The Journey III saw Judah come into the room of my heart where we shared sweet fellowship and revelation together. He sat down at my table and drew a book from under His arm. I had not seen this book in His hands before, but I had seen it in a vision before the attack on the World Trade Centers. It was one of three things the Holy Spirit had instructed us in. Saying there are three things my Church must have in order to lead the bewildered, dazed, and confused people during the last days. The book Judah placed on the table was the one I came to know as Dreams and Visions. The first time I saw this book I did not know what it represented. It was written in a strange language and all the letters were raised upon its pages so that when I ran my fingers over them it seemed that they conveyed truth as much from what I felt as from what I saw. In fact, at this point my fingers seemed more capable of transmitting information than my eyes. The letters too, were not in any language that I knew but were multicolored with mixtures of green, blue, and yellow. It seemed that they were a combination of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic all combined into each letter.
As the Lord sat down at the table and showed me this wonderful book again, He said, “I told you I would make you a Master Craftsman in the work I had called you to and I am going to instruct the Holy Spirit to teach you about dreams and visions in ever increasing measures, so that you are indeed a Master Craftsman in this area. You will then be able to help my Church walk in my intended purposes for the last days.” I was so truly grateful for these words that I sat for a long time just humbled and giving thanks to our great KING! He then said to turn to page 68.
As I obeyed, I saw that this was the page that began teaching on the Spirit of Intimidation, and for several weeks I began to have dream after dream that revealed just how blinding and paralyzing the Spirit of Intimidation can be. Indeed, the Spirit of Intimidation was a major part of the storm I had entered into. The Lord had warned me of this coming storm that would seek to steal the revelation He had imparted to me, even the storm that was dark with dust, dirt, and sand. The Spirit of Intimidation then began to seek to blind me with dust, discourage me with the dirt spoken against me, and sting me with blasting sand that seemed to penetrate and grate against everything in my being. This sand sought to infiltrate every place where the sweet anointing oil flowed. The result was that the dust, dirt, and sand made the work of the Lord almost impossible to accomplish. That which once flowed so easily was now grinding to a slow but certain halt.
As I wondered and meditated on all that this meant, I remembered several portions of God’s Holy Word that taught on the subject of intimidation. I remembered the great Prophet Elijah and how God had raised him up to confront and overthrow the false religious movement of his day. As I re-read the stirring account of his brave and anointed encounter against the false prophets and of his awesome prayer and how God answered him by fire; my heart swelled with joy, pride, and hope because of this fearless prophet.
Yet, because I knew this story so well, I also knew this great man of God would flee with fear and terror as a result of the spirit of intimidation. Read with me this account and the transformation from fearless prophet to fearful child of God.
1 Kings 19:2-4
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
How do you or I know we are under an attack from the Spirit of Intimidation? As always, it is the Word of God that clarifies and defines all things for us. The first indication that the Spirit of Intimidation is at work is “fear”. In fact the root of intimidation is fear. Fear is the opposite of faith and it comes from listening to and paying attention to the wrong things. Just as faith grows as it feeds on the anointed Word of God, so fear grows as it feeds on anything other than God’s truth. The storm that Judah spoke to me about and that had begun to envelop me resulted in the same emotions that Elijah experienced when Jezebel threatened him. This has enabled me to identify this storm of dust, dirt, and sand as coming from this spirit. These emotions include depression, discouragement, loss of vision, and focus on the wrong things. Of course, when we are in the middle of a blinding, biting, and burning storm, it is impossible in the natural to see anything else. Indeed, one of the clearest things about this unfolding story of Elijah’s sudden departure from great faith to fearful and confused man of God is revealed when God starts asking him questions. It is Elijah’s answer that reveals the path that intimidation has taken to capture this wonderful man of God.
Watch with me where the focus of Elijah is when the Lord asks him the question, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Is that not a good question for us to ask if we, who were once so filled with faith and excitement because of past victories, but now because of intimidation can hardly lift up our weary head?
1 Kings 19:9-10
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
Can you see that the Spirit of Intimidation had been able to cause Elijah to focus solely on his problems rather than on all that God had done? Not only that, but Elijah could not rejoice over what God was doing for him at that very moment. The storm of dust, dirt, and sand had totally blinded this great prophet. If there is anything that is the worst thing that can happen to a prophet, is it the inability to no longer see what the God of heaven is doing. Once again, that is what the Spirit of Intimidation seeks to do. That is to neutralize and steal the gift that God has placed within us.
In our next chapter, we will take the time to see the many supernatural blessings that were surrounding Elijah but he was totally incapable of seeing. If you or I are experiencing the storm from the Spirit of Intimidation, one of the things that we need more than anything else if the Spirit of Gratitude. That is why the Lord said, “In everything give thanks, for this is the Will of God concerning you.” It is the grateful and thankful heart that the Spirit of Intimidation hates the most. For the ability to be grateful for the smallest blessing disarms this ugly spirit. If you have been experiencing some of the symptoms of the Spirit of Intimidation, including depression, discouragement, and subtle loss of vision, begin now to give thanks to Almighty God for even the smallest blessing. The Spirit of Thanksgiving is one of the weapons the Spirit of Intimidation hates. We will see how a seemingly insignificant man brought all of heaven to its feet in the next chapter because of his precious Spirit of Gratefulness.
MORE TO FOLLOW
Apostle Robert Rogers
Thanks SO much for this post! I was attacked by this spirit this week! Its one that really knows how to sit on your chest!