The Year of Discovery: Stop Letting the World Define You!

https://youtu.be/mleECpoCB-M

Today, we launch a brand-new year and a brand-new focus! For the next 12 months, we are going to embark on a journey called "THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY." Our focus will be on the reality that discovery comes as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord.

We spent all of 2025 learning to live “The Grace Life," but in many ways, we were just scratching the surface! 2026 is the year we discover the fullness of who God is and, as a result, rediscover who we are from Heaven's perspective!

Key scriptures for this year:

(2 Peter 3:18 GNT)

"But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever."

(Luke 10:20 Mirror)

"It’s time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven’s perspective."

(1 John 3:10 Mirror)

"There is a very visible and vast difference between living one’s life from your God identity or from a fallen man’s mindset."

(Proverbs 25:2 NKJV)

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter."

(Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

(2 Peter 1:3 NLT)

"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence."

Scripture we will study today:

(2 Peter 3:18 GNT)

"But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever."

Supporting scriptures:

(Jeremiah 33:3 NLT)

"Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come."

(Matthew 16:17 TPT)

"Jesus replied, 'You are favored indeed, Simon, son of Jonah! For you didn’t discover this on your own, but my Father in heaven has supernaturally revealed it to you.'"

(Colossians 3:4 Mirror)

"And as Christ Himself is seen for who He really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with Him in glory."

Setting the Stage:

Happy New Year! We have crossed over into 2026, and I am super-excited and expectant! As I sat under the ministry of my spiritual parents, Pastors Tony and Cynthia Brazelton, on New Year’s Eve, the Spirit of God made it clear: this is a year of revelation, unveiling, and awakening.

Discovery is not about God doing something "new" in the sense that He forgot something; it’s about us uncovering what has always been there and stepping into what has already been prepared by grace!

I will get back to “Grace in Galatians” in February. But in January, we are going to set the foundation and the tone for the entire year.

This is the major theme I will be teaching on all year: THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY; and to do so, I will focus on our growing in grace and in the knowledge of God.

So, what does this mean to you today?  A few things.

1. Discovery is Dual-Faceted: Discovering God Leads To Discovering Self.

You cannot truly know yourself until you intimately know the One who created you. When Simon Peter received the revelation of who Jesus was, Jesus immediately revealed who Peter was. Your identity is hidden in Him.

How this applies to you:

— You will never find your true purpose by looking in the mirror of the world; you only find it by looking into the mirror of the Word of God.

— As you grow in the knowledge of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will simultaneously begin to reveal who you are as a result. 

— Discovery is a progressive journey, not a one-time event; God is constantly unveiling who He is so we can walk in who we are. 

— If you are struggling with an identity crisis, it is a sign that you need to stop letting the world define you and seek a revelation of God.

— When you discover who He is, you discover the "rock" upon which your authentic life is built.

— This year, make it your priority to search Him out, and you will find that you are finding the "real you" in the process.

2. 2026 is a Divine Invitation into the "Beyond."

Pastor Tony declared that 2026 represents a shifting spiritually where new levels of grace are being released. This year is an invitation to live beyond the boundaries of your past and your own human ability.

How this applies to you:

— This is a season to push beyond your comfort zone because if you're looking to be comfortable, you're going to miss God.

— Discovery is the vehicle God uses to bring Heaven's reality into your earthly experience. The Holy Spirit reveals what had previously been concealed from you but was prepared for you from the foundations of the world.

— You are being invited to unveil and awaken to things you haven't seen, heard, or yet understood.

— This season will favor those who choose revelation over distraction, intentionally positioning themselves to hear from God.

— God has orchestrated your success for 2026, ensuring that the victory is already won before the challenge even arrives. But you must be in a position to hear God’s voice.

— You are invited to live in the Alpha and the Omega, resting in the fact that God has already finished what He started in you.

— This year, expect supernatural signs to follow you because you are choosing to take hold of God's Word rather than your own.

3. Discovery Requires Divine Knowledge, Not Just Human Information.

The "knowledge" Peter refers to is not just head knowledge but intimate, experiential knowledge. 2 Peter 1:3 says that everything we need for life and godliness is given through this revealed knowledge.

How this applies to you:

— You don't just want to know about God; you want to know God personally and intimately..

— Revelation knowledge is the secret to health and wholeness for those who discover it.

— Intimacy with the Father is the pathway to discovery; you cannot find what is hidden without seeking Him with all your heart.

— This year, move past reverting to old patterns and seek to hear from the Holy Spirit directly.

— The Holy Spirit will give you thoughts that didn't originate from you, revealing things the natural mind cannot perceive.

— As you increase in the knowledge of Him, you will discover "great and mighty things" that were previously unknown to you.

4. You are Positioned as an Heir to Search Out the Matter.

Proverbs 25:2 tells us it is the glory of kings to search out a matter. God hasn't hidden things from you; He has hidden things for you! You are an heir, and heirs have access to the Father's secrets.

How this applies to you:

— You have a legal right to every promise God made, but you must search out how to apply those promises to your life.

— Don't be satisfied with living as a minor; grow in maturity so you can access the fullness of your inheritance.

— Discovery involves active seeking; those who seek with all their heart find the hidden treasures of the Kingdom.

— You have the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth, uncovering what has been prepared for you. 

— This is the year where shut doors will open because you are digging deeper into God's Word until you find the answer. And notice that the open doors won't come as a result of labor. They will come as a result of revelation.

— Take hold of the Word of God today and refuse to let your head say "no" to what God has already said "yes" to in His grace.

That's enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You for bringing me into 2026, my Year of Discovery!

I declare that I will continue to grow in the grace and in the intimate knowledge of my Lord, Jesus Christ!

I refuse to be defined by the world’s labels or my past mistakes; I rediscover who I am from Heaven’s perspective!

I seek You with all my heart, and I thank You that I am finding the great and mighty things You have prepared for me!

Father, I thank You that as I search You out, You are revealing the "real me" and my divine assignment!

I am an heir of God, and I have everything I need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him!

I will not be comfortable with mediocrity; I embrace the stretching and the growth that discovery requires!

Every door that was shut in the past is opening for me in 2026 because I walk in revelation!

I am Living the Grace Life in the Year of Discovery, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!

This is Today's Word. Apply it and prosper!