Never Allow What People Say to Alter What God Has Already Said! How Do You Get Spiritual Amnesia? We Forget What God Did Before. How Is That Possible, Do You Know He Will Do It Again? We Will Have An Attitude of Doubt or Faith. This Is What God Said

 Numbers 14:24, 26-32, “But My servant Caleb, because he has a DIFFERENT spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his DESCENDANTS shall possess it…And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, how long will this evil congregation murmur against Me? I have heard the complaints the Israelites murmur against Me. Tell them, As I live, says the Lord, what you have said in My hearing I will do to you: Your DEAD BODIES shall fall in this wilderness—of all who were numbered of you, from TWENTY YEARS OLD AND UPWARD, who have murmured against Me, Surely NONE shall come into the land in which I swore to make you dwell, EXCEPT CALEB son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. But your LITTLE ONES whom you said would be a prey, THEM WILL I BRING IN and they shall know the land which you have despised and rejected. But as for you, your DEAD BODIES shall fall in this wilderness.” (AMP).

Earlier in Numbers 13 Caleb said to Moses: “…Let us go up at once and take possession [of the Promised Land] for we are well able to overcome it” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out…” (Numbers 13:30-33 NKJV).

Notice two attitudes at work:

1…AN ATTITUDE OF DOUBT: Ten of twelve spies came back saying, “It CAN’T be done!” But the majority isn’t necessarily right! Hear this, if God promises you something, it’s yours even if you’re in the minority! Don’t let a few foolish, faithless folks who are clothed in fear cause you to forfeit a fruitful future in the land of promise! If it’s only two people out of two hundred, GO FOR IT ANYHOW! I would rather look silly on the way to obtaining my inheritance, than to look ridiculous walking away from my wealthy place, because of a few fools with a whole lot of Sight, but No Vision, Courage, or Tenacity!  The majority report terrified God’s people, which caused them spiritual amnesia. Because they forgot the last forty years of His Supernatural Provision! But How Is That Even Possible?! How do you forget what the Lord has Already Done? In other words, how do you panic when you must go for a physical when God has already healed you in the past? Look at it like this: If nothing is there, You’re Healed! If something is there, He’s Healed You Before, And He’ll Surely Heal You Again! Either Way, How Do You Justify Fear of the Future When He’s Already Fulfilled Promises In Your Past? Get Your Faith Together! Be People of Courage and Go For It In spite of the Circumstances, Conditions and even the Company surrounding you! Now, I know that’s a little different than what most people are doing today, but I’d rather be different than die! You see, Fear Will Make You Look Foolish! I’ll Prove It! They were so fearful that they even talked themselves into believing that Egypt (of all places) was the land of milk and honey! Listen to what they said: “Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness…” (Numbers 16:13 NKJV) Do you know how stupid that sounds?  Egypt was a land of straw and slavery, masters, whips, beatings, and bricks, not milk and honey! Never allow your fear of the future to cause you to reconstruct a faulty view of your past! For your greatest blessing is before you, not behind you! And what’s coming will always be better than what’s been! For the Latter house shall be Greater than the Former house! So, what was their problem? They allowed their surroundings to influence them more than what God said! Don’t Let It Happen To You! Don’t You Ever Allow Intimidation or Imagination To Cause You To Miss Out On God’s Promises For Your Future?! Never Allow What People Say to Alter What God Has Already Said! There Is No Problem That Can Stop the Process of God’s Promises From Coming to Pass In Your Life! I Challenge You to Be Different Than the Doubters! You never want doubt and fear to cause you to say stupid stuff like: “God may have worked miracles in the past, but He doesn’t do it anymore.” Which because of this kind of thinking and talking and unbelief, not one of them entered the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb! So, Which Company Do You Belong To? The ten or the two, the fearful majority or the faithful minority? Think about it: Twelve were sent, and only Two had a good report! Therefore, Your Challenge For The Week Is To Examine The People In Your Circle That Box You In! And When You Locate Them…Break Out The Box! Understand that when you allow people’s distorted thinking to box you in, it will eventually reshape your faith in God! And you’ll find yourself like Israel, going around in the same circles for 40 years going nowhere! And you know why? Because a box is a coffin, and I’m not ready to die! I Rather Be Different Than Die! Get Out The Box! I know this isn’t the status quo, but like Facebook, I have the authority to change my status as often as I want to! Therefore, every day you should have a different status! On Monday My Money Is Coming to Me; On Tuesday My Tuition Is Paid In Full; On Wednesday I’m Walking In Wealthy Places of Favor; On Thursday I’m Triumphant Over Every Trick, Trouble, and Trial, On Friday My Future Is Fruitful, On Saturday Every Full Scholarship Available Is Hunting Me Down, and On Sunday I’m Shouting Because All Week Long I Broke the Status Quo! Daily Remind Yourself, Get Out the Box! If you have a company of twelve friends and only one has faith, kick the rest to the curb, and drive full force into your fruitful future! Besides, the passenger seat is made for Only One Person anyhow! Therefore, that one person might as well be a person of Faith!  I Warn You: Be Different Or Die!

