Word for 2017: Be Ready to Discern!
A Proverbs 31 Prospective is back for 2017!
Satan thought he successfully ruined this ministry in 2016 but nope! We serve a God who brings dry bones to life.
So 2017...what should we expect? This is the very question I asked God in prayer the first Tuesday of the year. He replied with the title of this post--Be ready to discern.
There will be an awakening this year but only to those who can discern the voice of the only true living God.
Matthew 24:5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many.
This verse spoken from Jesus Christ Himself couldn't be truer in 2017. Some of you may think this word may not apply to you since you are already saved, but don't be so quick to blow this off.
God spoke this word to me concerning this year:
"Things will be taken to another level and everything will be questioned by Me. Prepare for tests, to strengthen your love for Me. But great is your reward! Great is the reward for the one who humbles themselves and allow my Spirit to reach the innermost untouched parts in them. Challenges you have faced for years I will overcome if you let Me. The country is about to be shaken and I must prepare my people. This starts with knowing my love and letting my love heal you. The balm is here. But too many people are ashamed to apply it in the places it is needed. My mercy stretches for those who mourn and long for my presence. Many of my people who are unsaved and those who are lukewarm are dealing with a lack of fulfillment and it has lead them to depression. This is because your spirit longs for Me and I am drawing you away from the toxins and into my love. Discern my voice from the evil one"What should we take from this?
All of us must humble ourselves and allow God to pour into every part of us. It doesn't matter how long you have been saved, how many ministries you have, none of that matters. God wants our attention so He can bless us in ways He never has.
Another year brings us closer to the great falling away the Bible warn us about. Many of us who proclaim to be Christians will fall off and give heed to deceiving doctrine. Only those with discernment will be able to hang on, and only those with a true desire for God will be given discernment. This year it's more important than ever to cling to Christ with everything you have. Our father wants to clean us and clothe us in fine linen to be able to send us out to be walking testimonies for His love, faithfulness, and His blessings. But how can He clean those who say they are already clean? Better yet how can He do anything with you if you won't even bother to show up?
Jesus tells us the parable of the banquet, a parable that will mean a lot in 2017:
Luke 14:15-24
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
There's a common theme in this parable. Every one of the King's invited guests rejected Him because they were more focused on worldly things. One guest was too focused on his new acquired property, another guest was too focused on his oxen, which was like an important tool in that day because it was used to carry heavy loads. So he was focused on work. The last guest was too focused on his spouse. What are we too focused on to show up for God? Is it our jobs, our families or social media? The King said in the beginning of this parable that He was prepared to bless these guests with the kingdom of God. He was prepared to bring the blessings from Heaven here on earth. But since the guests were too focused on the world to show up, the King went out and chose to bless the humble instead. Take note of that this year!
This is the same for us. We cannot rest on our promises and think it will come to pass when we're not even seeking Him. However lets not get anything twisted. This isn't about stuff. This isn't about blessings. God has these things in store for us, but the biggest gift God has for us is Himself. He gave Himself up on the cross to die for our sins, and He is constantly looking for ways to grab our hearts and our attention because He loves us so much. Psalms 34 tell us,
Psalms 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
God is a precious amazing perfect God who loves us with all He has--and He has the world and the heavens. Use this year to get away from the debates, the snapchats, the movies etc., and focus on your Father who wants to heal you. Let Him in. Let Him shine light in all parts of you.
Here is the last part of the word God gave,
Don't look left or right in the excitement of things coming to pass.
He then showed me an vision of a vehicle moving from a dessert to an open field of fresh delicious fruits. In this vision I began to look out of the car window at the beautiful field and God told me to focus on the driver (Him) instead. If we allow excitement to drive itself too deeply in our hearts, we would get out of the vehicle and run to enjoy the fruits, abandoning the driver. If you do this, you will be no longer moving forward to get to better things. You will be stuck at that place, not knowing there's better in store and God was moving you further than that. Have patience as things manifest. Wait until God says you have arrived. That way you and the Father can enjoy His goodness together. Don't abandon the Blesser for the blessing. The Blesser is the blessing. There isn't a blessing without Him. The moment He leaves, what was good becomes cursed.
Happy 2017 everyone!
