What is Delay?
Delay is defined as the act of making someone or something late, slow or postponed.
Taking that perspective into consideration, and adding a spiritual angle, i want to provide a more robust definition for what the word “Delay” may mean in the life of a Child of God. The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:11 “..so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs..” – this scripture imparts the knowledge in us that there may be external forces behind certain situations and experiences (such as delay). This indicates delay is more than a random dictionary word – It means far more in the life of a believer.
First and foremost, delay is a spirit; Its called the spirit of delay. Only when you identify a thing properly can you know what you are dealing with. Secondly, delay or much rather the spirit of delay is a tool or weapon of the devil used for very specific purposes which we will soon find out in this teaching. Third it is “fashioned” against God’s children (the redeemed AKA Christians) and any soul who dears draw close to the true light of God – Christ Jesus. In fact, when a Christian recites the very common prayer “no weapon fashioned against me shall prosper” – the spirit of delay should be the very first if there was a succinct list of such weapons”
Combining these two perspectives (secular & spiritual) I define Delay as a tool used by the enemy to slow down the sons and daughters of God from achieving their dreams and walking in God’s blessings for them in this physical realm
As usual – This message is not for everybody. It is specifically written for that man or woman wondering why certain things are so in his or her life and for those who long for meat rather than milk.
Let me take sometime to give this message some background:
Everything that occurs in life (this physical world) takes its root first, in the spiritual realm. You just bought a new house or car? Congrats! It was permitted in the spiritual before it manifested in the physical. Finally got a letter of employment or promotion from your boss? I’m happy for you! That too, evolved in the unseen realm before manifesting here. Have you been wooing that lady and she finally said yes? Nice! Even that story had first, been written in the Heavens. The scripture declares in John 3:27 , “A man can receive NOTHING except it is GIVEN him from Heaven” – Dearly Beloved, whether you accept it or not, the spiritual realm, which we do not see controls this physical world which we see and respond to. It will be the height of ignorance for a child of God to live with the mindset that events and Incidents occur randomly. No! Everything has its root in the spiritual realm and what manifests for our two eyes to behold are simply the branches and leaves; the evidence of a tree! The fact that there are leaves and branches for your eyes to see imply that there are roots planted deep within the soil to make it happen. In like manner, the fact that there is a creation points to the fact that there is a Creator whom we do not see. I cannot over emphasize this but I trust the Spirit of Truth to reveal this to you.
Now that we’ve established that, may I say it one last time?! – the fact that you cannot see the root of any tree does not change the truth that it exists. it’s always been there. You may choose to attack situations from the roots or ignore them and suffer what I call spiritual bullying by the devil.
The spirit of delay is a stubborn persistent spirit that is assigned to buffet a person or family. Notice the choice of words. Stubborn meaning it can be hard to get rid of and even when dealt with, often seeks to come back. Persistent in the sense that it focuses on the steal, kill or destroy mission and can remain in a family for generations. It seeks to destroy your relationship with God, kill your joy or steal your time.
The spirit of delay manifests in various ways, but perhaps the most common are these:
- Delays in career or in business. You get close to finishing a deal, signing a new client or receiving a promotion when suddenly that thing terminates and you are taken back to the starting point
- Delays in marriage
- Delays in childbirth
- Delays marking major milestones in life which others have easily achieved. Examples can be graduating college, buying a house or whatever is important to you
If you happen to fall into one of these categories or notice such similar patterns of delay in your life (perhaps in other areas not mentioned), then hear what the Spirit has to say to you today. Now more than ever, it is important you grasp the content of this message.
2 biblical references to support this teaching.
Daniel 10:12-13
“Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.
But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia”
2 Corinthians 4: 17-18
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last.
So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen (spirits fall into the category of what is unseen and for the purpose of this teaching, we focus on the spirit of delay), since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Our first text talks about Daniel who was used mightily by God. He had spent time in prayer. Infact the Bible explains he had humbled himself to seek understanding from God and an angel was dispatched as an answer to his prayer. 21days later the angel arrives with Daniel’s answer which according to him (this angel) was released since the very first day he made supplication to the Lord. The next statement made by the angel (whose name was not mentioned) is very powerful. We should accept the words of angels (spirit beings) who live and operate in a different world.
