Mark reminded us this week that God calls us to never stop moving. We are called to action and when we move with Him, we will start to see His miracles lining up. 2022 was a year of the adventure of trusting God; and even when we couldn’t see things happening in the natural, we held onto ‘But God!”
We believe we have been called to prepare our barns for a harvest, which is what led us to want to “Buy that Field”. God has confirmed that phrase to us in Jeremiah 32:25 to purchase the building we are renting at our Century City venue. But it is more than just a phrase, a building, or a season. It is a faith response to what God wants to do for us, in us, and through us, and is an investment in the next generation of our community.
Our vision for 2023 is to “See the New”, which is not just for the Church, but for every single one of us. We need to look beyond what we see happening in the natural and open our spiritual eyes to see the new thing God is doing.
Isaiah 43:19 –
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
God is provoking and challenging us to see beyond our limited worldly perspective to see the new that is coming. Our mission will never change – it is still to “REACH FAR, RAISE UP AND RELEASE WIDE” with one objective: to advance and see God’s Kingdom come. We need to reach the people in our community, make disciples of each other, and grow our faith by being part of a small Life group, where big things happen.
Isaiah 43 was a message from God to people under pressure, reminding them that they are precious to Him and that nothing He did in the past can compare to the new thing that He is busy doing, which is a word for us today.
To start seeing afresh with a new, fresh vision of Jesus, we are commanded to:
Look to the source of God who wants to do a new thing. Stop buying into the culture of upgrades where there is nothing different except a version number. God wants to give you a new life, not an upgraded one or a better one, but a new one. Be open to seeing the new that God wants to do in your life.
- Look Forward
Forget the past and move forward without dwelling and getting stuck in your failures. Be alert and present and open to new and different things. God doesn’t perform miracles the same way all the time, so stop expecting the same.
- Look to Him
Look to the source of God who wants to do a new thing. Stop buying into the culture of upgrades where there is nothing different except a version number. God wants to give you a new life, not an upgraded one or a better one, but a new one. Be open to seeing the new that God wants to do in your life.
- See the New
God has already begun something new in you – Don’t you see it? God is not limited to what He can change in your life so pray for Him to change our views and perspective to see it. When we look through our lens of the world, we will struggle to see Jesus, but when we look through the lens of the Word of God, we can trust Him not just to manage our problems and health issues better, but for complete healing and restoration.
SEE THE NEW GOD IS DOING
- Live the “Miracle Life” in Him
God will make a way and a plan in the wilderness and wastelands of your life, so stop trying to do it all by yourself. John 15 tells us to abide in the Vine so we can bear fruit. We are nothing without God and nothing will ever change if we are not continuously abiding in Him.
When God gives you a new vision and new eyes to see things differently, the same job, the same problems, and the same marriage will be transformed into something new and beautiful.
As we let go of the past and look forward to a new year, with a fresh vision, let us show ourselves to be faithful disciples of Jesus. Let us pray for more opportunities to share His grace and love with others, and the courage and obedience to step in as God leads us.