How to take hold of the NEW God has for You!
Are you tired of going through negative cycles year after year? Are you ready to take hold of everything God has for you this time!? Well, the time is now to move forward into those things and with divine intensity & acceleration.
Many times we receive God’s word and His downloads with excitement, but when the time comes to connect our works with our faith we don’t follow through. I want to give you a few steps you can take now to start moving toward the dream and vision God has given you. Even if you don’t quite know what direction God wants you to go, these steps will be helpful in getting you moving that way. These steps are not in order and could happen at the same time or separately. God moves fast and different so we just follow his leading.
#1. It is imperative that you cleanse and rid yourself of old mindsets, paradigms, hindrances, wounds, cycles and idols.
So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.
Ephesians 4:22-24 GNT
Leave no stone unturned. It’s time to do spring cleaning of your body, mind, heart and spirit. Remember what God is doing in you is great therefore you must make room for this. We must do our part in enlarging and stretching forth so God can pour new wine in us (Matthew 9:16-17). We must also be ready for the divine pruning, pressure and crushing because this is where the new oil will begin to flow and new growth can take place. God chastises his beloved and keeps pressing those hardened areas because He has so much in store for you.
What does this look like? Receive counseling, pastoral support, deliverance, get healthy and ask God to lead you to godly friends and relationships to help you through this process of shedding the old. Take your time and partner with the Holy Spirit. Pay attention to His promptings (dreams, impressions, words of knowledge, etc…).
#2. Pray and Fast for the new
During this step as you set your heart to pray and fast God will soften your heart to receive the plans and purposes He has for you, build your faith to believe and break barriers/obstacles to obtaining all that is ahead. I believe thanksgiving, repentance and worship will set you on a solid foundation as you approach the throne of God. Sometimes we come into prayer with preconceived ideas, but as you approach God with a humble and pure heart you will be able to listen fully and be settled with just loving on God until He speaks. God is near to the brokenhearted.
I was in worship recently and the Holy Spirit said, “Can you dance in the rain?” Can you worship me in the midst of a storm? I started worshiping even more because I don’t want to be like those in the wilderness who wasted away before the promise was fulfilled because of complaining and unbelief. God is going to test us in what we declare out of our mouths and I want to be found faithful and trustworthy of the call.
Remember how the LORD your God led you on this long journey through the desert these past forty years, sending hardships to test you, so that he might know what you intended to do and whether you would obey his commands.
Deuteronomy 8:2
I had a dream a couple months ago and in the dream I was getting ready to take a test and was trying to hurry and study the study guide I had, but I realized that it was too late! The test was in front of me and I should have studied while I had the chance. I also realized that all the answers I needed was right in that study guide. As you pray and fast, this is where God is going to begin to release a blueprint/study guide for you and see what you do with it. This study guide will be all about how He made you, shaped you and the mechanics of how you work/were built. This includes your personality traits (strengths and weaknesses), your divine calling, what God intended for your life and so on. This is vital in posturing yourself for the new, so take your time and STUDY your framework when and while you can.
“…the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
Hebrews 3:3-4
#3. Write, meditate and speak forth what you are seeing concerning your dream/vision
I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:1
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24
Start to articulate (express fluently and coherently) what you are receiving in a way that is clear to you and whoever you wish to give it to. This could be a written piece, a song, dance, business plan, ministry idea, etc… God is so vast and gives you what you need. You may not have even thought about it before, but God will reveal his divine purpose for you in this time of your life. Trust him.
Then begin to speak it forth like you are already walking in it and are releasing it to the world. The WORD has POWER and will begin to take form when you declare it out of your mouth. See when God reveals a thing to you how will you respond? Mary responded in faith and said “be it unto me according to your word.” She believed what she heard, it took root in her heart and she declared it out of her mouth. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34
But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore we also speak, …
2 Corinthians 4:13
#4. Ask God for a divine strategy/plan to execute the vision
You may ask why do I need a divine strategy and plan? Why can’t I just do what God is saying to do? If God said it, then it will happen right? Well not exactly. See when you are very driven, unrelenting and determined, have all these ideas but don’t consult God on all the details, what you do will be average and will not last. You need a well thought out, drawn out plan so you can tackle that great thing that is on your heart. David inquired of the Lord to see if he could go after what was before him. You may need extra training, more team members, or more resources. Sitting down and organizing what is required will make you more solid, more efficient (achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense), and more focused on each need until you see the structure come to form.
Some may be overwhelmed and don’t know where to start and that’s okay. Our lives are very complex. If you have ever taken some type of algebra or physics class you know that from the outside looking in, it seems hard and illogical, but with a good teacher what was complex can become simple. The Holy Spirit is our good teacher and is ready to unpack that thing you envisioned in your heart, he just needs your faith and works to match.
Get a written planner, formulate your team, brainstorm, worship, pray, prophesy and start FULFILLING the vision and OCCUPYING the territory.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:13