You are entering a new level of anointing and authority!

The Lord says: 

"Many of My people are entering a new level of anointing this year. Many of My people are entering the realm of higher authority in the spirit. Wield it. Use it. Speak it. Declare it. Take authority over every curse word or unwholesome word that has been spoken against you. Take authority over every form of pain that the power of darkness has tried to inflict on you or your loved ones, be it spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or physically. Take authority over the work of darkness that the enemy has tried to destroy you. This is your time!" 

As I was praying, the Lord showed me a vision of a sword. He said, "Take it." Then, I saw many of His people have been given their respective sword too. Each is given a brand new sword. Yes, I saw brand new swords. Sharp and shiny. Powerful. Not blunt or worn out. This confirms what I heard from the Lord, that He has given you a new and higher authority to rise above and overcome. 

The Lord says further: 

"Look at this authority of yours. It is fresh. It is new. You may have been defeated or shamed before in the past, but I have given you a fresh authority in spirit. I have given you the power to overcome what has been stubborn against you. I have given you the anointing to break what has been impossible to break in the past." 

The sword here speaks of the Word of God. You are going to have deeper understanding in the Word of God that you somehow couldn't in the past. You are entering the realm of deeper revelation in the spirit. You are entering the realm of deeper understanding of who God is in your life and how much authority He has given to you. You will begin to declare what His words say with a new level of boldness and confidence - over your life, over the situation around you, or over what you see around you in the world. 

We always want to back up what we hear and what we see with the Scripture. So, let's look at Revelation 1:16-18. This was what John saw, and he described it here: 'He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."' 

That was John's description of Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the Lord who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty God. He holds the keys of Hades, and He sets you free from whatever that is dead in your life and gives you a fresh new lease of life. That's what He's saying here to you right now. 

In Revelation 1:8, Jesus says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." 

The word 'Almighty' here is interesting. It is translated from the ancient Greek word 'Pantokrater'. It literally means 'the One who has His hand on everything'. This speaks of His greatness and His sovereignty over everything, from the beginning till the end of time, and everything in between. 

Back to Revelation 1:16. John described Jesus as 'He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.' 

What is this 'seven stars' here? This speaks of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Since the number 'seven' is the number of 'completion' or 'perfection', we can interpret it as "He's got the whole church in His hands." Indeed, He is in control of His church (i.e. His people). His church as a whole. One body in Christ. Wherever we are in the world. He will lead us all the way. He will guide us all the way. He has also given us the authority to overcome all the works of the enemy. The authority to bind and to loose. Whatever we bind shall be bound. Whatever we loose shall be loosed. In other words, whatever we set free shall be set free. Whatever we stop shall be stopped. Whatever we release shall be released. 

John also saw 'out of Jesus' mouth went a sharp two-edged sword'. A two-edged sword cuts first or speaks first into our lives, changing us from the inside out. But it also penetrates the power of the enemy and destroy the power of the enemy. 

This sword speaks of the Word of God. This is His weapon, and this is also our weapon. You can see that in Ephesians 6:17 that says, 'The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God'. This sword described in ancient Greek is also interesting. It is written as 'rhomphaia' in ancient Greek, and not 'machaira'. What is the difference between 'rhomphaia' and 'machaira'? These are the two Greek words for 'sword' in the Scripture. Now, 'machaira' is the smaller sword. But here in Revelation 1:16, John referred to this sword as 'rhomphaia'. This is a much bigger and heavier kind of sword. It's a much more powerful kind of sword. And it's used mainly to kill and to destroy. So, this speaks of the power of God's Word to destroy every form of the enemy's work. And the Lord has given this to you. It penetrates and destroys the power of the enemy to the core. 

So beloved of God, as you look forward, you are going to triumph with the revelation that God has given to you, through His Word and through His Spirit. Word and Spirit. Spirit and Word. Amen! 

Back again to Revelation 1:16. I read it again. 'He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.' 

