God’s Not After Your Goals
A devotional by Heidi Lewis-Ivey
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.”— Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
There is something about stepping into a new year that awakens ambition in us.
We write vision statements. We outline strategic plans. We choose a “word of the year.” We map out goals with timelines and benchmarks.
There is nothing wrong with planning. Scripture honors wisdom and stewardship. But as I sat with the Lord over Isaiah 43, I felt a quiet correction in my spirit. What if the new thing God is doing has less to do with our plans…and more to do with our posture? We often approach a new season asking, “God, bless my goals.” But what if He is asking, “Will you let Me reshape you?”
Forget the Former Things
When we read, “Forget the former things”, we often assume it refers to past pain, disappointment, or failure. And yes, that may be part of it. But could the “former things” also include former patterns and old paradigms?
Former ways of thinking. Former reactions. Former fears. Former identities we have grown comfortable wearing. Sometimes we are not dwelling on old memories, we are dwelling in old mindsets. We want new outcomes, but we are operating from old paradigms. We desire increase but we resist discipline. We ask for deeper relationships but avoid vulnerability. We pray for promotion but resist the refinement that qualifies us for it.
Mark 2:21-22 (NIV) says, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
The Lord is not just trying to give us something new. He is trying to make us new.
See, I Am Doing a New Thing
Notice the language: I am doing.
The burden is not on us to create the new thing nor is it produced by our hustle or perfect planning. It springs up because He initiates it. But then comes the question: “Do you not perceive it?” Perception requires alignment.
Sometimes the new thing has already begun internally, but we are so focused on external results that we miss the transformation taking place within us. Before He changes our circumstances, He increases our capacity. Before He releases greater responsibility, He refines our character. Before He expands our territory, He stretches our obedience.
The new thing may look like discomfort before it looks like breakthrough.
We Pray for Doors but Resist Development
We ask for open doors. We ask for influence. We ask for impact. But doors require readiness. Influence requires maturity. Impact requires surrender. God does not need our five-year strategy to accomplish His will. He is not waiting on our perfectly crafted vision board. What He desires is a surrendered heart.
This is the tension of Isaiah 43. The Lord declares something new is springing forth. But to perceive it, we must release what is familiar. Not just familiar pain, familiar comfort, familiar control and familiar versions of ourselves. There is a version of you that cannot go where God is taking you.
And that is not punishment. It is preparation.
The New Thing Starts Within
We often assume the new thing will be a new job, a new relationship, a new platform, a new opportunity. But what if the new thing is a renewed mind? A softened heart? A deeper trust? A refined motive?
What if the miracle is internal before it is visible?
The wilderness mentioned in Isaiah 43 was not merely a geographical reality; it was a place of dependence. A place where the people of God had to trust Him daily. The river in the desert symbolized provision where no one should exist.
And sometimes the greatest provision is not resources, it is transformation. This year may not be about achieving more. It may be about becoming more aligned.
A Question for the Heart
As you step into this new season, pause and ask yourself these questions:
Where am I asking for new results without new obedience?
What patterns am I still carrying from the last season?
What part of me is God trying to reshape?
Am I willing to release who I have been to become who He is forming?
The Lord is doing a new thing. The question is not whether He is moving. The question is whether we are willing to move with Him. The breakthrough is not in your planner. It is in your surrender. Perhaps the greatest gift of this new season is not what God will place in your hands, but what He will form in your heart.
The new thing has already begun. Do you perceive it?
Let’s Pray:
Lord in this new season, transform our hearts. Help us to walk out of the old and into the new. We release old mindsets and habits and ways of being so that we can receive the new thing that you are doing in us.
In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection #2: “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
Heidi Lewis-Ivey is an affirmed prophet and an internationally acclaimed speaker.
She impacts audiences with her authenticity and bold style of delivery. She has had the opportunity to minister in Trinidad, St. Thomas USVI, Manchester and Liverpool (England).
Heidi is an award-winning and bestselling author. She is the author of Can I Rest Awhile? and Black Girl Cry: What Black Women Need to Know to Amplify Their Voices. She is a co-author in Soulful Prayers (Volume 1 and Volume 2) and Soulful Affirmations. Heidi is the convener of the Encountering the Courts of God movement and the founder of Visions International, a training ground for five-fold ministry gifts.
She holds a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from Norwich University and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Boston University. Heidi is the CEO of Nael & Associates Inc and franchise owner of Patrice & Associates recruiting firm. She is a member of the Pentimenti Women Writers Group, a former mentor with Year Up, former board member for Friends of Young Achievers, and a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Strategist.
Heidi is the proud aunt/great aunt of 14 nieces and nephews and two bonus nieces. They are her joy. The older nephews have become her protectors.
Heidi is an NFL football fan. As a child, she taught herself the game. In 2017 she won her NFL.com fantasy football league. Heidi is an avid reader (Audible listener) of romance novels, a lover of purses and handbags, and a tea snob who believes bling is always appropriate.
She lives in Boston, MA.
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Connect with Heidi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamheidi01
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/heidi-lewis-ivey
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