2…AN ATTITUDE OF FAITH: God said, “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land…and his descendants shall inherit it” Do you realize that the company you keep can even hinder the blessings of your household and your posterity?! Read the text: God said, “…AND HIS DESCENDANTS SHALL INHERIT IT” Now, I can’t speak for anybody else, but as for ME, as a wife, oh I will help my husband exam and exonerate (release) some friends! Why? Because My Inheritance Is At Stake! You see, if he hangs around doubtful, faith-faltering, negative, pessimistic, fearful men, that attitude is contagious! And His Infection Can Kill My Inheritance! The Devil Is A Liar! His Present Inner Circle Will Not Choke Out My Future Blessings! Therefore, You Need to Search the Company You Keep Then Hire, Fire, Promote and Demote Accordingly, for You Alone Are The CEO of Your Life and Future! In this day and time everybody’s trying to fit into a mold! But I need to hear you say, “You Didn’t Make Me, You Can’t Mold Me!” I’ve decided to dare to be different! No, I’m not doing what you are doing, and going where you are going! Why? Because I’ve got a wealthy future of fulfilled promises STANDING before me, and I won’t allow the company I SIT amongst to rob me and leave me for dead in the wilderness, all because I was too fearful to be different! Boxes are coffins, and I’ve got too much to live for to die now! “I Rather Be Different Than Die!” And if so, Then Get Out The Box!

When God Commands You to Go Forth…GO! You are not spineless, nervous, panic-stricken, fearful, timid, nail-biting, anxiety-driven cowards! This is the Generation of Courage! Therefore, Possess the Land, Possess Your Promises, and Bless Your Posterity! And what’s “Posterity”? It means “All Future Generations Of People!” It’s Old French Origin “Posterite”, from Latin “Posterus” Simply Means “Following!” All Future Generations Are Depending On You To Get This Thing Right So That They Are Literally Birthed Into Blessings that Are Already Awaiting Their Arrival! So Don’t Let Them Down! There’s a Fruitful Future Following Behind You, Make Sure You Lead Them Straight Into The Promised Land! However, bear in mind: Anytime there’s a Promise Lingering In Your Future this Great, You Better Believe Folks Will Come From Near and Far to Discourage Your Possession! Especially those who are about to die! Don’t Let Them Do It! God Promised It To You And Your God Cannot Lie! “God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change His mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it” (Numbers 23:19 GWT). So Let Them Talk While You Walk Into the Land of Promise! Listen: When you made the deliberate decision to be different than the rest, God decided to deliberately bless you better than the rest! Unfortunately, however, today people so easily flow with the “norm”; they easily “fit in”; they easily “follow the crowd”; they easily stick with the same ole bunch of knuckleheads doing the same ole stupid knucklehead stuff day in and day out. Romans 12:1-2, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. DON’T BECOME SO WELL-ADJUSTED TO YOUR CULTURE THAT YOU FIT INTO IT WITHOUT EVEN THINKING. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. UNLIKE THE CULTURE AROUND YOU, ALWAYS DRAGGING YOU DOWN TO ITS LEVEL OF IMMATURITY, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (MSG) Listen: if you’re going to attain this great promise from God than you’re going to have to do something different! And Your Something Different Will Be Something New!” Why? Because It’s A New Day, A New Year, A New Decade, A New Thing, And A New Move of God!

