Posted: 10/06/2016 at 6:34am
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God is Hitting the 'Reset' Button Robert Hotchkin, Maricopa, AZ
Recently I had an encounter with the presence of the Lord in which He spoke to my heart that He was getting ready to "hit the resent button."
This wouldn't just be a fresh start, but a "renewed" one. It wouldn't
just be a chance to go back to square one and give it another go, but
much more.
It would involve the wiping away of all frustrations,
failures and setbacks. It would include the grace to break patterns that
have limited or sabotaged in the past. It would come with fresh vision
to see situations, opportunities and even ourselves with renewed
expectation.
It would be like one of those forest fires that burns up all the old
brush and bramble that chokes off new growth, while also activating the
deep seeds in the ground so that they can burst to the surface and
explode into new, accelerated fruitfulness. The fire being released is
an all-consuming fire of His love (Hebrews 12:27-29). It will burn with
the "Certainty of Sonship" (Matthew 3:17, Psalm 2:7) in which all who
receive it come to a deeper realization that they are His beloved child,
and every good thing He has is for them (Romans 8:15-17).
This
is the "reset" – deeply knowing that we are His, we are favored,
protected and provided for, and in that we can dream big and expect all
that we set our hands to to prosper and succeed (Deuteronomy
28:8, Jeremiah 29:11). No matter what the past was, we are not to
"dwell" in it. We are to dwell in Him. For when we do, we are perfectly
positioned for Him to hit the "reset" button, wipe away the past, and
launch us into a glorious future (John 15:7).
We Are Not Defined by What Has Been – No Matter What it Was
Not long after I had this encounter and received this word, I
left for Cambodia to lead a missions trip focused on seeing that nation
transformed through strategic prophetic insights and decrees.
As part of the trip, we went to the "Killing Fields" outside of Phnom
Penh to learn a bit more about the Khmer Rouge and all that had happened
to the people and the nation during that regime's brutal reign.
I was a little nervous about going because in the past when I had
read articles or seen videos about the Killing Fields I often felt
overwhelmed by emotion, undone by the brutality and darkness of it all. I
wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't really know how I would respond
when confronted with the mass graves, the killing tree where the babies
had been slaughtered, and all the other aspects of the tragic, violent
history of betrayal, injustice, inhumanity, corruption, evil and abuse
that marked that era of Cambodia's past when so much was ripped from the
people and the land of this precious nation that had once been known as
the "Pearl of Asia."
Seeing Past the Past
When
I got there, I decided to take the audio tour. As I put on the headset I
prayed, giving the time to the Lord and asking Him to use it for His
purposes as a part of the overall plan He had me in Cambodia for. As I
walked the grounds, listening to the history and hearing some of the
first-hand accounts of the few survivors, I was moved by what the nation
and the people had been through. But as opposed to being overwhelmed by
it, I actually felt a confidence grow in me that as awful and tragic as
the history was, Cambodia is not condemned to past sins, death and
darkness. Just the opposite. (Photo via GraphicStock)
Because of Jesus, the nation and the people have been set free by the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ (Romans
8:1-2). The very same spirit that raised Christ from the dead hovers
over the land, loves the place, and is there for the people to quicken
all of Cambodia into all the good things the Lord created it for (Romans
8:11). He simply needed someone to realize all of this, lift up their
eyes to see past the past, and believe for a better future.
As He graced me to do this, a stream of Scriptural decrees
and prophetic intercession poured out of me in faith because in that
moment, I knew that my God is in the business of redemption, restoration
and pulling people and places out of death and darkness no matter how
deep or how wicked.
I prayed with a certainty of faith that God was well able to overcome the past and bring Cambodia into a bright future. And
oh how you could feel creation groaning in relief as it was being set
free from the bondage of past failings into the destiny of glorious
liberty (Romans 8:19-21).
The Ultimate Reset Button
It was as if God was hitting the "reset" button for Cambodia. And
what He does for one, He is well able and totally willing to do for all
(Mathew 8:3, Acts 10:34). If He can lift an entire nation out of
a past as dark as the travesties of the Khmer Rouge, He certainly can
lift any of us up out of our former failures, disappointments, setbacks,
wounds or mistakes.
After
all, that is what the Cross is all about – Him overcoming for us what
we could not overcome on our own. The Cross is the ultimate "reset
button." Dwell on that. Dwell in Him. Praise Him for His overcoming
power in your life (2 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 8:32, 37). And watch and be amazed as He hits the reset button – lifting you up out of your past into a truly glorious future! (Photo via GraphicStock)
Prayer Directives
Let's pray and agree that:
[1] Each and every Believer is the beloved child of God in whom He is
well pleased (Matthew 3:17). We will know and be confident in the
certainty of that, the security of that, and the protection and
provision of that.
[2] We do not "dwell" in the past but we dwell in Him, and as we do we are fruitful and fulfilled in all we do (John 15:5-7).
[3] We are not condemned to our pasts. The life-giving power of the
Holy Spirit frees us from every trap, hindrance, distraction, deception,
disappointment, delay, hurt and wound of the enemy (Romans 8:1-2) that
has ever limited or worried us in any way.
[4] The very same Spirit that lifted Jesus up out of death and
darkness dwells within each of us and quickens us past our pasts and
lifts us up into our glorious futures (Romans 8:11).
[5] In Christ we are overcomers, we are more than conquerors, and we
are always victorious (Romans 8:31, 37; 2 Corinthians 2:14).
[6] God has amazing plans for us. Plans to bless and prosper us.
Plans for a glorious future He is well able to bring us into (Jeremiah
29:11, Deuteronomy 28:8).
Robert Hotchkin
XP Ministries robert@xpministries.com www.xpmedia.com/channel/rhotchkin
Robert Hotchkin ministers
with Patricia King and XP Ministries. He fervently believes every
Christian is a miracle-working explosion of the Kingdom waiting to
happen. His preaching, teaching, and ministry inspires Believers to grab
hold of their restored relationship with the Father through the
finished work of the Cross and walk the earth as Jesus did – destroying
every work of darkness everywhere they go! Rob is a passionate lover of
Jesus Christ, and that passion is truly contagious! He ministers with
strong faith, releasing revelation, prophetic decrees, healings,
miracles, and the love of God. He is a true carrier of the glory and
revival. People have been healed, refreshed, set free, and empowered
through his life. He believes for Heaven to impact lives and regions
everywhere he goes.
Edited by Moderator on 10/06/2016 at 6:43am
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