As I was praying about the New Year the Lord showed me a vision of people making lists. The people had been prompted by God to make a list and there seemed to be great significance on this task. These were not lists of New Year resolutions but instead were lists of decrees and declarations concerning the year ahead. It was a list of promises and plans from the Lord for each person, cultivated from intimate time with the Lord. The list formed vision that people could contend for and stand in faith to see come to pass.

 

The Lord showed me these people of God were going through three steps with regard to their list. The first was to seek the Lord and spend time aligning their heart with His and determining what promises and plans the Lord had for them in the coming year. I noticed some items on the list were already known by the people and they wrote these items down quickly. These were promises and plans the Lord had already revealed to them. There were other items on the list though that were only added as they spent time with the Lord. The people were receiving new revelation as they spent time in His presence. The Lord was painting His plans on the hearts and minds of His people.

 

The Lord wants us to earnestly seek Him and the Word of God tells us that He will reward those who do this. Psalm 63:1 (NASB) – O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) – And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. The Lord is encouraging us to enter into prayer with expectancy as He has much to reveal. Psalm 5:3 (NIV) – In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Jeremiah 33:3 (NSAB) – Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. As we spend time in His presence through prayer, worship and reading the Word we will receive revelation which will form the spiritual vision and promise for the coming year.

 

The second step I saw the people do was to ‘make the vision plain’. The people were journaling, drawing and writing in detail the revelation they had been given. As they did this the vision of the plans and promises the Lord had for them became clear in their minds.

 

In the vision the third step was that the people purposed in their heart to pursue the promises the Lord had given them. They were not going to step out in their own strength but they had purposed in their heart to step out on the leading of the Holy Spirit and to position themselves to be ready. They were going to keep the promises and plans at the forefront of their minds and were going to stand in faith to see them fulfilled. They were going to pray in their promises and speak out and decree the word of God over the promises. They purposed to be unwavering in their stand in faith to see these promises fulfilled.

 

We are to stand in faith and prayer for the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives. Hebrews 10:23 (NSAB) – Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. We are to wage war over the words and promises the Lord gives us. 1 Timothy 1:18 (NSAB) – This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight.

 

There is a supernatural power when we speak and decree God’s Word over our lives. Decreeing Scripture releases God’s purposes into our lives and destroys the plans of the enemy. It causes the truths of the heavenly realm to be manifest into the natural realm. Job 22:28 (NSAB) – You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; and light will shine on your ways. God’s word will accomplish His desires and purposes. Isaiah 55:11 (NLT) – It is the same with My word, I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. The Lord wants us to be intentional about the words we speak and realise the power of our words, particularly when our words are in line with His promises.

 

The Lord is inviting you to make a New Year’s list of His promises and plans for you for the year ahead. If you will take up this task it will involve a process in determining the Lord’s plans and promises for you, documenting these to bring clarity and vision to them and then purposing in your heart to pursue items on your New Year list. Blessing will flow as you undertake this task and stand in faith for the promises and plans the Lord reveals.