JOURNAL YOUR LIFE!

The beginning of the year is a time when we often set up New Year's Resolutions. If I had a chance to encourage you to do something brilliant and helpful this year, something that would enrich your spiritual life, this would be it: Start journaling in a computer program how God is moving in your life day by day this year. My preference is Microsoft Word, but any program will do.

I have written yearly journals of all the things that God has been showing me since the year 2000. If I hadn't, I might have completely forgotten what God had told me or forgotten what lessons I'd learned. Every prophetic word I'd received, every trial that I've gone through that God delivered me from, every dream from the Lord, every direction I'd received from the Holy Spirit goes into the journal.

Since God always shares with us His vision in piecemeal fashion (a little here, then a little there), it's imperative that we write down what God has been trying to say to us at the time that He tells us. And, because it's in a computer program and not handwritten into a book, I can easily search and locate any word or subject in seconds and get all of what the Lord has been telling me over the course of the year.

I know there are some of you who are romantics and like to journal into a book. Don't! It's time to get with the times and go computer. There's an ease and convenience in having your journal in a computer file, from which you can easily fix mistakes and make updates. Then too you can simply copy and paste portions of the journal into an email to encourage a friend or quickly print out a segment to peruse and study.

Or, you can gather all the items of any topic and group them together at a glance.

I can't tell you how many times that if I didn't journal a prophetic dream that I had, I would not have remembered it. During the course of the year, it's always good to peruse the journal for enlightenment as to what God is doing and saying in your life.

Then at the end of the year, you can print out your journal, place a cover on it and voila! you've got a bound copy of your 2009 journal.

At the end of the year, you can tell me how how much you want to thank me.

WAITING ON THE LORD FOR THE NEW YEAR!

Immediately after midnight New Year's Eve, we waited on the Lord.

"Waiting on the Lord" is an almost forgotten key in drawing closer to the Lord and hearing His heart regarding your life. Simply put, you put yourself simply before Him. You have worship music on. You pray in the Spirit. You listen. And then you ... wait. Wait for the Lord to begin speaking to you.

Here's what my friend Matt Sorger got this night:

I call you sons. I call you daughters.

For you longed to know my ways and you've longed to know my heart. This is the place where you learn my ways. This is the place where you know my heart.

There’s a washing that happens in this place. It's a washing off of things that keep you from me, that hold you back. I draw you close to Me.

My plan is greater than the plan the enemy has for you. My work in you is a glorious work and I’ll bring it to completion.

I call you my own. You don’t belong to the world, you belong to Me. My ways are higher, My thoughts are higher. You’ve been distracted by many things. Lay it all at My feet tonight.

Return to the secret place. I will crown you with My glory. This is where I want you to live – close to My heart, close to My heart, close to My heart!

You were created to live close to My heart. There’s freedom in My presence.

The Holy Spirit says I am fighting for all of you tonight. For the enemy has sought to take you out. Know that this very night I am raising up a standard for you. I’m fighting for all of you. There’s a new day ahead for you. Old things need to be let go of, released, walked away from.

There’s a new day I’m bringing you to – a day of great release, power and surrender. But you need to let go of things. Will you let go? As you let go you’ll find that I have more for you. You have not reached the highest place yet. Will you let go of the things I want you to? If you release them, there’s more for you. I’m waiting for your obedience. I'm waiting for your full surrender. There’s more that I have for you. There’s a walk I’ve called you to walk. It’s a different walk. It’s not a path that a lot of people go on – few will go on it.

Tonight I call you to go up higher – but the higher you go, the narrower the path becomes. There are few who desire to walk on this path. But I have a higher path for you. There’s more that I want to show you and give you. The narrower the path, the tighter the restrictions, but I have placed them there for a reason. The narrower the path, the firmer the foundation of your feet. The more secure footing you’ll have. There are some that have desired to come close to Me, but they have drawn back because they thought the price was too great. Some came close, but have drawn back. I’ve showed you this mountain before. The higher you go, the less you can take with you. The higher you go, the less you can take with you. Are you willing to surrender? Are you willing to obey Me even when it’s hard. Obedience is not easy. There’s a wrestling that goes on inside you – a wrestling of your will with My will. There’s a place where you can go – it’s called surrender. It’s called obedience. But within your hands I will place a great anointing – greater than you’ve ever experienced up till now. For you will be my surrendered vessels, My obedient vessels, My instruments.

{Incidentally, just before this exchange from the Lord, one among our group saw a large angel in the room, wearing a helmet, breastplate and sword. This would fall in line with what the Lord said about "fighting for you."}

WHAT'S AHEAD FOR 2009?

Prophetic Revivalist Matt Sorger is putting out a series of prophetic words for the new year. The first one is already uploaded at his website (the same one we have above). There will be a new prophetic word each week for the month of January, five totally in all.

This first one is entitled DIVINE CONFRONTATION FOR WHOLENESS. In it, Matt explains that God in His infinite love is going to confront us about our typical feet-dragging, excuse-filled resistance to move spiritually forward. He is going to impress upon us, lovingly, to deal with our emotional issues and baggage -- so that we can propel forward and not miss out on how God wants to use us.

The days are too important for us to miss out on what God is doing. So, it's imperative for us to let God do His surgery on us this year so that we are fully capable to carry His anointing at the level He intends.