Category: Spiritual Growth

What Will the "New Thing" Cost You?

What Will the “New Thing” Cost You?

Posted on by Karolyn Miller

Is it almost May already? We are well into the 2nd quarter of 2019. I pray most of you have been faithful to begin the assignment that the Lord has given you in this new year. I also pray that momentum is still moving you forward- even if you have had some challenges with consistency along the way. Don’t get discouraged – transition in any form can be challenging.

For example, during childbirth, the third stage of labor is called transition. It is the most intense part of the childbirth process. The intensity of the contractions is harder, the frequency more furious, and the pain becomes more intense. It’s the final phase before the pushing begins.

I have noticed that this time of transition from the old season into the new mimics the transition phase of childbirth A LOT! Why shouldn’t it? We are about to birth something new!

God is doing a new thing!

We speak that phrase almost as a colloquialism. It’s a phrase that builds hope, excitement, and an increase in faith…however, it does require a transition.

Out with the old…in with the new

Just like the birth of a new baby changes the lives of the parents, the new thing requires the same demand for change. It’s hard to do a new thing while you’re still doing the old thing. More time and effort are required due to the learning curve. Money and a different set of skills and resources may also be required to birth the new thing. The children of Israel found themselves in a transition period as they left Egypt and journeyed to the Promised Land.

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat!  We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. -Numbers 11:4-5 (NIV)

They began to complain about the wonderful food they had while they were enslaved…at no cost.

EXCUSE ME? While the Israelites may not have paid an observable or quantifiable cost, they paid a high imputed cost…the cost was their FREEDOM!

The Israelites entered Egypt fruitful, prosperous, mighty, and strong in numbers. The new Pharaoh saw how blessed they were and became threatened. He enslaved the Israelites and made their lives bitter with hard bondage. The Egyptians were ruthless in their dealings with the Israelites (Exodus 1:6-13). Yet, when faced with the beginning of a new thing, they longed for the more comfortable and familiar place, even if it was bondage.

What bondage are you craving?

Is it a high-stress job that required long hours, made you work overtime and on the weekends, but paid more than your current gig?

Is it a bad relationship that you exited, but now you are reminiscing on the good times and willing to overlook the toxicity, just to fill a void?

Perhaps you are craving a place of routine and safety while God is stretching you and calling you out of your comfort zone.

The cravings stem from an often-overlooked place of change and transition…your mindset.

The Israelites, a once prosperous people were now enslaved —not by taskmasters anymore, but by a poverty mentality. They were ready to trade their new-found freedom for the meat of old.

Remember, it’s a NEW thing!

Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. – Isaiah 42:9 (KJV)

Like us, the Israelites didn’t focus on the first part of the verse. Before the new thing can be established, the former things must “come to pass”. This means that something must end, cease, or modify from its original state. Former things are just that – former. They have fulfilled their purpose, manifested in their season, and transpired to bring you into the next place on your journey. Conflict arises when we try to bring former things into the season of the new thing.

God takes the Israelites on a journey through the wilderness to shed the former paradigms of Egypt before they enter the Promised Land. Instead of meat and vegetables at the cost of their freedom, God shows himself as provider and sustainer by providing them fresh manna from heaven and water from a rock. Instead of looking to their slave masters as lords, God wants to redirect the Israelites to trust to him as Lord.

God is doing the same thing as He calls you to leave safe, familiar territory and trust Him for the new thing. It is imperative to shed the restrictive mindset of old to embrace the download of new plans and strategies. And, although you can’t see the Promised Land, it is vital to believe He is faithful to lead you to the new thing which He promised.

Change is good and necessary!

In this new season, you may have to release some people, places, and things. Let me tell you from experience- God has challenged me to leave some places & things in this new season that were good…no, great….even wonderful! In all their splendor, they were still former things. I had to release them to follow God into the new thing, believing what He had for me was greater.

God may even be calling you to leave a physical or geographical location. Some of your relationships may even end or modify in nature. Look for new people to come into your life with keys and resources for the next stage of your journey. Divine shifts and realignments are occurring during this time. Pray and ask God for wisdom and instruction so you may be able to have balance and steward the transition well.

Just like the mother who gives birth to her child after 14 hours of labor, 2 epidurals, and an inevitable C-section, the pain of the journey is all erased when you stare face to face with the awesome new gift that God has given you! 

Faithful to Begin

Posted on by Karolyn Miller

“A journey of 1,000 miles begins with just one step.”- Lao Tzu

It’s easy to look at others and desire their status or possessions. The comparison game can produce either a positive or a negative effect. Comparison can cause you to become a jealous “hater” or it can be a motivator and spur you into action.

