A Season of Passover by Rebecca Greenwood
A Season of Passover
Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new batch, since you are unleavened. For even Christ, our Passover Lamb has been crucified for us.
1 Corinthians 5:7
Passover reminds us of the Lords faithfulness and power in the historic world-changing supernatural event of delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. For hundreds of years, they had been held captive as slaves of the culture and land of Egypt. The freedom to fully function in their identity as a people was bound and freedom to worship suppressed. Yet, in hearing the cries and prayers that rose to His throne, God responded by raising up a deliverer, Moses. And our Jehovah, Himself, moved in extraordinary ways to deliver the Israelites out of captivity into a journey leading to their promised land.
The feast of Passover occurs in the Spring in the month of Nissan, a time pregnant with plans of the Lord. Exodus 12:2, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.” Instructions were given for the blood of the sacrificial lamb to be placed over the doorpost of the homes to protect from the death released that night. Since then, each year before Passover every Jewish family searches their home and removes all leaven, anything made with yeast. Culturally, leaven symbolizes impurity. The physical housecleaning represents the necessary spiritual check-up to go into the new season clean and pure. It represents getting everything of Egypt, the world, out of the spiritual atmospheres of homes and personal lives. This is a major step in deliverance that God set up as the first element in His yearly cycle of feasts.
Our Heavenly Father provided the same promise for us. He sent His son, Jesus to become our Passover Lamb. That we might be delivered from captivity into our promised land of salvation and kingdom inheritance. You see, every great leader, person of influence or one who inspires others has their focus on why. Why am I doing this, why am I leading, why am I willing to keep moving forward? And our Heavenly Father had His “why” when He sent His son Jesus to become our Passover Lamb. He has a Father’s heart Who desired to provide a way for all of us to be reconciled once and for all to Himself, His love, our kingdom inheritance and eternity.
Jesus when He came to this earth had His “why”. He loved His Father. He saw your face, my face and the face of every person who would walk this earth. His love for each of us (who are also His why), caused Him to endure the cross as our sacrificial Passover Lamb with the promise of being raised to life three days later. His why and His focus was on each of us who choose to believe in Him as Savior and give our lives to Him. Why? Because His resurrection paved the way for our resurrection into eternity with Him. As the Passover Lamb, He defeated death, rescued us out of the grip of satan’s dark kingdom where mankind had been held captive for thousands of years and has brought us into redemption, eternal life and all the promises of the kingdom of God.
Advancing in and Beyond Passover
In gratitude of our precious Savior and the incredible price He willingly paid, it is a season to rejoice in the beautiful, magnificent, holy gift that Jesus is to each of us and the world. He willingly became that sacrificial Passover Lamb, covering us with his blood that we might be delivered from death and brought into life. It is only fitting that during this grace time we willingly say, “God, show me and my household where we need to clean house.” To move forward in this season let’s:
- Set our hearts to surrender more fully to His love, Word, truth, transforming holiness and presence
- It is time to physically and spiritually clean house.
– What do I need to be delivered of?
– Have any big or little sins of impurity crept into my life over the past year?
– Has my mind embraced strongholds?
a. A stronghold is a lie that Satan and his army of darkness speaks to us that we believe it is true, but it is false!
b. Are there areas in my thoughts that I need to repent of and intentionally turn from?
c. We are all in a battle that is fought on many levels
– There is a battle of your will to make the right choices to live righteously and please God
– There is a battle over your walk of faith
– There is a battle to overcome the voice of doubt/unbelief that whispers into your mind to try to get you off track
– Your emotions are a battleground
– Sometimes you have to say, I may feel this certain way in my emotions, but I am going to overcome and resist
– One of the most powerful spheres of warfare today is the battle for your mind
– Remember you are Jesus’ why. One powerful way to pray the next time satan or one of his minions of darkness tries to intimidate or torment you,
“You can’t steal my faith or mess with my kingdom identity. I am WHY He gave His life to defeat you. I stand in the confidence of His love and the price He paid. And because of Jesus, the blood of Jesus and His love for me is why I renounce you now and refuse to believe your lies! Jesus reigns. He is why I choose to stand and declare you are a defeated foe!”
