Dark Passage / Blinding Light . . . Journeying the Unseen Without Losing Your Way!
Joureyig the Unseen Without Losing Your Way!
Journeying the Unseen Without Losing Your Way!
Bio Link
Barbara Kankowske is an intense, passionate follower of Jesus Christ. She is equally passionate about equipping believers, desiring to see them mature in their callings. Her strong gifting in the prophetic and discerning of spirits has enabled her to speak into individual lives. She has helped many to find God's direction for their lives and has walked alongside them, providing intercession, instruction, and counsel. Barbara has served many years in the Chicago area as a Bible teacher, exhorter and, along with husband Dennis, led marriage ministry. In the nineties, God began to send her out to other states. Teachings on the experiential: the presence of God, spiritual reality, the spirit realm, and warfare have been and continue to be a strong emphasis. In 2000, she and Dennis founded Midway Ministries. It has served as a training and resource center, focusing on mentoring and releasing believers in the prophetic. A prophetic proclamation on July 4, 2008, declared that Barbara would function “like an apostle to build a prototype that will advance the armies of God,” thrusting new events into motion and producing a period of escalated growth and expansion. "The School of the Holy Spirit unto the Maturing of Sons," subsequent satellite schools, and other related ministries were formed. The school is providing a foundation for personal growth and is a "launching-off" place to develop gifts that function as they were designed to within the Body of Christ.
IS IT TRULY ME . . . OR . . . OTHER THAN
Something is impersonating you, it sounds like you, it even feels like you . . .
It is very familiar with you. It knows your habits, your thoughts, and every intimate detail of your life.
Have you ever found yourself in an argument with yourself? You wrestle with thoughts you do not want, have not invited. Perhaps you struggle with images parading across your imagination that will not stop. You repent, perhaps even beat yourself up, but nothing seems to help.
It is time to consider that something other than you may be at work.
A demon or demons, familiar with your patterns, can barrage your thinking. They can mimic your voice and imitate your feelings.
Scripture tells us that the mind is the battlefield. Nevertheless, many give little thought to this and have no actual realization of how it works. Demons can and do wield control over us because of our ignorance.
Most believers do not realize the pervasiveness of the demonic and it is no small wonder. To be effective demons strive to remain hidden.
Many believers are lost in self-improvement projects. They are under the false assumption that it is a requirement for working out their salvation. The enemy takes full advantage of this erroneous thinking.
When you accepted Christ, you received His life. Instead of looking within yourself, you are to look away unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.i Victory is allowing Him to live His life through you.ii
Next time you find that you are wrestling with yourself, stop and consider . . .
Is it truly me . . . or . . . other than?
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
Photo: by Indamoon
STANDING ON THE WORD . . . are you sure
Standing on those books looks a bit precarious. Did I hear you say you wouldn’t suggest doing this for an extended time? Hmmm
Scripture abounds these days. There are scripture apps, scripture T-shirts, scripture for the day, scriptures for every subject, scripture, scripture, scripture.
Criticism also abounds around name it and claim it faith. Is it possible to be guilty of the very same thing? Is it possible for a deluge of verses to blind you? Blind you into thinking you know the Word, when all you really know is scattered verses?
There is also a smorgasbord of teachings, seminars, videos, books and the like. These can all be good things; however, it is important to make sure your foundation is solid and your direction focused by the Holy Spirit unto His purpose.
- God is Spirit and we are to worship Him in spirit and truth.
- In Christ, you are a new creation.
- You have been delivered out of the control of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God.
- Your real life is hid with Christ in God.
- You are seated with Christ in heavenly places.
- The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth . . .
Your new life is in the spirit and by the Spirit.
These and many other scriptures point to a life that no longer belongs to this world. How strong is your foundation in these things? Is your revelation continuing to increase? Is your gravitation toward heavenly things increasing?
Does your foundation need a few bricks or a little tuck-pointing?
If so, focus your attention, time and study toward things that bring you into a greater understanding of life in the Spirit.
