God’s New Thing
Welcome to Peniel CrossRoads, where we embrace Jesus’s heart and TOGETHER live out the call to biblical unity! We rejoice in welcoming 2024, another year of God’s favor!!
Our family has a New Year’s Eve tradition. For five years now, we have gathered on New Year’s Eve to hear a word that God is speaking over every immediate family member regarding the year to come. This is usually a phrase or word that is unique to that person combined with related Scripture verses. It is a meaningful time every person in the family anticipates, as we look forward to the surprising “lesson” that God wants to do for the year to come.
In the past, hearing new words was a gift I verbally gave to Chris and our daughters, but this year it didn’t seem right that it should come from one person…it felt like the Spirit wanted to use all of us to speak to one other. So we gathered in our current living room (Emma joining from her apartment via FaceTime) to share highlights from the last year and to testify to how God had fulfilled His word. We listened with open hearts, eager to hear the Lord’s still, small Voice. Then we prayed over each family member, one by one.
What happened through the listening and prayer time was a first for us—and it was SO beautiful. As one person prayed aloud, another person heard words, another person saw images for that person, and the themes regarding that individual were all related.
What began as a desire to see family members hear God speak directly became a direct encounter with God’s Spirit. And the result was an increase in hope and confidence that God’s got us!
I’m so glad we didn’t settle for an old routine or expect that God would do things similar to what He’d done in the past. I’m so grateful that we were able to discern that He wanted to do something new; He wanted to enhance each person’s capacity for knowing His will and hearing His Voice.
Could this be how the Lord wants us to perceive what He is doing in the Body of Christ?
In 2024, we believe God is doing a “New Thing” in the Bride, something He will show His beloved ones in different places and in different facets. Thus, we NEED to listen to one another—that is, we need to hear the Spirit speaking through each other—to perceive what God is doing.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19
When Isaiah told Israel to “forget the former things,” he was referring to the miracles God had performed in the wilderness at the Exodus. God had made a way through the sea; He had drowned Pharaoh and his army. God had sustained His people in the desert, providing daily bread and water and meat when they needed it. Nevertheless, Isaiah recognized that Yahweh was saying, “Forget all that. It is nothing compared to what I’m going to do!”
Leadership experts tell us to begin with the end in mind. Our Father has an “end” in mind for this generation in this season. He is always doing a New Thing. Our ability to perceive God’s New Thing is directly related to our willingness to let go of what occurred in the past, whether the past was a good thing or a painful memory.
Besides ringing in 2024, this week Chris and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and commemorated arriving in China 18 years ago. .It seemed providential that these two “anniversaries” coincided on the same week. It was like we were stepping out of the first 18 years of cross-cultural ministry and stepping into the NEXT 18 years of ministry in our home culture. It felt like a crossing over, much like the Israelites crossing over the dried-up Jordan River as they entered the Promised Land in Joshua 3 and 4.
“Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.’ “ Joshua 3:5
The season we are in as believers is unlike any we’ve been through before. And yet, God is the SAME GOD. He never changes, but He is continually doing a creative work in, through and around His people. Sometimes we must step back, reflect, and check with other Spirit-led believers and their perception of what we all hear God saying.
In 2024 and beyond, we are determined to live seeking HIS Kingdom first and pursuing His righteousness above all else, and to do so not only in our personal lives, but also publicly—in work, in society and in the Church.
What is God saying to you and the godly ones you are listening to about the season we’re in? How can we pray with you about what God is doing? We’d love to hear from you!
We’d also love to schedule a time to share more together in person, whether one-on-one or with your local congregation. Please reach out to us if you would like to schedule a booking in 2024 for the following:
“Speaking the Truth in Love” 90-minute Workshop: honing skills for successful engagement in loving conversations about divisive topics
“Revitalizing Mission to our Communities:” minimum 3-hour Interactive Seminar in which we look at the heart of God for mission and discover practical ways to live it out in our unique settings
a “Wholeness Weekend:” encountering God for spiritual healing and recovering a heart posture for reconciliation
OR a combination of these!
Simply write us at connect@penielcrossroads.org for more information!
Your servants for Jesus’ Sake,
Chris & Julie Branstetter