I sense 2018 will be a year of ‘everything at once’. All hell will break loose and all of heaven will break loose, but heaven is greater than hell. I sense the presence of a great cloud of heavenly witnesses, including family members, standing to cheer us on this coming year. The eyes of heaven are upon us, waving checkered flags in the distance.
The heavens are shouting, “Don’t lose your excitement for what God has called you to do. Your excitement excites Him and activates the angels among you. Excitement is a powerful weapon against the enemy, as it ties his hands.”
A challenging year is ahead. It will seem like everything is happening at the same time. People will be saying, “It’s always something. It’s always something,” in a negative tone. On the other hand, if we stay focused on the Lord, we will be saying, “He’s always doing something. He’s always doing something good, in spite of the situation.”
The mindset we need to have for this new year is: “We do bears, we do lions and we do giants. That’s what we do.” For they will come this year to find out what is in us. These will be distractions to keep us from focusing on the Lord and worshipping Him no matter what. I sense the enemy saying, “I hope you don’t feel like worshipping the Lord this year with what I have in mind. If you do, it will bring Him down into your situation, and if He shows up, I’m out of here, for He doesn’t know how to lose. Defeat is not in Him.”
Extreme Trials and Extreme Victories
It will be a year like Houston being hit by a hurricane and winning the World Series. Extreme testings and extreme victories. Testings will bring them on. Priorities will change as these challenges show up.
I hear the Father saying, “Batten Down the Hatches.” I sense this means the prayer closet will become a very important place in our lives. “Batten down the hatches,” I sense, refers to closing the door on distractions as we not only pray but listen to him speaking to us.
2018: I See Bear Rugs, Lion Furs and Giants’ Heads on Gold Platters
This will be a year when mighty men and mighty women will rise up because they’ve killed a bear, a lion or a giant, for these have come to make us strong. God says, “They will be your nourishment, your bread, your sustenance.” We will get to eat honey out of the belly of the lion. We will see what a lion’s fur looks like hanging in our house,.and we will see the heads of giants on gold platters. I see bear rugs, lion furs and giants’ heads laid all over the place in your house. These will be trophies awarded to those who didn’t give up the good fight of faith.
Giants Are the Breakfast of Champions
I hear the Father asking, “How hungry are you? When you get hungry enough, you get to eat giants! The giants aren’t showing up to take you out, they’re showing up so you can eat them. Eat your giants today. They are your nourishment. They are your bread and sustenance. Giants are the breakfast of champions.”
“Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of th land because they are btread for us. Their defense i sgone from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them” (Num. 14:9).
I have wondered why it’s still my favorite No. 1 song going into this new year. “I’m no longer a slave to fear; I am a child of God.” Why is “Do Not Fear” mentioned so often throughout the Bible? Because God knows there will be times and reasons why we will be afraid, but He is with us. He has already slain every bear, every lion and every giant we will ever face, so we can too. Remember: Jesus lives in us, He is not afraid and He doesn’t worry about anything. {eoa}
Bill Yount has been a member of Bridge of Life in Hagerstown, Maryland, for the past 36 years, where he is now an elder and a home missionary. He is currently an adviser at large for Aglow International. Bill faithfully served in prison ministry at Mount Hope for 23 years and now travels full-time, both in the U.S. and internationally, ministering in churches and Aglow circles. Humility and humor characterize his ministry as he brings forth a fresh word that is “in season,” proclaiming the word of the Lord. The shofar, or ram’s horn, is often used in his meetings, breaking the powers of darkness over regions, churches and households. The shofar represents God’s breath blowing into the nostrils of His people, reviving them and awakening the lost. Many of God’s messages, which Bill ministers prophetically, come out of his everyday life with his family and friends. Please visit Bill’s website at billyount.com.
