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NATE JOHNSTON 2022 — THE Year you had to Die.
2022 was the year you had to die to live—it was the trial by fire that left NOTHING except what was needed for the new day dawning.
You didn’t just leave the old wineskin, it had to be stripped from your heart, mind, and soul, and left in the dirt behind you. It was a year of your will having to break and bend to His, and your dreams, goals, and ideals surrendered so you had the capacity to be given His dreams and vision. It was the year when the golden calf of ministry had to be barbecued publicly—along with its idols and gimmicks—to make way for a people whose only reward is Jesus. The old, inauthentic, and expired and the Ichabod church is breathing its last breath.
2022 was the year when faith was tested
Many pioneers who were looking for a glorious triumph found themselves in the thick of battle over the promise and the great disparity between fulfillment and the grievous hope deferred that was beginning to entrench their hearts. It was a year where the eyes of the Holy Spirit brooded over His people to see who would cave into the culture and the easy way out—into quick comforts—or who would stand and face the darkest hour of opposition. Arrows flew and filled the sky like rain. Words of the self-righteous were deafening while their victims lay bloodied under a rubble of stones. The compromised church become louder—and sadly much for the wrong reasons.
But in the silence and cocoon of deep heart repentance, humility and awakening incubated a people who chose the narrow road to God's heart. Where a people, who in the midst of battling their own doubts, fears, and losses, chose to stay at His feet and ride out the storm—a people who chose the unpopular road and paid the cost to go where the Holy Spirit is going. They are the ones who have stood on the crossover and contended when most walked away—they put all their chips on the table when most were bunkering down. They are the ones who have walked through fire and now walk with a limp but they also flow with the oil of God's presence.
2022 was the year of blind trust
When things haven’t yet come to fruition but the door has never felt so close. It’s been the buckle-and-break moments where we have had to choose to hold on and look crazy or let go and settle. A year of mess and ducks out of order, emotions flying, trauma surfacing, and yet healing in abundance. It’s been a year of deliverance where the purging came, at first with a sting, but then welcomed like a cool drink after weeks in the hot desert. Hearts were heavy and congested and the Father's affection was ready to be poured out.
It’s been a year where the evil that has lingered and thrived came to the surface—hearts and motives were revealed. Snakes in the grass are being chased out of the courts. Kingdoms, kings, and queens are shaking, empires are falling, and there's been a changing of the guard. Promotions, demotions, and dynastic reformation. A year of legacy birthing and families healing—assignments shifting and eternity coming back into view. A year of contracts breaking, demonic agreements divorcing, and nations beginning their return.
2022 was the year for the oil change
The necessary pit stop and redirection—where burdens began falling like flies, and nomadic wounds were attended to. It was the moment when time stood still and hearts had time to finally be emptied and refurbished. It’s been a year where pioneers needed rest from the puzzle pieces all up in the air and from dealing with the broken expectations. A time of sudden doors closing, red tape, and unexpected outcomes that drove us to His feet. Yet in the limbo and greater unknown, we have been forged. In the unexpected hiatus, we have been reborn. There’s been an awakening and a resurrection that can’t be bought or manufactured.
2022 was the year of the great humbling
The greatest setup—the year of Gideon’s men going down to the waters to drink. A year of falling apart that is ending in the fresh mantling of a newfound anointing, voice, and purpose—a year of the opening of the eyes to the blind and the setting free of the captives. A year where seekers became disciples, and outcasts took the torch to lead the charge. A year where the fire around us became the raging fire inside of us, and the catching of movements that we will carry with us into 2023 and beyond.