Spiritual Preparation: Consecrate for Shifting into a New Assignment

Waiting on God’s guidance and transformative power to get launched into our new commission.

I cannot stress enough the importance of spiritual consecration and waiting for God’s guidance at the beginning of this new year. The Spirit is leading us in a time of personal reflection, purposeful prayer, and meditation to align our goals with His divine purpose. This preparation will foster a renewed deep connection with God, enabling us to embrace the new assignments and opportunities for transformation ahead.

New Year Goals

Many of us take advantage of the new year to launch ourselves on a new path, with new goals. I tend to evaluate my goals and come up with a strategy for accomplishing those goals in December. It prepares my mind for setting my sights for months ahead.

As in prior years, I spent this past December in assessment mode. I use this time to decide what I want to accomplish. I evaluate my life on multiple levels. I don’t rake myself over the coals, or reprimand myself for not accomplishing something. But I do evaluate whether or not that course of action was actually in harmony with the leading and direction of the Lord.

I’ve learned one thing over the course of my life, God leads one step at a time. Sometimes I start something that I later learn wasn’t God’s agenda for me, I just thought it would be a good idea.

A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them. – Proverbs 16:9 AMP

Sometimes, when I’m going after a goal, I realize that my steps were just stepping stones leading me elsewhere. Other times, I see that the goal I aimed for was only a way to reach a different destination. This has taught me not to rely solely on my own understanding.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:6-6 NASB

Wait

This year, as I prepared my heart before the Lord for a time of rededication at Hanukkah, I kept getting something in my spirit. “Don’t set your goals just yet. Wait until after the first of the year.” I know enough to trust when I’m hearing from Holy Spirit.

So, while I did write out what I thought might be my goals and projects for 2025, I did not set them in stone, so to speak. I am still holding them loosely. At the same time, I am continuing to put one foot in front of the other. I’m still showing up for what I need to do. But I must say, the sense that something is going to shift my direction is just up ahead. I sense this for others as well.

Here’s the thing.

I don’t like leaving things dangling in the breezes, I like to nail things down. Once I make a commitment to something, I will absolutely follow through. I don’t make commitments unless I’m ready to follow through. So, rather than jump into project management mode, I am remaining in listening mode.

Dedicate Yourself for Forty Days

Yet, at the onset of Hanukkah, I was led by the Lord to take the next forty days as a time to consecrate myself. That means taking this time to spend in purposeful prayer, meditation and studying the Word of God. It means being intent with a focus on hearing His voice. It means listening for His direction rather than simply bringing my requests. It means waiting to get His plan of action.

Consecration Sets The Course

Spiritual consecration is all about setting aside time to focus on God’s amazing purpose for our lives! It’s a personal commitment to deepen our bond with the Lord through practices like prayer, meditation, and diving into Scripture. This practice has the potential to reignite the flame of passion that can dwindle over time. God promises is to never allow our light to be extinguished entirely.

A bent reed He will not break off and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. – Isaiah 42:3 NASB

A Passionately Empowering Journey

This beautiful pilgrimage means letting go of our own plans in order to embrace the incredible guidance He offers us. By engaging in spiritual consecration, we seek Holy Spirit to purify our hearts and minds. As we do this it cultivates intimacy. Then our spirit is made ready for the exciting adventures God has in store for us. It shakes off the dust left from disappointment and discouragement.

In the end, consecration is a transformative experience that aligns our inner selves with divine purposes through the manifestation of His divine presence. It is a time of meeting with God in the secret place. It’s a time and place. It’s a secret place of deeply personal rediscovery. In this incredible place we find joy, the joy of Him. It becomes all about His presence, again. It’s cleansing. It’s empowering. It’s transformational. It’s holy. It’s thick with the fragrance of Him.

Waiting to Move Forward

Not long into the process, I felt wooed by Holy Spirit to press to be re-baptized with His Spirit. He was showing me that it was time for a fresh impartation and anointing. He was showing me that this new anointing will come with a new commissioning, a new assignment for going forward. I feel like I’m in a ‘wait until’ kind of place.

