2024: The Year To Elevate : Pastor Tony Samuels

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He has set the world upon them.” - 1 Samuel 2:8 (NKJV)

Elevate means: to raise or lift (something) up to a higher position. Before the coming of the Lord, the Church must be in a certain condition (spiritually), and in position (in the Kingdom), each member finding their place. This is going to be the year where the Lord comes to do what we have been struggling to do for years, and bring us to place of wholeness and completeness. This is going to be a year of divine intervention.

Even Jesus could not accomplish the full will of God for His life without the intervention of His Father. Ephesians 1:19-20 (NLT):  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. This power brought Christ out of death, back to life, and then raised Him back to a place of honor right next to His Father. There are many people who have been through some devastating things the last few years, and despite it all, you have made a decision not to blame God, but to serve Him. This is a display of your resilience, and God wants to come to you this year to do some amazing things.

The Bible says He raises the poor from the dust. Dust signifies a substance found on the ground. Man was created from the dust of the ground, and life has knocked many back to the ground this year. God wants to elevate us out of the dust. You can’t build on dust; you can’t breathe in dust; you can’t see in dust. God is bringing His people out of the dust this year. The Bible also says He lifts us out of the ash heap. Ashes signify the aftermath of a tragedy. It is what is left after a fire. There is no joy in ashes; it becomes a constant reminder of tragedy. The very building we are in burned to the ground one day. I remember that day clearly, watching a place that had years of history and purpose burn to the ground. I can remember the smell of the ashes, the sight of things that were valuable, reduced to the substance of ashes. But the God of Heaven looked down; He came down and lifted this ministry out of those ashes, and recreated this very building at a higher level for an even greater purpose. It went from offices and storage to a Sanctuary that hosts His Presence… a place where we have seen so many set free and delivered, so many touched and healed by His Presence. That’s what He wants to do in our lives; He wants to elevate us out of our tragedy into His Glory to a higher purpose. He will use the very tragedy as the gateway into divine purpose. It is very important that we allow God to do this; if not, we will be stuck with an inward vision of, only concerned about what we went through and what we are going through, and we will never be effective for His Kingdom. We will never see the hurting world around us and be able to be His hands to reach out to them.

Understand, with most Prophetic Words, it’s conditional. There is a position we must be in to receive this elevation. 1 Peter 5:6 (AMP) says, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time… We have to enter a place of humility this year, with no room for pride. Understand, what God is doing in the earth is bigger than us. We won’t be elevated this year by operating in pride and selfish ambition. We have to let those things go, or we will miss what God is doing.

This is the year God elevates our maturity. As a leader in the Body of Christ, I now understand more than ever the value of maturity. I can do so much more when I am surrounded by mature people. The ministry can expand its capacity and influence when it is being run by the mature. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (TPT) says, Brothers and sisters, when I was with you I found it impossible to speak to you as those who are spiritually mature people, for you are still dominated by the mind- set of the flesh. And because you are immature infants in Christ, I had to nurse you and feed you with “milk,” not with the solid food of more advanced teachings, because you weren’t ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready to be fed solid food, for you are living your lives dominated by the mind-set of the flesh. Ask yourselves: Is there jealousy among you? Do you compare yourselves with others? Do you quarrel like children and end up taking sides? If so, this proves that you are living your lives centered on yourselves, dominated by the mind-set of the flesh, and behaving like unbelievers. Paul’s ministry and communication to the Corinthian church was hindered because of their maturity level. They were bound by jealousy, comparison, and division, and this kept them at a low level. Our maturity determines our capacity; it determines how much God is going to do in our lives. This year, we have to elevate into spiritual maturity. We are all on the same team, part of the same family. If we don’t, it will hinder what God wants to do in our lives individually and in the Church corporately.

I have to save some for the message….lol! I am excited to cross over into a new year with you, and we all get to cross over together. We are here for a divine purpose, so come on Lighthouse Family… let’s let the Lord ELEVATE us to another level in 2024!!!!!!!!