Religion will keep you in the wilderness, relationship will take you into the Promised Land!

This morning I was in prayer and I was praying for the young people,  teens – twenties, the Joshua generation as some people have called them. The first time I heard that name given to that generation it resounded in my heart. They are a generation of people that embrace God’s direction, and will follow Him anywhere, no matter what it looks like. They are a generation that is bold and courageous. They are visionaries, they can see the big picture instead of what’s just right in front of them. They are a powerful generation!

As I was praying for them God showed me that like Joshua they are ready to go and possess the land. However many of us in the generations ahead of them are still stuck in our ways and don't want to move. We are stuck in religion and tradition and like the children of Israel stuck in the wilderness and if we don’t want to change and move then that’s where we will die. But the good news is that we have the choice to move with this Joshua generation. They need guidance and wisdom and God wants to raise us up to be able to give them those things, but if we are in the wilderness and they go into the promise land we can’t reach them there from where we are at.

Please know that Religion and tradition will not and cannot impact this generation, and the generations to follow. We have to be willing to step out of our comfort zones, out of what we’ve known all of our lives or grew up in. We cannot keep doing what our parents did, or our grandparents, or our great grandparents just because that’s the way it was always done.

It’s like the story of a woman who wanted to make a roast, she always cut big chunks off both ends and only had a small piece left to cook. One day her daughter asked her why she did that, she replied, “because that’s the way my mom did it and her mom did it, and my mom’s mom as well.” The question got her to thinking and she did some research to find out why they cooked the roast that way. Her great grandmother was still alive and she went to her and asked, “Granny why did you cut off the ends of the roast before you cooked it?” She said, “Child because I only had a small pan and I had to make it fit.”

This example goes to show you that just because something was done a certain way it doesn't mean it was the right way. God gives a grace and understanding to each generation. He continues to build upon and mature each generation and give each generation more wisdom, knowledge, and revelation. If each generation stays in the same place as the one before then we become stagnant and will not have the impact that we are supposed to have on the world. In the past generations religion got us saved, got us to know about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but it didn't teach us about relationship,  and it is relationship that will set us free. 

So I implore you people of God, especially you leaders in the body, pray to walk in freedom. Pray that if there is any religion and tradition in you that God would take it out of you. Ask God to show you a true walk with Him in the Kingdom. I promise He will bust some stuff wide open, and it may not be easy because you are going to have to in a way start a fresh in some of your thinking, but it will be so worth it and you won’t get left behind in the wilderness.

God bless!

~Tracy Houston