Prophetic Focus | The Lord is Doing a New Thing!
What are the dangers of being tied to your past? You lose prophetic focus. You cannot see where the Lord is taking you… the new thing that He is doing. If you want to focus on what the Lord has for you in your future, then you must cut the soul ties of yesterday.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a God that moves forward, not backward. He wants you to see what He has for you, the new thing He is doing. He does not want you to focus on the past, but rather have a prophetic focus, one that draws you nearer to Him and His purposes for your life and His Kingdom.
There are three things you can start doing today to have an encounter with the Lord that will position you to move forward in Him—to have prophetic focus, and to see the new thing He is doing in your life!
- “Thus says the Lord… ‘Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.’”—Isaiah 43:16, 18-21 (emphasis added)
Click on the video to listen and watch as Rabbi Curt Landry explains how to have prophetic focus and see the new thing God is doing.
Why We Don’t Have Prophetic Focus
In short, we don’t have prophetic focus when we are tied to our past.
Many of us are blinded to the new thing the Lord wants to do. We might say, “It’s time to pray, fast, and rise up,” but too often we end up looking at those actions through an old lens, an old way of thinking. Oftentimes, because we have grown comfortable with the past way of thinking about and doing things, we can’t hold the new wine God is pouring out.
The prophet Isaiah recorded God’s Word, “I will do a new thing.” In Hebrew, these words translate to “I’m doing an unheard-of thing.” There is an unheard-of thing that the Lord is doing. We must have a forward, prophetic focus if we want to see the new thing.
We must stop looking back and let go of the things of our past that keep us there. The Lord tells us to pay no attention to the things of old. The enemy wants to drag you backward, or stop you from moving forward. He wants to keep you in the past, but the Lord says He will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
We are in a season of a wilderness, a desert, and many are looking in the past to determine what the future holds. But we must remember, the Lord is telling us to look forward, paying no attention to the past, but rather, adjust our mind to look forward with a prophetic focus—one that pays attention to the new thing He is doing.
If the Lord is giving you prophetic words, visions, and dreams, be careful not to stay connected to the past. The Lord is saying, “As long as you are attached to your past, looking in the rearview mirror, you won’t be able to navigate and see where I’m taking you. Cut the soul ties of yesterday and have prophetic focus.”
Three Steps to Having Prophetic Focus
- Draw near to the Lord.
James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” If you want to have an encounter with the Lord, you must move forward with and into Him, drawing near.
Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).
Action Step: Make a decision today to draw nearer to God so that you have a prophetic focus.
- Have a team.
Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
You need a team of two or three people who are positive and have prophetic focus, not looking in the past but can see what God is doing in the future and can encourage you to do the same.
Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Surrounded by a team that has prophetic focus allows you to raise your hand to the Lord and say, “Lord, I see what You are doing because I’m looking in the right direction. The people You have united me with are also looking in the same direction and we are encouraging each other to draw nearer to You.”
Action Step: Find two or three people that also have focus, asking them to encourage you and keep you accountable.
- Focus on goals.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, “…‘Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’”
As you move forward, it is critical that you write down the goals and words that the Lord is revealing to you in this season. This centers your mind, will, and emotions on Him. Setting goals, reviewing them, and giving them to the Lord in prayer creates habits and patterns that anchor you to a faith mindset in this season of powerful rushing waters that are breaking through the dam.
Hebrews 6:19-20 says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Action Step: Set goals for your time, tasks, and activities. Write them down and give them to the Lord.
Prayer for Prophetic Focus
“Lord, I agree, in Your name, that a new thing is coming to pass. Prophetic focus unlocks my freedom and allows me to see the new thing You are doing. I’m not going to stay connected and tied to my past, rather, I am going to stay anchored and focused on You and what You are doing. Lord, You say in Your Word, “Do you not see it?” I see it now. This is a prophetic word of instruction for me today. I’m going to share this good news with my friends and the team that You have united me with. Indeed, I will move forward in the wilderness and see Your rivers in the desert. Lord, forgive me for thinking that the other side of the fence is better. Lord, what You have for me is best! Lord, Your glory is in the midst of the wilderness. This is where your provision is.
“Father God, I cut all soul ties with the past that is trying to hold me back, tempting me to look in the rearview mirror and go backward. Thank you Lord, for disconnecting me from those soul ties. I move into the Courts of Heaven and choose to forgive those who have hurt me. I choose to forgive those who have disappointed me. I leave it all at the foot of the cross. Lord, today I make a decision to do three new things to have prophetic focus: draw near to you, have a team that can encourage me, and focus on the goals and desires You have for me.
“Thank you Lord, for releasing the Holy Spirit with fire so that I might have focus and a faith mindset. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Do not let your past hold you back from what God has for you in this next season. The past may have had victories and failures, but neither of them define you or your purpose in the new thing God is doing.
Abide in Him and He will abide in you, and you will be able to see the new thing He is doing.