My Word for 2025
Good morning. It’s a cold morning today in South Carolina.
It is now 2025; the new year promises both blessings and turmoil. Like many of you, I have various plans for this new year. For one thing, I am in the process of rearranging my library. I’m trying to clean out my files and arrange what remains by the Dewey Decimal System. I expect the process to take several months.
But I’ve also been pondering what God has shown me concerning the new year. Today, I want to share some of what the Lord has told me.
I have no grandiose news for you; what I do have falls into two categories. Depending on how you view it, this can be good or not-so-good news. The first point is primarily for the Church; the second is for all humanity [including the Church].
First, this year, the Holy Spirit will actively work in God’s people to separate or cleave their spirits from their souls. What does this mean? God wants our spirits and souls to reside within our bodies but no longer be entangled.
To understand what the Spirit will do, you must realize that we are three-part beings. We have a spirit that humanity gained when God first breathed into the body of Adam and released life into man. Genesis 1 tells us the first human body [which belonged to Adam] was made from dirt. [Modern chemistry has revealed that the body’s chemical composition is very similar to the dirt found here on Earth].
Secondly, we have a soul, which was created when the newly created spirit of man and his body [which was molded from the earth] interacted. Our soul is the place of emotion, of intellect. The soul is the source of our thinking, the seat of our reasoning, and the location of our identity from which we respond and react to the environment around us. The soul is the seat of both our emotions and reasoning ability.
The spirit of that first Adam [the part that talks to God] was created to communicate with God and rule over the soul and physical body. However, when Adam sinned and was separated from God, the spirit of man died. [Now, I am talking about the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit] because the spirit of man was cut off from the source of life, God.
While the spirit of man still existed, it was dead [Remember, actual death is separation from God]. We might think of the spirit as being in a coma, unable to act or respond to stimuli. When the spirit of man died and no longer responded to God, the body took control over the soul of man and, through the soul, dominated the dead [comatose] spirit.
I recently learned of a plant that exemplified what I am speaking of. Have you heard of the strangling fig? This vine grows up and surrounds a host tree, cutting it off from light and sucking all the life-giving nutrients from the tree.
Eventually, the host tree dies, and its trunk rots away, leaving the strangling fig standing with only a hollow center to mark the presence of the original tree.
I hope this imagery of the strangling fig helps you grasp what God will be doing this year without going into too much detail. This is what happens to the spirit of a person who is without Christ. Our fallen natures, centered in our bodies’ self-centered desires, will lead us into eternal death if not stopped. Our spirits, when cut off from God, are surrounded and entwined in the sin and selfishness of our fallen natures. The most sensitive artistic feelings or the most developed intellects of fallen humanity cannot set us free.
However, once a person is saved by the blood of Jesus, the human spirit is awakened, renewed, and led by the Spirit of God, once again attempts to take control in its proper, rightful place of authority over the soul and the body. Yet the soul and the body will rebel and fight against the spirit of the individual and the presence of Christ within that person. When the Bible refers to believers being “carnal,” the Bible is speaking of someone who has not yet reestablished the authority of the spirit over the soul and body. Instead, the carnal believer reacts to circumstances of the tangle of personal emotions, worldly beliefs, and personal thoughts, not the Word or will of God. Only the transforming power of God and His Word can break the entangling thoughts and feelings that consume us. This process of transformation changes the spiritual baby into a mature believer.
I hope the imagery of the strangling fig helps you grasp what God will be doing this year without going into too much detail. God will remove the deadly strangling vine of our fallen nature from our spirit. This is the year when God will begin to separate the reborn or awakened spirit of believers in Jesus Christ from the power of the soul. God will enable believers to discern clearly where the soul ends and where the spirit begins. The process will not always be easy; some pain will be involved.
Why is God doing this? God wants His best for His people. He wants a Church that is pure, holy, righteous, and faithful. The Bible explains in Romans 8:
6 For to be carnally minded is death [If you think about and do the self-centered things your body wants to do, you will die], but to be spiritually minded is life and peace [if you focus your mind on what the Spirit wants and do God’s will, you will live eternally and experience peace in this present life].
