Happy New Year! It is hard to believe 2013 is over and in the books. We have begun a new year and we are even planning now for 2015! Some very exciting news is on its way!
2013 was filled with a number of opportunities, one of which being the move to Raleigh. We had a few weeks to get in and settled before hosting Throne Zone Carolina. We were able to squeeze in a family vacation before Judah started his new school, and then our schedule booked solid for the entire rest of 2013. We saw numerous people who were hungry for the presence of God come to our services and events experiencing their personal “God-Encounter” that transformed their lives forever. As we continued to press forward, doors began flying open to us like never before; some were a surprise, and some were long overdue. Nonetheless, Michele and I committed to each other (and to our spiritual covering pastors and ministers) that as God opened the door, we would walk through them.
As we listen to various ministers and prophetic voices, there seems to be a unified voice declaring that 2014 is the year of the Open Door. What should be a message that sparks anticipation and excitement often becomes one that Satan uses to insight fear. Instead of seeing all the opportunities that are ahead, we often feel as if we are standing at Pandora’s Box rather than our door of opportunity for Kingdom Advancement. If we are not careful, we will allow the lies of the enemy to stop us in our tracks. Rather than moving forward in faith, we remain paralyzed by fear and remain the same at this time that God desires to be a new beginning. God does not want you and I stopped in the doorway to our destiny. He desires for us to walk through that door into the destiny He has prepared for us to walk in. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that He has great plans for our lives that will produce lasting results and rest for us.
Even though Satan is not able to read our minds, he does have the power to influence our thoughts. Most of the attacks from Satan are launched against our thought process and effects our emotions which in turn effects how we respond to opportunities set before us. Satan knows that if he can paralyze you with fear, you will never walk by faith into this New Year of favor and blessing. So, we must watch out for the subtleness of the enemy that will prevent us from walking through this year of the Open Door.
PAST EXPERIENCES
Satan will often begin by reminding you of past experiences that did not end well when you attempted to step into a new season. Perhaps you stepped out too soon, or not soon enough, causing the experience to become a painful learning experience. But those painful memories are not designed to block us from walking through a new door. Rather, God wants us to use those as learning experiences; learning the timing of the Lord, learning how to leave one season and enter into another, learning “what-not-to-do” moments and ultimately allow those past experiences to help build our character and integrity. We can never change our past. All we can do is learn from our past and make sure that we do not make some of the same mistakes we did in a past season. Instead, our past experience will help guide us into this new season. Rest assured, this new door will be filled with learning opportunities, but we must not allow our past to prevent us from our future.
THE UNKNOWN
For many, the unknown is so frightening that many will simply choose NOT to walk through an open door because it leads them into unknown and uncharted territory. God wants to release into you and me a sense of adventure, trusting that with Him as our tour guide, nothing can hurt us. With an open door, it requires that we have a spirit of an explorer rather than the spirit of a settler. Explorers chart unknown pathways in search of a better future for their families and those who will come behind them. Settlers rely on the pioneers and explorers who have made the journey into this new territory, and they simply follow their plans. Your willingness to TRUST HIM will not only lead you to a new destination, but make the way possible for others to follow in your path so they too can have a better future and live in greater blessings.
Right now, some of you have opportunities set before you that you are contemplating. For some, it is a new job. For others a new school, a move/relocation or maybe even a change in career. Don’t allow the fear of not being in control to immobilize you. Trust that God is opening doors as you pray for His will to be done in your life.
CHANGE
Some people simply do not like change at all. I must confess that the older I get, I understand some of that. However, if I never allowed Michele to change the decorations in our home, I would never see her masterful skills transform our home into a Christmas Winter-Wonderland. If we never moved any furniture, I would never be able to clean some of those spots where my vacuum is not able to reach and dirt has collected. We are creatures of habit, and we simply do not like change.
Isaiah wrote in 43:19 that God will do a NEW THING. That means that it has not been done before, or that we have never realized this new thing before. God wants some things to change! But why?
I believe that God knows if some things in our lives do not change, we will stagnate. Rather than being the influencers in society, we will become the influenced ones. That is not God’s plan for our lives.
1 Peter 2:9 (The Message)
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do His work and speak out for Him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference He made for you- from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
Salvation requires change. We chose to accept that challenge of change and transformation when we invited Jesus Christ to live within our hearts and become the Lord of our lives: when we surrendered our will to His, when we changed our path to walk with Him on His. And look how that turned out! Don’t fear the change when He initiates it; rather walk through that open door.
Please don’t think that Michele and I have mastered all of these items! Just when we think we have learned the lesson, He shows us something different causing us to realize this walk of faith is ABOUT THE JOURNEY MORE THAN THE DESTINATION.
God truly desires you and I to walk through this Open Door that He is setting before us.
For the Duncan family and His Call Ministries, it is walking through the doors opened before us in 2014. This year, we have 4 doors open to take Throne Zone to Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Oklahoma. All four events are confirmed and on our website. Ironically, all four locations will be hosted in Churches. Churches who are hungry for the presence of God and willing to open their doors allowing us to bring what God has entrusted to our care. We are a little overwhelmed with all this, but we believe this is one of those doors that are opening to us. And while we are developing these 4 locations, there are four more areas that we are coordinating for 2015 in Atlanta, Boston, Texas and Colorado.
As if that were not enough, God began speaking to our hearts regarding registration for the Throne Zone. We have been very faithful stewards shaving the budget to keep it affordable for families. But there are some who simply cannot afford a registration fee, plus hotel and meals, yet their heart is crying out to drink at the well of worship.
In the past we have raised our budget through registrations, offerings and other streams. But THIS YEAR, we believe God has challenged us to raise the budget not through registrations, but through gifts and donations- whether before the conference begins or through offerings raised during the event. We believe that God wants us to encourage people to understand how their financial gifts are part of their worship, and we believe this will only enhance the overall worship experience while removing any possible obstacle that a registration fee would impose. There is a budget that we must raise, but we believe God is asking us to trust Him. So what does that mean? No fee for registration although registration is still required.
With all of these FEAR FACTORS, there is the opportunity to shrink back and do things the way we have always done them, but that is not the door HE is opening. When we walk through this door, it will release both you and us from the past and launch us into this next season of all He has planned for our lives.
I speak a lot on John chapter 4 (Samaritan woman at the well) from the context of worship. But if we continue reading this scripture, we will see that this woman was used to spark a revival. It required change, it required trust, it required many things from this woman. Because she was willing and obedient, God used to her to become a mouthpiece to advance the Kingdom of God. After Jesus finished ministering to all the people, he said something that I want to leave you with this month:
John 4:35 (Amplified)
Do you not say, It is still four months until harvest time comes? Look! I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields and see how they are already white for harvesting. Already the reaper is getting his wages [he who does the cutting now has his reward], for he is gathering fruit (crop) unto life eternal, so that he who does the planting and he who does the reaping may rejoice together.
For in this saying holds true, One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap a crop for which you have not toiled. Other men have labored and you have STEPPED IN to reap the results of their work.
This is the word I want to leave you with…..STEP IN!
Step in through this Open Door to all God is calling you to. In this season, you may be a sower, or you may be a reaper. According to John 4, in this new season, both will receive the reward.
What is holding you back?
STEP IN!!!!!
From the Desk of Keith Duncan 