I don’t mean to say we should not quote and share verses. To increase their richness, however, itemize the verses topically. Study them in the context in which they were written, ponder, chew and digest them.
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.i
TO DO THIS IS TO STAND ON THE WORD and wield the sword of the Spirit at the same time.
No balancing act required!
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
STEPPING INTO THE UNSEEN
THE ROAD YOU ARE ON IS ABOUT TO END . . .
You will be stepping into the unseen!
Ahead there appears to be nothing to guide you.
Must you step into this place?
How will you know where to walk?
Can you trust?
Will you go on, or will you be satisfied to stay in the place where you are?
Some 25 or so years ago, I too faced this decision. In a vision, I saw myself standing in the heavens at the end of a fenced road. The path ahead had neither fence to hold on to nor road to follow.
I understood what the vision represented. My perceived roads and fences, man’s direction and guidelines, could take me no farther. I would have to rely totally on the Holy Spirit’s direction. A choice must be made, step out, or come to a standstill.
God wants to wean us from dependence on what we can see and touch. We desire the security that this brings. How can we be safe without these earthly things? True safety only finds its place in total reliance on the Holy Spirit.
I believe all who are earnestly pressing in for more of God must make the decision to step into the heavenly way. God brings us to a place similar to that of the crossing of the Jordan River. Each must choose to cross over or continue to wander in his own wilderness.
T. Austin Sparks addresses the heavenly way like this:
There is no doubt about it that the majority of the Lord’s children know little, very little, about the heavenly way. Organized Christianity has become very largely an earthly thing, with earthly standards and conceptions and resources: therefore it has become spiritually very limited. In comparison with the heavens, this world is a very, very small thing. I mean that spiritually as well as illustratively. The kingdom of the heavens is a vast thing, far greater than any conception of man. God’s thoughts are as the heavens are high above the earth in range, outbounding all earthly conceptions, and not until we get well away from this earth do we realize on the one hand how miserably small we are and on the other hand in what a very much greater realm it is possible to move than that in which we do move – I mean spiritually. The great, great need of this time is that the people of God, the Church of God, should come into its true heavenly position, with its heavenly vision and vocation.i
Is it your time to move from the spiritually limited earthly way into the heavenly way? If so, you must be willing to step into the unseen.
It is indeed time to press into the deeper things of the Spirit. . .
ARE YOU SERIOUS . . . then pioneer
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
THE REALM OF THE SPIRIT
A REALM BEYOND
The realm of the spirit is a realm beyond, a very real place. It exists beyond the reach of your five senses. If you believe that only what your five senses perceive is real, it is time to rethink that paradigm.
Although the function and expanse of this dimension is greater, it is somewhat like the physical realm in that laws govern both. We make contact with the earth through our five senses. We make contact with the realm of the spirit through the senses of our spirit.
To understand this realm you must recognize that just as the physical realm has substance, so too does the spiritual realm.
Substance is defined as physical material from which something is made. John G. Lake described it as follows:
Now as to the composition of the personality of God, for God has a personality and a being and a substance. God is a Spirit and Spirit is a substance. That is the thing I am trying to emphasize. All heavenly things are of spiritual substance. The body of the angels is of some substance, not the same character of materiality as our own, for ours is an earthly materiality; but the composition of heavenly things is of a heavenly materiality. In other words, heavenly materiality is Spirit. The Word says "God is a Spirit" [John 4:24]. He is a Spirit. Therefore, "They that worship him must worship him in spirit."i
The substance of the things that God promises in His word exists and are stored in the realm of the spirit. By faith, we access that provision and bring it into the natural realm.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."ii
God's Word, spoken in faith, is substance.
Example: When my father contracted lung cancer, God gave me a word.
"When a wicked man turns from his wicked ways, he shall surely live, he shall not die."iii
At first, I did not recognize that it was a scripture. In fact, it directly related to my father's repentance and trust in Christ just days before (which I knew nothing about).