If God Said He’s About To Do Something New For You, You Better Believe It and Get Ready! The 10 spies who thought the same, died the same! They thought the same thing, they died the same way in the same place! But Caleb, who had a different spirit, thought differently, acted differently, Lived, and Attained The Promised Land! All because he dared to be different!

I like the word “different” because it means “not the same as anything else; or to produce and perform something new!” “Then said the Lord to me…I am alert and active, watching over My Word to PERFORM IT” (Jeremiah 1:12 AMP) People of God, Get Your Tickets Quick and Arrive Early For the Show Because the Lord Is About to PERFORM His Word In Your Life Today! Are You Ready For It?

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall SPRING forth…” After feeling like you’ve waited forever, Get Ready, God will move Suddenly and Shift You From Egypt to the Promise Land of Exceeding Abundantly Above All That You Could Ever Ask or Think According to the Power at Work In You! Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall SPRING forth…” No Matter What the Calendar Says, Hear Me, You Are Entering Your SPRING Season...Your Season To SPRING Forth! Therefore, Don’t You Dare FALL Back Into the Wrong Crowd! Remember Anything In The Box Is Dead! And I’d Rather Be Different Than Die!

If you’re not ready, you’ll miss the next open door or the next great idea that God has RESERVED just for you! And do you know what the word “Reserved” means? It means “To keep for future use” or my personal favorite “To make pre-determined arrangements to be kept for the use of a particular person”. “Reserved” also means “To retain or hold for an individual who has the right or entitlement to something”! It further means “Funds kept available by a bank, company, or government” not to mention, “An area of land set aside for the access of a particular person”! “Reserved” has a Latin Origin “Reservare” which literally means “To Keep Back”! And what does all that mean? Glad you asked! I don’t care how rough it’s been, how bleak it looks or how discouraged you are! The reality is, God Has a New Thing In Reserve Just For You! You are NOT the same as the rest, you will not die stuck in the box, you will not live by the same status quo, You Are Different! And Because You’re Different, There’s a Blessing Reserved and Waiting for Particular YOU and it Includes Funds and Land That Can Only Be Accessed By YOU Because As A Child of the King, It Is Your Right and Entitlement! I don’t care how many died in the wilderness, this is your new day to do something different so you can live and inherit the promises that you are entitled to because of who you are and who you’re attached to! The Bible says, “…since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” HEIRS according to the covenant promises” (Galatians 3:29 AMP) Do you know what an “Heir” is? An “Heir” means “A Person Legally Entitled to the Property or Rank of Another Upon that Person’s Death” It also means “A Person Who Continues the Work of a Predecessor”. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly determined to continue the work of my Predecessor Abraham! He Was Continually Blessed and that’s My Job Too…To Be Continually Blessed! Listen: Truth Is, Abraham Is Dead! However, His Covenant Promises to His Heirs Is Very Much Alive! And what Covenanted Promises Are We Inheriting? Glad you asked! “And I (God) will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others] And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves]” (Genesis 12:2-3 AMP)

Is that all the blessing you get? NO! The Bible goes on to say, “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your posterity…” (Genesis 12:7 AMP) There’s that word again! And what’s “Posterity”? “To All Future Generations”! Literally meaning your “Following”! In other words, Every Generation That Follows After You Will Reap The Abrahamic Covenant, Promises, Blessings, and Favor! But you got to be different to get it!

By now you must certainly be thinking “that has to, be it?!” Well, once again…, NOPE! Believe it or not, YOUR INHERITANCE GAINS EVEN MORE INTERESTS! The Bible says: “The Lord said to Abram…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then could your descendants also be counted. Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” (Genesis 13:14-18 AMP)

Did you pay close attention to the text? Of course, you didn’t, because if you did, you would be shouting right NOW!

