GOING THROUGH HELL?

Since the spiritual high many of us have perceived during Passover - being drawn into a place of a deeper understanding of the crucifixion and experiencing such awe regarding God’s mercy - I suddenly hear groans all around me.

During the past week every friend who have messaged me, said that they found themselves in deep turmoil and doubt and felt far from God. I myself had moments of discontentedness, like yesterday.

This morning I felt a stirring in my spirit to research the name of the Hebrew month that we are in.

It is during this month of Iyyar that the Israelites traveled from the Red Sea toward the desert, savouring their new-found freedom from Egyptian tyranny, yet regretting the carnal provision that went with their oppression.

It is also during this month that the disciples went through their “now you see me now you dont” season with Jesus after His resurrection.

In both cases, it was a time that required spiritual steadfastness, a journey of transition tainted with doubt and sprinkled with intermittent moments of faith and spiritual clearvoyance. Nothing about their respective journeys was easy because they had to face many challenges and “walk it out” with God.

And then I read this on the Hebrews4chistians website:

“Rabbinical (and mystical) traditions associate each passing day of the month of Iyyar with a heightened spiritual status wherein a different level of (tumah) impurity is "purged" from the soul, thereby implying that the Israelites' journey from Egypt to Sinai represented a spiritual transformation.”

So, if you wonder why you are struggling, even suffering, and feeling so far from God, it is because God is killing you lol. He is allowing you to die to self so He may reveal Himself to you in a greater way. As He did to the Israelites at mount Sinai and to the disciples on Pentecost.

40 days after passover Moses went up to the mountain - on the same day Jesus would ascend to Heaven later on.

A number of days later, probably about 10, Abba, appearing in fire, made His Laws known in person to a wayward and disbelieving people who did not receive it, and eventually 3000 rebellious ones died.

Probably on that same day years later, Abba sent His Spirit down in tongues of fire to engrave His spiritual instructions on receptive hearts, and eventually 3000 got saved in one day...!

This year the first ever true passover was kept by a wayward world. Some, like the Israelites, found themselves locked down whether they liked it or not. Others (His Bride) heard Him call us into seclusion and experienced the lockdown as bliss.

This year many have received a greater revelation of co-crucifixion, co-burial and co-resurrection with Christ and it led us to a spiritual high. Yet now many are grappling with the desert journey of doubt and dying flesh.

I’m here to tell you: hold on! The coming Promise, the great “Joel” Outpouring is just around the corner!

The Israelites didn’t have the blueprint we have - they didn’t know what was coming! The disciples didn’t have enough hindsight either to understand the season they were in. But WE DO! We have both stories to read and understand and know that something BIG is about to happen on Pentecost.

We have the choice of grumbling all the way to the mountain, and maybe even miss the intended promise... OR to lay down our lives in joy and receive our Promise as an unprecedented outpouring.

Take heart, Beloved of the Most High God. He is not far away as the devil is trying to make you believe! He is standing with arms wide open and you are closer to your God than you have EVER been...!