As easy as it is to become inspired by someone else’s success, it’s not as easy to work and obtain the same level of status. For example, many students want to obtain straight A’s, but they are not willing to sacrifice the parties, hanging out with friends, and other extracurricular activities to spend long hours studying and late nights in the library. People want to be out of debt, but still want certain comforts like shopping sprees, eating out, and watching cable which pulls discretionary dollars away from paying extra on debt.

Success does not arrive overnight; it takes hard work and consistency to achieve.

Before you can arrive at a particular goal or life position, you must make a step in that direction. The most important step in any achievement is the first step. With one step, a dream begins to manifest into a reality.

It is hard to see how one small step can manifest into a big change. For instance, you can lose weight by cutting out soda and sugary drinks, with no other diet modifications or exercise needed. That one minor change can make a big difference quickly. You can create extra savings if you save the change from every cash purchase. It may only look like a few coins in a jar, but coins make dollars. We can enjoy the bountiful end result, but we have to take the first small step to get there.

You have to begin!

Zechariah 4:10a (NIV)- Who dares despise the day of small things…

Job 8:7 (KJV)- Though the beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

If we know the great potential of the end result, what keeps us from beginning?

There are numerous personal reasons why people have a hard time beginning the transformation of an idea into reality.  Some people want to know the whole plan from the beginning to the end before they get started. Sometimes God will reveal the plan in great detail as he did Noah with the specific instructions regarding the ark. He told Noah how to build the ark, what materials to use, and who should get on the ark once the build was complete. On the other hand, He told Abraham to pack up and leave his family and familiar surroundings to embark on a journey “unto a land that I will show thee” (Genesis 12:1, KJV).

Sounds like destination unknown to me….

Both men had one thing in common – they trusted God for the outcome.

Some people are paralyzed from beginning because the dream is so big until they feel they don’t have the resources to bring it to fruition. God may have shown you a vision of a Christian school for children that you are supposed to build. You don’t have cash on hand for a building with a gym, teachers, nor textbooks for grades K-8 at the present time, but you can start by homeschooling 4 or 5 kindergarteners.

Once you begin what God has called you to do, you will find yourself in a position like Noah.

Genesis 6:8 (NIV) – But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

You may not have all of the resources in your hand, but God’s favor is the only currency you need.

His favor can open doors that would usually be shut and cause your path to be directed to people who will bless you with what you need. Before you know it, the small homeschool class that you began with will turn into a network of grade-specific homeschool teachers and eventually the private Christian school that God showed you in the vision.

Don’t shelve God’s blueprint because you don’t have the resources! Before you get defeated by a massive operating budget, try making a small step with God’s favor.

Finally, the major reason why people don’t ever start on what they are called to do is FEAR! Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of lack, fear of people and what they will say, fear of losing everything, fear of change, fear of rejection, fear of worthiness, fear of everything………….except the fear of God.

Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) – By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

We are afraid of everything and everybody, except God. If anything, we should be afraid of not doing what He called us to do. We should be afraid of procrastinating and missing His divine timing for the vision. We should fear the consequences of our decision to be disobedient. We should fear disappointing God.

This is the only fear that should be considered as you begin.

God is calling YOU to be a “Noah”!

Noah was called by God to become a trail blazer and a record breaker. Noah was going to build the first cruise ship. It would be the biggest boat ever seen and it would look different than every other boat that had ever been built.

God challenged everything that Noah knew to give him a concept that had never been seen before. Noah didn’t know when his ark was going to “blow up” or “go viral”. He had no idea when the rain would begin. He had only a small inkling of the significance his personal instruction would contribute to the course of history. Not only would every person and creature on the ark be saved from the flood, Noah would also find a place in the “Hall of Faith”.

In this new year and season, God is calling us to build “arks.” He is changing the paradigm and the method. Noah’s ark did not look like any other boat.

If you build a boat according to what you know as a boat, you will build too small. You will build within a box of previous experience and personal boundaries. Your new venture will simply be a reflection of your current comfort zone.

Isaiah 42:9 (KJV) – Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Like Noah, God is calling us to build a new thing, something ingenious, out of the box, innovative, and brand new.  However, we can’t study what already exists and research someone else’s empire and design too long.

God is ready to give us new blueprints for the new “ark” that He wants to build.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NIV)- The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

What an awesome promise! It’s better than a money back guarantee! This one promise removes the burden from you to provide the successful outcome. All you have to do is be faithful to the call and begin. God will do the rest! He is there to teach you to fly and catch you when you fall.

