Crossing Over

Looking back, we see that God has brought us from afar, helping us cross over many things. There are people you were with at the beginning of the year (2015), got the same word together, but they’re not with you today. One thing we can be grateful for is that we’re still here, with God. Crossing over wasn’t easy, just as it wasn’t easy for the children of Israel. All in all, we thank God that we are here. God has made it possible to cross over safely. It’s true water touched us, but He still kept us, and are here.

Leviticus 14:33-42 (read on to verse 57)
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you arrive in Canaan, the land I am giving you as your own possession, I may contaminate some of the houses in your land with mildew. 35 The owner of such a house must then go to the priest and say, ‘It appears that my house has some kind of mildew.’36 Before the priest goes in to inspect the house, he must have the house emptied so nothing inside will be pronounced ceremonially unclean. 37 Then the priest will go in and examine the mildew on the walls. If he finds greenish or reddish streaks and the contamination appears to go deeper than the wall’s surface, 38 the priest will step outside the door and put the house in quarantine for seven days. 39 On the seventh day the priest must return for another inspection. If he finds that the mildew on the walls of the house has spread, 40 the priest must order that the stones from those areas be removed. The contaminated material will then be taken outside the town to an area designated as ceremonially unclean. 41 Next the inside walls of the entire house must be scraped thoroughly and the scrapings dumped in the unclean place outside the town. 42 Other stones will be brought in to replace the ones that were removed, and the walls will be replastered. (NLT)

Now that we have crossed over, we need God to help us spot any mildew in our lives. In the above text, the mildew/plague is a symbolism of contamination in our lives. God used the mildew to expose contamination in their houses, and help them know when the same was gone, or when it was spreading. 

When we keep close to God, we see spots and contaminations that other human beings cannot see without God's help. The world is so mixed with the church especially in the days we're in. We really need God to help us discern what we're getting into. We need God more than anything else. On our own we cannot make it. When you see some signs of contamination and mildew in your house (life), signs of defilement in your life, scream out for help. The children of Israel were told to call for a priest, when they spotted mildew on their walls. When you spot the devil in your life trying to get a foothold, you are a priest (Rev. 5:9-10); do something. Let God show you what to do. Corruption, contamination, sin and so on is not for us.

2016, as we cross over, calls for consecration. It calls for an intimate relationship with God, be very close to Him, to discern when He reveals things in our lives that need to be changed. It’s not every cartoon, Christian music, magazine, groups and so on that we should pay attention to. If we don’t pay attention to what God is telling us to pay attention to and work on, we'll end up demolishing the whole house (the mildew having spread beyond our control). Some of the battles we're fighting are as a result of signs we ignored, signs that were supposed to point out areas of our lives that need change but we ignored.

3 John 2
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

It is possible for us to prosper in all things. As we note the signs and mildews and take care of what we need to take care of, then we are able to walk in prosperity over these things. Our relationship with God must be very close. He alone is the One Who can help us see the hidden idols the devil had hidden in our lives.

In 2016 I am calling all of us to get closer to God, in prayer and studying the Word of God. Yes in this year there are great things ahead of us, but we won’t enjoy if we don’t pay attention to the signs that were supposed to address, to show us areas of our lives that we need to change. We need to manifest maturity in ways that shows God that He can trust us. On our own we can’t make it. We can’t identify traps of the enemy on our own. We need to be very sensitive, spiritually. We are responsible, and need to run when God says we run, not remain in the same place. How do we react to the signs of what God tells us needs to be changed or addressed?

Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. 

1. Guard your heart. One of the things that God wants us to watch out for in this year are our hearts. We have to recognise the treasure God has given us.

Psalm 119:11
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

The heart is a treasure; recognise it, and guard it. It is hard to discern what’s in the heart and what’s in the mind. Many things fly over our heads, but we shouldn’t let them get to our hearts. The best strategy to guard our hearts is to allow the Word of God to reign in our hearts. With the Word of God hidden in our hearts, it is easy to discern what’s of God and what isn't. If we were prayerful, we'd have seen the signs before some of the mistakes we've made, and would have made different decisions. If we are prayerful this year, we will make wise decisions, and end up guarding our hearts and lives. Recognise that treasure, and guard it.

The instructions of God when He was looking for a king through Samuel was not to focus on the physical and outer, rather the heart

1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel,“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Guard that which God has entrusted you with.


2. Prioritise the task. Anything you're doing for God must be prioritised and guarded. When you’re guarding you maintain control.

3. Minimise the trash. We must do this. Some of these are hard to tell out from afar. This is why we need the Holy Spirit and God's Word to help us identify and kick out the contaminations. As we walk with God and abide in His Word, we'll get to a point of conviction, where we know deep down that such and such is not right for us. Corruption, immortality, wrong company (some WhatsApp groups, Facebook interactions and so on), which we feel convicted as not right, are trash, and should be removed. Trash keeps us from being sensitive to God's voice and will over our lives.

4. Energise yourself with the truth, the Word of God. Analyse everything through the Word of God. The truth is what will keep us. Benchmark every area of your life through the truth. The truth brings transformation. The Word of God won’t leave you the same. If and when we capitalise on God’s Word this year, at the end of this year we’ll be talking of transformation in all areas of our lives.

Let’s have an intimate relationship with God, as only He can help us deal with the ‘small’ things that might keep us from walking intimately with Him, and accomplishing His purpose for our lives. Let's walk intimately with God, and allow Him to reign in every area of our lives, as we live a life that is consecrated fully to Him. 

Blessings.

    Pastor Jim Mugo

1st January 2016 Kesha Service Teaching, Transformation Ministry, Ruiru. 


Pastor Jim is a pastor at Teaching Transformation Ministry, Joska. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./ Bypass intersection), Next to Eastgate Restaurant.