He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep water. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. | Psalm 18:16-19

The Lord gave me a picture recently of a person walking down a long, winding dirt road. They had with them many bags of heavy luggage. In this picture, the person put down their luggage one by one, leaving it on the ground. Then I watched, as they began to walk forward, not looking back at the baggage they had left behind. There was a new spring in their step, whereas before they could barely walk. Everything felt so much more light now that the heavy luggage had been released. The person I had been observing was now quickly advancing, moving along the road with much speed and ease.

I believe that the luggage in the picture was symbolic in regards to “baggage” and burdens that many in the body of Christ have been feeling heavily weighed down with. These burdens may represent wounding of the soul, fear of the future, unanswered questions . . . the list can go on. Yet, as we release our baggage, just like the person in the picture, we will see a new hope begin to rise. As we let go, we will have a new confidence and a great sense of expectancy of the Father’s goodness begin to well up from inside of us.

I hear the Lord saying, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). When you lay down your burdens at My feet, you will come into a new place of freedom; you will run with great ease through the places where you once felt you could barely walk.”

Those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31)

I sense that the Lord is bringing many out of what has been a long and extended season of feeling confined. He is guiding them into a new, spacious place of freedom. As it says in the Book of Psalms, “The Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19).

I see prison doors that were formally locked beginning to fling wide open. Chains that had once held many captive are being broken, and people are walking out completely free and unbound. What used to hold down the children of God is losing its grip. The grave clothes are coming off, and the Father is adorning these precious ones with new and glorious garments. Their countenance will be barely recognizable, now that they are walking in new found freedom!

I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).

I see flowers of vivid color and beauty popping up out of what used to be a barren field. New life is springing forth out of what was once a desert place. The Lord is giving you beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy where there was once mourning (Isaiah 61:3). Watch, as you will release the very freedom and healing to others that you, too, have received. Freely you have received, so freely give (Matthew 10:8).

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

I declare life to your barren places and new strength and hope to you today in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners . . . to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. | Isaiah 61:1-3