Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
Well, here we are in 2021. We had a great day yesterday at ALife. Pastor Jonathan gave us a clear prophetic charge to build our section of the wall of Christ community, to find our proper place in the gate of our calling, and to be who God has made and gifted us to be for the expanding community of Christ. We must not be distracted by trying to be strong in ourselves, by only embracing what feels or looks good to us, or by putting our trust in what we think we need. It is time to find our strength in the Lord, true holiness in the Lord, and our faith in God. God’s hand is upon us for such a time as this.
What can we expect to see in 2021? We must keep a right focus as we enter this new year. Our focus cannot be upon the world. It must be upon God and the influence of His kingdom in our lives. We can expect to see God as greater than whatever is in the world. He who is in us is greater than anything in this world. Our destiny is to bring life to our world and that life is greater than the influencing gates of death in the world. What is the world? The world is not the planet, but the spirit that keeps those in the world under the sway of wickedness. People in themselves are not wicked and unrighteous, but they can yield to wickedness and unrighteousness that suppresses the truth with lies. When people yield to the spiritual powers of darkness the beliefs of their hearts, actions of their lives, imaginations of their minds, and influence of their lives become those of darkness and death.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
There are spiritual powers that are at work in the heavenlies, but we have the power of Christ at work within our hearts. God’s wrath is not targeted towards humanity. It is targeted toward ungodliness and unrighteousness. Ungodliness and unrighteousness destroy the true identity, testimony, and purpose of mankind. When humanity aligns themselves with the spiritual powers of ungodliness and unrighteousness, they think, reason, imagine, desire, and exhibit their emotions in selfish and carnal ways. To be true to our humanity we must discover God in our lives. Only Christ in us can cause us to be the likeness and image of our Father in heaven. Christ in us must be the source of our beliefs. It is a conception of God’s Spirit and His words to our heart that empowers us to belief life-giving realities. When we believe God’s ways we become empowered to walk in His paths of life. The actions of our lives become the actions of nobility. It is then that the imaginations of our hearts become creative in life-giving ways. When these things are true, the influence of our lives in our world is an influence of life and light and this offers hope to our world.
We can enter this year looking at the ways of the world or we can enter this year embracing the ways of God’s kingdom within our hearts. Our focus must be life in order to be life-giving to our world.
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
It is the testimony of Christ in each of us that reveals the true prophetic Spirit of life. God speaks and life happens! It is not a matter of calling for God’s voice to condemn the world. The world is condemned by their own deceptions already. They need the hope of life and transformation. The truth is suppressed with lies and we have the power to destroy the spiritual powers of lies that are suppressing truth by the spiritual force of the life-giving Spirit of God in our hearts. It is a matter of becoming God’s voice to bring life! It is not the spirit that says Jesus came in form of flesh 2000 years ago that will change our world. It is the confession of our own spirits that knows the love of God in our hearts that confesses Christ has come in our flesh. Jesus has come into our hearts as we have embraced the life of Christ through our new birth in Him. We lost our worldly life to find our true life in Christ.
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Our focus for 2021 must be that Jesus is the Son of God and He lives by His Spirit in our hearts for the glory of our heavenly Father in all things. We can expect supernatural testimonies of God’s mercy and grace in this new year. It is not a time for defeat. It is a time for victory! That victory is not a victory of the flesh, but a victory of the life of the Spirit of God that destroys the powers of ungodliness and unrighteousness that seeks to suppress the truth with a lie concerning who God is and who we are in Him.
Blessings,
Ted J. Hanson
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Amen and Amen.