Seeking the Lord for His word for the new year can be comforting and challenging. Prior to Thanksgiving of 2022, Holy Spirit impressed upon me that 2023 will be an El Shaddai year.
God used His various names throughout the Bible for different purposes and emphases. There have been entire books authored exploring and explaining these. I’ve known people who use these literary works in their daily prayers.
Saday, (pronounced shad-dah’-ee), the Hebrew word for God Almighty, is Strong’s H7706 and means almighty, most powerful, Shaddai, the Almighty (of God). It can be found 48 times in scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7706/kjv/wlc/0-1/
Here’s a sampling of the initial verses where we find the reference to God as El Shaddai or Almighty God.
Genesis 17:1-2, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.’”
Genesis 28:1-3, “Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: ‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples.’”
Genesis 35:9-11, “Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.’ So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.’”
Genesis 43:14, “And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man [Joseph in Egypt], that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I (Jacob) am bereaved, I am bereaved!”
Genesis 48:3-4, “Then Jacob said to Joseph: ‘God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’”
Exodus 6:2-3, “And God spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.’”
Ezekiel 10:3-5, “Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory. And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when He speaks.”
Seek His Presence to Hear His Voice During An El Shaddai Year.
We will need to seek His presence to hear His voice during an El Shaddai year. This requires shutting out the worldly noise as Holy Spirit does not compete with it nor should He be required to do so.
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-14)
As New Testament believers in Jesus Christ, we have His assurance from John 10:27 that we hear His voice, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
The ways in which the Lord may speak to us include, but are not limited to, the following:
Dreams
Visions
An audible voice
A voice in your mind or thoughts
A prompting or stirring to do something
A check in our spirits to not do something
A word of knowledge from the Holy Spirit
A word of wisdom from the Holy Spirit
Peace
A word or counsel from others
Divine coincidences or appointments
Songs
A passage of scripture
Prophetic signposts along your path
Open and closed doors
A memory quickened unto you
A sign or wonder – a supernatural event
Prophetic acts
We “hear” God through all of the aforementioned ways, but perhaps God will expand His method(s) of communication with you in unique ways during 2023.
On April 28, 2022, I authored a blog post pertaining to the ways in which God communicates to us.
Here’s the link: https://sheilaeismann.com/t-f-t-today-for-tomorrow/
Hard of Hearing.
During Jesus’s earthly ministry, He had many encounters with the Pharisees and Sadducees who were hard of hearing. This was due to several important considerations including their refusal to accept Jesus as the Messiah, their dogma, and their traditions of men which overrode the word of God (Matthew 15:1-20 and Mark 7:1-23).
Men’s traditions and dogma only feed the flesh.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I (Jesus) speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
When we examine our hearts and motives, Holy Spirit will quicken unto us anything that will make us hard of hearing the voice of Jesus, our Shepherd, when He speaks.
A Prophetic Vision of An Ironing Board & A Steam Iron.
On New Year’s Eve afternoon, I went for my daily prayer walk. As I contemplated this prophetic word for 2023, suddenly I received a vision of a gigantic ironing board and a heavy steam iron.
As I continued walking, I heard in the Spirit, “I am going to iron some things out this year.”
By revelation, I knew this pertained to our individual lives and the nations across the globe.
The scripture that came to mind for believers is located in Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
Prophetic symbols for ironing are spotless and readiness for Christ, dealing with sin, starchiness (pride), rebellion, and a seared conscience.
There’s a warning in 1Timothy 4:1-3 concerning the great apostasy and some departing from the faith in the latter times (days).
This New Year’s Eve afternoon prophetic vision should not be viewed in a negative sense only. The positive aspect is having faith in God to iron things out in our lives to our benefit.
As 2022 drew to a close, there were ample words issued from a choir of prophetic voices signaling that God Almighty will have His say and way as far as the nations of the world are concerned.
Prophetic Insights For Daily Living.
#1. The initial appearance of El Shaddai is found in Genesis 17:1-2 where God promised to make His covenant with Himself and Abram whose name was later changed to Abraham. (Genesis 17:5)
Is God calling you into a closer covenantal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, in 2023? The New Testament covenant is explained in greater detail in Hebrews 8:6-13 as Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant than the Old Testament one and is established on better promises.
What are some spiritual and practical ways in which you can strengthen your relationship with Jesus?
If we purpose to fortify our covenant with Jesus, this helps us to forge stronger relationships with one another.
#2. When reviewing the Biblical references listed in the first part of my prophetic blog post, God’s promise to Abraham was to build something within his lineage and bring increase for future millennia.
What is God building within you to bring increase for His kingdom?
#3. Psalm 91:1 reads, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
This particular psalm is known as the “Soldiers Prayer” because it was rumored to have been recited daily in World War I by the 91st Brigade and innumerable soldiers following this time frame throughout many wars.
Perhaps you would like to add it to your daily Bible reading in the new year as there’s much comfort in abiding under the shadow of the Almighty.
#4. As you contemplate the prophetic vision of the ironing board and the steam iron, how does this speak to you, if at all?
Are there things in your life that you would welcome God’s help to get ironed out?
#5. It’s through what God Almighty, El Shaddai, speaks and reveals to you that you will know and discern what His will is for your life, especially for this next year.
God’s general will is revealed in His word from Genesis to Revelation, but His specific will is revealed as we press in and walk more closely and purposefully with Him.
Our spiritual lenses will change during the year as we fully submit to our Lord Jesus Christ and His plans and purposes for us.
I can hear the Spirit of the Lord reminding us, “Guard your hearts, and don’t compare yourselves among yourselves.” God’s plans and purposes for your life may be totally different than someone else’s.
A suggestion would be to print this blog post so that you can refer to and update it throughout the year.
No one nor anything stops El Shaddai! His plans and purposes will stand. What He says He will do will surely come to pass. Because God is Almighty, we can always trust Him.
Please join me in prayer:
Father, thank You for this new year.
I choose to place my hand in Yours and walk with You every day.
May Your watchful eye rest upon me at all times as I continue in Your kingdom along the way.
My encouragement for this year comes from Your Word which stands firm in the heavens and does not sway.
“And the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways.” (Daniel 5:23c)
Until the next message,
SFE (Sheila, Fellow Encourager)
Sheila F. Eismann, Prophetic Seer, Blogger, & Author, publishes her blog posts endeavoring to encourage others through God’s word. Her writings include instructions on how to apply prophetic insights for daily living.
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