Accelerate – My Word for 2016

Expect things to accelerate in 2016, both victories and challenges. Make yourself ready!

I asked the Lord for a word for 2016 and the word I received was “Accelerate”.

The time is now but time is not running out. Don’t live from a base of fear and anxiety but do live with eyes open for God’s opportunities to walk through challenges by the power of His grace and your trusting obedience.

As I asked the Lord for clarity, I saw this picture in my heart. Jesus was setting out in a full run, with a hand outstretched to the side, slightly behind Him, as if he was expecting it to be grabbed.

In 2016, I believe we shall see an acceleration in world events and an acceleration in opportunities for us to make a positive difference in those events – and in the lives of those around us. Things will speed up, there will be incredible victories, and there will be incredible challenges.

Many of these challenges will seem insurmountable, but if you grab Jesus’ hand, He will pull you forward at a speed that would ordinarily be far beyond your ability to keep pace. Just as the resurrected Christ easily walked through walls, so He will walk you through those brick walls that seem impossible to break through, but only if you keep your hand in His.

Those who, in the natural, prefer to go at a slower pace and like to weigh out their options before they step forward will be given the opportunity to lean hard on God’s empowering grace as they step out of their comfort zone of ‘wait and see’. You will learn not to fear as you allow your obedience to accelerate from the slow pace of delayed obedience to the speed of instant obedience.

Those who, in the natural, tend to move first and then think later, will be given the opportunity to learn to allow God to set the pace. If they allow Him to rein them in, they will see great rewards for their self-discipline and humility.

In the next few weeks, the Lord will give you opportunities to hone your spiritual reflexes and lessen your response time to His personal directives. These training opportunities will be random, and will appear as seemingly inconsequential decisions. However, they will all be invitations for you to sharpen your skills. Keep a pencil and paper handy in your quiet times. During the day, keep your eyes and ears open for His directives. Perhaps you will have a momentary urge to email a friend with an encouraging word, don’t put it off! Perhaps you will feel led to take a different route to work, go for it! You might feel an urge to buy your morning cup of coffee at a shop you don’t frequently visit. Perhaps you’ll be asked to swallow your pride and try for reconciliation one more time in a strained relationship. Perhaps you’ll feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit not to watch an individual episode of your favourite television show. Whatever the opportunity is, the Lord will be looking for your response time. It might not even make sense to you why God led you to a certain place, or why He asked you to do or not so something, trust Him as your divine coach!

As the year progresses, you will have need of those skills you learned through the deliberate choices you made on a daily basis to obey God in the small things. Similar to a race car driver who relies on his years of training to help him make thousands of split-second decisions while travelling at a breakneck speed surrounded by other cars – so you will need to rely on the skills learned through the training you received.

Proverbs 4:23-27 NLT
Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.
Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.

I also see 2016 as a year of expedited answers to prayers that you have been praying for years. Situations for which you have contended for a breakthrough for years will be favorably resolved in a very sudden fashion. Some prayers will be answered so quickly that you might feel momentarily off balance. The Suddenlies are upon us and in a good way! Expect your life to accelerate!

Until Next Week

© 2016 Katherine Walden

[wp_ad_camp_1]

Sign up to receive a weekly emailed devotional by Katherine by using the following form.

Comments are warmly welcomed. However, all comments are moderated.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.