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2023 the Year of Head's or Tail's by Teri Johnson
Flip the Coin
I’m not being flippant in saying the Year of 2023 can be determined in a simple “coin-toss”. I am saying that how we “call-it” in the spirit realm; Heads’ or Tails’? will influence & impact what manifests in the Year 2023.
In Deuteronomy 28:13 we discover that the Lord will make His disciples; the head and not the tail; we shall be above only, and not be beneath . .
I’m reminded of the idiom: “It’s your call”
The Lord wants to know what we are believing Him for in 2023. We get to decide; for God has given us the incredible gift & ability to choose. Will we agree with His Heart & declare & decree it?
Will we choose Death or Life for 2023?
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21
Remind yourself of how very powerful your spoken words & thoughts are.
Important Questions
o What have you been expecting & thinking about 2023?
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord
2 Corinthians 3:18
Abraham the Father of Faith had Hope against Hope . . .
Do you have Hope against Hope?
Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Romans 4:18-22
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7
As a disciple of Christ, are you following His example by calling things forth as though they were, no matter what things appear to be?
. . . .God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.
Romans 4:17
As my heart ponders the significance of the power of the words that we voice and how we think: two of ten important keys that I learned in College, as I majored in Vocal Music came to mind. These keys relate to our expectations for 2023, & our participation in releasing our voice; bringing a New Sound for this 2023 New Year.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19
As Kingdom Values & Principles do NOT line-up with our logical thinking; these Vocal Keys to Improving your Singing & Speaking Voice; also do not line-up with our logical thinking.
One of my favorite Pastors told me;
“If we try to “whittle-down” God to our own understanding, then our God is not big enough!”
Key # 1 “Up is Down”
The highest buildings (e.g. the Empire State Building) have the deepest foundations to stabilize & support the skyscraper's height.
The tallest trees (like the Sequoia Tree named General Sherman) must have the strength of a very deep root system to hold them up. The same holds true to the high notes that we sing!
In order to hit the “High-Notes” for God, the words we speak must be grounded & rooted from our deep foundation of Love & our intimate relationship with God.
He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
Luke 6:48
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Ephesians 3:17
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
Psalm 42:7
The "Up is Down" Exercise
Relax your body, especially your facial muscles as if you were in a deep & peaceful sleep.
Right before you hit the high note: imagine & think that the note is not up but that the note is low. Also imagine & think that this note is not high above your reach but low & easy for you reach & touch.
The Purpose
To Hit, Sing & Sustain High notes with ease & without stressing & straining your voice.
We must enter into His Rest, in order to further God’s Kingdom.
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Hebrews 4:10
The lower you bow, the higher God will promote you.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James 4:10
Be a Visionary
Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
Habakkuk 2:2
Use your God-Given-Redeemed Imagination
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Ephesians 3:20
The "Imagination" Exercise
Relax. Stand & Imagine the Empire State Building right in front of you. As you are "seeing" the high building, also imagine & see also right in front of you: the deep foundation for the Empire State building. The foundation being just as deep as the height of the skyscraper. Now look into the huge hole dug into the ground of that deep foundation before you. Right before you hit that high note; open up your arms wide & look down into that deep foundation as though you were going to dive into it & at the same time bend both of your knees, thinking to yourself that you are about to hit a very low note.
(remember * Up is Down)
Do NOT reach for the note with your chin, raising your eyebrows or by stretching out your neck or looking up.
The Purpose
With practice you should be able to hit the high notes with great ease.
Key # 2 "Down is Up"
When singing a very low note you must think & imagine that "Down is Up" By thinking & imagining that the note is easy for you to reach, it becomes easier for you to reach.
The "Cheer-Up" Exercise
Lighten & Brighten Up your facial expression & raise your eyebrows Do not frown, squish your eyebrow's, look serious, or push & bury your chin into your chest!
In order to be the “Light of the World” we really need to “lighten-up”! Some Christians really need to let their face know that they are truly saved! Our facial expression should reflect the Hope, Good News, & the Goodness of God, that lives forever inside of us. As representatives of Christ, we must re-present Jesus as the Joyful One!
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
Low tones are the most difficult sounds to project or shoot out there, they tend to get muffled & muted.
The "Laser-Gun/Arrow-Shooting" Exercise
As you sing the low toned note imagine & focus on a bulls-eye-target a mile away in front of you. Imagine with great speed: shooting out of your mouth & straight out from within you ("from your belly") the sound of the note;
just like a pinpoint laser-beam light. Then imagine the sound of that note hitting the center of that bulls-eye with precise accuracy & penetrating it with great power & impact.
In 2023, it’s high-time to lift up our voices with boldness & tell all to Behold God!
. . . Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
Isaiah 40:9
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:38
The Purpose:
To project the sound of low notes out, making them easy to be clearly heard.
More Kingdom Principles that defy Logic;
Give to Receive
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Luke 6:38
Love your enemy, bless those that curse you, pray for those that persecute you
. . . love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you
Matthew 5:44
Count Tribulation as Joy
count it all joy when you fall into various trials
James 1:2
Finally . . . .
I believe Psalm 23 is highlighted for 2023.
The Lord is my Shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your Rod and Your Staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
God has ordained 2023 to be a year of abundance, restoration, righteousness, protection, comfort, & victory. It’s going to be a very good year, the best is yet to come!
