The beginning of a New Year is always a good time for evaluation. Most of the time we want to say “good riddance” to the old, embracing the hope that this New Year will be better. Certainly it can and should be a much better year for every Christian. We are told in Proverbs 4:18: “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” If we are on the “path of the righteous,” or the right path, our lives will get continually brighter, as will the path, so that we can go forward with increasing confidence and boldness. That is normal Christianity.

     If we are experiencing anything less than this, then somehow we have departed from the right path. In the Lord, the wrong path will never turn into the right one, so if we have departed, we must go back to where we missed the turn. This would be a good time to evaluate this and resolve to get back on the right path if this is the case. The further we continue down the wrong path, the longer and harder it can be to get back on track. In the increasing intensity of these times, the price for not being in the will of the Lord will be increasingly serious, so now is the time to resolve to get back on the track in any way that we have departed from it.

     Virtually all of the prophetic people I know see increasingly difficult times in the world this year. In John 16:33, the Lord says: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” If we are abiding in Him, we too will overcome the world. Regardless of what happens in the world, it can be the best year of our lives, and every year thereafter should be even better. Our paths are supposed to get brighter, not darker.

     It is remarkable how the Psalms have paralleled the times according to their numbering. The Psalm for this year is 110, which seems again to be an amazing fit for this coming year. It is short, so let’s briefly go through it verse by verse:

      The enemies of the Lord have been rising around the world, and the exhortation here is to be patient because the Lord is going to subdue them.

      In prophetic symbolism, the “feet” in biblical prophecy often point to the last generation of this age. The Lord has been completing His body since the first century, and the last to touch the earth are the “feet.” These are the ones who will prevail over the enemies of the Lord.

      The Lord is going to reveal His authority this year. Our enemies do not have to rule over us, and we can prevail even in the midst of them. This is what we must learn this year, which means enemies of the faith are going to arise.

      Also, Zion, of the nation of Israel, has had to rule in the midst of its enemies since its birth, surrounded by enemies on every side. This is also true of “spiritual Israel,” the church. However, I expect a serious new assertion of this authority by the nation of Israel this year, as well as the church.

      This speaks of a great mobilization, a release of power, and a great youth movement, which we can expect to break out this year.

      We can expect a prophetic emphasis on the priesthood that all believers are a part of the order of Melchizedek.

      We will see the judgment of the Lord coming upon leaders who are His enemies.

      The Lord begins His judgment with His own house because He cannot judge the world for things His own people are doing. This judgment has been happening for years, and now it will turn upon the nations in a greater way, and we can expect much death.

      When rulers drank from the streams of a land, it was a statement that they had dominion over that land. The Lord has dominion over the earth, and nothing is happening that He has not allowed, but now we are going to see Him assert His authority. The lifting up of the Head speaks of the lifting up of Jesus. The time is coming when no one on earth will be able to escape His witness. We will know this when He is lifted up, and all will be drawn to Him.

      This is going to be a great and exciting year. In many nations where Christians have had favor, there will be increasing persecution against them, such as in the U.S., but the Lord will prevail. The more the nations seek to afflict His people, the stronger and more numerous they are going to become.

      My prayer for you is that this will be the best year of your lives, that you will get much closer to the Lord this year than you have ever been, and that you will be known as one of God’s best friends in the last days.