The last part is equally interesting. I read again: 'His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength'. This speaks of 'the glory of God, so great, so shining', that whatever force of darkness that tries to face up against Him, 'they shall become like blind'. It simply means this: No one can stand against Him. No power of the enemy or power of darkness can stand against Him. 

And upon seeing this, John wrote in Revelation 1:17-18, 'And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades (i.e. 'the place of the dead') and of Death."' 

Indeed, He can unlock the Hades, and He can unlock the power of death.  He has overcome. He is alive forevermore. He is a resurrected God. He has victory over all the power of darkness. And in Him, you can too. 

You see, John was overwhelmed by what he saw here. And in this awesome glory of God, he could do nothing else, but to fall at the feet of Jesus as dead. It means nothing else matters anymore. Nothing but the awesomeness and the glory of God. Now, remember, this same John was with Jesus and saw Jesus for about three years when Jesus was doing His earthly ministry, on earth. But this was the next level. Jesus certainly knew how to 'shield' some of His glory when He was walking on the earth those days. But now He manifested Himself at a new level. And John was overwhelmed. That's what the Scripture shows here. Yet in this glory, Jesus said this assurance to John: "Do not be afraid." 

Beloved of God, the Lord is saying the same to you: "Do not be afraid." You don't need to be afraid of anything on earth, if you have His presence, His glory, His authority, and His anointing in your life. Continue to walk in obedience to Him and His Word. Let the blood of Jesus Christ continue to wash you clean, white as snow. Cleanse your hands. Cleanse your heart. Let Him purify your life. He says, "Be holy, as I am holy." Clear what needs to be cleared in your life. The Lord will show you what needs to clear. The Lord will show you if you ask Him. And with this, you can walk boldly and in the new level of anointing and the authority that He has given to you, from this point onwards. 

So, right now, I want to declare upon you, beloved, wherever you may be, that this new level of anointing is being released upon you, and this new level of authority is being released upon you. Wield it. Use it. Declare it. Speak it. Yes, take authority over all those power of darkness. You are triumphant! You are an overcomer! In Jesus' name. Amen! 

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Words from the Lord: "I will restore double to you this year!"

God is saying to you: 

"Whatever has been stolen from you, I'm going to restore to you double this year! Just don't limit how I'm going to do it, and in what way I'm going to do it. All things are going to be turned to good for you. This is the promise of My abundant grace for you. Look to Me therefore. Let go of all those mistakes or losses you've had, for this is also a year of restoration and renewal for you." 

This is a time of restoration, healing and renewal for you. Present before the Lord any area of your life that you've had losses, be it in your health, in your finance, in any opportunity that you have lost, in any area of your life that you've been shortchanged or taken advantage of, or in any other situation in your life.

In Zechariah 9:11-12 (NKJV), the Lord says, 'As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.' 

The word 'restore' here is 'shub' in Hebrew. It has a wide meaning. It can mean 'rebuild, recover, repay, recompense, refresh, reset, pay back, put back again, put in order again'. 

Maybe you have lost an opportunity. Maybe you have been shortchanged. Maybe you have been taken advantage of. Or maybe you have lost certain amount of money. Look to the Lord, because He is recovering what you have lost. He will repay for you. He will recompense for you. Just don't limit how He's going to do it. Yes, declare in the spiritual realm, "It's payback time!" Declare to the devil, "It's payback time!"

Let's look at another version for these verses. Zechariah 9:11-12 (NLT) puts it this way: 'Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon. Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.' 

Even though these verses are specifically for the restoration of Jerusalem and for the nation of Israel, but in your context, as an individual, as a beloved of God, this can apply in your life too. As you remember your covenant with the Lord your God, and remember what Jesus has done for you on the cross (His body was broken and His blood was shed for you), know that He is setting you free from your "waterless pit" this year! No more shall you be like a "prisoner" trapped in the enemy's dungeon! 

That's what the Lord has spoken through the prophet Zechariah here. 

