ON THE VANGUARD

B’RESHEET
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1

With yesterday evening being the first of two evenings where we celebrate the Jewish new year, I thought it only fitting that we kick off this new year ourselves by going all the way back to the beginning. Today I want to share with you what God has spoken in His Word, but has also spoken to me directly. Now if you have followed my devotionals for at least the past year, you know that for the past five years or so God has given a specific word for me personally. You may recall that the word given last year was the word, STUDY. God was calling me to study to show myself approved. It is in this past year I have found most every open moment being consumed with studying His word. The year prior to that was the word AYEKA, which in Hebrew translates from Genesis 3:9, where are you in relationship to me. It was in that year I felt Him open my eyes to the gods that were working to detour me from Him. So today, as this new year starts, I share the Word from God for this next year.
Now before I share it, I think it fair to point out that in the past these words given by God have been personal to me. But this time around it seems to be different. While it is personal, I also feel like this is God’s word to the church and body as a whole. So with this said, I now share the word I feel God is giving us all in this season. The word is B’RESHEET. The entire Bible opens with the word B’resheet. Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew starts out, “B’resheet bara Eloheynu,” translated literally as, “In the beginning created God…” I feel strongly that God has been telling us all that this is the season of beginnings. He is creating beginnings for us all once more. Maybe they are new beginnings, maybe they are re-beginnings, but either way something new is taking place.
If we understand the depth of the word ‘beginning’ we can see how much it encompasses. While we know b’resheet does translate as beginning, it also translates as first, best, or choice part. That said we see that God is looking to give us in this time the blessing of the first section, the best portion, and the choice piece. We see that He doesn’t plan to just give us any old beginning, but the best beginning. When He created the world He did not just rehash trash and call it new, but instead He hand-picked the choice details and made them the new beginning. And I feel strongly that this in fact is what He will do this year in our lives. I feel He will purposefully make all things new for us.
In closing, I would like to share with you a specific word I heard Him speak to me. As I sat on my couch back in August, with the kids in school and the ability to just be quiet before Him, I heard as clear as a person speaking to me these words.

“I speak the non-existent into existence. I call the ‘not’ and it becomes. I breathe on the water and waves roar. Do not think that with one word from My mouth that I cannot do the same for you. Do not doubt what I am speaking over you, for it will come to pass. Only move, step out, follow My path. I have spoken over your footsteps and your path is clear because of Me.”

Again, I feel that although these words were given to me in my quiet time, they are for us all. God is ready to do a beginning in your life this year. He has already put the pieces in place and cleared the path. Let us move out with expectancy, then, and walk through the doors into the new places these beginnings will take us.