Taking Away the Stone from the Entrance of the Cave
Introduction
Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was
dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been [dead]
four days.
John 11:39 KJV
Christ Jesus heard that Martha
and Mary’s brother (Lazarus) died. However, Christ Jesus ministered in Bethany
for two days without seeing Lazarus. Jesus spent additional days in Judaea
because of the ministry.
After the ministration in
Judaea, Christ Jesus visited Martha and Mary in Bethany. Christ Jesus knew
Lazarus had been dead for four days. However, he went to Bethany. Some Jews
(Pharisees) believed that four days after a man's burial permanently separated
him from the earth (Freely download my book, what
happens after death, on my blog for more profound revelation).
Christ Jesus wanted to prove
to the Jews and unbelievers that he held the ultimate
power. He wanted to break the fallacies and superstitious beliefs the
Jews treasure. Christ Jesus knew Lazarus was dead. However, He spent two days
in Bethany without raising Lazarus. He spent four days doing the work of the
Heavenly Father without visiting Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
Understanding the ways of God
Sometimes, we might think
God has forgotten us, but he hasn’t. The delay of God is not a denial. God sometimes
delays preparing a great miracle. He knows the best time to act. Your timing differs
from God’s timing, so exercise patience.
The fact that you have
not received an answer to your prayers does not mean God has rejected prayers.
Exercise patience. Like Martha and Mary, they waited for Christ Jesus. Although
Lazarus was dead, the sisters of Lazarus had faith.
God may delay your
request because he wants you to build faith
in the Word and Christ
Jesus. Other times, God delays our request because it disagrees with
the perfect will of God. God sometimes delays our prayer requests because he doesn’t
want to grant us something that will destroy us.
Like a parent, he will
not buy a four-wheel car for his five-year son because his son requested it.
Buying a four-wheel car for a five-year-old can lead to premature death because
the child does not have the mental, physical, and psychological strength and
wisdom to handle the four-wheel vehicle.
The parent may buy a toy car
for the five-year child because that is what he can handle. In the same way,
God knows your spiritual, social, mental, physical, and psychological strength.
He knows what you can handle.
Christ Jesus knew Lazarus's
death would not destroy Martha and Mary’s faith, so he delayed. Child of God,
the delay of Christ Jesus does not mean God has forsaken you. It is just that
you don’t know God's ways, thoughts, and timing.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is
near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah
55:6-9 KJV
I recommend reading my free
book, the mysteries of Azar,
how God Judges Case,
and wisdom series,
for more profound revelation. God is not late. Neither is he early. He works
perfectly.
Therefore, don’t give up
on God. Friends, enemies, and loved ones may have concluded your case. However,
God has not forsaken you (meditate on Hebrews 13:5, Psalm 27:10). The friends
of Martha and Mary might have told Mary and Martha that Christ Jesus has abandoned
them.
They might have told
Martha and Mary that Christ Jesus did not like them. The friends and enemies of
Lazarus might have concluded that Christ Jesus disliked Lazarus. However,
Christ Jesus came at the appointed time.
Christ Jesus came when hope and faith were gone. We serve a God of impossibilities. The time you might not expect God to come to your aid can be the hour Christ Jesus will come to your aid. Maybe you are contemplating.
- Is God wicked?
- Does God care?
- Does God hear my prayers?
- Why am I suffering if a loving God is alive?
- Why should I trust in a God my eyes cannot see?
- Is God dead?
- Is God a myth?
- Is Christ Jesus real?
These and many questions
linger in the hearts of people. However, when you finish reading this article,
your doubt in God will depreciate, while your faith in God will appreciate.
That is, by the time you
finish reading this article, your faith in God will strengthen. Remember, it’s
a matter of faith, NOT common sense. Although God expects us to use our minds
(wisdom), we must learn when to use faith.
What does it mean to take away the stone covering the cave
Let me drop the Holy
Scripture.
Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was
dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been [dead]
four days.
John 11:39 KJV
Jesus told the people who
buried Lazarus, “take ye away the stone.” The stone, in the context of
the above Holy Scripture a metaphor. It is the obstacle that hinders our
blessings. The stone stands for barriers, chains, sins, ungodly philosophies, cursed
neighborhoods, evil spirits, and unprofitable people in our lives.
Until we deal with the
stone, Jesus cannot enter our cave. The cave described in John chapter eleven,
verse thirty-nine, is a place of deliverance. The cave is where the enemy has
hidden your blessings.
Maybe you expect a
miracle from God. It may be financial difficulties, debts, and diseases. These
are your caves. Christ Jesus cannot deal with the cave (the financial
difficulties and debts) until you remove the stone (barriers, sin, and
unprofitable people).
In this article, I will
share seven ways to deal with the stones covering your cave. Dealing with the
stones covering your cave clears the way for God and his angels to free you. Like
Daniel, he dealt with stone blocking the angel of God in the second heavens
with fasting and prayers. Eliminating the stones in front of your cave opens
the door to your miracle. Below are the seven ways to deal with the stones hijacking
your cave.
Seven ways to deal with the stones blocking
your cave
1. Take off the veil of fear and doubt
Doubt is the brother of
fear. When you allow doubt to dominate you, it limits the power of God. Fear
works with doubt. Fear is an archenemy of faith. It blinds your faith. Fear
eliminates you from the realm of God to the devil and unbeliever’s realm. Let’s
see a Holy Scripture that throws more light on this truth.
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:58 KJV
Christ Jesus could not
perform great miracles in his hometown because the people were faithless. You
cannot expect God to deal with the stone blocking your cave if you have not
dealt with doubt and fear. One reason Christ Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave
was that Martha had faith.
