“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
To delight oneself means to be soft, delicate and dainty toward, to take exquisite joy, to live in dainty habit. God wants to pour out blessing on His children in 2022. The recent season has been brutal, but our good Father wants to reward those who have been faithful to Him, His word and His prophets.
So what do you desire God to do for you in 2022? David penned that if we make God our ultimate delight of our hearts desire, He then would grant us lessor things that we want. What matters is we are not mastered by anything, meaning God always takes first place.
• First over sports – are you more concerned about revival in Athens, or the Bulldogs winning the National Championship?
• First over our material things – do you want Him more than you want that new thing?
• First over relationships – do you desire to be with Him more than that special person?
And when He is first, Jesus promised that all things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). That IS quite a promise!
At the beginning of every year Shellie & I reflect upon what God had done in the previous year and look at what we were hoping for, dreaming for and audaciously asking for in the New Year! We are asking big time for 2022!!! But speaking honestly, we have lived under a poverty spirit for so much of our lives, it has always been hard to ‘desire amazing things’ personally. We could ask and believe for crazy outrageous things for our ministry, but personally it has been such a challenge. This year, we believe God is inviting us to believe He wants to bless us personally, and by faith He wants us to ask! Having said this, I invite you to do the same. Keeping God first, then asking Him for the deep dreams on your heart (as long as it won’t control you or is not beneficial for you). And of course, trust Him no matter what He does! I am having to ask Him to help me dream and to reveal what these deep desires in my heart.
What do you desire? Write it down and begin asking the Lord for it. If you have a hard time doing this, ask Him to show you if in any way you are operating under a poverty spirit, and then plead with Him to mine the depths of your heart for the things He has put there. Make it a priority this year to seek Him first every day. Make time with Him the most important and non-negotiable time of your day. Ask Him for a new passion for Him in 2022. Pray that God would take first place in your marriage, your family and in everything you do. Pray for your pastor the same way, that God would destroy every lie and/or poverty spirit that is operating in his life. Ask God to release personal blessings upon your pastor and his family this year!!! Ask God to bless your church and the churches across our city in 2022!
