Over the years I have encountered so many believers who struggle to have any sense of themselves—any clarity about their identity. On one hand, this doesn’t seem surprising. This is a prevalent question in our culture: who am I? If you google “how do I know who I am,” you will get over 1 billion hits for self-help articles and assessments trying to answer this question.
For the Lord would say, “You are moving into a new season.” And the Lord says, “You must not lead the remnants of the old season behind you.” And the Lord says, “This is a time to take stock of things that have troubled you, old pain, old wounding.” And the Lord says, “You must shake the dust off your feet or the pain of your yesterday, so I can bring you into a new tomorrow.”
As Christians, most of us are probably familiar with 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV).
This scripture assures us that, in God, we are remade, and our identity is now found in Him; however, in spite of this affirmation, many of us struggle to really embrace the truth and walk in it daily. We can become stuck in the old “sinner saved by grace” mode and not realize that, in Christ, we have so much more—grace for grace.
Knowing who you are in Christ has never been more important. When we have a firm sense of our place and purpose, God can use us more effectively as change agents in society.
Each year, a group of respected prophets from around the nation meets to seek the Lord’s will for the upcoming season. There are keys to our success as well as admonitions for us in the word of the Lord for the year that we need to pay heed to—not only on a personal level, but also on a corporate level.
Many prophetic words coming forth for the New Year include some mention of harvest—a significant increase of people coming into relationship with God. Several I have noted include, “These are the beginning of the days of a great harvest!” and, “We really sense that the Holy Spirit is coming with a massive harvest.” The ACPE Word of the Lord for 2015 stated, “This is the time for the harvest of the Jews to begin.”
I must confess, I love the new year.
The more I learn about process, cycles, and seasons, the more I love things that symbolize fresh starts and new beginnings. Each Monday, when I open my planner to a new week, or each month, as I turn my calendar to a new page, it is like a breath of fresh air. When the natural seasons change, I celebrate, teaching my kids fun little rituals to mark the transition.
Many people are so busy in their lives. They hurry to church, hurry to pick up their children, and hurry to finish projects. For all of the hurrying, they never seem to finish and catch up. In the midst of the frenzy, you’ll hear comments like, “I’m so weary of all this rush, and I feel like I’m tired all of the time.” Why is this so?
When I think of the stories that fill the pages of Scripture, I notice something that many of them have in common—waiting.
Abraham and Sarah waiting for their promised heir. The Israelites waiting for their freedom from slavery. David waiting for his time as king. Jesus waiting to reveal Himself as the Son of God. Paul waiting for his time in ministry. John waiting through his time of exile.
Family.
That single word can conjure up such a flood of mixed emotions, especially during a time of year that holds increased likelihood of getting together. Even the happiest, healthiest families experience conflict, disappointments, and tensions.