That word was substance to me. I warred, using that promise, as the enemy tried to take his life. With every apparent setback, I spoke that word into the realm of the spirit. I was releasing its substance — life! I was also establishing the boundary of the enemy. . . He shall live, he shall not die!
My father's turning point in intensive care was dramatic. He was on a ventilator, and had just failed a test to breathe on his own.
That night, in an open vision, he watched angelic and demonic activity around him. He heard the 'perfect man' sitting by his bedside say "you can go this far and no farther, the price has been paid!" Shortly after the 'man' helped the doctor remove the ventilator and he was gone. No one but my father ever saw him.
The doctor said, "We cannot explain what happened to you". My father's answer was "I asked my daughter to pray".
My father believed everything that he saw and heard was happening in the natural realm. It was, however, all transpiring in the realm of the spirit.
Spiritual substance exists in the realm of the spirit and then manifests in the natural realm. As we respond to the Word of God with faith and action, we release that substance. God's will can then be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Listen for the Word God quickens in your spirit and boldly declare it in faith.
It is time to release Kingdom substance
into the earth!
See also HOW DO I ACCESS THE SPIRITUAL REALM and EXPLORING THE UNSEEN
To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
Photo by Garlandcannon
i John G. Lake, His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith, p23
ii Heb 11:1
iii Ezekiel 18:28
GOD DESIRES A DWELLING PLACE...are you the man
God is looking for a resting place, a habitation in which to dwell. God wants to dwell – reveal, manifest Himself in the natural realm His way. For this to happen, He needs a people consecrated to Him.
God created man with a desire for fellowship. He has not changed in His desire.
- God desired to talk with His people, but they were afraid. They asked to hear through Moses.i
- God asks that they make a sanctuary that He may dwell among them.ii
- God instructs the building of the Mercy Seat. There He would meet with Moses and speak intimately of all He would give in commandments to Israel.iii
- God brought His people out of the land of Egypt to dwell among them.iv
God declares Heaven as His throne and the earth as His footstool, then where is the house that man can build for Him? Where can He find rest?v
BUT THIS IS THE MAN . . . to whom I will look and have regard, he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.vi
Although He inhabits eternity, God will dwell with those who are contrite and humble in spirit.vii
The definition of humble as a verb transitive means to destroy the power, independence, or prestige of. Defined as an adjective it is lacking all signs of pride, aggressiveness, or self-assertiveness.
The definition of contrite is to be overcome by a sense of guilt and a desire for atonement; penitent – crushed by or showing sincere remorse.
We ought never to sin, but we should always have sorrow for sin. A contrite inner life helps one to confess instantly and not to hide those little points others notice are unlike the Lord. With a contrite heart, we can know the mind of God.
Stop for a moment and consider the wonder of God’s desire. He wants to dwell with man. The tabernacle was a picture of the spiritual reality that would come with Christ’s finished work. He dwelt in the tabernacle waiting for the time when He could dwell within His people.
Who is the man … God desires to dwell in you! Will He find the resting place He is looking for? Humble yourself and draw near to Him in prayer. Invite Him to prepare your heart to be His resting place.
God desires a dwelling place . . . are you the man?
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
[i] Exodus 20:19
[ii] Exodus 25:8
[iii] Exodus 25:21-22
[iv] Exodus 30:46
[v] Isa 66:1
[vi] Isa 66:2 Amp
[vii] Isa 57:15
SO . . . YOU WANT KINGDOM POWER
The power of the kingdom of God is contained in a seed.i You determine the fate of that seed!
The kingdom of God is that spiritual state in which the life of God and of heaven is made accessible to men, and they enter into its enjoyment here on earth.ii
In order to possess the privileges and powers of the kingdom, it must first possess you!
Begin by embracing the truth that no good thing dwells in you.iii It is only then that you will acknowledge your emptiness and be willing to surrender. You will then recognize the need for casting out all that is dark and evil, so that God can fill you.
Next, the kingdom of God must take root in your heart. Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, likening it to seed.