Afterall… Angels, if anyone, can better explain what happens in the realm they belong to. This particular angel testified, “.. for 21 days (that’s 3 full weeks), the prince of Persia blocked my way until Michael, one of the arch-angels (one of the highest levels of angelic authority in the spiritual realm) came to help me.” On the account of this angel we can see that the enemy takes serious interest in delaying the answers to the prayer requests Christians make. The second and very important revelation we learn here is that it takes a prince to fight a prince in the heavens. There is hierarchy even among angels & demons and it will be wise to know what level of principality or power you are dealing with in order to fully equip yourself for the season of battle, by wearing the whole armor of God – Ephesians 6:11-18
1. What is an indication that the spirit of delay may be the root cause of my problems?
The spirit of delay is revealed in so many ways. Perhaps, the most common way is revelation through dreams. Another way is revelations during prayer or by the nudge of the HolySpirit. Others have received warnings through anointed ministers of the gospel, prophets or through random unexpected encounters with people who flow in the gift of the word of knowledge
Revelation through Dreams:
As Believers, we receive revelation knowledge from the Lord, through dreams. How? You are a spirit. You live in a body. You possess a soul. Also, “God Almighty is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” , when you fall asleep, have a dream and see yourself, who or what you see, is your spirit being.
While this earthen vessel called our body may grow weary and sleep, spirits don’t slumber nor sleep. Thus, God communicates with our spirit man through dreams. Job 33: 14-15 declares “For God does speak again and again, though people do not recognize it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.”
One way God gets our attention on important matters (such as the presence of the spirit of delay) is through dreams
In like manner, other spirits (that is not of God) may show up as an indication of something you need to be warned of, informed of, observe or deal with in prayer. It’s not even unusual for people to engage in warfare in their dreams but that’s a message for another day.
Believers need to take note when they begin to notice patterns of vivid recurring dreams hinting about delay. Such dreams may have variations but still the exact same message.
Dream Variations indicating delay may include but are not limited to:
- Getting down on one train station to catch the next train but this next train seems to be taking you back to the very beginning. You can’t seem to get to your destination
- Packing your bags to catch a flight but not ever making it to the airport or on the plane
- Getting into a car but the keys won’t start the engine so the car won’t move
- You’re sitting still in a bus or bus station that won’t move
- Women may dream of being pregnant but not giving birth. (Not necessarily an indication of giving a physical baby .. could be an indication of a heartfelt aspiration or a business dealing or promotion being delayed)
- Giving birth to twins but one baby comes in, a loooong time after the first baby (especially significant, when expecting 2 breakthroughs simultaneously)
- Writing an exam that has no end or which you are still writing when others have long finished.
- Waiting in a line which you can’t see the end of or being stagnant in a queue
- Walking where others are jogging or running.
- Another variation is jogging when others are running
2. Why does the spirit of delay manifest?
There are four main reasons I’ll provide. Possibly more reasons exist but the 4 are these:
– to steal your joy, kill your expectation or destroy your hope in God
– to postpone or slow down the manifestation of the blessing God has in store for His Children.
– To frustrate God’s people
– To make God’s people blame Him for the mishaps in their lives and eventually lose faith then stop worshipping Him
3. Where do we find delay?
Individuals. Families. Organizations
Delay may enter through one person into the lives of others – just as sin entered the world through one man; Adam.
Let’s take a look at an average everyday occurrence: A random man and woman meet and begin dating. They fall in love and eventually give their bodies to each other by way of intercourse (an entry way into one’s spirit). Note: the spirit of delay is passed on like a gift from one to another during sexual intercourse. They eventually get married and if still not dealt with, may be passed down to the next generation through birth.
It is extremely important to deal with this spirit as soon as you identify it in your life. More important is the question why it has stayed so long in your life without the spiritual authority over you identifying this problem – *another reason why serious Christians don’t just join ANY random church. The church you join is perhaps as important as how far you will go in life and how they equip you for heaven.