1…No matter where Abram looked (“…northward…southward…eastward…westward…” God declared “…all the land which you see I will give to you…” Go Ahead…It’s Okay, You Can Shout! And If Anybody Says Anything To You, Just Send Them To Me And I’ll Explain Your Unspeakable Joy! Seriously, Can You Imagine Being So Blessed That No Matter Which Way You Turn You Bump Right Into a Blessing?! Here’s Yet Another Warning: GET READY! Or Should I Say Brace Yourself Because You’re About To Bump Into A Blessing!

2…Not only will Abram receive a “anywhere you look the land is yours” blessing, but God declares, “…I will give to you and to your posterity forever…” Do You Know How Long Forever Is?! It’s defined as “For All Future Time!” and “Continually Without Ever Ceasing”! In other words, you AND all your future generations following you will Forever…For all the time into the Future of Eternity Be Abundantly Blessed, Continually, Without Ever Ceasing! Now, I’ve heard of a Big Blessing, But Only God Can Give You A Blessing So Big That It Outlives You and All Your Future Generations That Aren’t Even Born Yet! That’s What You Call A Radically, Ridiculous, Make No Kind of Sense, I’ll Never Be Able to Explain It Kind of Blessing! Listen, You Are So Favored By God That Not Even TIME Can Stop Your Blessing! Now That’s What You Call a Crazy Blessing! How Can You Be In Time, And Yet Have a Blessing Outside of Time, At the Same Time! Your Blessings Are Absolutely Ridiculous! Your Blessings Are So Big That They Defy Logic! Don’t Make No Sense No Kind of Way! Let folks know, If You Want the Same, Just Do Something Different! Want What I Got, Then Do What I Did, And All I Did, Was Do Something Different!  Go Ahead, It’s Okay…You Can Run Again I’ll Try To Explain To Folks Who Don’t Quite Understand That You’re Being Bombarded With a Blessing That’s Hitting You From Every Direction and Angle! And Believe It Or Not, But That’s Not All! On Top of that “Your Every Direction I Turn” Blessing Is Also Going to Last FOREVER!

From Now On You Need to Wake Up In The Morning With This Declaration On Your Tongue: “I’M BLESSED FOREVER!” Yep, with my purple hair, 10 piercings, 20 tattoos, green lipstick, orange shirt, blue pants, red shoes, and rainbow socks! Yep, I’m Still Blessed Forever! Don’t judge me, I might be different, BUT I’M BLESSED FOREVER! I may look different from the norm, but I’m blessed forever, I may talk funny, but I’m blessed forever, my friends may look a little quirky, but I’m blessed forever, I may have come from the wrong side of town, but I’m blessed forever, I may be divorced, I may live in the projects, my brother may be in jail and my sister on welfare, but hear me when I tell you, I’m blessed forever! Remind Yourself: different is the new norm! Because I’m different, I’m blessed FOREVER! But you can only get this type of blessing when you dare to be different, when you break out the box, when you stand away from the crowd, when you break the status quo, when you move from the murmurers, when you follow God fully, when you trust and believe His promises! You Can’t Get Something Different Doing the Same Thing!

3…Then God tells Abram, “Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” Can You Imagine a “Anywhere I Place My Foot It’s Mine” No one will be able to stand in your way. Everywhere you go, GOD-sent fear and trembling will precede you, just as He promised” (MSG).  I Challenge You: “Put Your Foot On It!” No Matter How Long or Wide You Walk…The Land Is Yours…Forever! God Is Giving Me Mountains, Rivers, Seas and Land…FOREVER! No matter what state, city, town, country, it’s mine forever! Deuteronomy 11:24, says: “Every place where on the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours…” The word “sole” is defined as the “underside of a person’s foot”. “Wherever the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours” and Two: “…GOD on His part will drive out all these nations that stand in your way. Yes, He’ll drive out nations much bigger and stronger than you.” When You’re Different It Don’t Matter! It doesn’t matter who comes against you, don’t matter who they are, don’t matter what they said, don’t matter what they do, where they come from, what their size is, or who they bring with them to the fight! Just by being different, I don’t even have to fight. I can sit back relax, and enjoy the ride, because God promised me and my posterity, that He alone will drive out all the nations that stand in my way, and He’ll drive out nations much bigger and stronger than me! But You Got To Be Different To Get It! Knowing the promises that were given to your predecessors in the past, is what keeps you focused as you move forward into your future, even when problems arise!

