I hope you have all had a beautiful Christmas season. It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of another year. I just wanted to take a moment to share something about my year that has been 2016 in the hope that it might encourage and help you.I wanted to share something that the Lord showed me at the start of this year and some lessons I’ve learnt along the way and things that have helped me throughout the year.
At the start of this year, 2016, I was very excited about the year ahead. I had lots of hopes and plans and dreams like most of us do. And I really felt a sense of God in my life at the start of the year; a very strong presence of God in me and on me.
We were in Church on the very first Sunday of the year – the 3rd January – I remember it very clearly and we were in worship. And as we were worshipping I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me – I know His voice so I recognised He was speaking to me but He said something that I would not normally expect Him to say. I heard Him say to me that this year, 2016, I was going to face some battles. I was like “wow that’s not really a prophecy I want to give myself” and it’s not one that God actually gives too often but then I heard Him say “but Leah you are ready for this. You can handle it. I want you to take some ground and there’s going to be some battles to fight”.
Well it wasn’t what I was expecting to hear from God but I said “ok God, I trust you. I trust that you will be with me and you will get me through whatever I need to get through and whatever I need to do this year”.
So as I sit here today on the 31st December 2016 and I reflect back over the year, I have to say that His word came true. It came to pass. There were many, many great things that happened in 2016 for me and for my family but there were certainly some battles. Some very big spiritual battles. Different to many of the things that I’ve handled in the past.
In the past many of my battles have been external battles but this year I really felt like there was a lot of spiritual stuff that I had to fight through. And I had to fight for. And many good things came out of that. I felt like there were some really great things that were broken off my life that were holding me down or holding me back.
But there were also some very tough and difficult seasons and if I learnt anything this year – actually probably the greatest thing that I did learn this year about difficult seasons is that when God wants to take us into a new season and a new day and a promised land it nearly always comes out of a difficult season. It nearly always starts with pain and discomfort because, if you think about it, if we were comfortable we would never move.
So when God wants to get us (into a new season) – I’m not saying that God starts the difficult times but I do believe that He uses difficult times and difficult seasons to move us out of an old season and into a new day.
And it nearly always happens that way. We would never move out of our old situation and circumstances if we were comfortable. So God uses those difficult times and those difficult seasons.
So if you are in a difficult time and a difficult season right now, don’t begrudge it and don’t despair – God is moving you into a new day and a new season. And here’s the thing that I learnt, is that many times – and I know for me in my life over the years – many times and many of us don’t move into the new season that God has for us because we get stuck along the way. I’ve been stuck along the journey before between what He was moving me out of and what He wants to move me into.
And what I’ve learnt is that in that time that God is using a difficult season to move us into something new it is so important that we stay close to God; closer than we’ve ever been. It can be such a tumultuous time. It can be difficult because it can become emotional and we can get distracted by the circumstances that caused us to be in that season.
Often the things that happen are not fair or they’re not right and we didn’t deserve these things to happen but we can get caught up and become focussed and we can become hurt, offended and bitter by what’s happened. But if we stay stuck in that season we will never move into the new season that God has for us.
So it’s not a time for looking at the external circumstances. It’s not a time for focussing on how we got there or why we got there or the injustice of it. God knows the pain and He feels it and He’s there to hold your heart and your soul through that time.
But this is the season to keep your eyes focussed on God; to stay very close to Him; to keep our hearts pure and our eyes on Him. Keep looking at Him. Keep believing that there’s a bigger picture – that He wants to move you out of an old day; out of an old season; out of the past and into something amazing and new that He has planned for you.
When God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt it was amazing. They had been in captivity, living as slaves for 400 years and God had a new day and new plan for them and He moved them out of Egypt to take them into their promised land. But they got stuck in the wilderness for 40 years because when things got tough they focussed on the external circumstances. They complained and they blamed instead of keeping God and His promises in front of their eyes. They didn’t keep their hearts pure and their eyes on God.
And this is the thing I’ve learnt this year – yes it’s tough. Every single day you need to come to God in meditation, be still, let Him quiet your heart, let it go and release things, forgive, forgive and forgive again. Realise it’s not about the situation and the circumstances you’re in. Realise that there’s a bigger spiritual, supernatural picture that God is using to move you out of an old season and into a new day.
So I pray if you are in the middle of that tumultuous time where things have happened and there’s a difficulty in a season and you’re now moving into that new season, don’t get stuck in the middle. Don’t end up in limbo somewhere between where you were and where God is taking you. Don’t let hurt, bitterness, pride or offense stop you from entering your promised land.
Stay close to God, keep your eyes focussed on Him. He doesn’t roll out the whole plan for us to see all in one go. He takes us one step at a time. Keep trusting Him. Keep going to Him. Keep reminding yourself that it’s all about Him – it’s all about His glory. Stay focussed 100% on Him.
Don’t look at all the other stuff going on around about you but stay focussed on Him.
So here we are on the 31st December 2016 and here is the beautiful scripture that I feel God has spoken to my heart this morning. It comes from Ephesians 2:6 – “And God has raised us up” – what a great word! In 2016 I felt like I got knocked down a few times so what a way to end 2016 with a scripture that says “God has raised us up… with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”.
I pray that that is your 2017 – raised up in heavenly realms with Christ Jesus – I pray that you will enter your promised land; that as you start 2017 that it will be strong. That you will feel raised up with God in Christ Jesus; that you will feel you are living in the heavenly realms. That you will leave that old season and that old day behind you and you will enter your promised land in 2017.
God bless you. I pray that 2017 is a great year for you – the best yet! God bless
Recent Comments