"Be set free from whatever that dampens you! Be set free from the spirit of slumber that's been sent to dampen you! This is a time to receive My power, so you shall arise again! This is a time to receive My Spirit, so you shall awake to righteousness again! Be set free, so you shall walk into the victories and open doors I have prepared for you this year!"
'To dampen' is 'to make (something/someone) less strong (or less agile)'. Imagine someone putting an extremely heavy, wet blanket over your head, and you find it hard to move around freely. Now, that's how it feels like to be dampened! And the same can happen in the spiritual realm!
Whether you realize it or not, the enemy has been sending the spirit of slumber to the Church in order to dampen what the Lord has promised to do this year. The enemy knows the Lord is going to cause a great awakening and arising in the Church, and he is trying to dampen it. From history, this would normally happen before the Lord is about to release a great outpouring, breakthrough, or fresh anointing to His Church!
One may ask, "How do I know if I have been 'dampened'?"
- If for no reason, your spirit seems dull, in a daze (stupor), numb, and you are in a state of spiritual lullaby!
- If for no reason, you just can't seem to hear God anymore!
- If for no reason, you suddenly become worldly and loses interest in the things of God (Word and Spirit).
But the good news is you can be set free from whatever that dampens you, and rise up again! Romans 13:11-14 says, 'And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lust'.
Indeed, when the light comes, darkness will have to flee! And who is the 'light' here? In John 8:12, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Therefore, to 'put on the Lord Jesus Christ' is to 'put on the armor of light'!
The key is to praise!
One sure-fire way to release this 'light' and triumph over the spirit of slumber is 'to praise'! Isaiah 52:1-2 says, 'Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you. Shake yourself from the dust, arise... Loose yourself (i.e. be set free) from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!'
What does 'beautiful garments' mean here? 'Garment of praise'! To 'put on your beautiful garments' is 'to put on garment of praise'! Let Scripture interpret Scripture. Isaiah 61:3 says, 'To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...' You see? The 'garment of praise' that overcomes and replaces 'the spirit of heaviness'! What then is 'the spirit of heaviness'? The spirit that dampens!
Ephesians 5:14-19 says, '..."Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." See then that you walk circumspectly (i.e. carefully, vigilantly, with alertness), not as fools but as wise... Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (a waste); but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord...'
Note: The word 'hymns' here is 'humnos' in Greek, from the word 'hudeo', meaning 'to celebrate (in praises)'.
Notice when you are awakened in the spirit, you will begin to understand what the will of the Lord is in your life! And the way to go is by praises that come forth from your heart to the Lord!
Praise leads to victories and open doors!
Acts 16:25-27 says, 'But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns (i.e. praises) to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep...'
The fact that 'the prisoners were listening to them' shows that Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises out loud! Faith arises when you begin to hear the Word of God being spoken out loud, even in your praises to the Lord! Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God! (Romans 10:17)
Miracles happen in an atmosphere of faith, and just as happened those days, believe that the very foundations of your 'prison' shall also be shaken!
It was a great victory for Paul and Silas, and not only were they set free, but along the way, the keeper of the prison was 'awakened from sleep' too, and he and his family were eventually saved and baptized! There's a prophetic meaning here. Your praises to the Lord is 'highly-contagious'! Not only shall you see your breakthrough, but along the way, lives around you shall also be 'awakened' from their 'slumber' and be set free from darkness!
Miracles happen in an atmosphere of faith, and just as happened those days, believe that the very foundations of your 'prison' shall also be shaken!
It was a great victory for Paul and Silas, and not only were they set free, but along the way, the keeper of the prison was 'awakened from sleep' too, and he and his family were eventually saved and baptized! There's a prophetic meaning here. Your praises to the Lord is 'highly-contagious'! Not only shall you see your breakthrough, but along the way, lives around you shall also be 'awakened' from their 'slumber' and be set free from darkness!
Therefore, people of God, begin to praise the Lord without reservation, and begin to praise Him aloud! You can do it corporately (with others in the household of faith), and you can do it privately! Praise Him at all times! (Psalm 34:1-3) Praise Him for how great He is! Praise Him for how majestic He is! Praise Him for putting the sun in its place! Praise Him for causing the earth to keep spinning! Praise Him for His wondrous works of creating all the galaxies! When you praise Him, He is magnified over your situation, and whatever your problem is will in turn become smaller and smaller till it disappears!
This is a time to awake to Jesus, who is your righteousness! (1 Corinthians 15:34) Know that He who is the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption lives in you! (1 Corinthians 1:30) And if He lives in you, of whom shall you fear? This is a time to reclaim back whatever you have lost! Yes, even your spiritual alertness and sharpness! Declare that you are set free today! And declare that you'll begin to walk into greater (and greater) victories and open doors this year! Hallelujah!
This is a time to awake to Jesus, who is your righteousness! (1 Corinthians 15:34) Know that He who is the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption lives in you! (1 Corinthians 1:30) And if He lives in you, of whom shall you fear? This is a time to reclaim back whatever you have lost! Yes, even your spiritual alertness and sharpness! Declare that you are set free today! And declare that you'll begin to walk into greater (and greater) victories and open doors this year! Hallelujah!