Don’t be like the doubters and die in the wilderness, when you can simply follow God, be different, and live in the Promised Land! Don’t Die, Be Different and LIVE!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

Understanding Natural & Spiritual Circumcision. For The Believer Spiritual Circumcision Is Necessary. Has Your Life Been Circumcised Yet, To The Extent That Nothing That Was Cut Away Ever Reattaches Again? I Believe God Wants You To Hear This Word.

 

Joshua 5:8, "And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp Until They Were Healed." (NIV)

BEFORE the nation of Israel could go into the Promised Land…THEY HAD TO BE CIRCUMCISED FIRST! 

Circumcision is Painful, Bloody, and Personal, However, For the BELIEVER…SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! 

God REQUIRES each of us to be Circumcised IN HEART BEFORE we are allowed to enter and receive the blessings that await each believer in the Promised Land!

Circumcision can often be very Painful, but it is always Purposeful! 

Circumcision Requires Cutting Off Our Old Way Of Life! 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]." (AMP); Romans 6:4, "We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways]." (AMP) I reiterate circumcision requires cutting off our old way of life! And when you look at circumcision in the Natural, what is Cut Away is neither kept, Reused, or Put Back in Place! IT'S COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY DISCARDED…NEVER TO BE REATTACHED AGAIN!

Can You Imagine If We Had Our Lifestyles Circumcised To The Extent That Nothing That Was Cut Away Ever Reattaches Again?

CAN YOU IMAGINE HAVING THAT NASTY ATTITUDE CIRCUMCISED THAT IT NEVER REATTACHES AGAIN?! THAT DISOBEDIENT NATURE CIRCUMCISED THAT IT NEVER REATTACHES AGAIN? THAT LUSTFUL SPIRIT CIRCUMCISED THAT IT NEVER REATTACHES AGAIN? THAT PERVERSE MOUTH CIRCUMCISED THAT IT NEVER REATTACHES AGAIN? THAT BOASTFUL, PRIDEFUL, ARROGANT, CONCEITED, ENTITLED DEMEANOR CIRCUMCISED THAT IT NEVER REATTACHES AGAIN?! THOSE CORRUPT COMPANIONS, ASSOCIATES, AND FRIENDS CIRCUMCISED THAT THEY NEVER REATTACH AGAIN? THAT JUDGMENTAL, CRITICIZING, CONDESCENDING, BELITTLING BEHAVIOR CIRCUMCISED THAT THEY NEVER REATTACH AGAIN?! THAT HABIT/ADDICTION CIRCUMCISED THAT IT NEVER REATTACHES AGAIN? WHAT WOULD THE CHURCH LOOK LIKE IF THAT BACKBITING, SLANDERING, GOSSIPING, LYING, RUMOR-FILLED TONGUE WAS CIRCUMCISED, NEVER TO REATTACH AGAIN?! WHAT IF JEALOUSY, COVETING, ENVY, COMPARING, AND COMPETING WERE CIRCUMCISED, NEVER TO REATTACH AGAIN?! WHAT IF BITTERNESS, ANGER, SPITE, MALICIOUSNESS, UNFORGIVENESS, AND HATRED WERE CIRCUMCISED, NEVER TO REATTACH AGAIN?!

THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF CIRCUMCISION (SPIRITUALLY AND NATURALLY) …IT IS PURPOSED TO CUT AWAY WHAT'S NOT NECESSARY SO THAT IT'S NEVER ALLOWED TO REATTACH AGAIN!

And Despite What You Have Heard, Circumcision, Both Natural and Spiritual, Is NOT Gender-Specific! Both Males and Females Have Been Circumcised (HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THE LORD'S PREFERENCE (According to the Word of God) IS MEN NATURALLY, AND MEN AND WOMEN SPIRITUALLY …READ YOUR BIBLE SAINTS!)

