2023: A Year for the Righteous to Flourish

As I've been seeking the Lord for 2023, the Spirit has impressed me that this is a year for the righteous to flourish. Consider the following verses:

"The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,

He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Planted in the house of the LORD,

They will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still yield fruit in old age;

They shall be full of sap and very green,

To declare that the LORD is upright;

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."

Ps. 92:12-15

At the turn of the twenty-first century, archaeologists discovered seeds of the extinct Judean date palm tree while excavating Masada. In 2005, Dr. Elaine Solowey was presented with one seed to experiment with and see if they could get this 2,000-year-old seed of an extinct tree to blossom. She did so and appropriately named this male date palm tree Methuselah. Like the Judean date palm, there are many within the Body of Christ whose seeds are currently being excavated by the Spirit - gifts and talents that have lay dormant within you that, at the scent of water, will sprout and grow, yielding fruit (Job 14:8-9). This is the blessing of the righteous person.

Notice, though, that this is a seed planted in the LORD's house and flourishes in His courts, not the world. The right conditions are necessary for us to thrive – His presence. This requires a separation of the sacred from the profane in our lives, and as we allow the Spirit to have His way, He will do a work beyond our imagination.

Notice, too, that there is purpose in the righteous flourishing. The Body accomplishes three things as it thrives:

· It shows the uprightness of the Lord in declaring His straight ways to be pleasing and correct.

· It declares our trust in the Lord alone. He is our rock and foundation; we will build upon no other.

· It proclaims that there is no unrighteousness in Him. When we live lives separated fully unto Him, as the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, He is glorified.

God is glorified when you, as His child, thrive. My prayer is that as you enter into 2023 and allow the Spirit His right-of-way in you, you will find that the seed of His Word planted in you will grow and flourish and that the seeds He has sown through you in the past will begin to burst forth, bringing new growth and declare to the world the goodness, uprightness, and glory of God.

Be blessed in 2023!