It’s a new year, and I believe that God wants to do something new in all of our lives. He wants to give us new understanding, new vision, and new faith…so that we can do the things that He has called us to do.
“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 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. (Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT)
This, is what God has spoken about in His word. Yes, we must be grateful for all the Lord has done, but He tells us that all of that is nothing compared to what He has planned for us going forward. All of that is only a taste of His goodness…it is only a foreshadow of the glory that He desires to reveal to us. So, we must not allow the former things to bring us to a place of contentment—a placed where we are no longer looking forward to His continued blessing and favor in our lives. God doesn’t want us to live our lives in the past; He wants us to always look forward…to the newness that lies ahead.
So, this is what I am seeking Him for, at the start of this new year. I am seeking the new beginning…the fresh start. I am asking God to reveal the areas of my life that He wants to transform. I am asking Him to give me a fresh and refined vision. I am intentionally quieting the world around me, so that I can hear from Him. And, my hope is that you will join me in this, because there is something special that comes when we intentionally and relentlessly seek Him. When we draw near to God, He draws near to us.
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. (James 4:8 NLT)
But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him. (Deuteronomy 4:29 NLT)
The word of God says that if we search for him wholeheartedly, we will find Him. So that is what we must do, if we desire to be overwhelmed with His presence, at the start of this year. Because only in the presence of God, can we receive the things that He wants to impart to us. This is what I need in my life. And I know that I am not alone in this. I can’t wait to see what He does in this season. But in light of all of this seeking and searching for the will of God, we have to be prepared to receive the vision from Him.
We need to have an understanding of what it’s like to get a vision from God.
As we embark on this new journey, I want us to take a look at what we can expect from Him. I believe that if we can get an understanding of what it means to be called by God, and how it looks to walk by faith, we will be better equipped to have faith for the things that He wants to do in our lives. So, I want to take a look at Abraham—a man known for his great faith, and one of the first to be called by God in the bible. His story is remarkable. He is known for leaving everything behind—his homeland, his family, and all that he was familiar with—to obey a word from God.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NLT)
God told Abraham to leave everything that he knew behind, to go to a land that He would show him. This sounds crazy…to leave everything, and go to an unknown place. But this is what it often looks like, when God is calling us to walk in faith in a particular area of our lives.
One of the first things that God will do, is ask us to leave something behind…before we see where He is taking us.
He will often speak to us about a physical place, a relationship, a situation, or even a state of mind, that He wants us to leave behind. And many times, he will not tell us why. He just wants us to move because He said so. It won’t always make sense; in fact, it most likely won’t make sense. But when we act in obedience, we are showing that we trust Him to be our shepherd. We are showing that we believe that His plan is better than our own, and that the destination that he’s taking us to is better than anything we could ask for.
Next, God will give us a vision that He will bring to pass.
Notice what God said, as He spoke the vision to Abraham.
“I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3 NLT)
God said that He would be the one to do all of this in Abraham’s life. He didn’t tell Abraham to seek to build a great nation; He didn’t tell Abraham to seek fame. All God told Abraham to do is leave. This is what we must understand about the visions that God gives us. When He speaks a word over us, we often feel like we are responsible for making it happen. But this isn’t true. We must rely on Him, because He is the one that will bring His vision to pass. All he asks is that we obey the instructions that He give us along the way. As long as we do our part. He will do his part.
So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan… (Genesis 12:4-5 NLT)
Abraham obeyed God. He left his home, and he headed for an uncharted territory. He headed towards a new place, a place he knew nothing about. This is faith. Faith is not acting on facts. Faith is not believing in the evidence of research. Faith is acting on what God said, even when it doesn’t make sense.
When we step out in faith, it will feel like we are embarking on uncharted territory.
Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. (Genesis 12:6-8 NLT)
At this point in Abraham’s journey, the land promised to him was inhabited by the Canaanites. Imagine how this could have made Abraham feel. God had spoken to him. God had told him to leave the place that was already his own, to head towards a place where he would live as a foreigner. This could have been a discouraging fact. But Abraham chose to trust in the promise that God had given him, instead of in the facts.
The facts will not support the vision that God gives us.
This is something that we must know going into this season of faith. Because naturally, we look for evidence before we believe in anything. And when we don’t see the evidence, we assume that it must not be true. But if we hold firm to this thought process, we will miss the amazing things that God has planned for us. God asks us to trust Him, based on who He is in our lives—not based on the evidence presented to us. So, going into this, we must understand that…
God will make promises to us that don’t seem to add up, and He will give us visions that will not make sense, according to the facts. And we will be presented with a choice in each instance. Will we trust in the facts? Or will we trust God, and make our faith all the evidence that we need?
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. (Hebrews 11:1-2 NLT)
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. (Hebrews 11:8-9 NLT)
As Abraham stepped out in faith, God continued to give him a vision of what he wanted to do through him. Many times, we want to get the whole vision from God, before we leave everything behind and obey His instructions. But this is not how God operates. He will give us a word, and expect us to act on it. And as we obey that step, and the next step, he reveals more of his plan to us.
God will clarify the vision as we walk in faith.
We can see this as we read about Abraham’s journey in Genesis chapter 12. Once Abraham arrived in Canaan, God told him that He would give the land to his descendants.
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:7 NLT)
God spoke this amazing word over Abraham, and Abraham did his part. He obeyed the word of the Lord. He left all that He knew, and went to the place that God had shown him, but when he got there, a severe famine struck the land.
At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. (Genesis 12:10 NLT)
Famine does not mean that you are headed in the wrong direction.
