The Future Belongs to Hope
I'm sitting here in the bay area, about to fly out tomorrow to Minneapolis. I realized tonight how MUCH things around me are changing right now.
There is so much movement and energy surrounding me, it's fascinating. There’s been a surge in people having dreams about me, prophetic words from God for me, so timely, accurate and precious. Something is happening around me.
My first conference is happening next week, my coaching team just expanded, I'm moving to a different house in a month, I'm headed to a retreat in a cabin in the middle of nowhere tomorrow with a bunch of successful entrepreneurs, Bethel just picked up my book for the bookstore and online store, my travel schedule is robust...so much change and expansion!
In all of that glory are so many unknowns; there are so many moving parts and things beyond my control. The old, smaller version of me would not be able to handle my life today.
The old me would be so stressed out about what other people are thinking of me. Who am I to put on my own conference? Who am I to coach people? Who am I to build a TEAM of coaches? Who am I to travel and speak? Who am I to influence masses? Who am I to write books? Who am I to teach? To preach? To lead?
But thankfully the old me died, he’s gone. Like, he’s not here anymore. I’m not trying to ignore him, he isn’t available. In the Bible, Paul instructs his readers to consider themselves dead to sin. Fear and unbelief are some of the most rampant sins I encounter in people. The funny thing about considering ourselves dead to the boring, coward we thought we were...we come to realize it’s true, that person doesn’t actually exist.
Tomorrow is not promised and tomorrow is also not under our control. We don’t make our way successfully in this life by controlling anything but by trusting in the goodness God set into motion in this world. The unknown is not a threat, the unknown is FOR us. The things we don’t know and can’t control are not the enemy, they are the arena in which love is going to slay our demons and prove that our Dad is good.
Fear preys on our unknowns; twists them, perverts them. He takes the promise and the possibility out of our tomorrows and poisons them into doubts, threats and punishments. As the energy swirls around me, this momentum, I laughingly and delightfully find pleasure in the fact that tomorrow isn’t mine, and I’m so glad it’s not. Tomorrow belongs to Love; it doesn’t belong to fear, he doesn’t own this world.
Fear, you have manipulated and lied to and molested and raped and pillaged and stolen from my brothers and sisters for so long. You have ravaged my family and I want you to know that I know what you’ve done. I know your name. Your time is up. I’m going to prove that you’re a liar. I’m going to show them how fake and impotent you really are. When I’m done, they’ll see what it’s like when you’re not around. They’ll see what it’s like to forget your name; to forget you were ever here.
My brothers, my sisters, change is not the enemy. Growth, expansion, transformation, risk even, these are not the bad guys. The unknown in the mystery is the vacancy in your story in which love and goodness and hope and courage get to erupt in a glorious punch of light. Do not be afraid, it is beneath you.
You’re not here to be afraid, you’re here to realize fear isn’t real. When you pass that test, you wake up to a deeper, greater, older reality. The One Who was here first isn’t afraid and there is no fear around Him. You’re here to realize the ground you stand on was made by love. The air you breathe, the warmth you feel, the song you hear, they were put here for you to enjoy. The world you live in was designed for you to live.
The question of your safety, your significance, your acceptance, your inclusion...the question was answered. Fear lies with the idea that it wasn’t. Tomorrow belongs to hope. Give in to that energy because your home is vibing at that frequency.