Release The Cave • Daily Devo 153

It's time to come out.

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Today’s Devotional Scripture: ⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

⁶ When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

⁷ Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

⁸ His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? - John 11:4-8 KJV

The Message For Today (August 31, 2024):

Audio Version Of This Devotional: Release The Cave Audio

We see here in the book of John Chapter 11 where Jesus learns that his servant, that he loves, is sick. He knows of the family, he loves Martha and Mary, and the brother that is sick is Lazarus. So, He knows. He knows Lazarus, he knows the situation. Yet He decides to wait a couple more days and while he is waiting Lazarus passes away. But in the first verse of the cornerstone scripture which is chapter 11 verse 4, we see when Jesus heard that he said “this sickness is not unto death”.

The moment that we see those words “this sickness is not unto death” this is the indication that the sickness was heavy enough that it would kill him. That it would be something that took him out of the earth. But, God was going to show them something new. So, yes, Lazarus passes away. He's wrapped up in grave clothes and put inside of the grave which is a cave. He is put inside of the grave for four days.

He's there. So, when Jesus asks them to take the stone away from the grave of Lazarus, He is opening the door out of the cave that Lazarus has been in. We see it in the scripture. We see how he was rejected. We see how the Lord waited despite the fact that Lazarus was dying. So, when Jesus gets there and commands the stone be taken away, there is an air of expectation. It has been four days. Lazarus must be dead by now, right?

This is what it feels like in many of the situations you're facing right now. It looks like you know how to get up and go do a thing. You know the way this looks. However, letting go of the current circumstances and the comfort zone can be difficult. You might have found yourself coming into your proverbial pain due to financial issues, due to needing to rest, and due to looking for a still small voice that can guide you through the season you're in.

Now it's time to go. Like we see in this verse of scripture, Jesus is the one saying to open up the cave. Jesus prays before the people. Once you read more, you see that He prays and then he says “Lazarus come forth”. No fanfare. That's it. Lazarus comes forth and Lazarus was quickened from the physical dead into walking in the earth. This was a sudden shift.

This did not take forever. Yes, the waiting, the four days, the timing of God was a certain specific way. It's time now to come out of the caves. So, as we're seeing situation after situation where stepping fully into the promises of God with your yes and amen are required. We're seeing where many are being called out of their comfort places, out of the comfort zones, and back into the battlefield. We're seeing where faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

It's seen that faith be incomplete. We're seeing that as we're coming out of certain situations or looking to come out of them, that is difficult to break patterns of comfort. It's difficult to step into something new when a pattern has already been set that works. It's time. Any cave in scripture that we've seen was meant to be a temporary cave. It was meant to be a temporary resting place. It was meant to provide shelter from the storms of life. It was meant as a middle ground.

It was not meant as a permanent home for his people. So the cave that you're in right now was not intended to be a permanent home for you. To step out of that cave is to step into the boldness of God, to know who you are, and who He's called you to and to believe the words that he said.

Despite the fact that it might be taking a little long.

Despite the fact that you may have all of the bad things in the past.

God is still in it. When you realize that the cave is meant to be transitionary and you hear the prompting in your spirit to come out, to go higher, to build, and to do what God said, easing fears becomes a priority. Making sure people don't see you as a threat is a priority and making sure that when you come out that you are releasing the cave is necessary. Sometimes we allow the caves to shift us. We allow the caves to be our temporary resting place.

We see time and time again in scripture how God is using caves to shift his people. Despite the cave that was the former grave of Lazarus, there are other caves where David goes into the caves to hide and when he goes into the caves to hide in 1 Samuel 24, David is in that cave to hide with him men. He's not meant to be there forever. So when his time in the cave comes to an end, he comes out of it without delay because he's been called out of a temporary resting place.

The temporary shelter, the temporary hiding, and the temporary safe place have their purpose. But caves are not forever. In this season commit to letting go of the comfort zone, commit to letting go of the pattern, and commit to letting go in the safe places and start to build one by one.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My prayer for you: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you. I thank you for the shift. I thank you right now that the mighty woman of God is getting ready to step outside of the patterns and step into who you've called her completely. Day by day, oh God, she's ready to come out of the caves. But I pray that she has the courage to realize that the caves are a resting place and that it's time for her to step back into the fullness of God concerning her future and her destiny.

I thank you that the weight is being lifted for the mighty woman of God and that she's ready to step fully into her calling and purpose with no fear for you are the Lord our God Lord. I thank you right now for shifting her, changing her, opening doors, and making ways out of no way. This is a season for us to come out of and release the caves to release the mindsets that kept us there.

The mindsets that may have survived through situations. Praise God, it's time Lord to let those things go and to step fully into the things of God knowing that you are a witness. Please Lord, have your way King of Glory. Shift the atmosphere and I pray for the ability for us to say “Yes”, to come out of the cave, and step into the promises. To know that God is restoring her. He is sending the rain the way He sent it for Elijah. He's sending his spirit the way he did for Lazarus. He's sending his word now for you and I to walk fully in the things of God. I thank you Lord and I pray in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

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