This is a point that I have to address. Because if we were in Abraham’s shoes, we would probably see this famine as a sign that we didn’t hear the word of God. Imagine Abraham’s thought process at this point. This is the place that God led Him to. This is the place where God said that his descendants would prosper. But none of that was evident at the time. Nothing in this situation looked like what God said it would be.
When we are faced with opposing facts, we must choose to stand on the word of God.
If you know the rest of the story, you know that Abraham didn’t do everything perfect. But you also know that even after he made mistakes, he chose to return to the word that God had spoken over him. Abraham returned to Canaan, the place that God had called him to. And in that place, as he continued to walk in faith, God continued to speak to him.
After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.” So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:14-18 NLT)
Abraham is not only known for his faith, but he is known as the founder of all who believe… the founder of all of us who choose to put our faith in God. We are still benefiting from his faith today.
So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. (Romans 4:16-21 NLT)
How do we receive the promises of God?... Through Faith!
It isn’t through facts. We don’t receive the promises of God through our hard work. We receive the promises of God through our faith in the fact that He is always true to His word. But how do we do this? How do we live a life of faith like Abraham did? It’s simple… obedience.
Obedience leads to the promises of God.
Sometimes we make faith so complicated. But the truth about the matter is that faith is actually very simple. Faith is putting our complete trust in God. Faith is acting like God knows what’s best for us…and we show this through our obedience.
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (James 2:14-17 NLT)
We usually associate faith with our thoughts…whether or not we believe God. But faith is more than that. Faith is an action word. Faith is proven when we act on what we believe. This is what Abraham did. He didn’t just believe God, He left everything because he believed God. And because he acted in faith, we are blessed. Abraham’s faith left a legacy in the earth. And this is the same opportunity that God has given us. This is why it is so important that we take this time to seek the Lord, and the word that He has regarding our lives.
The vision that God gives us is not just for us.
When God spoke to Abraham the first time, the vision was to bless all the families on the earth.
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3 NLT)
God wants to give us a vision of what he intends to do in our lives, but His vision is so much greater than us. He wants to work in us, so that He can work through us. He wants to transform our lives, so that we can take part in the transformation in others. And it doesn’t stop there. Just like Abraham, he wants us to leave a legacy in the earth. He wants our faith to affect the generations after us. Imagine all the fruit that your faith could produce. Imagine the futures of your children, their children, and their children. Imagine that you are the one that is talked about at Christmas dinner. Imagine your family reflecting on who you were, and how you were courageous enough to trust God…even in the midst of uncertainty.
This, is what we have to look forward to, but I’m going to be honest with you. This life of faith isn’t easy. Your choice to step out in faith might be one of the scariest things that you ever do. In fact, it you aren’t afraid to some degree…if you aren’t unsure, I would challenge you to go deeper with your heavenly Father. Because He is a God that calls us out of our comfortable lives…He is a God that calls us to uncharted territory. He is a God that calls us into the deep, and away from the safety that we are used to. We don’t just see evidence of this in Abraham’s life, we can see evidence of this in the life of Peter, and the disciples as well.
In Matthew chapter 14, we read about Peter walking on water. The account says that prior to the event, Jesus instructed the disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. And while they were on their way, a strong wind rose, and they saw Jesus walking on the water.
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. (Matthew 14:22 NLT)
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” (Matthew 14:24-26 NLT)
After this, is the miracle that we all love to talk about. But imagine how the disciples felt. They were following Jesus’s instructions, but they were led to a dangerous place. Why?
God leads us to uncharted territory to reveal Himself to us.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” (Matthew 14:27 NLT)
Jesus orchestrated all of this to show them who He is. He wanted them to understand that He is ruler over everything. He wanted them to see that He is all powerful, and that he can do anything, including defying the laws of nature, in order to hold fast to His word. But there is more.
God leads us to uncharted territory to show us that we can do anything in Him.
Without God we can do nothing, but with Him, we can do everything. This is what Peter learned that day. He learned that he could do anything, as long as he had Jesus by his side. Peter was willing to take the risk, because he knew that Jesus would protect him.
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:28-31 NLT)
We often read this story, and we immediately point out the fact that Peter began to sink. But we need to remember that he was the only one that had enough faith to step out of the boat in the first place.
We don’t have to be perfect in our faith. All we need to do is step out of the boat. All we need to do is leave whatever He tells us to leave, and He will do the rest. He will lead the way. He will protect us, and make sure that we make it to the place that He has for us. It’s by faith. Not by facts, not by the assurance of proof, but by trusting in what He said. We will get there because we trusted him enough to obey him even when our eyes told us otherwise. When we put our complete trust in Him, withholding nothing, we will see Him move in our lives. There is not doubt about it. He is always true to His word. He will never fail us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you are such a mighty God. You are the creator of all things; you are the ruler of heaven and earth. And still, you love me enough to create such an amazing plan for my life. I know that your plan is so much better than anything that I can imagine, but I need your direction to get there. So Father, I pray that, as I lean into you in this season, that you would reveal the vision that you have for my life. I pray that you would show me the unique reason that you put me here on this earth, and that you would lead me in the path that you have for me. But I know that walking in your will, requires that I leave my will behind. I know that there are some things that I need to let go of, so that I can receive all that you have for me. So, I pray that in this season, you would show me what I need to leave behind, and I pray that you would give me the strength to be obedient to you. I can’t do this without you, but thank you for reminding me that I won’t have to. Thank you for reminding me that as I embark on uncharted territory, you go before me. Thank you for reminding me that you will never leave my side. I know that as long as I am with you, I can do anything. And I declare that I will be all that you have called me to be. In Jesus name, amen.
