Uncharted Territory
For the last couple weeks I’ve been hearing “uncharted territory” and the Lord led me to some wisdom about entering in to it. I can’t tell you what season you are in but if this word is for you, it will have been confirmed by His Spirit. Do not come in to agreement with anything the Lord is not speaking to you directly. This wisdom can be stored for the Holy Spirit to bring back up in the right time but as for the purpose of this post, I am simply here to share. This is going to be dense. Take it back to the Lord in prayer. Glory be to God.
When you type “uncharted territory” into a search engine this is what you will find:
“Uncharted territory" refers to something new, unfamiliar, or unexplored, whether literally (like a physical location) or figuratively (like a new situation or idea). It signifies a space where there are no existing maps, plans, or established knowledge to guide you.
Elaboration:
Literal meaning:
In a literal sense, "uncharted territory" describes a place that has not been mapped or explored. This could be a region of the Earth that is undiscovered, or a part of the ocean that hasn't been charted.
Figurative meaning:
More commonly, "uncharted territory" is used figuratively to describe a situation, experience, or topic that is new and unfamiliar. It can refer to a new venture in business, a step into the unknown in personal life, or the exploration of a new scientific field.
Key characteristics:
When something is described as "uncharted territory," it implies that:
It is unknown.
It lacks established guidelines or precedent.
It requires exploration and potentially experimentation.
It may present risks or challenges.
Now that we have an understanding of what exactly uncharted territory is; I want to share with you how the Lord encouraged me to and warned me not to enter it. You can find biblical representation of this type of situation in Deuteronomy and Joshua. Specifically in Moses’s address to the Israelites and Joshuas instructions to inspect the land before entering it. Let those with ears to hear, hear.
The Lord showed me a gate, I was driving through it to go to a destination. As I drove through, I was faced with a choice. I had to decide where I was going to park my car. The parking lot was large, there were spaces free in all areas. I considered my options, I could park closer to the destination and have a shorter walk to get in or I could focus on the exit strategy just in case things went wrong and I needed to get out. I thought maybe I could back in to a parking spot near the gate I came in through so if I needed to get out quickly I could run to my car. Parking there would be a lot longer of a walk to the destination, though. When I woke up I knew exactly what parking lot the Lord showed me. This specific parking lot has another exit on the other side that you wouldn’t know about if you hadn’t gone further up, closer to the building— you come up and around and there’s an exit on the other end. In my dream, I hadn’t even explored far enough to see the opening at the other end. I was too concerned about the exit strategy for fear of the unknown. I was entering uncharted territory with a spirit of fear; willing to delay my walk to make myself more comfortable in the event there was a failure of some sort. I wasn’t fully committed to the new in confidence. I was already setting up to backslide.
Then God laid it out for me. He said, “Some of my children have been released in to the new but are going in to it with a fear of the unknown. They do not understand my ways and are walking in to uncharted territory with an expectation of failure. They have cracks in their faith by finding comfort in leaving open doors to their past as a safety net. They can have no other gods before me. My children have altars to their pasts. They do not know me.” In this way the Lord revealed to me a hidden idol that keeps His children from progressing quickly. I was reminded of when Jacob finally heard from the Lord and was released to lead his family but they were stopped in the middle of their journey home by Rachel’s father, who came after her because she was sitting on hidden idols that she carried. Every idol is an open door. Let’s expose and break down this one.
The way you live your day to day life is a reflection of your position in Christ. Are you keeping people, places and things from your old life in close proximity in case this walk doesn’t work out or you need to run away? This is a way of thinking that branches off from a fear of commitment. It serves as a comfort while living in survival mode. A lot of times this is picked up in childhood when we are conditioned to make plans and never see them through or constantly faced with unexpected changes that were chaotic or intense. As children, our parents in this world do not prepare us for the new. The Lord, however, is not like that. He wants to give us strategy. Somewhere along the line we developed a fear of the unknown so we started building comfort in familiar places. Things we could relate to at a young age that grounded us; even if those things were exit strategies. For example: Say you grew up in an abusive household and you developed unhealthy attachments with friends because home was scary and you could run to sleepovers as often as you needed to get away. While in childhood this was safe, as an adult we carry this habit into our life to always have an exit strategy, just in case. Later this can look like being released in to a new city or job but hesitating because no one that you know is near so you don’t have a place to go. Staying close to friends is safer for you than to trust God in His leading. Another example could be growing up moving from place to place, so often that you have trouble connecting with people without expectation of them leaving. In adult life, you don’t value connection as much as the Lord intended so you keep the family God gave you at a distance always waiting for separation to be forced. It builds friendships on a foundation of close physical proximity but spiritual separation for protection of our hearts. We try to make ourselves comfortable to not get too close for fear of abandonment. Both of these seriously hinder our understanding of trust and intimacy. One more example would be in finances. If we have experienced a childhood with unstable finances we tend to develop a hoarding mentality and prevent ourselves from living the life we are meant to because we have a fear around money causing us to either build a giant savings as our comfort or not move in to new territory for fear of new expenses. This can present itself in us in many ways these are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head.
