Some thoughts from my desk - Michael Barrett on Wednesday, March 4, 2020

In the past several weeks I have been considering various aspects of “blockage removal.” Many of you are aware (but all may not be) that Sam Soleyn, for the past 3 years has been working with many in the area of “blockage removal.” In fact, there are two groups of teachings on Sam’s website (http://soleyn.com) that I recommend to you. Those teachings are “Blockage Removal Summary” and the new “Blockage Removal Training Series". You can click on the message titles here to go directly to the teachings.

In the course of personally looking at the matter of blockage removal, I have been reminded of a revelation that the Lord gave me some years ago. This revelation presents an understanding having to do with “a conscience void of offence.” You will find the particular Scripture reference text that I am referring to in Acts 24:16 (“And herein do Iexercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men”). However, the specific area of offence that I am dialing in on in my comments here is an area that I have seldom heard anyone speak about. And though I haven’t heard leaders speak about this specific, I believe that it is actually one of the critical keys to seeing the people of God come into experiential freedom.

The specific offence that I am referring to here is offence toward God. This points to a person having an offence toward or against God. How is this possible and what does this mean? It simply means that this person has an internal wound that results from blaming God for whatever happened to them or blaming God for not “coming through” for them! Questions and positions like –“How could you have stood by and let them do this to me”, “Why didn’t you stop them”, “How could you have allowed this to happen to me”, “If you really are the God of love and care, why didn’t you love me and care for me when I needed you the most!” These are but a few examples of the hundreds of questions and ideas that a person can hold in their heart - and that person may or may not ever talk about them, and further, may or may not even be clearly in touch with what is happening to them. And as a result, this very often gives rise to criticizing God, or worse, developing a judgment against God–being offended at God!

We are often working to help people break through barriers (blockages) in their spiritual life because there is a nagging, undermining, debilitating “Why?” being carried around in that person’s soul that has resulted from a failed expectation that this person has placed on God. So, for example, think about the issue of disappointment –“dis - appointment.” There was, as it were, an “appointment” made. Who made the appointment? If any person makes an “appointment” that is foundationed upon a flawed expectation, and God doesn’t “keep the appointment”, that person over time is left to deal with the failure. Far too often, however, God is blamed and said to have failed the person, let them down, not come through for them, etc., etc., etc. And, please think with me about this next thing, that it is impossible for there to be an experience of disillusionment unless the entire sequence was actually born out of an illusion!

In the coming weeks, it is my intention to delve more into the issues that I am opening up here. I believe that this is critically tied to the health and welfare of the family of God and it deserves our careful consideration. My remarks here are only intended to open up the discussion. Some of the Scriptures that I believe we must review honestly in this season are:

•Jeremiah 2:13 “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters,  and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water.”
•Jeremiah 6:14 & 8:11 “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace,  peace; when there is no peace.” “For they have healed the hurt of
the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.”
•Jeremiah 15:18-19 “Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? wilt thou  be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?
Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if  thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my
mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.”
•Jeremiah 8:22 “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the  daughter of my people recovered?”
•Ezekiel 47:11 “But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to  salt.” (the context here is the river of living waters that give life
to everything that the water touches, except the “miry places” and the “marshes”–see Ezekiel 47:1-12)
•Acts 24:16 “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence  toward God, and toward men.”
•Philippians 1:10 “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till  the day of Christ;”

I encourage you to consider the messages by Sam Soleyn on “blockage removal” referred to in the early portion of these comments. I also encourage you to listen to the message in the upper right portion of this page entitled, “A Conscience Void Of Offence.” And please, watch in the coming weeks for additional messages in the CVO Series. As the Scripture says in Hebrews 6:1, “let us go on unto perfection.” May the God of peace give you peace as you continue to seek Him in these days!! God bless you!