House of Hope Online

January 7, 2024

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Last week, we celebrated the New Year with a word of the Lord entitled, “All Things New.”  We talked about our fascination with newness, and the promise in the Word that we are new creatures in Christ, reconciled to Him, and restored to divine favor.  Our keynote scripture came from Revelation 21 where Jesus promises us:

Revelation 21:

5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

We also saw in Isaiah 48:6 that the Lord is promising to reveal new things to us, hidden things that we have not known.  I am excited for this promise of new revelation because the Word of the Lord breathes life into us and sheds light upon the darkness of these days.  My wife Nancy also believes in her spirit that the Lord is going to move in an awesome way during 2024.  So, I think it is appropriate to have our spiritual antennae tuned into what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

The word of the Lord today is a continuation of this newness theme, but it involves our focus in 2024.  Most people I know are interested in putting some distance between themselves and the pandemic.  Many want to see an end to the high rate of inflation in the economy, and a return to more “normal” economic activity.  Some are praying for a return to the “good old days” when evil was seemingly less prominent in society.

You might be surprised to learn that God advises us not to long for former days.  In our keynote scripture today, the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 43:

 18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.

 19 “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

Where Is Your Focus?

Are we focused on the former things, things in our past?  More importantly, are we judging the present based on the standards of the past?  I believe the Lord is saying, if we are, we may miss what He is doing in the earth.  He is doing something new, and now it will spring forth. 

God is talking about putting roadways in our wilderness areas and rivers in our desert areas.  Now, understand that a wilderness has no clear pathway, so when He says, “a roadway in the wilderness,” He is saying He will make a way for us where there currently is no way.  When He says, “Rivers in the desert,” He means He is bringing opportunity for growth to the dry areas of our life that previously could not support growth.  So, if we fear pursuing something new, we may miss an opportunity for growth.  If we are clinging to the old way we made a living, or the old way we found joy, we may miss what He is doing to prosper us in the new year and forward.  God is saying essentially: “I am doing a new thing; do you not perceive it?”

Perceiving What the Lord Is Doing

So, how do we perceive what God is doing, or how do we become aware of it?  If the Lord is doing something new, that means there will be a move of the Holy Spirit.  It may be an astonishing miracle is coming, a technological breakthrough that will affect the economy and your prospects for employment or financial security.  Perhaps revival is coming to the Church.  Or maybe He has a word of wisdom or direction specifically for you, perhaps leading to breakthrough in a desert area of your life. 

During prayer, we need to be asking the Holy Spirit, what areas of my life are not growing the way you want them to grow?  What am I doing, or not doing, that causes me to feel lost in a wilderness, unsure of next steps?  And then press in and trust the Lord to show you what He wants you to see.  Trust that He will show you the new thing that is springing forth, the roadway, the river of life.

Instead of a New Year’s resolution, which is focused on changing our past behavior or habits, I encourage you instead to focus on being sober to sense what the Spirit of God is saying and doing, because I feel in my spirit today that the Lord is saying and doing something new.  It is about to spring forth, and we should seek the Holy Spirit so that we will perceive it.

Encouragement from the Word

There are many scriptures that encourage us to seek the will and direction of the Lord, to know what new thing He is doing.  These are words from the Lord that He will be with us to show us the way we should go, and there is nothing to fear.  Let us look at just a few.

1^st Peter 1:

 13 ¶ Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober [in spirit,] fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting that the expression “sober in spirit,” has additional meaning beyond avoiding drunkenness.  It also means in the Greek to be discreet and to watch.  Discreet means to have discernment and to show good judgment.  In the context of seeking the Lord, it means putting aside our preferred ways so we can objectively hear what the Lord is saying.  For example, if you enjoy working from home, be sober in spirit and therefore open to the possibility that the Lord is opening another door that requires travel or in-office attendance.  If you are biased against something, you may prevent yourself from discerning the Lord’s will or the new thing God is doing.

The unwillingness to be sober in spirit to check with God, or the unwillingness to consider something new from God, is, according to James 4, the sin of arrogance.

James 4:

 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are [just] a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

 15 Instead, [you ought] to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.”

 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

 17 Therefore, to one who knows [the] right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Being sober in the spirit means being open to the door that Jesus is opening.  I remember when the door opened for me to take a CFO position in Birmingham AL in 1997.  I can tell you, moving to Alabama was far from my comfort zone.  Nancy and I were born and raised in Pennsylvania, and Alabama felt like another continent.  The move also involved our children transferring to a new school district and all the discomfort that came with that.  We shed some tears saying goodbyes and moving far from family and friends.

But it was the Lord’s will that we step out of our comfort zone and depend on Him in a new land.  Our move to Alabama turned out to be a “roadway in the wilderness” and a “river in the desert” for our family.  It taught us all to be comfortable with new situations, and to trust God to direct our steps.  It broadened me professionally and spiritually, and our entire family grew in knowledge that the Lord is faithful, that He is always with us, and that He wants to help us through great challenges.  Today, we have two grandsons in Alabama that are the fruit of being sober in spirit and open to the door that Jesus was opening, the new thing that the Lord was doing in our lives. 

But we did not take that job without saying: “If the Lord wills, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”  We sought the Holy Spirit and His gift of discernment to know it was a door He was opening for us.

Let me close with a few other encouraging scriptures where the Lord tells us directly that He will be with us and will direct our steps.

Isaiah 43:

 1 ¶ But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!

 2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

 3 “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Isaiah 41:

 10 ¶ ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

 11 “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish.

 12 “You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing, and non-existent.

 13 “For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

Proverbs 20:

 24 ¶ Man’s steps are [ordained] by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?

Proverbs 16:

 9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs His steps.

Proverbs 3:

 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.

 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Psalms 32:

 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

The Lord is telling us He is doing something new, and He wants us to perceive it.  He wants us to soberly seek the Holy Spirit to discern what He is saying and doing.  He wants us to trust our Redeemer to be with us, to protect us, to strengthen us, to direct our paths, and to ordain our steps.

Let us pray.    

Father God, thank You for the word of encouragement today.  Guide us by Your Holy Spirit to discern what You are doing for us and saying to us in this season of our lives.  We stand on Your promises to direct us, to strengthen us, and to protect us as we seek to do Your will in our lives.  Open the roadways in our wilderness, and place rivers in our desert places.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.