Its Time to Thrive in 2005

The year 2005 will be a year of harvest and of reaping of seeds sown over the past several years. Those who have sown to the flesh in rebellion over the years will suddenly reap corruption and sudden judgment. Others, who have sown to the spirit in righteousness, will reap life and unexpected fulfillment of personal promises from God. The year 2005 will be a long awaited “due season” for many that have relentlessly and patiently sown in righteousness despite an extended wilderness season of drought. Divine dreams and destinies that have been “on hold” for it seems like an eternity will suddenly come true. Some will be awe struck and will feel as if they are dreaming.

The year 2005 will be a year of extremes, surprises and irony. Some ministries, businesses and people will arise from obscurity to become influential, flourishing and prosperous almost overnight. This will be the Lord’s doing. On the contrary, other popular and flourishing ministries, businesses and people will suddenly be exposed and fall in shame under the judgment of God.

Galatians 6:7-9 “Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

An Open Window for Repentance

The Lord in His mercy is giving us an opportunity during the first few months of 2005 to repent of unrighteousness judgments we have made against people and things that we have had no authority to judge. If we take this opportunity seriously, through repentance we can uproot a harvest of judgment that is due us.

Matthew 7:1,2 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the same measure you use it, it will be measured back to you.”

Over 15 years ago, two notable U.S. televangelists were exposed and scandalized primarily due to sexual immorality. Instead of coming to their aid, the Body of Christ in general severely and unjustly judged these men. As a result, the Body of Christ has reaped a plague of sexual immorality characterized by bondage to internet pornography and other illicit sexual sins that have caused the demise of many ministries and marriages throughout the Christian world. Currently, 47% of Christians admit that pornography is a problem in their home and 53% of Promise Keeper men view pornography weekly.

Recently, a minister reported that his wife had mysteriously and suddenly plunged into the throes of depression. Her condition continually worsened despite medical intervention until the Lord convicted the minister of judging another minister. Once the minister repented of his unrighteous judgment of the other minister, the minister’s wife was completely delivered from depression (I Corinthians 11:28-30, James 2:12,13).

James 5:9 “Do not grumble (groan) against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!”

On December 19^th, 1995, my wife Kay and I separately received a word from the Lord to move to Phoenix, Arizona from Charleston, SC. The Lord had revealed to me that I was to write a book entitled, “The Valley of the Son”, that would define Christ’s redemptive purpose for Phoenix in the 21^st century. The Lord indicated that Phoenix would become our promised land of blessing.

After moving to Phoenix in April 1996, I eventually completed “The Valley of the Son” book in January 2000. I felt that the release of the new book would launch us into full time ministry. In 2001, after giving away hundreds of copies of “The Valley of the Son” with little apparent results, I began doubting the Lord’s promises, questioning His faithfulness, and became cynical toward the Lord. Frustrated and angry, I wanted to leave Phoenix and sought out numerous pastoral positions throughout the U.S.

My murmuring and judgments against the Lord removed His protective hand, and opened the door for Satan to terrorize my family. During this time, my wife was in two automobile accidents that were not her fault. She sustained neck and back injuries that kept her in the chiropractor’s office for months. Amid financial difficulties, during this time Kay also contracted a form of Lyme’s disease and unknown to us at the time one of our children had been abused by a stranger. Little did I realize at the time that my complaining and judgments against the Lord had empowered Satan. Not only did I expose myself, but also those under my authority. Only through repentance was the protective hand of the Lord restored over me and my family.

Crossing Over Into Our Promised Land

The Lord has brought us to the threshold of our Jordan River and is preparing us to cross it to enter into our land of promise in 2005. The only thing that will keep us out is the sin of unbelief and its five accompanying sins outlined in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church that kept the children of Israel in the wilderness for forty years.

I Corinthians 10: 6-11 “. . . Lust after evil things . . . idolaters . . . sexual immorality . . . tempt Christ . . . murmur”

Among these five sins are tempting Christ and murmuring, which are in effect questioning the faithfulness of God and complaining. We must remember that the gates and windows of heaven are opened through praise and thanksgiving.

Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.”

In contrast, gates of hell are opened through grumbling and complaining. The Lord is granting the Body of Christ a window of opportunity in early 2005 to repent of unrighteous judgments and complaining against Him. If we humble ourselves and respond with sincere repentance, we will be spared His judgments and reap a harvest of mercy and reward for the righteous seeds that we have sown and watered.

Hosea 10:12 “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap in mercy; break up the fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.”

From Surviving to Thriving

We are entering into a new season in 2005, which requires new thinking. Years in the wilderness produces a survival mode mentality of doubt, poverty and scarcity, whereas the land of promise produces a thriving mentality of faith, prosperity and abundance. We must be determined to renew our minds by stripping away the wilderness mentality and believing that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Hebrews 6:12 “that you do not become lazy, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

It’s due season. Will we continue in our cycle of disappointment and defeat or reap the fulfillment of the Lord’s precious, personal promises and thrive in 2005? Will we continue to remain in a quagmire of cynicism, fear and resignation, or will we arise to possess the promises of God by faith and patience. The answer to these questions will be determined by the condition of our minds and confession of our mouths. Let’s dare to believe the dream and by faith inherit the promises of God and possess our promised land in 2005.