The year 2024 is coming to a close. For some, it cannot end too soon. I thought 2024 would be the year of extraordinary usefulness, but it was anything but that in my mind. This year saw the death of a dream for me. 

After my father's passing, I heard the Lord give me the freedom to re-engage in missions. I had been completely absorbed in work outside the US for over ten years when the Lord arrested me to work with my father. Serving my father was a joy I thought I would not have again after we pastored together some years ago. For nearly ten years, I worked with my father and believed it was my destiny. It was for the time.

I launched a new organization called Dimensions in Kingdom Living in late 2021 and proceeded to raise $175,000 to establish a Print Shop for the Works and Missions Baptist Church in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It was not to be, and we had to cancel the project in January of 2024. It would not happen as I dreamed.

It was a gut punch to my system and took several months for me to recover emotionally. It caused me to question everything about what I thought God wanted me to do. As always with God, it served the valuable purpose of humbling me and realigning me to God's will.

God has been so faithful to wait on me. At the Spirit's prompting, I made two Vision Trips in November and December. The first was to spend time with Charles Carrin, a dear friend of my father and a spiritual father to me. It was a fabulous time of sharing and impartation, and I believe set the foundation for my moving forward to discover God's plans for me in 2025. 

I also traveled to Costa Rica to meet with two couples with whom I had been very involved with in providing safe water for over 300,000 people in Guatemala and Mexico. Again, only God can arrange such connections and gatherings. We picked up where we left off and inspired and encouraged one another to seek God's will. The specifics of our working together have not been completely defined but the foundation was re-established for collaboration.

While in Costa Rica, the Lord began to define His Calling for me. I am more confident than ever of His hand on my life and His plans for me. I thank you for your prayer and support and ask that you would continue to pray and support as you can.

My scripture for 2025 is Isaiah 42:9:

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth, I tell you of them.”

Things have happened in 2024; not all of them appeared positive. Those things are done. The past has passed. All the losses and failures, shattered dreams, and seeminglu negative things are over, finished, kaput. We will leave the past in the past.

God is declaring a fresh start, a new beginning. God speaks things into existence. He will reveal them in His time. Faith sees first (Heb. 12).

Revelation Precedes Realization

In 2025, the losses of 2024 will be wins. The failures of 2024 will be successes in 2025. Wounds will be healed; lives will be changed. Dreams will come true!

The first sermon of Jesus came from His reading of Isaiah 61:1-7. He announced His fulfillment of this prophecy. The Spirit of the Lord was on Him to preach good news to the poor, health to the brokenhearted, liberty to captives, release from prison for the bound, the Year of Jubilee (restoration), the Day of Judgment of God, comfort and consolation to those who mourn, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy, and the garment of praise for the spirit of depression. He declared His followers would be the planting of the Lord, as He rebuilds ruins and raises up places of desolation. Enemies will serve the people of God, and they will be the priests of the Lord and His servants. The wealth of the wicked will be given to His people and they will be clothed with glory instead of shame with double honor. Rejoicing will replace confusion for the prosperity and everlasting joy!

The yoke of bondage will be broken in 2025 for those who believe (Isaiah 10:27). The anointing of the Holy Spirit (oil) will remove the control of anything not of God from our lives. Education will take the form of impartation as knowledge will become wisdom and real-world applications will transform lives, communities, and nations.

2025 will be a year of freedom and prosperity, especially for those who have endured setbacks, losses, and failures in 2024.

I pray that you will see the new things of God in your life and that His preparation of hardship has equipped you to be an instrument of His grace to advance the Kingdom and bring Him glory!

One more thought for 2025 …

In 2025, God desires that you see yourself the way He sees you.

We read in Genesis of Adam's sin. One of the things that sin did was blind Adam to who he was. When God came walking in the Garden in the cool of the day (Gen. 3), looking for the man and woman, they hid themselves. They confessed they felt shame and saw themselves as naked.

God asked, "Who told you you were naked?" Up to the time, Eve and Adam were completely happy wearing nothing but the natural covering God created them with. Sin blinded them. They no longer saw themselves the way God saw them. They now saw themselves through the lens of shame and regret.

God did not see them in this light. God never stop seeing them as His children. His love never faltered and His desire to commune with them was never in doubt. They saw differently, not Him. They no longer saw themselves as God saw them.

See the Lost Son (Prodigal) as he longs to eat the slop of the pigs and remembers his father's house. He may never have seen himself as his father saw him, but at this moment, he definitely does not see as his father did. He thinks he can return and be an employee in his father's business. He no longer feels he deserves his former place as a son in the family.

On his return, the father sets all thing back in order. He runs to his son, the one who was dead and is now alive. He restores him to his place as son with a robe and shoes and a signet ring of honor. His father never stopped seeing him as his son. Even though he wanders away, the father never stopped loving him as his son. He never ceased to see him as his beloved.

Sin affects our vision. We cannot see as God sees because of sin. Jesus restored sight to the blind and His atonement for our sin gives us vision to see as God sees. The first thing we need to see is how God sees us. Living in this sin saturated world, we are prone to see through flawed lenses. Sin imposes shame and guilt on our vision. It fills are eyes with regret so we cannot see the truth. The father of lies blinds us through his reasoning deception and we cannot see properly. Jesus gives sight to the blind. He gives revelation! 

My prayer for 2025 is that everyone would see themselves as God sees them.

God is our loving heavenly Father who sees all and knows all. His creation is His passion. When He looks on a person, He sees His Son Jesus. He loves with perfect compassion and desires to fellowship with all of His family. His lover never wavers. Sin cannot thwart the love of God. Mercy overcomes judgment. Love triumphs over disobedience. God sees you as forgiven and whole and righteous. 

We are His New Creation (2 Cor. 5), restored to the very righteousness of God in Christ. He reconciled us to Himself in Christ and has given us the Word and Ministry of Reconciliation. We are His Ambassadors in Christ. To accomplish the Calling of God on our lives we must see ourselves as He sees us. We are being transformed by His Word to do His Will.

In 2025, see yourself as the Father in Heaven sees you. Walk in the glory of His righteousness and do not let sin cloud your vision.

Tim Taylor