2018 - Behold All Things Become New

It is at Christmas time that we not only celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus, but it is also a season to begin to dream again. The birth of Christ represents the old covenant ending and the new covenant coming alive (Hebrews 8:6). Hidden in a manger on a cold dark night came forth salvation for all mankind. The angels announced that behold a savior was born! (Luke 2:11) …. The shepherds encountered Him (Luke 2:16)…. And the wise still seek Him! Everlasting life would now be available to all mankind! Life had come!  Have you ever felt like your life was on hold? If so then this blog is for you!

2018 - "Behold All Things Become New"

I realize that it may seem a bit early, but I have been deeply stirred for this next year 2018! Over and over as I have prayed I hear in my spirit that it is time for the bride of Christ to come alive! Come alive? What does that mean? Let me explain…. This last year Karen and I have watched God do supernatural things in the Remnant vision. We saw the launch of the new book, “Rebuilding the Altar,” the growth of the iAmRemnant Movement (22 locations), the birth of the altar movement and the moving of our home and ministry to Ft. Worth, TX. Yet, this has also been a trying year in some areas. It has been a year of fighting for breakthrough and revival. This year we experienced attacks from Satan like never before. At one point this year the Lord visited Karen and told her to trust him during this season. We held on to those words from the Lord. We have heard the same things from many leaders and many of you, that this was a tough year. I don’t know about you, but we are ready for 2018! As I began to study the number “18” I was astonished to find out what the number “18” means in the Hebrew! In fact, the #18 is very sacred in the Jewish culture. The Hebrew word for "life" is חי (chai), which has a numerical value of 18. That’s right it means LIFE! As I began to pray over 2018, God told me to tell you that it is time to live again!  Isaiah 43:18-19 declares, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

It is time to let the past go! God is going to do something new! I believe that God is going to restore families, ministries, churches and callings in 2018. I also believe that what has seemed hard to accomplish in the past will seem simple this next year.

As you prepare to go into 2018 I want to challenge you to do 7 things:

Take time to hide away with the Lord. Give God priority in your busyness of life and watch as He draws near to you (James 4:8). God desires to commune with you! He is LIFE! John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Establish a bold prayer life! Seek wisdom from the Lord. Start each day with Jesus and end each night with praise. Proverbs 19:8, “The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.”

Start over! Ask God to restore lost promises in your life that have been lost, buried or forgotten. I believe that this is the year where “old things pass away and behold all things become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Proverbs 21:21, Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

Let it go! Clean out yesterday’s hurts, disappointments and pain. It is time to forgive. Proverbs 27:19, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

Change your language! Declare in your life that the old is gone and behold God is doing a new thing. Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Grab a pen and paper! Write down areas that you are believing God to restore! Post those prayer requests somewhere in your home. Hab. 2:2-3, Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though

it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

   

Be a giver! It rebukes the devour. When you sow seeds it produces a harvest. I have also always believed that you must sow where you want to go! 2 Cor. 9:6, Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.