Breaking Invisible Barriers

Isaiah 10:27 - “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.”

Have you ever felt as if there is some unseen force working against you in life? Things that prevent you from experiencing true victory, healing, joy, prosperity and freedom?

It is very hard to have peace and joy when a person is in captivity. If there is an absence of joy and an absence of praise, it is because of captivity. Slaves have a hard time praising God. That is why they need a Liberator. It’s why we all need Jesus.

The enemy knows how strong of a weapon praise and worship are against him, and that is why he does everything he can to eliminate joy and peace. If Satan can take away a person’s praise, he can take away their strength, for it is written in Nehemiah 8:10, that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

In order to steal a person’s praise and strength, the enemy first places an ungodly yoke upon them to bind them to hard servitude. He makes a person a slave to certain things such as poverty, infirmity, fear, barrenness, bitterness and torment of soul. The person tries and tries to get free unsuccessfully, but all their efforts prove futile to release them from the bondage and frustration that come as a result of being yoked to something that prevents them from breaking free into real freedom.

In 1 Samuel chapter 1, we find a woman named Hannah that was barren AND bitter, constantly provoked by her rival, Peninnah. She desperately longed for a child but could not have children. Year after year, she worshiped God until He answered her prayer. Worship drew her closer to the heart of God. Where God is elevated, every rival loses its power.The answer to her prayer was met; joy replaced bitterness, and she was released from captivity. Hannah's tenacious spirit wouldn't let go of God until He blessed her, and worship paved the way for her breakthrough.

The demoniac in Mark 5 had been chained in the tombs, but when he recognized Jesus drawing near, he ran to worship Him (vs. 6) and was set free. Even in this man's worst state of torment, he had a choice, and when he recognized the opportunity to run to Jesus he didn't hesitate. Worship is key to elevating Jesus above our problems, and meeting with Him in worship allows God to break the chains that have us bound.

A woman with an issue of blood was bound to her infirmity for 12 long years and became impoverished, rejected by society and hopeless in the process. She was yoked to a spirit of infirmity and couldn't break free by her own efforts. Yet, when she saw Jesus in the crowd she made her way to Him. Pushing past the intimidation and fear of being recognized and shunned as she usually was, this desperate woman fell down with one last thought: If I can just touch the hem of His garment I can be healed. Desperation, humility and faith are perfect conditions for receiving a miracle any day of the week!

A different woman in Luke 13:11-18 was severely bent over for 18 years and could not stand upright due to being yoked by infirmity & arthritis. In an act of faith, she came to Jesus, and found the most loving and concerned gaze she had ever seen. "Woman, go in peace...and be loosed from your infirmity."

Perhaps one of the greatest examples of being yoked and bound is the story of Sampson in Judges 16. Sampson’s parents tried to warn him but lust and immaturity caused him to choose unwisely in a marriage partner. He married a woman aligned with his enemies. Together, they were intent on destroying him. A life of compromise bound him to the enemy’s yoke and for a long time had him spiritually blind and literally going in circles in service to those that mocked him and had no regard for his life. (See vs. 21). Every decision counts when choosing our relationships.

A yoke is something placed upon a person that is demonically placed in that person's life to keep them from moving forward. It is some instrument of oppression that keeps a person bound and in a state of emotional, spiritual or financial poverty. It may be financial, physical, relational, or some sort of barrier that they cannot break through. 

Whatever we are in agreement or covenant with has the power to either take us into captivity and contribute to bondage and bitterness. God wants to heal us so that we can live free from bondage and constraints.

A yoke destroys hope, faith, and the future of the individual upon which that yoke is placed. A person becomes so used to being bound to their circumstances that they lose hope that life will be any different. It makes them want to succumb to their circumstances rather than wrestle to be free, healed, and delivered. Because it is assigned by the enemy, it has the power to place a person's future in the hands of the enemy until that yoke is broken.

Isaac gave his son, Esau, some powerful advice in Genesis 27:40. He told him that he would serve his brother until the day that he was discontent and restless enough to break free from that yoke. That’s another whole long story, but I’d like to focus on what it means to break the yoke from off of our necks. Sometimes, like Sampson or Esau, we can allow relationships to dominate us to the point where we discover we are actually in captivity. We can either succumb to the spiritual forces at work in other individuals that seek to dominate us and hold us captive to their will, or we can break free. That is what Isaac meant when he told his son, “...you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck."

Sampson realized this too. It took captivity, blindness and being harnessed to those that wished to enslave him to make him wiser. Though he lost his natural sight, it was this terrible turn of events that actually allowed him to understand what he didn’t understand previously: the woman he married and had yoked himself to was there to pull him down, not lift him up into the man he was supposed to be. She was aligned with the Philistines, his enemy.

There is a yoke-breaking anointing. It comes from learning to wrestle with God, wrestle in prayer, and give yourself to praise, worship and proclaiming God’s word. Sooner or later, the power of the anointed word forces the natural circumstance to break open. It may not come pretty or the way you would hope, but the breakthrough will come. The natural realm must eventually yield to the spiritual laws connected to God’s word. He watches over His word to perform it. Circumstances will come to a head and lead you to a crossroads where you are forced to make a decision. You are either going to live yoked and in captivity, or you are going to choose the option that leads you towards freedom. The anointing is what sets captives free. It is the power to make a way out of hard service and slavery to other masters.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.” Leviticus 26:13

God makes a way to freedom just like He did for the Israelites. He parts the Red Sea - the things that have held us back and held us in bondage to servitude - and He makes a way where there doesn't seem to be a way. Moses and all the Israelites were stuck, and surrounded by the enemy who didn't want them to go anywhere, but God issued a proclamation: “Lift up your rod!" The voice of the Lord breaks open the invisible gate and lets the captives go free.

The Breaker ANOINTING

Micah 2:13 - "The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD at their head."

Worship makes us bold and therefore results in spirit birthed proclamations. Those proclamations shift atmospheres, deliver ultimatums, liberate captives, tear down strongholds, level the mountains and establish the kingdom of God.

DECLARATIONS:

In the name and authority of Jesus Christ, I command the yoke on your neck to be broken now, for it is written, that God has brought you out of Egypt and broken the bars of your yoke so that you would no longer be a slave.

I declare you shall no longer wear the yoke of the enemy and I cancel debt, poverty, infirmity, hopeless, unbelief, and fear RIGHT NOW in Jesus name!

I declare a release out of your captivity in the name and authority of Jesus Christ!

I declare you will prosper and be in health from this day forward, in Jesus name!

I declare you are released from every man-made, self-imposed yoke and hindrance! Wear that yoke no more in Jesus name!

I declare the Lord has established you in your field where you can prosper!

I declare the Lord Jesus Christ has given you the strength of a wild ox and a fresh anointing to accomplish the very works of God!

I  declare angelic assistance to come to you this day to fulfill God's promises to you, in Jesus name!

I declare God has given you a mouth filled with wisdom that the enemy cannot contradict, in Jesus name!

In the name and authority of Jesus Christ I declare breakthrough has come to your house this day!