July has been a special month for me since I gave my life back to Christ in 2019. For some reason, Holy Spirit has always led me to hit the reset button and focus on spending more time with him in the second half of the year than I did in the first half of the year. I am able to pull out my vision board, word of the year, Crazy Faith cards and goals for the year and assess where I am in Christ. 2023 has proven to be no different. This month has rolled up on me yet again, and the second half of 2023 is well on the way.
On the last day of June leading into July of 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to go to an all night prayer service. When I say all night lol I mean A L L NIGHT! The saints got there at 9 pm and we were there until 7 am the next morning. It was so powerful to end the first half of the year and begin the second half of the year- literally at the feet off Jesus. It was exactly what I needed to cross over into the second half of the year.
Holy Spirit had just been repeating himself, time and time again. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."For me, that sounded great. I was hype- I was ready for my new season. Things were changing, I got an office at work, God was confirming things, DeliverHER was revving up and I thought I was ready for the new thing.
And then, it hit me. You legit have to release the old to make room for THE NEW THING God is doing. All of July, God was saying "Behold, I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?" He would try to adjust things at work and I was mad it wasn't going the old way. I couldn't just let God do the new thing. All of August, God was saying "Behold, I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?" He was adjusting the women who were coming on my first ministry trip and I was angry, I wanted the old list. I couldn't just let God do the new thing.
And now, here we are in September and I am adamant about releasing control and letting God do this new thing that He wants to do. My word of 2023 is #takeover and I'm realizing as I enter quarter four- this final stretch of 2023 that I truly have to let God Takeover. I desperately want the new thing but some how I expect all of the things that gave me counterfeit comfort to come with me into this next season. I want God to make room and bless me with my crazy faith dreams but I am struggling to release the very things that served me in my previous season.
I don't know, maybe you are better at this than me? Or maybe, just like me you need to let some things go. I have collected so many "things" during the first eight months of 2023, and its truly time to start to release them now. I want to make room for the new thing. Please make no mistake, this is not easy. When you release it causes you to trust God more. You have to trust that He will honor that release and that He will restore and give you what you need.
As I write this blog and think about writing the letter to my apartment complex that I am leaving at the end of the year- - I have to literally let God do this new thing. Just as He did back in July, Holy Spirit has just been repeating himself, time and time again. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." I am going into this new month, perceiving it. This may not look like what I hoped "the new thing" would look like, but I trust God enough. I trust that He has this under control and that He will make a way in the wilderness and He will reset, restore and takeover! I am believing the same for you.
xoxo
Paige Nicole
Beautiful post, God gave me these words for the season “Surrender and Expect”. Surrender and give all things to God, loosen your grip and deny control. Then expect, because God never withholds any good thing from his children. There is a new thing being done and it is for his sheep. Something big and grand is about to happen. Amen! And God bless.