"What is the Lord saying for this year?" I am asked every year. For years, I had been searching and asking the Lord what He had planned for His people for the coming year. Because of my upbringing and environment, I found myself always including more of an "army" and "militant" attitude when delivering the Lord's word. You must realize that whenever you get a prophecy from the Lord, it will be delivered through an imperfect vessel. So, when we hear the Lord's voice, it must come through our experiences, thoughts, attitudes, theology, and doctrines. Can you imagine the prophetic message having to pass through all of that before it comes out of our mouths to deliver to the person to whom we are prophesying? This is why it is critical that we shrink in order for Christ to increase in us. It's critical that we don't put our concepts, beliefs, or traditions on a pedestal. To put it another way, when the Lord speaks to us, we should never let our faith stand in the way of conveying the message He has for His people.