SO, HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN CIRCUMCISED YET?! Have you finally decided to get rid of some UNNECESSARY Stuff (WHICH INCLUDES PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS, CONDUCT, BEHAVIOR, THOUGHTS, DEEDS, SPEECH ETC…)? Have You Matured Enough to Go Without the Stuff You Should Be Without in the First Place!?  

And bear in mind, just as a natural circumcision takes time to heal, so does a spiritual one! The truth is it is not easy having God cut away some stuff and people that have been attached to us for an exceptionally long time. And it does not even matter if we already know they are poisonous, toxic, and infectious; they have been attached to us too long for them to be detached without wound or pain easily! So, when you are ready to reap the promises of God for your life and finally decide to be circumcised, you will need time to heal. This is why like the children of Israel, we must WAIT UNTIL WE ARE HEALED BEFORE WE GO FORTH INTO THE PROMISED LAND! 

If we launch out too early, we will not only be Ineffective, but we may Risk Infection and Disease and will not be at our Full Capacity! You see, circumcision opens you up to Vulnerability and Pain, two things none of us like to be in! And when you think about it (I pray you can handle this) but circumcision is in a very Private Area, not just Private, But Vital to Life! It is an Organ Where LIFE Itself Is Produced! It All Starts Right There! Yep, I Said it. Nicely! This Very Place Will Release a Seed for Something to Be Birthed (9 Months Later) So It Is Indeed the LAST Place You Want Infected! Hello! 

Remember what the Bible says about the Israelites: "And after the whole nation had been Circumcised, THEY REMAINED WHERE THEY WERE IN CAMP UNTIL THEY WERE HEALED" – Joshua 5:8 (NIV) You Cannot Go Forth Until You Have Been Circumcised and Healed! So you Have to Stay Right Where You Are! Yes, they had the place of promise before them, but they could not attain it: "…UNTIL THEY WERE HEALED"! And You Are No Different! Yes, God has Great Things to Be Produced from Your Loins, but BEFORE He Does, You Will Be Circumcised, Then Made to Wait Right Where You Are (In a Vulnerable and Painful Place) Until You Are Healed!

When a Circumcision takes place, the doctors give clear instructions on what to wash with, how often, what cream to use, what to do for the pain, etc. and if you are smart, You Will Follow the Doctors Orders! The very same with a Spiritual Circumcision, yes, It Is Going to Hurt, Some of the Things and People He's Going to Cut Away Have Been Attached for a Very Long Time, and Many of Those Attachments Have Been Private, So When He Removes Them, It Is Going to Hurt, But It Will Not Hurt Always! However, In the Meantime, After He Cuts Things/People Away (That You Do Not Need Anyway) and you Follow His Instructions on How to Recover, Your Painful Experience Will Be, but a Memory as You Enjoy the Promised Land!

BUT…YOU HAVE TO BE CIRCUMCISED, STAY WHERE YOU ARE, AND HEAL…FIRST!

Pay attention to the text: "And after the whole nation had been Circumcised, THEY REMAINED WHERE THEY WERE IN CAMP UNTIL THEY WERE HEALED" – Joshua 5:8 (NIV) You don't get to say, 'Lord I've been Circumcised, and all is well! I'm better now, and I'm delivered now.' NO! You must remain right where you are UNTIL YOU ARE HEALED!

In other words, you do not get Promoted When Circumcised! You Remain Right Where You Are! God Is Not Taking Any More Lip Service From His People! This Time, To Attain The Promise, You Are Going To Go Through The Pain Of Circumcision…And Then You're Going To Sit Right Where You Are Until You're Healed And Completely Delivered! Can you imagine if, as Leaders, we endured this and made sure others endured it as well?! Remain Where You Are Until You Are Healed! Do You Know How Many Compassionate, Humble Folks Would Then Make Up the Church Body?! Instead of the Highly Decorated Peacocks, We Have Poised in the Pews and Pulpit?!