Declare by faith that you can now return to your safety! You have hope (no matter how hopeless other people say you are)! You are set free from whatever that the enemy has trapped you! The Lord will know how to bring you to safety - to the place of your restoration, your healing, and your renewal. Amen! 

God is saying to you further: 

"Therefore, do not take matters into your own hands. But put your trust in Me. Let Me be the One who take over your situation and turn things around for you. Let Me breathe upon you a fresh new hope this year. Better news and pleasant surprises are coming your way. Rejoice and be glad therefore, and look to Me for the many good that I have in store for you." 

In spite of whatever chaos or confusion that you see around you in the world, there's a lot of hope for you. Hope for renewal in your life. Hope for healing in your life. Hope for a reset in your life. Hope for restoration of what you have lost in your life. Amen!

For some of you, your health has been challenged recently. Receive the anointing for healing. Be healed and stay healed! For some others, your finance may have been challenged recently. Receive the anointing to prosper you. Amen! 

For those who are in debt, the grace for you to be set free from your debt is very rich upon you. Receive the wisdom from God. Receive the revelation from God on how you are going to go about walking free from your debt. Yes, walking in your financial freedom! 

Another example of 'double blessing' can be seen in Joseph in the Book of Genesis.  After a time of slavery and imprisonment in Egypt, Joseph saw how the Lord restored him. Joseph felt he had been doubly blessed, especially when he saw that two sons were born to him. That's why he named his sons Manasseh, meaning 'causing to forget (all those past afflictions)', and Ephraim, meaning 'fruitful'. 

Yet another example of God 'restoring double' can be seen in Job's life. After Satan 'stole' from Job and caused much havoc to Job, when Job turned to God and acknowledged who God is, God set him free from all those attack of Satan. God comforted him. God restored to him double. God honored him for whatever shame that he had suffered. 

Beloved, God is saying the same to you today. Take heart. Receive all that He has spoken to you today. You are going to have a breakthrough year this year! Yes, I want to declare it one more time: "You are going to have a breakthrough year this year!" Amen! 

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Words from the Lord: "I will bring clarity to you this year!"

The Lord says: 

"As you look forward to this new year, walk ever closer with Me. Let My Spirit fill your life. Let My Spirit lead you and guide you. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit. Even though there may be chaos and confusion in the world around you, I will bring clarity to you. You may not understand many things that have happened in your past, but many things are going to become clearer and clearer to you. You will begin to understand the many things that I am doing in your life. You will begin to see how I see. Look to Me and be led by Me, and you will see greater victories and breakthroughs this year." 

Yes, be led by the Holy Spirit every step of the way! Follow His footsteps, so to speak. He will know how to lead you, step by step, no matter what happens in the world around you, or what you see in the world around you. And look here. Your victory and breakthrough is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. I'm going to explain what this verse means. 

So, let's dive straight into this verse. Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) says, 'So he (the angel) answered and said to me (Zechariah): This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts.' 

Who was Zechariah? 'Zechariah' is 'Zekar Yah' in Hebrew, which simply means 'YHWH remembers'. To apply this in your life, indeed the Lord remembers you and remembers His covenant with you. You see, Israel was blessed because YHWH remembers the covenant He made with His people those days. 

Zechariah was a prophet and a priest in his days, having been born in exile during the seventy years of captivity in Babylon. But what happened here is the time came when God's people began returning to Jerusalem from Babylon. Zechariah was one of those who returned to Jerusalem. Here, the Lord used him to inspire the people to look to the Lord and to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem that has been destroyed. 

Who was Zerubbabel then? He too was among those returning to Jerusalem from Babylon, and as a governor, he was to take the lead in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Now, that's when the Lord spoke these words to Zerubbabel through the prophet Zechariah: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit'. 

By the way, the name 'Zerubbabel' means 'descendant of Babylon'. 'Babylon' speaks of 'the ways of this world (the ways of this fallen world)'. This word 'Babylon' comes from the word 'Babel', meaning 'confusion'. This speaks of 'the fallen ways of the world', or 'people doing things by their own might or power'. Remember the Tower of Babel in the Book of Genesis chapter 11? 

