Did you know that God does not send you into new territory without going before you?
WHEN HE SENDS YOU— HE GOES BEFORE YOU!
“The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.”” Micah 2:13
Your King goes before you— he will clear the way.
The Lord has sent me and my husband to many new territories in our lives. These were almost always unknown territories to us. And the path forward was always filled with obstacles and what appeared to be locked gates. But once we had a word from the Lord that had been confirmed time and time again, it was our moment to believe his Word and know that he would go before us to clear the way.
“This is what the Lord says: “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.” Isaiah 45:2-3
Even Cyrus, who did not know God, was about to see that HE ALONE WAS GOD as the Lord went before him to level mountains, smash down gates and break through iron bars.
If he sends you— he will do it!
I recall one of the first times we moved to a new land as a family. With four young children in tow, we arrived at the border of this new land (nation) in the wee hours of the morning. We had left everything we had and everyone we knew because the Lord had said, “Go.”
At the border, we were nervous but confident that we’d get through. But the border patrol officer turned us away because the inspectors had not come on for their daily work. They asked us to come back in three hours. We were in the middle of nowhere with four tired children who had been traveling all night— but we found an isolated place to pray and wait. We prayed that the Lord would go before us and clear the way so that we could pass through the closed gates.
Though we were nervous, three hours later we were back at the border and were given entrance without any issues or inspection. Remember, just because you trust the Lord and his Word does not mean that your flesh will not be nervous or anxious when walking your faith out.
It isn’t lack of faith to have nerves— your faith is proven by your willingness to step forward.
If I could count the times in our forty years of marriage that we have stepped out in faith into new territories, in obedience to his request and promise, it would shock you (and still does shock me). I don’t say this to glorify our obedience but to glorify the Lord because he has proven to us time and time again that he clears the way! Our lives and journeys are proof of his faithfulness and his Word being true.
Whether you are about to embark on a physical move to a new land, a journey to a new place, a big career change, a step of obedience that appears impossible, or just a life change— if you have a confirmed word from the Lord then he has gone before you to clear the way. It is time to put feet to your faith and trust that he is faithful.
For my husband and I, receiving a “confirmed word” is our first step. What I mean by a confirmed word is that when we hear a direction from the Lord we first wait until we both are in agreement about the word and the timing of it. Then we ask for clear confirmation through undeniable signs (which he always has provided for us in the most unique ways). Then we gather the people who are close to us and that we walk in accountability to and we pray with them and seek counsel and more confirmation. By the time we go— we have great confidence that we have heard correctly and are surrounded by good counsel.
I will be honest and tell you that there was one time in our young married life when we wanted something really bad. We hadn’t heard a word from the Lord about is but we did go to a trusted leader for counsel regarding this desire. This leader had a red flag about this particular thing and cautioned us to wait. But in our youthfulness and desire to do this thing, we moved forward in it and ignored the counsel given to us. Well, God had mercy on us but that decision caused us to have to climb over so many barriers and clear so many obstacles ourselves to get free from the “bars of iron” we had locked ourselves into. God had not gone before us but he was faithful to come and rescue us from our foolishness when we needed to be rescued.
I share that to say— “Get your confirmation and don’t go forward without it!”
If you have your confirmation and know that now is the time to step out in faith— then HE HAS GONE BEFORE YOU! Do not fear or be afraid (though your stomach may experience some nerves) but stand on the promise and word that he has given you. He has cleared the way before you.
You are pioneering the promise of God in your life. The land of promise stands before you and the King has gone before you.
Kathi’s new book SEVEN LETTERS, has just been released. Within the pages of this book is the counsel of the Lord for His Church— yesterday, today, and forever.
Purchase here.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Inscribe Ministries
Featured Image by Joshua Woroniecki from Pixabay