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
John 11:40 KJV
Martha began to lose
faith in Christ Jesus. However, Christ Jesus grew her faith. Mary and Martha
had faith in Christ Jesus, leading to a miracle. God works with faith. If you
don’t believe in Christ Jesus with all your heart, you cannot experience the
miracle of God.
Believe in your heart
that God can remove the stone covering your cave. God can heal you. He can make
a way where there seems to be no way (see Jeremiah 32:17, Jeremiah 32:27, Luke
18:27).
Believe in God and his Word (the Holy Bible). Like Martha and Mary, they believed in Christ Jesus. Lazarus received life because of Mary and Lazarus' faith. The glory of the Holy Spirit will manifest in your life if you take the veil of doubt and fear.
Do not be like the Jews who limited the power of Christ Jesus in their unbelief
(see John 11:40). Remember, faith in God and his Word can eliminate the stone
covering your cave. I will throw more light
on the Word within the third and seventh keys.
2. Deal with ignorance
Another way to deal with
the stone covering your cave is breaking the cord
of ignorance. In Hosea chapter four, verses six, we see a profound
Word.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast
rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to
me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy
children.
Hosea 4:6 KJV
God works with knowledgeable
people. Your mind can be a barrier to your miracle. Some stones in your life
reign because you are ignorant. It would help if you dealt with the
superstitious ideologies, imaginations, mindset, and ungodly philosophies covering
your cave (meditate on 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Romans 12:1-2).
You can deal with the
stones covering your tomb by reading, meditating, and practicing the Word of
God and relevant books. Do
you love reading? If you answered yes to this question, be prepared for
your miracle. If you dislike
reading, your stone will remain at the cave entrance.
3. Believe in God’s power
You cannot deal with the
stone covering your cave until you believe in the power of God. The disciples
of Christ Jesus were about to perish on the sea because they had no faith.
Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his
disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the
lake. And they launched forth.
But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind
on the lake; and they were filled [with water], and were in jeopardy.
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish.
Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they
ceased, and there was a calm.
And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid
wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth
even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Luke 8:22-25 KJV
As stated in the previous
point that you must work on your faith. Until you believe, speak, and act on
the Word, the power within will not work. Christ Jesus rebuked the wind and
raging of the water.
In the same way, God
expects us to speak the Word (promises recorded in the Holy Scriptures) in the stormy
season. Some stones in your life will not break until you decree the
Word of God. Remember, creation and the spiritual forces submit to the Word of
God. Are you decreeing the Word of God? Remember, the stone will not move until
you decree the Word.
4. Get rid of the evil association
The people you associate
with can become a stone in your life. Do you know that some friends can corrupt
you?
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1 Corinthians 15:33 KJV
The counsel and advice you
accept have power over you. The words (wisdom) that come with friends, music,
and videos can limit or upgrade you. Words carry invisible powers (see Proverbs
18:21).
If you are going to break
the stones covering your cave, exclude yourself from unrepentant people and
mediums that take you away from Christ Jesus and the Word (meditate on 2
Corinthians 6:14-18).
It might be painful when
in the season of separation. However, for the sake of your deliverance, break
out from that toxic relationship with wisdom because your stone will not move
until you end the ungodly relationship and fellowship.
Like a woman delivering a
baby, the pain might be unbearable. However, if she fails to push, she might
lose her life, or the baby might lose her life. That is how some stones work.
Endure the pain for a season. Break out from that unprofitable relationship if
you want God to take the stone barricading the cave.
5. Take authority by dealing with the enemy
Do you know the enemy can
be a stone covering your cave? Israel did not receive victory until David defeated
Goliath (symbol of a stone). In the book of Ephesians, we see a profound Word.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the
devil's wiles.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Ephesians
6:10-12 KJV
Take the authority that
Christ Jesus has given you (see Luke 10:19). Engage in spiritual
warfare prayers because the devil can become a stumbling block to your
blessings. Like he did to Apostle Paul and his associates.
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but
Satan hindered us.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 KJV
Satan hindered Apostle
Paul and the missionaries of Christ Jesus. Put on the whole armor of God because
the devil and his minions desire to block the blessings of God on your life
(meditate on Ephesians 6:10-18, 1 Peter 5:8-9).
When you engage in
spiritual warfare prayers, the witchcraft powers and demonic
altars holding the stones at the cave will flee. For more profound
revelation about the
enemy, freely download my series of books on my blog.
6. Deal with the iniquity
Sin can blind. It can
create an invisible stone at the entrance of your cave. Until you repent from
your conscious and willful sin and submit to Christ Jesus (the Word), God
cannot take the stone blocking your cave.
Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither
his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your
sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
Isaiah 59:1-2 KJV
The
Holy Spirit is a Spirit of holiness. He cannot deal with the
stones covering your cave until you repent and surrender to Christ Jesus. You
cannot live in willful wickedness and expect God to demolish the stones
standing at the entrance of the cave.
- Are you born again?
Repent for a turnaround.
God will deal with the invisible stone when you repent from your sins.
7. Embrace the truth
[Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a
hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?
Jeremiah 23:29 KJV
The Word of God is like a
harmer. It can break every stone covering your cave. Believe the Word with all
your heart. Speak the Word with faith. The Word of God can free the soul and
body (see Hebrews 4:12). When the Word enters your spirit and soul, the power
within breaks the invisible stones. Christ Jesus puts it this way.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free.
John 8:32 KJV
Feed your spirit and soul with the Word. The Word will eliminate the stones in your life (see Matthew 8:5-8). Do you engage the Word of God? Remember, creation submits to the Word of God. Eliminate every stone blocking your deliverance with the Word.
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