I’m not being flippant in saying the Year of 2023 can be determined in a simple “coin-toss”. I am saying that how we “call-it” in the spirit realm; Heads’ or Tails’? will influence & impact what manifests in the Year 2023.
In Deuteronomy 28:13 we discover that the Lord will make His disciples; the head and not the tail; we shall be above only, and not be beneath . .
I’m reminded of the idiom: “It’s your call”
The Lord wants to know what we are believing Him for in 2023. We get to decide; for God has given us the incredible gift & ability to choose. Will we agree with His Heart & declare & decree it?
Will we choose Death or Life for 2023?
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21
Remind yourself of how very powerful your spoken words & thoughts are.
Important Questions
o What have you been expecting & thinking about 2023?
- What have you been saying about 2023?
- Have you been hoping it will be better?
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord
2 Corinthians 3:18
Abraham the Father of Faith had Hope against Hope . . .
Do you have Hope against Hope?
Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Romans 4:18-22
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7
As a disciple of Christ, are you following His example by calling things forth as though they were, no matter what things appear to be?
. . . .God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.
Romans 4:17
As my heart ponders the significance of the power of the words that we voice and how we think: two of ten important keys that I learned in College, as I majored in Vocal Music came to mind. These keys relate to our expectations for 2023, & our participation in releasing our voice; bringing a New Sound for this 2023 New Year.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19
As Kingdom Values & Principles do NOT line-up with our logical thinking; these Vocal Keys to Improving your Singing & Speaking Voice; also do not line-up with our logical thinking.
One of my favorite Pastors told me;
“If we try to “whittle-down” God to our own understanding, then our God is not big enough!”
Key # 1 “Up is Down”
The highest buildings (e.g. the Empire State Building) have the deepest foundations to stabilize & support the skyscraper's height.
The tallest trees (like the Sequoia Tree named General Sherman) must have the strength of a very deep root system to hold them up. The same holds true to the high notes that we sing!
In order to hit the “High-Notes” for God, the words we speak must be grounded & rooted from our deep foundation of Love & our intimate relationship with God.
He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
Luke 6:48
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Ephesians 3:17
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
Psalm 42:7
The "Up is Down" Exercise
Relax your body, especially your facial muscles as if you were in a deep & peaceful sleep.
Right before you hit the high note: imagine & think that the note is not up but that the note is low. Also imagine & think that this note is not high above your reach but low & easy for you reach & touch.
The Purpose
To Hit, Sing & Sustain High notes with ease & without stressing & straining your voice.
We must enter into His Rest, in order to further God’s Kingdom.
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Hebrews 4:10
The lower you bow, the higher God will promote you.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James 4:10
Be a Visionary
Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
Habakkuk 2:2
Use your God-Given-Redeemed Imagination
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Ephesians 3:20
The "Imagination" Exercise
Relax. Stand & Imagine the Empire State Building right in front of you. As you are "seeing" the high building, also imagine & see also right in front of you: the deep foundation for the Empire State building. The foundation being just as deep as the height of the skyscraper. Now look into the huge hole dug into the ground of that deep foundation before you. Right before you hit that high note; open up your arms wide & look down into that deep foundation as though you were going to dive into it & at the same time bend both of your knees, thinking to yourself that you are about to hit a very low note.
(remember * Up is Down)
Do NOT reach for the note with your chin, raising your eyebrows or by stretching out your neck or looking up.
The Purpose
With practice you should be able to hit the high notes with great ease.
Key # 2 "Down is Up"
When singing a very low note you must think & imagine that "Down is Up" By thinking & imagining that the note is easy for you to reach, it becomes easier for you to reach.
The "Cheer-Up" Exercise
Lighten & Brighten Up your facial expression & raise your eyebrows Do not frown, squish your eyebrow's, look serious, or push & bury your chin into your chest!
In order to be the “Light of the World” we really need to “lighten-up”! Some Christians really need to let their face know that they are truly saved! Our facial expression should reflect the Hope, Good News, & the Goodness of God, that lives forever inside of us. As representatives of Christ, we must re-present Jesus as the Joyful One!
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
Low tones are the most difficult sounds to project or shoot out there, they tend to get muffled & muted.
The "Laser-Gun/Arrow-Shooting" Exercise
As you sing the low toned note imagine & focus on a bulls-eye-target a mile away in front of you. Imagine with great speed: shooting out of your mouth & straight out from within you ("from your belly") the sound of the note;
just like a pinpoint laser-beam light. Then imagine the sound of that note hitting the center of that bulls-eye with precise accuracy & penetrating it with great power & impact.
In 2023, it’s high-time to lift up our voices with boldness & tell all to Behold God!
. . . Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
Isaiah 40:9
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:38
The Purpose:
To project the sound of low notes out, making them easy to be clearly heard.
More Kingdom Principles that defy Logic;
Give to Receive
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Luke 6:38
Love your enemy, bless those that curse you, pray for those that persecute you
. . . love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you
Matthew 5:44
Count Tribulation as Joy
count it all joy when you fall into various trials
James 1:2
Finally . . . .
I believe Psalm 23 is highlighted for 2023.
The Lord is my Shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your Rod and Your Staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
God has ordained 2023 to be a year of abundance, restoration, righteousness, protection, comfort, & victory. It’s going to be a very good year, the best is yet to come!
