Year of Transition

"Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness."
Romans 6:13

There is no greater transition than the one in which we pass from death to life. It seems backwards, doesn't it? We usually think of passing from life to death. After all, when we die, we no longer live on the earth. People use phrases like: "He passed away," or "He is dead and gone." But really, when that event happens, we pass from death to life. So it is with our lives here on earth. Every time we overcome a sin, we pass from death to life. Every time we avoid giving in to sin, we have avoided death and moved into life.  This is one transition, of many that the Lord wants to produce this year.
    Occasionally, the prophet in me comes out. This is one of those times. I know I have heard the Holy Spirit speak to me about this year of 2012. This is a year of transition. This is true of my life, but I sense that this year of transition is bigger than just me. I believe that when we get to the end of the year, we will look back, attempting to remember what it was like at the beginning. But things will look so much different then, that we will not be able to remember the place we are right now.
    Those of us who are Christians and are genuinely seeking God's kingdom, are going to experience such new things that our spiritual lives now will be but a blur. The church that is genuinely seeking God will experience such change that where we are right now will be a passing shadow. Even the world is going to look different when we get to the end of 2012. The wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing. Jesus told Nicodemus that we feel the effects of the wind, but we cannot see it. It blows wherever it wills. So it is with the Holy Spirit. We know him and we feel him, but we cannot predict where he is going or what he will do next. This makes every day of our lives exciting. It is the great hope of the church that Jesus will return quickly. In the mean time, the Holy Spirit is about his work. And things are changing...quickly.
    Let me encourage you, my Christian brothers and sisters: This is a year of transition for you. What you see and experience right now is but a vapor compared to what God has in store for you. This is the year when you will transition into greater things than you ever thought possible. This is the year when your dreams are fulfilled. To the church of the Firstborn: This is the year of transition. Some churches will transition from mediocrity into complete freedom in Jesus. Other churches will truly experience what it means to be hot instead of lukewarm. The church that is seeking God, will find him in glorious abundance. The hurting will be filled with joy. The sick will be well. The poor will find riches. This transition is going to be a complete one. It is the revelation of opposites; sadness is joy, sickness is health, poverty is wealth. This is not a gospel of worldly increase, it is the gospel of the fulfilling of God's word. It is his intent, it is for his glory, and it is the year of transition!