“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah 43:18-19a (NIV)
Awhile back there was talk of the new normal, specifically regarding post Covid living. That was absolutely wrong! The devil is a liar, and he desires for us to accept less than God’s best. The era before Covid was not God’s best. We had grown accustomed to compromise, pollution, defilement and sin. Many came to believe that was the way it was supposed to be, or at least something we just had to live with, to tolerate. We accepted a lie! We accepted the devil’s plan for our nation. We accepted his standard of living. And we’ve seen where that takes us! The devil comes to kill, steal and destroy, and he uses wicked people who have sold out to him to accomplish his purposes. But God’s heart and ways are not just the opposite of the devil’s, God’s ways are absolutely, abundantly better. Jesus came that we might have life and life abundantly (John 10:10). This is not merely talking about heavenly bliss. No, it is talking heaven on earth, as Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:10)!
We are on the eve of a new norm. Yes, we will see that which we accepted before is actually unacceptable. We will see that God’s plan, purpose and desire is abundantly better than what we had accepted as norm. Yes, we had better get ready to embrace different! A good different!
Understand this, the increased number of praying people around the globe and intensified praying have not been ineffective. God has seen, heard and received every single one of them! And we are about to receive His response! Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you, or for that matter the news is saying! Jesus’ instructed prayer for His Father’s will to be done and His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, is not just a pipe dream He had. Our prayers are what has prepared the way for what He is about to do!
Ask God to get you ready for this new norm! Ask Him to stir faith in your church and especially with your pastor, to trust the Lord with all your hearts and not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Ask God to root out fear and release a greater grace of faith across our city. Ask that God’s people would begin to believe Him more than they believe the lies of the devil. Ask that the signs and wonders that Jesus said would accompany those who believe (Mark 16:17) would be released in our day, in our city, in your life! May faith arise in Athens, in every fiber of our city!
