The one that says, “Spring has sprung!” in his heart before the first signs of spring in the natural world is the one that God is looking for.  This is the one who has forged through a perilous winter and discovered a rare, precious truth.  No matter how great is the darkness, the light lives!  Not only does it live, but it overcomes and it conquers!  Its very existence affects everything that it touches and testifies to this truth – no one or nothing can put it out. (It cannot be put out)

When we are in the midst of great warfare, there will be great temptation to fight in the natural!  There will also be a corresponding temptation to save our life.  Because it is the enemy assailing us, we may try to resist him on every front.  We will cling to our very life.  At this point the Holy Spirit must give us the revelation that forcefulness is entirely of the spirit.  Forcefulness will take us to our death in the outer man.  There is nothing we need to hold onto, for the enemy can take everything but the true light within.  And the beauty of God’s redemption plan is this.  He allows the one who crucified Him to crucify us, and there by open us up to His resurrection life! (Power)

Every time we are crucified, we enter into greater measures of this life.  So we find that pressing on to the next level is actually entered into through our death.  However, when the pressure is on and the enemy presses in we will be tempted to resist death.  This is because the flesh can only do one thing – hold onto its life.  This is why it takes spiritual violence (Mt 11:12) to press on in this journey with Christ.

When our spirit is joined with Christ deep down in our inner being, we know that there is nothing we need to hold onto.  There is no where or no one we need to run to in order to help us press through.  We can die to everything the enemy wants to say or do to us in the natural realm.  As we give ourself to the One who holds the enemy in His hands, we enter into the most incredible truth of all.  He cannot touch our spirit!  For our spirit is already inaccessible, hidden with Christ in God.  (Col 3:33; Eph 2:6; Ps 27:1-3 and 5-6)

©2014 Deanna Deering