If you have been a Christian for a while, I am sure you have heard the parable of the seed.iv Jesus told his disciples that if they did not understand this parable they would not understand any other parables.
With it being that important, we had better take a closer look at its personal application.
Jesus addressed three types of ground: stony, thorny, and fertile. He clearly addresses the obstacles to overcome for the seed to take root.
The sower sows the word . . . God sows seed in many ways. His sheep hear His voice. The Holy Spirit speaks to us personally, through teachings, and through circumstances, to name a few.
…Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.v
Breaking up the ground is part of the process of removal of all that is resistant to the kingdom of God within us. Receiving the seed on good ground guarantees a harvest of heaven on earth. Regular soil checks are required.
Furthermore, you need to tend the seed. You need to personalize the word of God, pray about it, and seek the Lord for the production in your heart of His purposes and promises.
To detect stony or thorny ground, watch your response after the sowing of the seed. Does your attention turn to worldly things with hardly a pause? Do you return to the concerns, frets, and frustrations that previously worried you? Do you quickly forget what the Holy Spirit quickened to you? These are indications of stony or thorny ground. Satan is watching to steal the seed!
Cultivate the ground continually. Your immediate response to seed planted may appear to be wonderful. If you have not prepared your heart, however, when troubles and trials come, you will not endure. This is when the temptation to be offended presents itself.
Be watchful of offense, the enemy is after the Word! Pay attention. You may be all wrapped up in the trial, but be aware, the purpose is greater than you realize. The persecution has a plan behind it. If you are offended, you open the way for the enemy to steal the Word (the seed).
…when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.vi
Our heart is meant to be the dwelling place of God. Let us cultivate and guard it.
Where God dwells, there is
kingdom power!
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries[i] Mark 4:30-32
THE DYNAMIC DUO . . . fear and control
“The closest to being in control we will ever be is in that moment when we realize we’re not." i
Control is everywhere. Fear and control form a two-sided coin. Together this dynamic duo stalks the airways. The prince of the power of the air rules this present age and control is his calling card.ii
There is external control and internal control. External control is somewhat easier to see, as in the diagram above. Internal control often hides behind things we consider understandable and justifiable.
Control hinders your ability to walk in the Spirit. Control blocks revelation. Control blocks your access to the deeper places in the spirit.
Control is insidious and can hide in seemingly innocent places. Aside from the obvious desire to have your own way, consider the following:
- Wherever you have fear, you will likely find yourself subtly trying to control your surroundings or the situation so that you feel secure.
- Look around in the areas you experience worry. God instructs us to be anxious for nothing. Anxiety is a form of fear and leads back to control.
- At times, your concern for those close to you may lead to control. If someone near to you gets in trouble, it will affect your world. Concern subtly masks you desire to control what will affect you.
- The flesh wants to control. It wars with the Spirit.iii
- Relationships can fall prey to the control of one person over another.
- Many societal and religious norms considered acceptable are just sanctified forms of control.
- And the list goes on . . .
Realizing you don’t have to control the world is freedom indeed!
Ask the Holy Spirit to expose control in and around you. Allow Him to direct your course. Releasing people and situations into the hand of the Lord brings peace.
Look forward to the increased freedom that this brings in your walk with Him.
*For more on control read Attach, Go for the Blood, a free PDF book available in the resource section of our website below.
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
RESURRECTION GROUND ... in His Presence
Resurrection ground is the place of His presence.
It is heavenly ground. As you quiet yourself in His presence, you find rest.CHOOSE YOUR GROUND PARTNER presented two types of ground, natural and resurrection. Your choice would be to live on resurrection ground. Don’t we all want to live there?
We can live on natural ground by default, no action required. In the book of Joshua God gave His people the Promised Land. However, they had to possess that land by faith and force!
You say you want to live on resurrection ground? Your faith and force will determine whether you will take that land. Then permanent residence requires that you continually maintain the ground.
For maintenance, remember that your mind is your battlefield. You must pull down every high thing and bring every thought captive.i
The devil's constant contention is that "God is not good ... you cannot trust Him!"
