Crown this year in victory.
By Tricia Redden Turnbow
I always ask the Lord which scripture will crown the New Year for me. The morning of New Years Eve, I sat before the Lord and asked, knowing that He would indeed answer but the swiftness of the answer caught me by surprise.
“Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Reach out with the spear that is in your hand and point it toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” So Joshua reached out with the spear in his hand and pointed it toward the city.” -JOSHUA 8:18
Ok Abba… How will this crown my entire year?
The fact that the chapter and verse included 8's didn't really surprise me. 2017, the dumpster fire of a year that it was, held a series of 8's for me. 8 represents new beginnings and though the year possessed nothing but endings, loss and devastation, the Lord left clues of approaching new beginnings strewn throughout the Valley of the Shadow of Death I was crawling through.
Ai was a painful place for Joshua. After the victory and fall of the walls in Jericho, he suffered agonizing defeat as the General of the Israeli armies in Ai. Disobedience, deception and dishonor had encroached upon the camp and God's grace had lifted. Total defeat baffled Joshua.
The name Ai in Hebrew means “ruin” and “kindred root”. In Genesis, after the Lord encountered Abraham with covenant and promise, he pitched his tent and built an altar of worship…between Bethel (the house of God) and Ai (ruin).
Interesting.
Have you ever been there? You are somewhere in the middle of the journey that God has called you to, and you can see the House of God from one perspective and nothing but ruin from a completely different vantage point.
It's a strange place to be. And what do you do when there are things you must learn in Ai that can't be learned anywhere else? You see, ruin will reveal God's mercy and grace like no other place. If you don't have a grasp on mercy before Ai, you most definitely will after Ai. It's in the dust that settles in the ruins that you see the footprints of the Shepherd.
So this morning, the Lord gave me a beautiful gift. A promise of victory that would happen in the very place that I had bowed in defeat. And maybe my Ai looks different than that of Joshua, but it has been the very best place I've ever trudged through. I came to know Abba in a way that would have never been revealed to me in any other journey. I recognized in Ai, the “kindred root” as well. That familiar thing inside of me that was rooted in iniquity and transgression. I hate that thing. It is the “thorn in my flesh” that forces me to rely fully upon the grace of God that is sufficient for me.
I heard the Lord say as I read Joshua 8:18, “I am about to bring about a victory in the very place you suffered defeat…. Point your spear, your weapon of warfare toward the place of ruin…I will give it to you in TOTAL TRIUMPH!”
My year will be crowned with VICTORY! I will boldly walk through the open door with new expectancy and anticipation. The spoils that the enemy has been hoarding for himself are mine… And they are yours!
I fully intend on taking captive the king of Ai, and hanging him in VICTORY Lane!
Tricia Turnbow is an emerging prophetic voice and intercessor who has a heart for the Nations. She lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband of 25 years Todd and 17 year old son Hunter. She and her husband pastor The Worship Center in Lubbock which they planted over 20 years ago. She is the senior leader of 414 Missions and she travels the world leading teams of intercessors and prophetic warriors to do battle on the front lines on a global scale. Her passion and call to Israel have led her to travel yearly there to disciple, hold conferences and do prophetic acts of intercession all across the nation of Israel. She has a deep desire to lead and raise up prophetic intercessors that learn their authority and understand their mandate to shift atmospheres across the globe. Connect with Tricia at Twclubbock.com, triciaturnbow.com or [email protected]
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