3. We must Passover in this season and begin to think like God to be the active, alive, authoritative voice of Jesus’ why.
4. Get rid of the things that would keep you in Egypt
5. Plead the blood of Jesus over the doorpost of your home, family, mind, emotions, business, ministry
What We Do in This Month and in This Time Can Set The Way for This New Season
I feel pretty confident that I can prophetically say there is a lot of transition going on! And as a freebie, expect to see things shake governmentally, to get more aggressive and more transition to occur. Don’t allow the shaking and transitions to shake you. Continue to press into intercession for our nation. We must stay on the wall to press this through to breakthrough and victory. Be intentional to set aside time to pray and seek Him. A suggested prayer:
“Jesus, thank You for becoming our Passover Lamb. Thank You for the gift of salvation. We rejoice in Who You are and the gift You are to us. Lord, I/we come before You and seek Your plan on how individually and together as a family to move forward in the days ahead?” Cause us to hear and receive. Change our minds and our hearts to operate in Your plan and come into alignment with You. Lord, I/we intentionally surrender to You in this transition season so it will produce Your wisdom, character, blessing, presence and anointing in our lives. We choose to stay on the wall for this nation. Expose every hidden thing that needs to be exposed. All things being done in darkness and in hiddenness bring it to light. Cause the Church to continue to press into you for a transformational awakening and move of Your Spirit.”
Firstfruits
In Jewish culture, it is a key time to give firstfruits offerings. When Israel brought in the full harvest, one tenth of the whole crop was to be given to God as a tithe. The firstfruits offering was less. Often, just one sheaf of wheat. However, the smaller portion opened a huge door for blessing. In all of life there is something very special about first because giving the first expresses honor. Firstfruits is given with the purpose of honoring God by giving back to Him the first and best of all He has given to prepare for the financial blessing He wants to bring in the year ahead. Who do you give the first to? Personally, Greg and I pray and say Lord who is it that you want us to bless? We love to bless those who we align with and who have made a way for us to be all God has called us to be. Those who spend and invest time with us, pray with us, counsel us, believe in us and love us in a personal, up close relationship. We love for our firstfruits to honor those who God has called us to run this race with and those who God has called to run this race with us. Maybe some of you would feel led by the Lord to sow your firstfruits offering into Christian Harvest International. What a necessary blessing that would be for us in this season as we continue to expand and grow.
Firstfruits accomplishes 3 things:
- Honors God as your source, which is a declaration that God has blessed you
- Sanctifies (makes holy) the rest of your income, Rom. 11:6 says, “If the first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy.”
- Releases the fullness of God’s blessing. Ezek. 44:30 says, “Give the first portion…..So a blessing may rest on your household.”
Scripture shows us that Isaac was the son of promise, the firstfruits of Abrahams limitless offspring. Before the fullness of Abrahams blessing could be released, he was tested. Would he be willing to put Isaac on the altar, giving God his first and best? When he passed this test all the promised blessings were released to him. God promised Israel all the cities of Canaan, but the first city was Jericho. He instructed the Israelites that they could keep the plunder of all the other cities, but everything in Jericho was to be His. Jericho was the firstfruits of the promised land. When Hannah gave her first son, Samuel, to the Lord, He blessed her with more sons. As a bonus the entire nation was transformed. When God gave his firstborn Son, Jesus, the result was bringing many sons to Glory. (Heb 2:10) And we are privileged to be the sons and daughters brought to and living in His glory!
In Closing
Greg and I pray for all of you during the glorious Passover and Resurrection season. That you come into a more intimate on fire relationship with Him. You hear and advance in all He has for you in the days ahead and that you see His blessing and beautiful presence increase in your life, home, family, business and ministry.
In His Abundant Love,
Greg and Becca