Prophetic Word For 2009
by Joan Bowe

2009 - What is in a number?
Numbers are one of the ways the Lord speaks to us. While not all numbers are meant to speak to us, they do when the Holy Spirit tells you there is meaning to them. Such was the case as I began to present this word for the year 2009. Thus, the “2” and “9” in this year has significant meaning as we head into the new year.

Taken from “God Counts” at [www.asis.com], we see the following:

The number “2” biblical means: Union; Division; Witnessing
The number “9” biblical means: Fruit of the spirit; Divine completeness from the Father

E.W. Bullinger, in his book “Numbers In Scripture” goes into more detail with the meaning of numbers. It is there we find that the number “9” also means “judgment” and that is an important note to include here for the year 2009. I believe we are being judged as to where we stand in this hour, even as to whether we bring unity into the body of Christ or if we bring division because of a hardened heart, a religious spirit, or any other thing that denies the agape love of God. And while many cringe at the word “judgment”, this year will bring greater understanding to its meaning, its application and the results thereof. James 2:13 comes to mind, “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” A greater awareness of God’s love towards mankind will be unleashed in powerful ways in the days ahead as the Holy Spirit touches the hearts of His children to love the lost as He does.


Psalm 24
While seeking the Lord about this year, the Holy Spirit brought Psalm 24 to me:

1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek your face, O Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be you lift up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; even lift them up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

The emphasis in this Psalm is so highlighted by the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are being invited to “ascend into the hill of the Lord and to stand in His holy place.” While the invitation is for all, it is only those who have clean hands and a pure heart, and those who place the Lord and His ways above their own desires who will do so. Purity of heart is God’s desire for us and this is not something that we can do of ourselves. It comes from fellowship with the Lord and coming to know who He is, learning of His goodness, mercy, grace, love, faithfulness, righteousness, etc., etc. It comes from a childlike heart that is so in awe of their Daddy and His abundant greatness. This is the generation that is seeking after Him with all their heart, soul, mind and spirit, this is the generation that God has raised up for “such a time as this”, a time when the fields are ripe for the harvest and when the weary souls of the loss are looking for hope. Praise be to God that we are alive in this hour!

Jesus is the King of glory and as we, as believers, were meant to rule and reign with Him. We are to be one with Him as He is with our heavenly Father. We are to be under His headship. Kingdom truths will open up to those who have an ear to hear in this hour and confidence in Him Who is strong and mighty will become more evident and will grow exceedingly, especially as the battle increases and we rest upon Him who is mighty in battle already giving us the victory over all things. Glory to God!!!


Build on the Word Given for 2008
When I first heard this from the Lord I thought He wanted me to present all of the word He had given me last year and then build upon it. But when I questioned Him about it I heard, “Build on the word for 2008 to denote that I am building My house, stone by stone, step by step.” What I understood this to mean is that our growth in Him is a process. Just as a baby does not grow overnight, neither do we as the believers! Also, as a child grows change takes place in their lives. That which was once acceptable in their actions no longer is so. Such is our spiritual growth as well. Our actions of the past are not necessarily acceptable now. We are meant to grow in Christ and not become stagnant in spiritual matters. The keynote here is that it is the Lord building His house! Psalm 127 reads, “ Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” We must submit ourselves to the work He desires to do in us and through us. Trying to build our lives in the way we think He wants us to will serve no lasting purpose. That is why He sent the Holy Spirit, to guide and teach us in His ways. Many of His people stop Him from continuing to build in their lives because they are content where they are.

There is so much the Lord wants to do through us that it would be ashamed if we missed this opportunity to move along side of Him. Heaven desires to touch earth in an unprecedented way. He is looking for men and women of valor, those whose heart and mind is stayed on Him so that He can trust them with what He is about to do through mature sons and daughters.


Change
As we find ourselves in a new year we also find ourselves in a time of change. Just look around you and you will see that change is taking place all over the world. Unfortunately, much of the change you see in the natural seems to be more negative than positive. The economy is going through dire straights all over the world. Fear is besetting many not knowing what the future holds. But we who are born again of Christ should know Him Who holds the future in His hands. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Nothing surprises Him nor takes Him off guard. While gross darkness seems to be filling the world, greater is His Light. Hallelujah! Saints, we are to see this time as an opportunity to share God’s goodness with others, being confident that God works all things to the good of those who believe in Him. In Isaiah 60:2 we read, “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” What a blessed time this is, that we might be vessels of His glory to those who are looking for hope! We must change our mindset to kingdom thinking rather than worldly thinking. In the Lord’s kingdom there is no lack nor need, no sickness or sorrow. The world’s way is quick to point out all that is wrong. God’s way is to bring forth a hope and a promise which He gave to us through His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We must recognize that worldly goods will wither and fade but God’s goods are eternal and never ending. We have to literally change our thinking to His way of thinking. If we do not the days ahead will be more than challenging, they will be life robbing.


