At the beginning of every year, I always spend time in fasting and prayer to seek God for direction. In most cases, He gives me a word that helps me navigate the coming season. Sometimes the word has been as simple as, "Keep running your race," a reference to Hebrews 12:1. In other years the Lord has given me detailed instructions. I believe He wants to give you a word of direction for 2023. But many Christians struggle when it comes to guidance. When they pray, they strain to hear anything. They know God speaks, but either they don't believe He wants to talk to them, or they don't want to obey what He says. Many believers have never known the thrill of hearing God's gentle voice.
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3 NIV The Lord is going to open secret treasures to you and bring financial blessings. He is going to make your calling more clear this year, bring confirmations and new, deeper understanding. This year, watch for the Lord to renew your strength, bring greater peace and the ability to hear His voice more clearly and accurately.
The Lord says: I am going to give my prophets, seers, and those with prophetic gifts a "sneak preview" of what is to come. A sneak preview is a special showing of something such as a movie, play, or product, before it becomes available to the general public. The Lord has been showing His prophets that we are on the brink of a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The river that we are about to step into is deeper than we've ever known before. We will receive extreme words for an extreme time.
What should we do when our loving husband brings us our favorite candy and we have committed to not eating sugar? As a Christian weight loss coach, I've heard from many wives who are afraid of hurting his feelings if she tells him she doesn't want that anymore. She's afraid of rocking this love boat they have created. Many times, these are hard-working husbands who come home at the end of the day with a treat for their wives. It's something the husband has been doing for a long time and something the wife has always enjoyed and thanked him for. It filled her love tank to know that her husband was thinking about her and made a special stop just for her.
If you are an intercessory prayer warrior, you want spiritual results on earth as it is written in the courts of heaven. You are a spiritual person; you want spiritual results. We can't think of intercessory prayer as something that supplements our walk with the Lord; rather, it is essential to our walk with the Lord. Intercessory prayer is about a relationship with the Father, and it is how we war in the spiritual realm.
Have you ever been stuck? Have you ever hit a place in life that seemed like a dead end....like you no longer had any options? I've been there many times, and I'm sure most people have. But I am so grateful that over the years God has taught me that even when we get stuck, there is no situation too difficult for Him to handle! Let's start by looking at the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, chapters 37 through 50. The Bible says he was the favorite of his father's 12 sons, and his brothers were very jealous of him because of it.
This is the message of the prophet Isaiah - repeatedly: The presence of your Savior changes everything! (See Isa. 32:15, 35:1-2; 40:3-5, 43:19, 51:3.) Only Jesus can turn a past story of loss into a present testimony of power. So, receive His touch on every part of your life - even those past times that felt like "wilderness seasons." For right now, He is visiting you with headlines from heaven. A few years ago, God spoke to my husband and I one evening. It was 2019, and we were musing about a tragic event in our family's history over dinner when the Holy Spirit interrupted us.
Guardian angels do more than protect you. Guardian angels can protect you and keep you out of harm, but they also have seen your whole life played out. They've watched a movie about your future life in heaven, and they constantly give you thoughts to direct you to the will of God in your life. Guardian angels put thoughts in your mind to direct you. Your guardian angel may want you to go down to the shopping center because there's going to be a person down there that heaven wants you to interact.
Did you know that God wants to get you saturated in His Presence? He wants us all to, like a sponge, soak up the goodness of His Presence. It is amazing how much water a small sponge can actually hold. It just absorbs that water so well. If you've ever noticed - the beginning part of soaking a sponge with water takes longer. When the sponge is dry the water initially bounces off. But once it "breaks through" the sponge begins to absorb more and more!
When I was pregnant with my children, each one held a space of wonder in my heart. I thought about the exact date they would be born on. I would ponder what their height and weight would be. I wondered at times, by the amount of movement I felt, if they would be future break-dancers or gymnasts! As Christmas approached, I found myself pondering how Mary was feeling. She would walk through so many emotions and experiences.
Follow Up