Back away, when you feel yourself baited. Tempted to fear, worry, concern, or trying to resolve an issue out of your own understanding.
Remember THE INDY 500–AM I LOSING THE RACE . Many thoughts cycle like cars on a racetrack. You can't separate a car from the track; it will only draw you back into the cycling.
IT IS TIME TO BACK INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD . . .
It is not a mere suggestion to cast all your cares upon Him for He careth for you, it is a command. That command continues with …
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour.ii
Exercise your mind in these instructions:
- Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.iii
Back away from the track of cycling thoughts and back into the presence of God. As you do this, there is freedom to seek His wisdom on the pressing issues of life. He who sees the end from the beginning, as well as what He is working on in your life, will direct your steps.
Practice makes perfect, and you prove this adage as you exercise your soul in these disciplines.
Now, take a moment, close your eyes. Picture yourself backing into . . .HIS PRESENCE
It is a real place that you access by faith!
**To learn more about walking and living in the spirit go to Midway Ministries
ii 1 Peter 5:7-8
iii Phil 4:6-7
Photo: Resurrection Sunday by Luza
TO BE OR NOT TO BE ... sin conscious
What are you focusing on?
- Are you making a list? Does it include right, wrong, good, bad, success, and failure. Does your day end with a pass or fail grade written over it?
- Do you focus on your actions to decide if you have succeeded or failed before God?
- Do you live under a cloud of accusation?
- Do you have a persistent obsession of your own sinfulness, weakness, and helplessness?
Believers are to come boldly into the throne room of grace. Although we are aware of our own unworthiness and weakness, we must take hold of what Christ has done on our behalf.
Your focus must be on Christ!
TO BE OR NOT TO BE … sin conscious
Heb 9: 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 10: 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Think about that!
The worshippers, once cleansed, would have no more conscience of sins. This is the perfect conscience.
In those sacrifices, made year by year, there is a continual reminder of sin. It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. What is impossible through the law Christ has accomplished. Through His own blood, He takes away not only guilt, but also our sin.
When the heavenly reality of this type and shadow appears, the cleansing is complete. The Amplified Bible states it this way:
Since the worshipers had once for all been cleansed, they would no longer have any guilt or consciousness of sin.
I am not saying that there is no need to deal with sin. We must have a keen sense toward sin, but we should not be living in sin consciousness.
Sin consciousness keeps us focused on ourselves, pathetic and powerless in prayer. It also opens the door to accepting the accusations of Satan.
Embrace the finished work of Christ on your behalf and live in the victory of a life that is fully God conscious!
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
THINK . . . REVELATION AHEAD
How many days do we go through life on automatic pilot?
Work, eat, relate, relax, play, sleep, repeat. Unless we rouse ourselves from such mundane routines, we relegate our lives to a visionless existence.Our walk with God is to be an advance!
Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand). i
The children of Israel knew the acts of God. Moses knew not only His acts, but also His ways. God spoke with him face to face.
God wants FaceTime with you!
He wants you to grow in the knowledge of Him and His ways. It is personal relationship, personal revelation, personal understanding.But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.ii
This kind of revelation comes through the spirit. When you are born of the Spirit, you are equipped to perceive beyond the natural world. You are equipped to see His working, purpose, and path for you! (consider EXPLORING THE UNSEEN )
Exciting, is it not? Do you have a new revelation of Him today? Are you seeking it?
He is a rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him!iii
. . . Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.iv
The definition of the word Selah in the amplified Bible is pause and think of that. It is a reminder to take time to wait on the Lord. Actively pursue and expect revelation.
Think – Revelation Ahead is a modern Selah. Press into what God desires to reveal to you. He is true to His promises. Your part is to ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking.
*To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to Midway Ministries
[i] Jer 33:3 Amp
[ii] 1 Cor 2:9-10
[iii] Heb 11:6
[iv] Luke 11:9-10 Amp
Photo: Silhouette by aprile24