When we give our lives to the Lord the first thing He wants to do is build intimacy in a relationship with us. The first intimate relationship we’re ever supposed to have is with our parents and if we were raised in a way that clouded our understanding of it, we are met with difficulty. In the Kingdom of God there is no need for building an exit strategy for comfort. Fear of failure or the unknown is an open door to the enemy. How can you fear failure if God has led you to a place— does He not win every battle? Your fear will not change His victory record. The enemy can not take away what God has given you but He can keep you from ever fully stepping in to it by making you intimidated in uncharted territory or creating the illusion that you will be trapped. The same way you entered is not the same way you will leave but you can’t even begin to have eyes on the possibilities that are being opened to you if you aren’t willing to explore fully.
As we get further in to our walk we will eventually have to come into agreement with the fact that what once was comfort in the unknown has now become an idol and carrying that idol will only delay the process. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort!” The source. He is the source of comfort— the connections to your past being your comfort would be putting them in the place of God. This is how we make our past seasons an idol. This is how we make the places we would run to for validation or belonging, our god. If your thought process sounds like, “If I get too far away from my old life and too deep into the new one, I won’t have anywhere to run away to when I am betrayed or when I am abandoned or when I am rejected.” — this is for you. You may have verbally given God your “yes” but this type of mindset is actually a “maybe” and God doesn’t work in “maybe’s”. You can find more on that when reading all of 1 Corinthians chapter 1.
The psychological need to always look for an exit strategy stems from the desire to manage risk. It’s a control thing. So how do you surrender. It really is easier said than done but no one ever said this walk was easy. Running back to old ways when triggered is as easy as you make it. What cracks are you leaving in doors you were meant to shut? We have the ability to choose spiritual hygiene. When we are sanctified of something we can fully be cleansed of it and protect our eye gates and ear gates from it. Here’s an example; we have the authority and full control over what we have in our phones. Are you keeping peoples numbers that you have been moved away from? Do your social medias reflect the new or the old? Who do you follow? Do they speak to the version of you from before or the person you are becoming? Do you have old memories stored up on apps that are reminding you of places that once were fun but now are painful? What we see and hear have an effect on our minds. What your phone looks like is either a place of exploration of the new self or an altar built in memory of the old self. The old you is meant to be dead— are you still reminiscent of who you were? Stuck in the realms of your dead spirit? Break down the idol. Delete the pictures of all the things you used to do with all the people you used to know. Delete the horoscope apps. Let what nailed Jesus to the cross be nailed to the cross. Don’t carry it with you into the new for memories sake. We are not like the world. What we carry in our pockets shouldn’t glorify or memorialize the version of ourselves we’ve been delivered from. Stop answering the calls from your past if you wish to answer the calls from the Lord. Don’t miss out on opportunities in the new because you couldn’t detach from the old. You determine how you walk but wisdom would say to walk wholeheartedly. If you are wholeheartedly committed to the new— renounce the old with your whole heart, too. This was just an example, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what needs to be revealed specific to you.
So we know how not to enter uncharted territory— let’s explore the how to’s. When the Lord is releasing you into the new it’s important to remember who He is. There are truths we can come into agreement with and ways we can structure our prayers in this season for preparation and exploration. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there is a time for everything and so as you are walked into the new; it’s wise to ask the Lord, “What time is it?”. Just like He led the Israelites day and night, He wants to lead you too. He wants to go before you and trail behind. He wants to feed you in the ways you need fed. Once you have let go of the fear of the unknown you can properly explore. The enemy can not keep your mind distracted and now you can focus on receiving strategy. You can go in like a scout and observe, taking an account of what you see and the wisdom of how to navigate it. One thing I often remind myself is that the promised land was not rid of enemies as the Israelites entered it but instead God sent them in as He dealt with their enemies one by one. They fell back to back because it was not the Israelites taking the Land, it was God. Going in to uncharted territory there are some things you want to remember.
You are confident and comfortable taking the next step because you know God is with you and He is faithful.
There is no need for perfection, just humility and openness to correction.
You have authority in the name of Jesus to move in the way He leads that no enemy can steal, kill or destroy what God has set out for you.
Jesus died on the cross so we could be reconciled with God giving us access through the Holy Spirit to divine council, guidance and wisdom but its our responsibility to access it through action.
The firmness of your stand is a reflection of the validity of your faith. When you start to lose your footing you have a God that will comfort you so long as He is the SOURCE of your comfort.
The gift of prophecy is the privilege of witnessing the works of the Lord. You are not responsible for the outcome, you are responsible for obedience.
I hope this blesses the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of the ones that read it. Grateful for the honor of sharing and feel blessed to walk with those the Lord allows to go deeper in mentorship regarding their stand through 1:1 coaching or entering the LTASH community. The LTASH Training course was created to teach others how to train their spirit to walk in the anointing making it easier to go through the wilderness by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Payment plans have been established for easier access. Kingdom keys are required, seek His face.
Until next time,
Ari
