“We cannot let what we’ve gone through in our lifetime, in our darkest moments, to set the standard for the new. Our habits will keep us in that same position if we don’t grab ahold of God’s promises for a new era.”
A few weeks ago, my wife Lisa had a vision of a large banner that read New Era. She knew that God was not only speaking to us but to the ministry here at Christian International and to anyone who would receive it.
When God says something of this nature, we should take hold of it. When God declares it, we should believe it and act on it. Lisa and I knew we had to begin to act differently so we could take advantage of the opportunities of this new era. Therefore, I release a prophetic declaration that this is a new era. I decree and release it from the heavens. I decree and release a new era right now in Jesus’ name. Write it for yourself. Write down today’s date and declare a new era.
Sometimes a new era is not recognized until it is history, but as prophetic people God lets us know before it happens. He does this so that we can participate in the acts that will become history. God lets us know so that we can participate in today, what will one day be a record of the new era that took place.
We want to make sure that we take advantage of the opportunities available to us in the now. It takes insight and wisdom and prophetic revelation to understand what’s available to us now that wasn’t available to us before. Many of you have lived in cycles and limitations that you know were true. But this is a new era. That means that your limitations are no longer limitations.
Your boundaries are changed. Your sphere is increased. Your actions have a greater impact than they did before. The fruit of your productivity will become greater than ever before..
Receive The New Era
Exodus 12: 1-2, “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (KJV).
In the beginning of a new calendar year, there is an excitement about the something new. But there’s a time when God speaks. And when God says it’s a new year, it’s a new year, a new era. He is speaking into the current situation and saying it’s a new era for you. I want you to receive that right now. God is speaking to you, “This month shall be the beginning of the year for you.” A new year, a new era. When God says it’s new, it’s new.
Believe The New Era
Luke 4:16-22, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?” (KJV).
I wonder how many times they had heard that scripture in past studies. How many times had they taken turns reading that scripture? Yet on that day, Jesus declared a new era. They had been expecting that scripture to be fulfilled for so long and on that day, Jesus said, “Today, and all who bore witness to him marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.”
You’ve got to believe it. You can’t just hear it. You must take ahold of the new era. “All who bear witness will see the new day.” I don’t care how many days you have spent believing in something to take hold. Today, God says, this is the beginning of your new year. This is the day that scripture is fulfilled. You’ve got to grab ahold of it and declare this is a new era!
Declare The New Era
What a difference a day makes. When you write something down, declare it, and publish it, you’re taking responsibility for what you believe and declaring it by faith. No matter what comes against you, no matter what lines up, or doesn’t line up, you’re taking responsibility.
July 4th, 1776 was the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It contained a declaration and a date. The Declaration of Independence was the declaration of a new era.
January 1st, 1863 was the day that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and a new era began. His dated and signed proclamation declared to the nations, “Let it be known that all slaves henceforth and forever are free,” and a new era began.
Own The New Era
Whether Hebrews who were former Egyptian slaves, Jewish believers, American representatives, or former American slaves, a group of people had to believe what was declared and had to engage in what was declared in order to benefit from their new era.
I want to encourage you to read the book by Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery. I believe that every person of every color, no matter the background, who reads this book will be a better person. It will go deep in your soul and spirit. God used this man, of keen wisdom and understanding, to raise up a whole mass of people that “they might burn with the desire and knowledge to have a profitable operation of their calling.” That’s the way he put it – “a profitable operation of their calling.”
What we cannot do is allow our darkest times to set the standard for the new era. Personally, and nationally, God has a higher standard. Booker T. was only 8 or 9 years old when he was freed. There were dark and despairing times when he worked in the coal mines of West Virginia, but he had hope in God concerning his circumstance. He didn’t limit his life to the darkest experience of slavery or the dark coal mines, he didn’t set his expectations to the darkest time.
We cannot let what we’ve gone through in our lifetime, in our darkest moments, to set the standard for the new. Our habits will keep us in that same position if we don’t grab ahold of God’s promises for a new era. We need to act according to the promises of a new era. As a former slave, Booker and his people could now walk off the plantation or the farm and no one was going to chase them. They could walk off because they were free. People began to walk around the town and the countryside because they could. They had never experienced that before and some were gone for hours while others never came back. Suddenly, as Booker T. described it the reality of freedom hit them. A people who had never provided for themselves, owned property, had a budget, a plan, paid taxes, voted, were now in a position that they would have to learn basics in life – things they’d never done before.
The blessing of freedom is not simply getting to do anything you want, because ultimately, you may not want to do anything at all. You may want to just keep living life as you know it and not progressing to the next best thing. The blessing of freedom is the ability of taking ownership of yourself, your destiny, your next best thing. Freedom is not being free from work or labor. It just means now you get to reward yourself with your own labor. And the fruit of your labor is yours. So, we’ve got to act like and take steps in the knowledge that a new era is taking place. This new era is ours to make history in and to change circumstance through His promise to us.
There comes a moment in a new era where you must make the decision to act. You might believe or even decide to act, but when called to do so you must also be willing to take a new identity in and through Him. Before Booker T. went to school the first time, he did not have a last name. As a slave he had no need of a last name. But when his teacher asked each student for their names, each responded with a first and last, and at his turn he shouted out “Booker Washington, As if I had owned that name all my life.”
Some of you have not taken up your new identity because you haven’t had a need for it. God says, “It’s now. I’m placing a demand on your mantle. I’m placing a demand on your calling. I’m placing a demand on your identity as my son and daughter.”
What is your new era? What are the needs in this new era? If you’ll take the time to answer these questions you will find the answers are very empowering. Personalize them: What is my new era? What are the needs in my new era?
The power of forgiveness will propel you in your new era. If you hold things against those that you’ve been dealing with it’s going to affect your new era. How can I best serve the kingdom? Booker T. taught the first generation of free people how to lay down their lives for the next generation of free people. This provided them with a platform and a foundation on which to build their lives.
It’s a new era, it’s a new era. This is the first month of your new year. Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. This is your independence day. This is your emancipation day. Take advantage of the opportunities in this, your new era. Don’t believe it’s the same season. Try something different.
Lord we thank you for this new era. We thank for a new year. We thank you for the things being fulfilled for us today. We thank you that you are fulfilling our every need and that by your blood: we have independence and emancipation from the things of the past. Thank you, Father, for what you’re doing in us right now in this day, in this hour. We come into agreement with your word, your plans. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