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God [People who focus on themselves and rebel against God’s will and plan]; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be [Selfish, rebellious people do not obey God’s law. They neither understand its purpose nor have the ability to follow it]. [Romans 8:6-7, KJV. My comments are italicized.]
God wants to protect and purify His people. Many people have said [and I have said this myself], “Sometimes I’m not sure whether I made my decision after listening with my spirit to the Holy Spirit or whether I let my own emotions, wants, thoughts or prejudices control my decisions.”
This type of confusion is coming to an end. God will separate the soul from the spirit so we can choose to serve ourselves or God. This separation will bless those who understand what is happening and want to mature spiritually. This process will bless those who want to know Jesus more intimately and are willing to die to their own desires to become a clean vessel for God’s use. Once the spirit is set free, the soul's transformation will occur more quickly. Those willing to endure this separation process will receive a greater revelation of God’s purpose, a deeper understanding of His will, and the spiritual resources to accomplish what He wants accomplished through us in this season.
God does not want to wound us needlessly; He wants to draw us to Himself.
Reflect on the previous statement as I share the second point that God is showing me. What is this second point? This second point, which is directed toward all humanity, has more serious and, for some, more ominous implications.
We have been going through a time of natural disasters and social upheavals. Severe flooding has occurred in Western North Carolina and Arkansas. Earthquakes are happening in various places, and drought is appearing in other regions, bringing an accompanying threat of wildfires. There is also chaos in the international situation, both in the natural and political realms. During this time of uncertainty and chaos [with the first part of the year being more chaotic than the second part], some will be tempted to use the chaos and confusion for their own selfish purposes. Yet the Lord is releasing judgment on those who try to take advantage of circumstances to build political power, gain wealth, or glorify themselves.
To these people, the Lord says, “Woe”.
[ I had never heard the Lord speak this way before, so I looked up the definition of the word “Woe”].
According to the dictionary,
A “Woe” means grief, anguish, affliction, wretchedness, calamity or trouble. To speak “woe” over a person or situation is to express one’s own misfortune, declare judgment on others, or express sadness as well as judgment on someone.
In the Bible, people sometimes suffer “Woe” as a natural result of their own poor choices, and going against God is always a foolish choice. When God speaks Woe over a situation or person, that Woe will always be tied to a person’s sin or rebellion against God.
In other words, a Woe is a declaration of God’s divine judgment. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces seven woes on the religious leaders of His day.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. 21 And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. [From NASB, New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.]
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. [Matthew 23:23-36. ESV, emphasis mine.The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.]
God’s declaration of woe is very serious. However, it is not without hope. For those who recognize their sin and offense against God, the woe will become a path to repentance and the discovery of forgiveness, comfort, and deliverance.
Now is the time to repent. For those individuals who harden their hearts, laugh at God’s warning, and continue seeking to take advantage of the situation for their own purposes, disaster awaits. Let me tell you, the last thing you want is to have God speak a woe over you, denounce you, and carry out judgment against you. God has repeatedly said that He loves you and wants to bless you because He loves you. God does not desire to punish you, but God is the God of justice. Even though He is full of grace and mercy, evil must be judged. The time of God’s forbearance is ending.
This can be a year of good news amid chaos if you listen to the Lord. If you lean on Him and make Him Lord over your entire life, He will sing songs over you, and you will hear His singing. You will experience peace even in the purifying and cleaving process. But if you fight against the Lord, if you try and go your own way and take advantage of others, if you don’t care who you step on to get what you want, this will not be a good year; it will be a year of Woes.
Choose wisely—
6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.
Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon. [Isaiah 55:6-7]
Or face God’s judgment.
He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as he who breaks a dog's neck; he who offers an offering, [as he who offers] pig's blood; he who burns frankincense, as he who blesses an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations:
I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears on them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn't delight." [Isaiah 66:3-4]
