Return, Rebuild, Restructure.
Normally when God gives me a Word for the year it's only one and it's typically for one year. This time I believe He has given me three words and it will take the next 3-5 years to fully come to pass. This Word from God requires work and responsibility on our part. There was a season of rest and reflection that took place at the end of 2020, this is where believers got some serious moments of clarity and an opportunity to reflect on the year and take stock of the good, the bad, lessons learned, and moments missed. Most of us caught a weird second wind because His peace that goes beyond our understanding rested on us. I thank God for being so gracious. Now we are on to 2021, and the question asked is, what does God want us to do?
This is the point where I must give you caution. Every Word is not for everyone. You must try the spirit by the Spirit and if it lines up for you receive it, if not move on. Do not ever force a word to fit your life that is being rejected by your spirit because of who said it or who said they receive it. Also, take caution that you understand the difference between a rejection and a challenge. A challenge makes you uncomfortable but calls you into a deeper relationship with God and pushes you to change something about yourself or your situation. A rejection does not align with what God is doing in your life and you feel no tug to do anything with it. And that’s ok! If you are a non-believer the only Word from the LORD is to believe in his Son Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior.
With that, God said to me Return, Rebuild, Restructure! Given to me with these words was Nehemiah 1:8-9 8“Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth,[b] I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’
Return: Return to the basics. Some of us have gained so much head knowledge about God and His Kingdom that we don’t actually live it anymore. We teach about it, we talk about it, we argue the validity of it but we have moved away from living it. Because of this we must recapture the presence and all-consuming love we need to return to the basics of our faith, re-engage our spiritual disciplines, and do the action of His love until the feeling comes back. Actions like resting in his presence, sharing your personal experience about your relationship with God, and serving others without the title or the requirement of ministry in the way. Return to God.
Rebuild: Rebuild your relationship with God and others. For some of us last year, to be honest the last couple of years took a toll on our trust and faith in both people and God. We might be going through the motions and saying all the right things but our hearts are broken and we are only in these relationships because we are required to be. We even give lip service to forgiveness but quietly we are harboring resentment that keeps us from engaging in the tough but important work of rebuilding relationships. It has become comfortable to just be on the sidelines and not let anyone close, including God because they just don’t know how to treat you right. Those feelings are valid, however, they have hindered our Kingdom Potential. There are too many relationships that we aren’t willing to take chances on. God is calling us to rebuild our relationship with God first and allow all other relationships to flow from that place. Restoration is in the Rebuild.
Restructure: We have everything we need! In the midst of a pandemic, the LORD Blessed us and while everything wasn’t perfect, we had one of the best years ever. We have more clarity, made good money, started doing what we felt like God had been calling us to do for a long time and it felt great to finally be in His will. For those of us who experienced that, I hear the LORD saying “don’t rest in my former grace for you. It’s time to move the things around that I have given you. Every challenge I took you through, every skill you grasped, all the wisdom you gained from the pain, it’s all coming together. Some things you have misidentified and have filed them away. Allow me to redefine them so you can see them as I do. Seek my Face to position things properly. You have everything on the table, you see all the beautiful colors and useful shapes but you haven’t put things in the proper place, to see the picture I’ve weaved together for your life so you can execute the vision at the highest level.” Breakthrough is in the Restructure.
