Friday, January 29, 2016
Surprises!
It is a new year, a new season in the Kingdom of God! In seeking the Lord for what He has in store for us in this new year, I felt Holy Spirit say, “Surprises!” When I heard this, at first I thought that this could not be God because it was so simple. But as I prayed through this, I felt that He wanted His people to know that we are not to think that it will be business as usual. I felt He was saying that we are to “expect the unexpected.” Things are not going to be the way we might expect them to be this next year.
Why is this significant? First of all, I believe it is significant because God wants His people to be in sync with what He is doing. I believe He wants us to be focused on His plans and His supremacy over all things. If God’s people are not paying attention to what God is doing we can miss it. We can also fall into being disturbed and confused rather than being confident and victorious. So, as events unfold, it will be essential for us to stand firm when the unexpected happens.
It will also be important because God deserves the glory! When we encounter the unexpected in this next year, if we heed this word, we will be able to step back and give Him glory. If the surprise comes in the form of a blessing, it will be especially powerful to give God the glory and acknowledge that He is the source. When we praise Him and give Him thanks for His gifts, we release the possibility for more blessing. If the surprise comes as something that we would not want, it is even more imperative to give Him honor and recognize that He is in control. As we embrace the unexpected, we can rest knowing that He has said that it would come this year. Then, we will not be thrown off guard. We won’t have to allow fear to come in and taunt us.
The Lord also impressed me that, along with surprises, this year will be a year of fulfillment. Praise God that will be a part of the unexpected! I believe God is showing me that we are going to see the things that we have longed for and prayed for. Many of the desires that have filled our hearts have been straight from His heart. He longs to fulfill these dreams more than we long for them to be fulfilled. As we begin to see God bring things to pass we will be able to tune into His passions and desires. The joy of fulfillment will encourage us and will cause us to grow in our faith. We can then begin to trust God for more because there is so much more! Many of us have experienced hope deferred. Our hearts have known pain because there have been many things that we have not seen come to pass even though we have prayed and longed for them. The enemy can take advantage of our discouragement to tell us to give up. But, this year we are going to see God answer prayer in unexpected ways. He loves to demonstrate not only His incomparable love, but His wisdom in timing and His awesome power to do what seems to be impossible.
So, expect the unexpected and acknowledge it before others when it comes. This way God will receive the glory He so richly deserves!
I hope you'll join us this Sunday at The River at 10:00 A.M. for an awesome time of worship and encountering God. If you can't make it on Sunday, check our website for more great opportunities throughout the week to meet with other people who are passionately pursuing Jesus, worship, and get powerful teaching.
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