Before it goes too far perhaps it would be good to define what a word of the Lord for a year is supposed to be and what it is not supposed to be. One of my mentors was the first to start the practice. I've been doing it for years, I have already done mine for 2022, as did my wife. Every time we release a word like this we preface it by teaching on what a word of the Lord is, so people can receive correctly and not expect the wrong things. So here's a taste of that teaching:
- God is not limited to a calendar year. People tend to look to the new year as a fresh start, God can simply use that as a way to speak to us. ie, He uses the new year because we are paying attention to the new year.
- The word itself isn't limited to a year, it is better described as, "a word in due season". God is emphasizing something that we should be particularly aware of in this due season. I like to look at a word of the Lord as closer to (but not limited to) a 7 year cycle with years overlapping one another rather than a Jan 1st to Dec 31st strict limit.
- While a Word of the Lord for a year will often carry predictive elements, prediction is NOT the primary point or focus. A word of the Lord for the year is an INVITATION. The predictions may help setup that invitation, but the point is to invite the listeners to do something/pursue something/avoid something/be watchful of something or any combination in this "due season"
- Because it is an invitation, the listener has an active part to play. It is up to the listener to take the word to heart and walk it out or not. If they choose not to that doesn't make it an inaccurate word.
- This is important: This type of word is most often supposed to be limited to the minister's sphere of influence. Meaning it's not usually for the entire Body of Christ, unless it is a very seasoned and respected Prophet/Apostle releasing it. So when I release a word to my church... it is for my church, not everyone else's.
Now, this practice has exploded so much that there are many out there who do not follow the above principles, heck many are not even aware of them. But the above is the heart and the best practices originally associated with the concept.
I'll give you an example. In Jan 2020, my wife's word of the Lord for our church gave us exactly what we needed for the coming year. Jan was before pandemics or riots or election drama. Her word did not predict any of that directly, but it did hint that something was coming. More importantly what her word did give us was EXTACLTY what we needed to get through it together as a congregation. In hindsight it was absolutely remarkable. The vast majority of the congregation accepted the invitation and did what the word instructed us to do. Then the pandemic hit and we continued to do what the word told us to do. Throughout that year while church were struggling to keep it together, we actually grew. We grew closer together than I ever knew was possible and we even grew in numbers. We had zero of the internal strife that plagued so many places and we had zero strife with other churches... all because people took to heart what was in that word. That being said, what we needed to do in that season was not one size fits all. It would not have been effective for every church out there. It was for our congregation to focus on, not to project upon others.
I haven't watch the OP video, yet, but for those who do, I'd recommend keeping these principles in mind when determining if it carries value for you not. Sometimes ministers will release a good word to the wrong audience.
