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Ascend

Psalm 24: 1-6

The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD; for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

                                                                                                                        Selah

Welcome to 2024! While we enter a new year full of new beginnings, new promises, and fresh new starts, let us not forget that which does not change. We live in a time when deceiving voices are trying to distract us and re-write our standards of right and wrong. Our challenge for 2024 is to look upward and live above the chaos and confusion. We gain clear perspective by focusing upon God’s word and declaring His truth, rather than the lies and fear that shout loudly and challenge our peace.

The truth is that the earth and everything in it belong to the LORD. He is our creator, and we can trust that, ultimately, His will prevails. Deceiving voices must answer to Him, and we have the power to reject that which does not align with His word by using our own voices to deny the lie and declare the truth. Praying God’s word daily over our lives, our needs, and our country will establish His truth in us, enable us to stand in difficult times, and manifest God’s truth and His promises in our lives.

Hearing God for ourselves will be key to navigating the confusion and chaos of these times. The best way to learn to hear His voice is by developing an intimate relationship with Him –  one that ascends this earthly realm and sits in heavenly places to gain a higher perspective and to experience the presence of God, Himself. In fact, staying in His presence and developing intimacy with Him is the greatest and most effective weapon of spiritual warfare.

Notice what is required to ascend the mountain of the LORD to hear from Him:

            Clean hands

            Pure heart

            Choosing not to believe falsehood

            Not swearing deceitfully

Such a person will be blessed by God. We must remember, however, that the presence of God is a holy place. Settling these matters is the first step in approaching God and being able to hear from Him. The righteousness of Christ through the blood of Jesus is the only way we can enter. We must surrender our will and our failures to Him while learning to lean upon the mercy and grace of God to forgive us and grant us favor.

The enemy cannot conquer where intimacy with God is strong. He can gain a foothold only when he can drag us back down that mountain, further from the presence of God. Be on high alert that dragging us down the mountain is Satan’s strategy, and he may attack in full force to try to distract us into seeing things on his level.

Grumbling and complaining never bring God’s blessing and drive us from His presence. Anyone can see what is wrong, but we have to ascend higher to see the truth of God’s word in a situation. Our challenge for this year is to seek God’s word and His will over our lives and pray that word into our situations. Staying in a place of intimacy in His presence will enable us to continue to decree His word, even when things don’t appear to be aligning in the natural.

When things get tough in 2024, ascend. Should lies try to steal your peace and ignite fear within you, ascend.  If your vision is unclear and you don’t know what to do next, ascend. When God answers your prayer in a way you never expected and gives you victory, ascend. By learning to ascend, we manifest God’s promises and receive the abundance that Jesus came for us to experience.  

Have a blessed day and a very happy New Year!

PHOEBE Connections, Inc. is a 501(c)3 dedicated to enhancing the lives of widows by building relationships and helping them find new identity in Jesus Christ through serving others. We promote an atmosphere of fellowship, where the widow can connect with other widows to develop friendships and supportive relationships.