth for it has the power to release life or death. Proverbs 18:21; Isaiah 6:5; James 3:1-12

Then, there are entanglements in relationships. People are entangled in their own personal problems and issues, that they are unable to move forward into the new. God had instructed Moses on this in Deuteronomy 13:6-11. Jesus spoke on similar lines in Luke 14:25-27. Because of these entanglements, people choose to go only half the way like Abraham’s father Terah. But God wants you to go all the way into the new like Abram the Hebrew. The root letters of Hebrew mean to “cross over” or “pass through” or “one that has traversed.” Genesis 11:31-32; 14:13; Deuteronomy 13:6-11

Third, public opinion or what the majority think. Deuteronomy 13:12-18

There is a process in entanglements. So, watch your entanglements for it wants to keep you from transitioning into the new. Gods not going tell you what to do in the minutest detail, you must learn to discern and walk by faith and be led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 (refer notes of Sunday July 27th for more on being led by the Spirit.). God instructed Moses in Deuteronomy 13:12-18 that certain groups of people would sway His people to worship other gods. The apostle Paul warned the early church of this in Acts 20:29-31.

Stay within the boundaries of God’s Word, examine all things- 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

God’s Word embodies His love for you, and true love always comes with boundaries.

Fourth, the snare of carnality or fleshy thinking and living.

“Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.” Romans 8:5-8 (MSG)

“What is born of the flesh is flesh, what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Ascend in worship, and you will discern the snares.

A carnal Christian relies on self- it may be education, experience, past encounters with God that tends to shut everyone out but self. Those entrapped in this will tend to rationalise and hesitate to move by faith, because the mind is not being renewed with the Word (Romans 12:1-2). Without realising, they subscribe to a humanistic way of living, their lives figured out by what they can see and make sense of. Anything outside of that framework is rejected. Those trapped in this snare could hold perspectives that overwhelm God’s perspectives, they are prone to be overcome by sorrow and frequent bouts of feeling low, depressed; after a while, they choose going back to the old because it feels safer; instead of life they inadvertently release a death sentence over their own future through their words; they can slander the land that they have been given; they can make light of the promises waiting for them like the ten spies. You can choose to stay in the same spiritual condition as you are, or you can choose to have a different spirit like Joshua and Caleb. Numbers 13:32-14:9

Some more transitional snares from the Bible:

Sarai, Abram’s wife- the power of not waiting- Genesis 16:1-5

Lot’s wife- looking back, not heeding the angel’s instructions- Genesis19:16-26

People murmur and complain – Exodus 15:22-26

Moses’ anger and insecurity get the better of him- prevent him from reflecting the pattern of heaven on earth- Numbers 20:11-12

Ungratefulness, forgetfulness of God’s goodness- Deuteronomy 8

David- did not go to war, in a time of war. The snare led him to manipulation, adultery, and murder. 2 Samuel 11:1-17

Gehazi- went around the prophet’s authority and took something that he was not entitled to- greed was the snare. The leprosy of Naaman afflicted Gehazi- 2 Kings 5:20-27

Peter- his emotions aligned with the adversary- bravado and eventual three-fold denial of Jesus- Matthew 16

Thomas- his doubts must be disproved – John 20:24-27

Martha and Mary – that Jesus did not understand timing- John 11:21,32

Ananias and Sapphira – lied to the Holy Spirit- Acts 5:4

There are no easy answers for times of transition. Gods Word and the Holy Spirit are faithful to teach us how to live. Lord, teach me how to live is a good prayer. Take ample time to know and love the Lord. That is our primary purpose. Let your life flow out of a love for the Lord and His kingdom. This was God’s directive in Deuteronomy 11:13-15,22-25 before Israel entered the land. Jesus put it like this in Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.””

Jesus' evaluation of the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4 stands as a poignant reminder for the church today: “But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love!” May the church learn to traverse the land and cross over to the new.