Occupied Spaces
Intro: Threshold Season
These past months have opened my eyes to the goodness of God in a way I had not known before.
He has carried me through transitions, opened new doors, and walked with me through soul-wrenching moments that once felt unbearable. Now, the existence of it all no longer overwhelms me the way it once did. The waves still rise, but they meet the peace of God instead.
“And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7, AMP)
I call this my “Though My Flesh Fails” season. A time when my heart and strength seemed to falter, when everything around me appeared opposite to the promises of God. And yet, it was in this very place that He spoke Isaiah 43:19 over my life.
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19, AMP)
This verse in Isaiah is what kept me alive and holding on in the threshold. That threshold carried so many spaces: grief, change, waiting, all before I could see what God had promised. It is the place where life feels unsettled, and God is steady. He is already at work. He is already doing a new thing.
Perceive
As God began to strip things away, I started to see what had been filling spaces that were never meant to hold me together. People, habits, even hidden burdens were crowding what only belongs to Him.
One by one, they were removed, not always gently, sometimes suddenly, until I found myself whispering, “Lord, I want You to take over.” Because on my own, I could not (I wrote more about this in my blog post July 19, Somewhat Rewritten).
“The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, and He delights in his way [and blesses his path].” (Psalm 37:23, AMP)
This isn’t new. God’s people walked this road long before us. When Israel came to the land He had promised, they found it already occupied. There were strongholds, fortified cities, and people who had been there for generations.
God’s command was clear: take possession, trust Him, and remove what could not remain.
But some of the tribes chose differently. Instead of fully clearing the land, they allowed certain inhabitants to stay, sometimes at the borders, sometimes right in their midst. What they thought they could tolerate eventually became a stumbling block, a constant presence that weakened their faithfulness and distracted them from God’s promise.
How often do we do the same? God calls us to let Him dismantle what has taken up space in us fear, grief, old habits, the residue of who we once were, but we allow pieces of it to remain. We leave them at the “borders” of our hearts, telling ourselves we can manage, when in truth, they keep us from fully living in the freedom He has given.
And this is where the call of God becomes deeply personal. Just as Israel was called to clear the land and take possession, we are called to let Him occupy the whole of our lives.
The Eternal Promise
Salvation in Jesus is that invitation, to leave behind the Egypt of our past, to walk through the wilderness of change, and to step into the promise of a life made new in Him.
The Promised Land is more than geography; It is a life fully yielded to Christ, and ultimately, eternal life with Him.
And the in-between, though filled with tension, is also filled with hope, for it is there that His new thing springs forth, calling us to perceive, to trust, and to walk forward.
“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills.” (Deuteronomy 8:7, AMP)
This is where I find myself resting now, in the assurance that God’s promises are not distant hopes but living truths. His Word is alive, and even when the way forward feels uncertain, He has already prepared it. What He begins, He brings to completion, and what He promises, He fulfills.
A Prayer for You
As I share these words, my heart also turns to you.
I appreciate each of you for taking the time to read, for subscribing to this gift and blessing that God has allowed me to steward. I am grateful to God for the life He has blessed you with and for the ability to receive these words.
While I do not know all of you personally, I pray to the Almighty Living God who does. He has seen your journey; what has been, what is, and what will be. He is always in control.
I received the gift of salvation a journey of sanctification it has been and still is, to say the least. I pray in Jesus’ name that He meets you in the very place your heart is, just as He changed my life—the greatest miracle of all—and gave me the revelation of who He is. I pray the same for you, in Jesus’ name.
When you step into tomorrow and all the days to come, I pray you will not miss what God is doing. He is doing a new thing; it is already springing forth.
Will you accept the invitation?
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth—do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19, AMP)
May your eyes, heart, and spirit perceive it, and may you follow Him into the life He has promised.
Be blessed, always and forever
For God’s glory, in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Jivean, Of Paper and Light
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