Good Afternoon Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Welcome to 2023, another wonderful year in the Lord God Almighty. I hope you are as excited about 2023 as I am. What a year of great expectation, great abundance, great health, great joy, great peace, great relations, and a GREAT walk with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Writing this reminds me of God’s Word concerning our walk with Jesus.
Proverbs 4:18 (KJV)
But the path of the just [righteous] is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18 (Young’s Literal Translation – Direct word for word translation from the Hebrew)
And the path of the righteous is as a shining light, Going and brightening till the day is established,
As you can see, our Father has instructed us that if we believe His Word, and operate in faith, every year our walk through this earth will get better and better until we head home. You can’t have this if you can’t believe and decree it in faith.
Job 8:7
Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
Ecclesiastes 7:10
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.
Job 8:7 and Ecclesiastes 7:10 both make reference to the Believer and what the Believer’s outcome should be in life according to God’s Word. Every day we live we should prosper more and more spiritually, physically, financially, and materially. This is the blood covenant God made with Abraham, and with us, as the seed of Abraham through Jesus Christ. I can personally attest to the Truth of God’s Word, and these verses in particular. The more time I spend with God in His Word, the brighter the light shines on my path of life and my latter end has greatly increased and continues to do so. This is God’s promise to those that believe, obey, decree, receive, and bless. Praise God!
God expects us, as His Children, to have a vision for every aspect of our lives: spiritually, physically, financially, and materially. What is yours for each area in 2023? God has a vision for everything. Nothing happens by chance in the Kingdom of God.
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Notice what God says in the first part of Proverbs 29:18. If a Believer doesn’t have a vision, The Believer, will perish. What does this mean? The word “vision” in the verse is the Hebrew Word “chazon” which means “write the vision or revelation.”
The word “perish” in the verse is the Hebrew Word “para” which means “the people is let loose, lacks restraint.”
The Holy Spirit is saying a Believer without a written vision or revelation, is without restraint and will wander. Another way of saying it is a Believer without a vision is like a ship without a rudder. The ship goes where the wind blows.
The second part of Proverbs 29:18 makes it clear what a Believer can expect if they “keep” the law. They can expect happiness. What does it mean to “keep” the law. It means to “watch, preserve, keep.” Simply put, it means to observe or perform the law. Now, don’t confuse the Law of the 10 Commandments or the Old Covenant as “keeping the law.” It means to observe and perform God’s Word, His commandments to us in the Scriptures. God’s entire Word is a commandment. Commandments are not meant to harm us or to take away our joy of living. This is called religion. God’s commandments are meant to protect us, to deliver us, to prosper us, to heal us, and to enable us to live each day abundantly with great love, joy, and peace. Satan, or religion for another name, has taught us just the opposite. It promotes a God just waiting for us to step out of line so He can zing us, punish us, take away from us, or withhold from us. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING could be further from the Truth. It is simply a lie from Satan himself, the father of all lies and liars, that has unfortunately been adopted in many pulpits. God values US SO MUCH that He gave His most prized possession for His most prized possession – US! If you didn’t get this last sentence, meditate on it and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal its meaning to you. There is NO GREATER LOVE in all of creation than the love of our Father for US. He wants us, His children, to have His very best.
Rather than wander through 2023 hoping for the best, why don’t you come before God in each of the areas in your life (spiritual, physical, financial, and material) and ask God what He wants for you in 2023. Spend some time with Him. He will answer you. It may not be the same moment you ask, or that day, or that week, but be in meditation about it with Him, and He will answer you. James 1:3-8 and Joshua 1:8 will explain to you how to approach your Father about 2023. Write down what God speaks to you. That’s part of the commandment of Proverbs 29:18.
Remember, without a vision for 2023 in each area of our life, we’ll wander around, going forward, going backwards, and going sideways. In other words, we’ll live a very mediocre Believer’s life. Do we want to stand before Jesus at the Bema Seat in Heaven and have our mediocre Believer’s life exposed before Him? Yes, EVERY Believer will stand before King Jesus at the Bema Seat and give an account of what they did with the Grace God gave them to operate in the Kingdom of God. I may not have much to show for my earlier life, but I certainly will have plenty to show for my remaining life.
According to Thy Word Father, Be It Unto Me in 2023.
In Christ,
Larry