So, for Zerubbabel here, even though he had this noble calling of rebuilding God's temple in Jerusalem, God also wanted him to build it in God's ways, and not in the ways of this fallen world. In other words, not in the 'Babylonian ways' that he grew up learning. You see, God needed to tell this to Zerubbabel because Zerubbabel might still be influenced by the Babylonian ways of doing things. And that's when the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit." By the Spirit of the Lord! 

Let's do a little study now on the words 'might', 'power', and 'Spirit', as written in Zechariah 4:6. 

The word 'might' here is 'khahyil' in Hebrew. It can mean 'force, power, riches, strength (whether of human or other worldly resources)'. 

The word 'power' here is 'kowach' in Hebrew. It can mean 'human ability or capacity, own human produce (including power of human persuasion or flattery)'. 

On the other hand, the word 'Spirit' is 'ruwach' in Hebrew. It can mean 'breath, spirit'. In the context of our study today, it means 'by the breath of God'. In other words, 'by His breath (that He breathes into you)'. 

Back to Zerubbabel now. Now you know Zerubbabel grew up in the Babylonian ways. And he was very likely still influenced by the Babylonian ways of doing things, which is 'by their own human might or power'. 

But God is saying there's a higher way! God's way! God's wisdom! God's revelation! 

Many believers today are like Zerubbabel. We are so used to the ways of this world (or the Babylonian ways) to achieve success, or to do business, or to go about our lives. Or even doing ministry in ways influenced by the Babylonian ways. Building own empire instead of building God's kingdom. Making a name for ourselves instead of giving God all the glory. Now, it may look like a success initially, but it also brings with it the loss of joy, conscience being compromised, and even getting unnecessarily overly stressed up. 

Now, don't get me wrong. God does give wisdom for us to live on earth, whatever our calling or vocation. He wants to see us having good success on earth. But God is also saying that it is by His wisdom and revelation. It is by learning to depend on the Lord, and lean not on our own human might or power. Yeah, trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding. In all our ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

So, let's not repeat the same mistakes as those who tried to build the Tower of Babel those days in the Book of Genesis. Let's look to the Lord's way instead. How? By allowing the Holy Spirit to lead. Now, when I say this, I'm saying this to myself too. Let us all humble ourselves as we look to the Lord this year. 

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NKJV) says, 'And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.' 'Power' here is 'the empowering and enabling of the Holy Spirit, instead of human's own power or human's own ability'. 

A few verses later, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV) says, 'But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.' 

Yeah, the things that the world cannot see and understand, because their understanding has been darkened. But if you yield your life to the Lord, He will enlighten your spiritual eyes so that you can see how He sees. He will reveal to you the deeper things of the Spirit that the world doesn't know. He will also show you His wisdom. 'Wisdom' simply means 'knowing what to do and how to go about in your life'. Yes, this applies in your career, in your business, in the ministry that God has called you, and in every aspect of your life.

Romans 8:14 (NKJV) says, 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.' See the words here: 'led by the Spirit of God'. 

So beloved, as we begin this new year, let the Holy Spirit fill us all in all. Let the Holy Spirit fill us to the overflow. Let the Spirit of God release upon us the wisdom and revelation that we need to see real good success on this earth. 

Let us pray: 

"O Lord God, we want to be led by Your Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts right now. Fill us to the overflow. We need You even more and more, as we look forward in this new year. We want to be led and be guided by You every step of the way. We receive now Your wisdom and revelation. You have spoken today that You will bring clarity in our lives. We'll begin to understand the many things that You are doing in our lives. We'll begin to see how You see. So right now, at the beginning of the year, we entrust our lives entirely to You. Come take over our lives. Come do as You want in our lives. We yield to You. We submit to You. We humble ourselves before You. Indeed it is not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit, as You have spoken today. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

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