Kathy — I’ve always thought the only reason to go to war is to win, but I’m beginning to realize there are other reasons for warfare. Some battles are a matter of training our soul (our mind and will and emotions) to stand and develop muscle to be able to stand no matter what. Eph. 6:13 puts it this way: And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm. The goal of warfare can also be to take ground incrementally in Divine timing. There are many maneuvers needed to pull down strongholds in this present darkness. It is a bigger war than we can wage from one battlefield. This present darkness is a matter of world rulers that are spirit forces of wickedness in the spirit realm. These forces gather to form strongholds, and there they influence and manipulate people like puppets for their evil intents to kill, steal and destroy. That’s why Eph 6:12 tells us we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. These forces must be dismantled strategically and incrementally along with the workers of darkness they deploy into this present darkness.
”Through faith we understand that the ages were framed (arranged, completed) by the word of God”(Heb.11:3). It would appear that God is not looking for people to attempt to “overcome the reluctance of God” but He is looking for those who will hear His heartbeat for the ages and get into alignment with that purpose. Then we would actually be praying God’s prayer requests, not our own.
Kathy — We’ve got to believe more in our Redeemer than we believe in the past. “Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me and give me life according to Your word.” (Ps.119:154, Amp)
As the people of God assemble today, may they see plainer than ever the road that they are purposed to run in the new year. May one be an encouragement to another to steadily get on down the path this year that leads to fulfillment and success for our Lord’s plan. “…I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.” (Eph.4:1b-3, Msg)
Kathy — If you are battle-weary, I believe the new year will bring welcomed changes. I’m not implying battles will stop suddenly and everybody goes on vacation. I’m saying many long-term battles will end because you finally win. “Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around” (Prov.13:12, Msg). I expect some sudden good breaks in the year to come.
The MONTH OF JANUARY IS FOR REACHING BEYOND FORMER BARRIERS. In January, (and throughout 2021) we will reach beyond the stopping points we have always stopped at before. We will not allow poor self-image, sense of unworthiness, family-accepted pitfalls, world chaos or limited resources to keep us from “reaching forward to those things which are before” (Phil.3:13). We will press forward and extend our reach to some markable degree greater than we have before.
A huge, muscular draft horse was pulling a weighted sled in a competition. The horse was obviously straining forward with every ounce of strength he could muster and was making some progress. But he was, with every step, getting closer and closer to a definite stopping point. It didn’t matter that he had dragged the heavy steel sled farther than any of the other horses in the competition, he still came to a sudden halt. It just happened to be a halt that was a bit farther down the track than the other horses’ halts. The “Year End Wrap Up” theme seems to speak to the need to not drag old stuff from the previous year (or even previous years) into the new year. Even though it is a burden, we tend to wrestle with old issues that seem to never get settled or worked out and we just continue to take them along with us into the future. Lethargy, wavering commitment, fear and neglect are some of the weights that make for burdensome sleds that we drag with us from one season to the next. There are issues to resolve before the end of this year that would be easier dealt with and resolved more readily without adding the laborious task of not having ended things well. It is time for a season in our lives where we “wrap up” what has been left at tattered ends. (Gal.6:9; Phil.3:14)
Kathy — Whatever is on the horizon, God does not intend that we live in fear or dread. We are to live in expectancy that we will do all that we were born to do and that the supernatural presence and power of God Almighty will be manifest through our lives to His glory. Ps 91:7, TPT — “Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed, you will remain unscathed and unharmed.”
Melissa — We are not sissies. We have the DNA, the breath of THE all powerful God in us. We can be a Change-Agent wherever we are! Here’s something else about a Change-Agent: they stay in their ordained sphere and deposit heaven there. They do not go running all over the world looking for the bad guys. Just imagine Change-Agents waking up all over the world carrying the atmosphere of the Kingdom right in their own region. This Kingdom is way more potent than any other kingdom we see activated right now, so can you imagine what this thing is about to look like?! I’m getting excited over here!
Kathy — As you look back and close out the year, you may be one of those folks who kept a daily journal and accounting of the details of life. Or, your accounting may simply be memories highlighted for the moment or forever, but all of us have matters that mattered this year as we laid our heads down each night and then awoke to face them again the next morning. There is no closing the books, no relief, on unresolved matters whether they concern healing or relationships or circumstances or finances. Even if we don’t note them in a journal or speak of them, still they sit in the silence of the night and trouble our hearts. That’s the reason that we, like David in Psalm 56, must lean into our God, the Great Accountant who can and will balance the books and bring us to peace of mind. “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.” Psa 56:8 (MSG). Remembering He is there and aware and that He will take action in our behalf, we can trust Him by breathing out a grateful sigh over 2020 and breathing in hope for 2021.
martygabler 