Believing for the Promises Ahead
by Pastor Lori Champion
Let's trade our "Wait-and-See" for "Wait-and-Expect"
“Today is going to be a great day!” According to Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and brain-imaging researcher, those 8 words can help “program your brain to seek out the positive and defeat negative thinking.”
I love it when science confirms what we already know through God’s Word! Dr. Amen says what King David said in Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it!” What if, in 2025, we substituted “This is the day” for “This is the YEAR the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!”
There is power in our words! Isaiah 57:19 says, “I will create the fruit of thy lips.” What are we giving God to create in our lives this year?
We often enter a new season or new year with a wait-and-see attitude, “We’ll see what this year brings…”, said in a cynical voice. Or, because of our past experiences, we can find ourselves “waiting for the other shoe to drop”, for the next wave of bad news. I have found myself there so often, for understandable reasons. Not only have I endured tremendous, unexpected losses in my life, but also life-threatening, out-of-nowhere health challenges, in addition to occupational hazards that come with pastoring people through their sudden crises. Not a day goes by when we don’t get a desperate prayer request from someone needing a miracle. It can drive you to disappointment and honestly, even jadedness.
This is why we must resist the negativity that tries to settle in. Instead, we set the day, we set the year, and we make the declaration as it says in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
You coach yourself with God’s playbook! It’s like a pre-game speech before a tough game! It doesn’t diminish the fact that we have an opponent, an enemy who wants to kill, steal, destroy, and BEAT YOU! But your victory is not on a scoreboard; your victory has already been won!
So, what are you speaking and believing for 2025? When was the last time you made bold declarations and prayed big prayers?
Each of our sons and their families are, in their own way, pioneers in their callings. We recently reminded them of the crazy prayers we saw God answer in planting Celebration Church. I think the vision to do great things for God excites and compels Him to move. In the early days of our ministry, maybe the Lord thought about us, “This young couple is reckless, but I love their zeal!” We were speaking things that He could create into existence!
When Joe said, “I believe our church is going to have 100 acres on I-35!” and we were meeting in a 6000-square-foot storefront, that surprised me, as I sat on the front row trying to manage my facial expression. Yet, who knew that on the other side of our belief was a family praying about what to do with 110 acres of land that had been dedicated to God in 1942!
God connects the dots of our confession and sometimes redirects what we believe (not our will, but His be done!)! Please do not misinterpret this, thinking I’m saying to put together a list of designer fashion items and luxury cars and start making demands on God. I want to challenge you to believe Him for greater impact, opportunities, and unfulfilled dreams He’s placed in your heart, a new vision for your family or your business.
In the same verse that talks about our enemy coming as a thief to steal, kill, and destroy us, Jesus reminds us, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
Let’s step into the abundant life in 2025. Let’s give God some belief and declarations to work with this year!