The New Year marks a point on the calendar, a change of seasons, and starting fresh. The old man time, again yields to the baby new, and a new year begins…again. But how do we prepare ourselves to enter into the New Year new? God continually is making all things new, even up to the point in Revelation 21:5, when we see the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem and hear the Father say, “Behold, I make all things new.”
Here are five things I have found to help me leave the old and enter the new:
1) Look back over the year you have been through. Taking inventory can be very helpful to finish one year and start a new year. We understand this with taxes. We recognize that after December 31st, we cannot claim something done as being done in the prior year. So, we take inventory to see if we are finished, or want to sow money to the church, give a gift to a child, or sell a stock, etc. etc.
2) Give thanks for the year you have pass through. Giving thanks is the attitude of gratitude that brings clarity as well as closure. Even if this was the worst year on record, there are some things we can be thankful for. We can be thankful for those unexpected blessings, the strength that we were given to pass through the year, that the year wasn’t worse, and that it is over.
3) Forgive the rest. Canceling debts and expectations allows us to enter into the New Year without carrying debts. Emotional debts are things we haven’t forgiven and released to God. They often accumulate around ourselves as we bemoan past actions and lost opportunities. It’s important to forgive (let go), so we can begin without carrying last year’s troubles into this year.
4) Review your promises. We all have promises from God. Some of us carry journals, for others its the hopes we have for life. It’s important to allow ourselves to dream, and imagine life better. To see change, to behold promises, and imagine how things will be different. Some change is natural coming with time. Rehearse that new change coming. Some things are promises that defy the natural circumstances we are in. Here we glorify God for His ability to perform all things He has promised, even when it appears impossible for Him to do so.
5) Prophesy your New Year. Elijah prophesied rain, when there was not a cloud in the sky. It’s important to proclaim the things we see and hear and are believing for. It’s not necessary to declare them to other people, as it is to God and yourself. Our declaration of our future found in His presence, and His promises, is the confession of hope that brings great pleasure to the Father. This is our future. You cannot be too bold or too large, when it comes to declaring with the Father His future for us. He can do exceedingly above all that we can ask or imagine. So, imagine big! Ask big!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday December 30, 7 pm: I will be sharing “Position Yourself for Breakthrough”. With our last service of 2015, it’s time to take ahold of the Lord, His word, and His power, and step into the New Year by faith. We will find the sound of heaven over each of us, located inside of His promises for us. We will then step into the New Year in victory. Breakthrough before the New Year.
Sunday January 3, 9 am: I will be sharing “Have You Heard? – Part 1”. This first part (The second part will be during the 11 am service) is awakening our imagination to enter into what the Lord is saying over us. His sound, promise, and power – That is going to grow until it is seen by our neighbors and nations. But first we have to hear it.
Sunday, 10:20 am: Nations Prayer – Inside our hearts is faith, inside of God are nations, He said, “Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.” Psalm 2:8 This is the time we do just that. The first and last 5 minutes are for “Prayer in humility”.
Sunday, 11 am: I will be sharing “Have You Heard? – Part 2”. Living inside of our resurrected inheritance. First we learn to dwell and know; then hope shifts into expectancy and glorifying God. But what follows (Which is where we are entering) is the demonstration of God bringing back our captivity (Like for Job), our resurrected inheritance. Then we shall be to Him a name of joy, praise and honor before all the nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good He does for us.