Wisdom of the Mature; Passion of the Young
While the mature Christians have much to offer the younger believers we will find that there is much that the younger believers will bring to those who have been walking with the Lord for a longer period of time. As one gets older we often become more set in our ways and change is the last thing we want to do. But because we are in a time of change, change is needed. Much that has been taught in church buildings is more man-made than God given. Tradition often takes more precedence over truth and accuracy of God’s living Word. That is and must change. What God did yesterday is not necessarily what He is doing in this hour. From what I have observed, it is the younger believer who is not weighed down by tradition and customs that is more open to do “a new thing” for the Lord, not yet being encumbered with traditions, etc.. Youth has an exuberance and passion about life itself that is often found waning in those of older years. Yet the passion of the young is needed to ignite the heart of the older generation. And the younger generation will need the wisdom of the older generation to bring balance and guidance. We will see more joining together of the old and the young as God raises up an army of warriors in the days ahead.

Obedience - Contend - Faith
As I continued to spend time with the Lord, asking Him about what the year 2009 held for His saints, He reminded me of the blessings and the trials of 2008. He told me that we were in a spiritual battle and that the enemy was increasing his intensity upon the earth, seeking to steal, kill and destroy all those he could knowing that his days were numbered. The Lord told me that we were to contend for the promises He has given us. He said that obedience to Him was the highest form of worship and that it was needed to protect us from the plans of the enemy. He said that faith is what the key to seeing His promises come to pass and that lack of faith was like a car without gas to power it. Everything else might seem to be in place but if faith is lacking nothing was going to happen. He told me that many who call upon His name lack not only faith but wisdom and understanding of Whose they are in Christ Jesus and of His will for their lives. They have taken man’s word to describe and explain God rather than His Word. Not all were like this, but many. And yet others took His Word and used it as a weapon against other believers and that greatly grieves our Lord. Jesus died so that we could have life eternal with our heavenly Father and so that we would once again taken dominion on the earth, bringing God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. I sensed the joy in the Lord’s heart as He said there were many being raised in this hour to be His valiant warriors, ready to fight the good fight of faith, men and women like David, Deborah, Joseph, John, Anna, Stephen, Paul, etc. I think what caught my attention was that these saints had different callings on their lives but all were faithful to our Lord. We will come to know and appreciate the different calls on our brothers and sisters in Christ lives, not wanting to mold them into our own calling. That was pretty need to me. We need the whole body of Christ working together. It is their differences that make up the whole, glory to God.

Let us look to Scripture in regards to these topics:

Obedience - Romans 6:16 - “ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Precious saints, it is time to decide who we are going to be obedient to. Will it be to God or will it be to our own desires? The world caters to the lust of the flesh and as long as we are following after our own wants and needs we are not serving God. While God does not want us to lack we are told in Matthew 6:33 to “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” We cannot serve two masters. We are either obedient to God and serving Him or we are obedient to this world, serving the enemy.

Contend - Jude 1:3 - “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Oh saints, how satan would like for us to grow weary and lose hope in this hour. That is why he is throwing so much stuff our way. But we must contend for the faith that was given to us through Christ Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Praise be to God for all He has given us through His Beloved Son. As we recognize our many, many blessings in Jesus, as we meditate upon His Word, Living and True, joy fills our hearts and we are renewed. The joy of the Lord is our strength. God is not a man that He should lie. We must build ourselves up in our most holy faith, especially when the enemy wants to tear us down. Remember, that old serpent is a liar and the father of lies. Contend for Truth! Contend for the promises God has given to you in Christ Jesus! Contend for the faith that is yours as a believer in Christ. Amen? Amen!!! Dearly Beloved, we are in a war, a spiritual battle that is not fought against man but against powers and principalities, against darkness, etc. In essence our war is against a foe that has already been defeated by Christ Jesus. Let us not forget that and let us raise our voices up in praise and victory to Him who saved us and made us more than conquerors through Him. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!!!

Faith - Hebrews 11:6 - “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Amen and amen!!! Let us build up our faith in our most High God. Let us eat, drink, digest and live His Word! Let us put on the mind of Christ and let us walk not by sight but by faith in Him who brought us into His marvelous Light. Glory to God! Let us diligently seek Him day and night and in between! Let us live our lives not for ourselves but for His glory. Let us declare His promises knowing they are yea and amen and let us follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear Believer, be not dismayed by the news you read or hear in the secular world. Rather begin declaring and believing God’s Word for it is The Truth.

Be not left behind in 2009 - Rather move forward with the King of Glory!!!