Are you ready for God to show up now that you have dared Him?

One thing I have learnt in 2020, is that when God shows up, there is nothing that I knew before that will work the way I thought it should. As you dare God to do something new about your life, please expect Him to start by renewing your mind and pushing you to think thoughts that are outside your usual pattern. Scripture tells us we cannot put new wine into old wineskins so whatever you have carried to this point is an old wine skin and he will definitely remove that one from you before He puts anything fresh in you. This refers to everything in your life. Do not desire to revive it in the patterns you used to operate it rather ask God for direction on every step as you go ahead. Whatever you did last year, yesterday, an hour ago or whenever it was active to get bigger, closer, better etc. will not work this year or the coming one.

You are in a different place and so the things that worked before won’t work, and what the rest of creation is doing will not work for you. You are a unique part of God’s creation so your life has to be different from start to finish. You need very specific strategies from God for this season. In the last decade and with special focus in 2020, He has helped me to realise I don’t need money to live. You will say money makes the world go around and that may be true, yet He has given me a new perspective.

It was a challenging perspective at first, but it grew

I need provision so when food is low or I need something specific, I ask for that thing bit not money for that thing. Get it? Let me explain. For instance, I needed more financial freedom so I asked for increased work, contacts and income. I asked for appropriate insight, understanding, revelation, contacts, networks, mentors, connections, opportunities and interactions. Then I asked that he would open my eyes to see, my ears to hear and my mind to understand. That is what has made this year and the coming ones successful.

Or, I needed food so I will ask for rice, tomatoes, potatoes, chicken, mincemeat, carrots etc. not money for these things. He could answer in different ways. He could give me money to buy, send a visitor with my whole shopping list or a gift voucher or even send me a contract that would trade the food. This goes to all the needs I may have in life and in the last few years it has become the pattern that works. Could it be that you need to find your pattern and live by it no matter what?

So what needed to change?

I had to get to the point where I did not care who did what or said what about me because if the WORD is true that everything works together for my good, then even those in disagreement with my path and those sent to questions, will push me closer to God and build my character. We cannot be more caught up with what people are saying rather than what God is saying. I also realised that the road to success is many years long (at least 7) so even if I fall down or fail, that is part of the process and I will learn more from ‘failure’ and challengers than I ever will from success.

Each one must understand that their path is a very individual path and there are others who will only rise when you finish well. So stop worrying about what you don’t have and be thankful for what you have because what you focus on expands. As long as I focused on the difficult relationships around me they only got worse but when I begun to focus on the ones that I can pour out God into and ask Him for others to pour into me, it all changed. When I focused on having money in my pocket, it will remain empty but if I look forward to fulfilling my purpose and being the fullness I am designed for, I will indeed connect to the opportunities that will bring the provision I need.

I will not tell you it will turn around immediately, but you must daily choose to walk into the plan God has shared with you about your life. Seek approval, direction, conviction from God and allow men and women to only serve as the confirmation role as God assigns them to be. These are the hard lessons I have learnt from 2020 and I hope they are helpful to you.

Shalom.