This season we’re in right now is very exciting and one of my favorite
times of the year. I love it because it is a time of reflection and
projection. It’s great to be able to look back on the past year and
reflect on things that we have accomplished or maybe things that we have
failed to do. It’s also a time of projecting by looking ahead and
considering what we hope to accomplish in the New Year.
This message will have somewhat of a prophetic edge in the respect that I believe it will be a clearly defined word for you.
There is a Roman pagan god—Janus—which was a two-faced figure with one face looking into the past and the other looking into the future. Now, I’m certainly not in favor of false, pagan gods! I am stating that it is good for us to occasionally look back and see where we’ve been, and then in turn, look ahead so we can see where we’re going.
During this season, it is a good thing for us to reflect on the past year and to also project and look into the future. Let’s make some decisions! I’m not into New Year’s resolutions because frankly, I do not keep them. I am one of those guys that the Sports Center back in Fayetteville, NC, used to love. I’m the person who committed, “I’m gonna get in shape and lose weight. Bless the Lord, I’m going to do this, and I’m going to do that.” Oftentimes, I have fell miserably short in those resolutions. So I quit making New Years’ resolutions a long time ago.
How many people will join the gym this week? I think most fitness centers could apply the 20/80 rule to this. Out of the hundred that will sign up, about eighty of them will fall away within the first ninety days. Twenty percent might continue for a little longer than that, but they would really be fortunate if they kept the equivalent of the tithe (ten percent) for a year or longer.
It is a time of year when people will typically make all sorts of commitments that they really don’t intend to fulfill. If they really intended to do it, they would carry through with their actions. They think about doing it, and they think that since they’ve made a decision to accomplish something, that they are doing it.
It would certainly behoove us to look at some of the issues in our lives, and this is the prophetic point. Everyone needs to look at his or her own life because there are so many people going in a multitude of directions and confusing movement with progress. They think that because they’re busy and on the go that they’re making progress towards the goal of God’s destiny for their lives. There’s a big difference between busyness and productivity! There’s also a vast gulf between movement and progress. This is a time for us to reevaluate what we need to throw off and what we need to put on. It is a time to consider the saying, “Out with the old and in with the new!” We need to do more than simply think about it. Rather, let’s set the intent of our heart on accomplishing some new things this year.
God is opening doors before us; He is doing some new things. We are going to see some new doors of opportunity open up before us, and if we will recognize them, they will lead to further blessing in our lives. I’m not here to try and tell you what that blessing will be. I am here to tell you that what I see when I pray is expansion in the Kingdom of God and redirection in the lives of many. God is going to allow you to reorder your steps and redirect some affairs in your life—whether it’s business, ministry, or financial—the direction is going to be adjusted. While that isn’t always comfortable, it’s always needful when God is orchestrating it!
The new things that God does are not necessarily new to Him. I know the Scripture says that there’s nothing new under the sun. That does not mean that everything will stay the same in our lives! I believe that the Holy Spirit is an “agent of newness” in God’s people, and He is continually revealing new things to us—things we have not yet discovered or uncovered—so that we can better understand what God wants us to do or the direction He is leading us in.
A lot of God’s people are wandering aimlessly. We know the Proverb that says, “Without vision the people perish.” God has not called us to wander aimlessly! He has goals, a destiny, and a destination for us. Our destination is not simply heaven; He has a purpose! He has created us to produce fruit. Part of Jesus’ command and commission in our lives is to go forth, be fruitful, and multiply. In John 15, it says that the Father is glorified when we produce lasting fruit. We are to imitate Christ.
We, as the people of God, can expect some mighty things to take place in our lives throughout this year if we will be willing to yield and be led by His Spirit. During the month of January, I’ll write more regarding what I believe the Holy Spirit has been speaking to my heart concerning this upcoming year.
Grace and peace,
pg
This message will have somewhat of a prophetic edge in the respect that I believe it will be a clearly defined word for you.
There is a Roman pagan god—Janus—which was a two-faced figure with one face looking into the past and the other looking into the future. Now, I’m certainly not in favor of false, pagan gods! I am stating that it is good for us to occasionally look back and see where we’ve been, and then in turn, look ahead so we can see where we’re going.
During this season, it is a good thing for us to reflect on the past year and to also project and look into the future. Let’s make some decisions! I’m not into New Year’s resolutions because frankly, I do not keep them. I am one of those guys that the Sports Center back in Fayetteville, NC, used to love. I’m the person who committed, “I’m gonna get in shape and lose weight. Bless the Lord, I’m going to do this, and I’m going to do that.” Oftentimes, I have fell miserably short in those resolutions. So I quit making New Years’ resolutions a long time ago.
How many people will join the gym this week? I think most fitness centers could apply the 20/80 rule to this. Out of the hundred that will sign up, about eighty of them will fall away within the first ninety days. Twenty percent might continue for a little longer than that, but they would really be fortunate if they kept the equivalent of the tithe (ten percent) for a year or longer.
It is a time of year when people will typically make all sorts of commitments that they really don’t intend to fulfill. If they really intended to do it, they would carry through with their actions. They think about doing it, and they think that since they’ve made a decision to accomplish something, that they are doing it.
It would certainly behoove us to look at some of the issues in our lives, and this is the prophetic point. Everyone needs to look at his or her own life because there are so many people going in a multitude of directions and confusing movement with progress. They think that because they’re busy and on the go that they’re making progress towards the goal of God’s destiny for their lives. There’s a big difference between busyness and productivity! There’s also a vast gulf between movement and progress. This is a time for us to reevaluate what we need to throw off and what we need to put on. It is a time to consider the saying, “Out with the old and in with the new!” We need to do more than simply think about it. Rather, let’s set the intent of our heart on accomplishing some new things this year.
God is opening doors before us; He is doing some new things. We are going to see some new doors of opportunity open up before us, and if we will recognize them, they will lead to further blessing in our lives. I’m not here to try and tell you what that blessing will be. I am here to tell you that what I see when I pray is expansion in the Kingdom of God and redirection in the lives of many. God is going to allow you to reorder your steps and redirect some affairs in your life—whether it’s business, ministry, or financial—the direction is going to be adjusted. While that isn’t always comfortable, it’s always needful when God is orchestrating it!
The new things that God does are not necessarily new to Him. I know the Scripture says that there’s nothing new under the sun. That does not mean that everything will stay the same in our lives! I believe that the Holy Spirit is an “agent of newness” in God’s people, and He is continually revealing new things to us—things we have not yet discovered or uncovered—so that we can better understand what God wants us to do or the direction He is leading us in.
A lot of God’s people are wandering aimlessly. We know the Proverb that says, “Without vision the people perish.” God has not called us to wander aimlessly! He has goals, a destiny, and a destination for us. Our destination is not simply heaven; He has a purpose! He has created us to produce fruit. Part of Jesus’ command and commission in our lives is to go forth, be fruitful, and multiply. In John 15, it says that the Father is glorified when we produce lasting fruit. We are to imitate Christ.
We, as the people of God, can expect some mighty things to take place in our lives throughout this year if we will be willing to yield and be led by His Spirit. During the month of January, I’ll write more regarding what I believe the Holy Spirit has been speaking to my heart concerning this upcoming year.
Grace and peace,
pg
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