Here is another reason why waiting until you are completely healed and delivered is so important: The people of Israel fought ONLY 2 BATTLES when they were coming out of Egypt. However, in the Promised Land, they fought 39 BATTLES! Wait For It.

You see, far too many in the church believe that once we get to the promise or promised land, we get glad, and it is happy to go lucky every day! We will have no more problems, no more headaches, no more struggles, no more trials! ALL OF THAT IS A LIE THAT SHOULD NEVER BE TOLD…NO MORE!

The Truth Is: Israel Fought More And Tougher Battles In The Promised Land Than The Ones Getting To It! That's Why You Need To Make Sure You Are Circumcised…First! And Then Wait And Make Sure You Are Completely Healed And Delivered (Reattaching Nothing That Was Severed!) Because You Will Need Your Full Strength For The Battles That Lie Ahead In Your Promised Land!

Each of us must be prepared to enjoy the benefits of living in the Promised Land. And that Preparation Is Spiritual Circumcision! However, we must also be prepared to wage war against the enemy of our souls. Therefore, make sure the Lord has provided the needed healing to your circumcision experience before you enter the Promised Land!

I find it so amazing that Natural Circumcision Meant Much in the Old Testament. Still, in the New Testament, For Believers, Paul Pays Natural Circumcision No Mind and Instead He Talks About the Circumcision of the Heart! He Goes Through Colossians, Galatians, and Romans, talking about the Pointless Need of Natural Circumcision and the Value and Importance of Spiritual Circumcision of the Heart. There must be something to it, do not you think?!

"Look out for those dogs [Judaizers, legalists], look out for those mischief-makers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances—…" (Philippians 3:2-4 AMP)

"In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts). [Thus, you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [as displayed] when He raised Him from the dead." (Colossians 2:10-12 AMP)

Today, ask God to perform a Spiritual Circumcision on Your Heart! Ask Him to Remove Anything and Anyone that Serves No Purpose to Your Growth in Him! And When He Removes It and Them, Do Not Attempt to Reattach Either One!

You Have a Promise Land and Bigger Battles Ahead of You, and You Cannot Afford to Be Unprepared! So Be Brave and Ask God to Use the Sword of His Word and Cut You. TODAY!

"For the Word, that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 AMP)

The Message Bible reads like this: "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one are impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what." (Hebrews 4:12-13 MSG)

It is vital that you have your Heart Circumcised. God has so much in store for you that will only benefit and bless you once you have detached unnecessary people, places, and things. Let nothing and no one come between you and what God has already gotten ready for you. Remember: God is only removing people, places, and things that are non-essential to your journey, life, ministry, calling, promise, and purpose.  So, make no attempts to hold onto what God's hands have already determined you do not need. He has a plan and a promise just for you, but you have got to be prepared to receive it, and the only way that will happen is through circumcision. Do not miss your blessing, do not miss your promise! Let it and they go, today, and let neither one return!

Joshua 5:8, "When they had completed the circumcising of the WHOLE NATION, they stayed where they were in camp until they were healed." (MSG)

Something else that is important to note is that the WHOLE NATION was circumcised. It is not enough for you alone to endure this process, but everyone attached to you must as well. This means it is crucial to make sure that your home and your church family are all walking through the process of circumcision. Since you are going into the promise and promised land with you, you need to make sure that the Whole House has been Cut, Healed, Ready to Enter the Promised Land, and Ready to Fight Even Greater Battles! Mom and Dad, it is not enough that only you have been delivered, but your children need deliverance too! Pastor and Leaders, it is not enough that only you have been cut, made to wait, endure healing, and get ready to enter the promised land! No, the Whole House needs to be on the same page!

Joshua 24:15, "…but as for me AND MY HOUSE, WE will serve the Lord." That is not singular; that is plural! Meaning everybody in the house will have to follow the same house rules! We all get circumcised; we all must stay right where we are until we are healed, then we all will go into the promised land, fight, and win! This is a collective effort, not an individualized event! And so, your prayer life will change. Because it must shift from 'me, my, mine, and I' to 'us, we, and the whole house!'