There is no failure in God! 

What is God calling you to begin in 2019?

Whether it’s a business or a blog, a ministry or a non-profit organization, a product or a service, a lifestyle change or a lifetime savings, start today by asking God for the blueprint. Be satisfied if He only gives you one step. Work those one or two steps until He releases more directions. Be faithful over the small steps, the few things, and He will make you ruler over many (Matthew 25:21).

Just be faithful to begin!

*Read more about the life of Noah in Genesis, Chapters 6-8.

Overcoming the Spirit of Offense

Posted on by Karolyn Miller

One of the rampant attacks in the Body of Christ currently is the spirit of offense. The enemy knows if he can divide the body with offense, we will no longer be effective. Instead of focusing on revival, we will be focused on ourselves and personal hurt. Strategic alignments and divine relationships would be strained and hindered–dissolving cords of resources, support, and partnership necessary for Kingdom building. We will be so busy bickering within the body until we will never reach the lost…and we will not experience the supernatural power of God flowing in our daily lives.

This strategy is not new. Jesus was also affected by the spirit of offense.

A Prophet Has No Honor in His Own Country…

Jesus himself encountered the spirit of offense in Mark 6:1-6. As he went into his hometown, he began to teach in the synagogues. The people were amazed at his teachings. They marveled at his level of wisdom, revelation, and the miracles that he had been performing. Instead of giving him good publicity and believing in the message, they began to bring Jesus down to their level.

“Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. (Mark 6:3, NIV)

Oftentimes, the spirit of offense travels with other spirits, such as pride, familiarity, and jealousy, as seen in this passage. These spirits rose up in the people and caused them to miss the message and focus on the messenger. They tried to disqualify what he was saying by recounting his lack of qualifications to say it.

His hometown cronies focused on the fact that he was a carpenter instead of a well-educated theologian — according to their standards.

He was an ordinary man, just like them — according to their standards.

“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.” – Romans 8:32 (NIV)

Who was Jesus to hold them accountable?

Lack of Accountability Breeds Offense

Have you ever noticed that it is easier to be taught or rebuked by someone from afar, like a television preacher, than to be held accountable by someone who walks closely in fellowship with you? Isn’t it interesting how you can receive a word of rebuke by a traveling prophet, but it’s hard to receive that same word from your local minister or pastor? Although we desire growth and change, the silent truth is being held accountable is tough, and sometimes a challenging word rubs us the wrong way.

The spirit of offense often rises up when we are held accountable by those we are walking in fellowship with because, like Jesus’ neighbors, we get too familiar with them. Jesus was teaching with power and authority, but the Word could not produce conviction, repentance, and change. Pride, familiarity, and jealousy filtered the teaching, ultimately resulting in the townspeople becoming offended.

In this passage, we also see why the spirit of offense is so dangerous to Believers. Offense resulted in the people being unable to receive healing & miracles…and ultimately wholeness. The spirit of offense serves as a barrier to limit faith and the flow of the Holy Spirit. So, the townspeople stayed in their same state or condition because they were offended by the messenger.

Unmet Expectations and Selfish Vantage Points

The spirit of offense can also walk in through the door of unmet expectations. We can become offended when someone has not reacted/ behaved in a manner or completed an action in a manner than we expected. For example, if you were expecting a word of encouragement, but received a word of rebuke with love instead, you may become offended.

Once an expected outcome or desired result is unmet, a person can choose understanding or offense. Offense brings a critical lens through which others are viewed, while understanding steps out of self and sees the situation from the other person’s vantage point. Usually, an offended person creates unrealistic and misplaced expectations on others, expecting them to meet their needs rather than God. Disappointment results because in our own selfish spiral, we fail to realize that the other person was unaware, unable, or unwilling to conform to our expectation.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God: for my expectation is from Him.” – Psalm 62:5 (KJV)

The people in Jesus’ hometown were offended by Him because they had an expectation that was not met. They were expecting the Messiah, a king, royalty, a savior that would rescue them…and they got Mary’s son, the carpenter? He looked like them, grew up with them…how could He help them?

While we are waiting on others to meet or fill a need, God may be sending someone else. While the people of Nazareth were waiting on an image they had created, they missed the blessing of the Messiah.

Offense is like a fence, dividing our relationship with God and man. Who do you need to forgive and remove from the fence of offense? In this new season, let’s not miss the glory and blessings of the Lord because we are harboring the spirit of offense!