Delay may also be experienced by an organization if the head of that business is dealing with that problem. In like manner countries or Kingdoms. When famines hit great kingdoms in the Bible, we see examples where their prosperity is severely slowed down or postponed. It takes the grace of God to uncover the face of delay and deal with it at its root.
4. How does the spirit of delay enter into the life of a Christian?
I have touched on much of this already but a brief recap will do.
*Sin. When there are holes in your armor an entry path has been exposed to the devil
*Intercourse. With someone who’s already dealing with that problem. It’s an open door into your spirit.
*By blood relations; Passed down
from Parent to Sibling at birth. One generation to another
*By exposure to certain rites or rituals. Africans are most familiar with this. Traditional naming ceremonies or burial rites may be breeding ground for various evil spirits
*Lastly, By just being a Christian whom the devil sees as a reasonable threat. Sadly but true this last one is quite confusing. As seen in the example of Daniel, we don’t know of any sin he committed or of other exposed entry doors before the prince (principality/demon) of the Kingdom of Persia decided to “delay” his blessing. If the enemy sees you as a big enough threat he may assign a spirit of delay to buffet you.
5. How does a Christian conquer the spirit of delay?
Jesus said, “I have given you power over all powers of the enemy” this means victory is ours if we come against this spirit in the name of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
However, a lot of Christians are totally ignorant of the operation of this spirit in their lives. Ignorance is no excuse. As a matter of fact, it’s the more reason why the spirit of delay may keep bullying you if not properly identified and immediately dealt with.
Solution: The spirit of delay is conquered through serious prayer & fasting. It falls under “this kind” which Jesus spoke about in Matthew 17:21 and Mark 9:29 “Jesus replied, THIS KIND goes not out but by prayer and fasting” – Let me tell you what that scripture means; it means certain spirits that have been in your life or family may have been there for generations – these stubborn spirits are categorized under ‘this kind’ meaning it’s a special situation that requires special handling. In other words, you don’t joke with it. You set out time to deal with it and depending on how deep it’s roots are in your life you’ll need to either embark on a 3, 7 or 14 days fasting + serious prayers. Some may even require 21 or 40days fasting. Seek out a prayer partner, one who is a prayer warrior or intercessor (for married couples; your spouse will be sufficient if they are a believer.
A sibling will also be great to agree with when praying for your family) – believe in the power of agreement and the both of you set out time for a short season to break the yoke of delay in your life or family. The word of God teaches us “while one will chase a thousand, two will put ten thousand to flight because the Lord is on their side” – Deuteronomy 32:30
In conclusion, I must reference the second scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. I paraphrase, “look not on the things that are seen but what is unseen. For the things that are seen are temporary but the unseen are eternal.”
It is important to note that when Christians are facing delay in any area of their life (business, employment, marriage, education, promotions, etc) we must learn to look above the person or situation. No it’s not your boss delaying you. Neither is it sister Mary or brother John. Your life experiences have their roots in the spiritual and you must deal with it there to see noticeable changes. keep in mind delay is not denial. It’s merely a weapon fashioned to slow you down in life and frustrate you. It’s the purest form of spiritual bullying and those who know their rights in Christ, nip it in the bud before it goes on to the next generation.
As a general rule, we Christians must also do our part in not encouraging delay. If there is any obligation you must carry out while waiting for the manifestation of your answered prayer, you must do it speedily. This means rejecting laziness, rebuking the procrastination in you and being diligent in your duties towards God and man.
If John 3:27 explains “A man can receive nothing except it is given him from Heaven
“then it must mean,
when we pray and ask the Lord for a blessing ,it can only manifest here on earth (what is seen – physical world) if it is permitted in the Heavens (what is unseen – spiritual realm).
But even at that, and taking the perspective of Daniel’s encounter with delay… when an Angel or Person is dispatched as an answer to your prayer, the spirit of delay can hold up your “blessing” so that you become frustrated and believe God has not answered you. It takes serious warfare in the spiritual realm before that blessing eventually manifests here on earth. That warfare is conducted in a closet called a “prayer room” as such battles are fought and won in humility before the Lord on bended knees.
When victory over delay is yours at last, you’ll experience what the Apostle Paul described when he said “our troubles produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and that will last forever”
Thanks for reading.