Joshua 5:8-9, "And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have ended your shame of not being circumcised." So, the place where this was done was called Gilgal (meaning, "to end"), and is still called that today. After the ceremony, the entire nation rested in camp until the raw flesh of their wounds had been healed." (TLB) Another good thing to note is that regardless of who you were, or what you did, or where you were, the shame is gone after the process of circumcision has been completed! They were circumcised in Gilgal! It was the circumcision to end the guilt of their painful past! A Gilgal means to an end or rolls away! As painful as your circumcision will be, it serves a greater purpose than just pain! It closes the door on the past! It ends the shame of what was and prepares you for what is to come! So, do not underestimate your process of circumcision! It is a good thing that shall work in your favor!

And do not rush the process either! Yes, it is a painful time, place, and technique, but it is also a place where God grants you rest until your wounds have healed! This means, when your circumcision is complete, do not rush to start the business, open a new church, buy a house or car, and seek to enter the ministry or elevate in it! This is not about any of that! This is your time to let the people, places, and things God severed from you heal. You cannot cut away from the flesh and not give it time to heal! You need the memories to heal, and you need the 'what ifs to heal, you need the regrets to heal, you need the pain to heal. So do not rush the process; let God do the cutting, and you do the waiting while healing.

And please do not think of your process of circumcision as a horrible place either! In Gilgal, yes, there was the pain of circumcision. However, do not forget some of the other things that transpired in Gilgal. It was also the place of the first encampment of the Israelites west of the Jordan River, where a monument was erected to commemorate their passage across the Jordan River! Joshua 4:19-24, " That day the entire nation crossed the Jordan River and camped in Gilgal at the eastern edge of the city of Jericho, and there the twelve stones from the Jordan were piled up as a monument. Then Joshua explained the purpose of the stones again: "In the future," he said, "when your children ask you why these stones are here and what they mean, you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder of this amazing miracle—that the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground!  Tell them how the Lord our God dried up the river right before our eyes and then kept it dry until we were across! It is the same thing the Lord did forty years ago at the Red Sea!  He did this so that all the nations of the earth will realize that Jehovah is the mighty God and so that all of you will worship him forever." (TLB). It was also the place where the Passover was kept Joshua 5:10, "While they were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover." (TLB); it was also the place where their first king was crowned, and altars were built, and sacrifices offered 1 Samuel 11:15, "So they went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord, they crowned him king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all Israel were delighted." (TLB); it was also the place of the school of the prophets: 2 Kings 4:38-40, "Elisha now returned to Gilgal, but there was a famine in the land. One day as he was teaching the young prophets…" (TLB); in addition, it was the place where the Tribe of Judah escorted King David and the very place Joshua conquered!

In other words, do not get stuck in this temporary place! You are not going to stay here forever! But also, know that God has done some amazing things even in painful areas! Do not despise your place of Gilgal, it is sad, but it is purposeful! It will not last forever; it is the place of your healing, it is the place of your resting, it is the place where your past shame comes to an end, and most important, it is the place that will lead you into your promised land and victorious battles! There are benefits and blessings to the process of circumcision, and you must endure the painful waiting period of healing to get them! My suggestion? Endure Your Process of Circumcision!

Jeremiah 4:4, "Circumcise (dedicate, sanctify) yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskin [sins] of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or else My wrath will go forth like fire [consuming all that gets in its way] And burn, and there will be no one to quench it, Because of the evil of your acts." (AMP)

Deuteronomy 30:6, "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants [that is, He will remove the desire to sin from your heart] so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, so that you may live [as a recipient of His blessing]." (AMP)

"Without this heart attitude, it is exceedingly difficult for us to accept the circumcision of the flesh. Every affection, desire, thought, knowledge, intent, worship, and work of the flesh must go to the cross." (Watchman Nee)

Do Not Despise Your Painful Process of Circumcision in the Place of Gilgal (the Place Where You Get Cut, You Wait, You Heal, and the pain Comes to an End Before You Enter Your Promised Land!) Do not Despise Gilgal; embrace it; it is the Place That Will Lead You to Your Promised Land!

J.P. Olson