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” – Acts 1:4–5 NASB

The New Assignment isn’t Like the Last One

This new assignment is going to take us to places we have never been before. We are going to need a greater anointing, an entirely different anointing in which we functioned in the past.

This is why it’s important for us to have fresh insight. It’s important for us to have a new understanding. We cannot set our goals for going forward based on where we are right now. We cannot make plans for a future that is on the verge of a major shift. We cannot rely on the gifts, talents and abilities we have functioned in until now. This new thing is going to come with a new impartation to accomplish the new assignment.

We need to just bask in His presence and wait in this place until He meets with us. We cannot settle for commute time devotional. This is a time to linger giving our undivided attention. It’s a time to pause. I know we all want to just get going. And we will. But if we don’t take the time to linger now we won’t be prepared. We need this!

For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hurries toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it delays, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay long. – Habakkuk 2:3 NASB

I think you want it as bad as I do.

I want what God has promised. I want the big thing. I want the miraculous. I want the extraordinary. I want the supernatural. We’ve waited this long. We can wait a little longer. Don’t lose heart.

We need a new vision. We need a new revelation. We need new insight. We need a new perspective. We will get exactly what we need as meet with God in the secret place. We won’t get it chasing goals He hasn’t set for us. We won’t get it sitting in front of the TV. We won’t get it running around doing busy things. We won’t get it listening to the latest podcasts or audio books. We can only get what we need directly from Him.

We will only get what we need for going forward by lingering with Him in that private place of covenant communion. We will only get vision from the One who illuminates the night sky. We will only get instructions by seeking the face of our glorious Lord. After all He is the Living Word, the Light of the world. Will He not shine His glory upon us? of course He will! Will He tell us to seek His face and then not show up? Of course not.

Remember Who He Is!

When we press into His presence simply to seek His face and worship Him, He shows up. When He shows up, we are reminded of who He is. Our spirits are aroused. We are quickened by His Spirit. We are made alive again. We are raised from the dead. We are ignited by the light of His glory. We can’t help but be changed. He is all glorious. He is all-together lovely, all-together wonderful. He is God!

The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority], Hebrews 1:3 AMP

Time to Go Deep

As we embark on this journey of rededication and consecration, it becomes increasingly clear this path is intended to deepen our relationship with God and opening us up to new direction. By embracing a time of purposeful prayer, meditation, and a deeper study in the word, it will prepare us for the new assignments that await us in the coming year.

The importance of waiting in His presence cannot be overstated; it is through this intentional connection that we will gain the necessary fresh insight and revelation.

I am reminded that our goals need to be aligned with and in harmony with His divine purpose. Otherwise, we are merely trying to build our own kingdom rather than His. And let’s face it, that might appease our fleshly nature. It surely will not accomplish the destiny of God for our lives.

Let us remain steadfast in our faith, ready to embrace the miraculous, and fully convinced that as we seek Him, He will illuminate our paths and empower us for the transformative adventures ahead.

In conclusion

As we journey into this new year, let us embrace the transformative power of spiritual consecration and rededication. Taking the time to seek God’s guidance through purposeful prayer and meditation. Let’s align ourselves with His divine purpose in preparation for the incredible adventures that await us.

Wait patiently in His presence. He will open the door to fresh insights and new directions. Once we receive the new deposit of God we can anticipate with faith, and confidently step into the new assignments He will set before us. His light will illuminate our paths. Let’s move forward with joy and expectation, ready to witness the miraculous unfold!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we come before you, in the name of Jesus, to be filled once again with Your Spirit. Renew us, revive us. Cleanse us and prepare us to receive a fresh impartation of your indwelling Spirit. Open our hearts, and our minds. Give us new eyes to see by Your Spirit. Anoint us anew. Rend the heavens and come down. Meet with us. Take us into the secret place of your dwelling place on high. Wash over us and re-baptize us with Your manifest presence. Amen