Fear and Favor
As I sought the Lord regarding the new year, I heard the Lord say that it will be a season of FEAR and FAVOR! But I felt it was important to remind us all that we don't need to be afraid of the fear of the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is a good thing! It's the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). In Acts chapters 4 and 5, we see God moving in powerful ways in the midst of some challenging situations. The apostles were arrested and threatened, stirring up fear in their midst. Yet it resulted in a manifestation of God's presence, as He shook the place where they were gathered. This brought a healthy, reverential fear of the Lord to all who were present.
The next thing we read about is the tremendous favor of the Lord resting mightily on all of them. In Acts chapter 5, we see the incident in which Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter and the Holy Ghost about the money they were giving and were instantly struck dead. The fear of the Lord broke out over all of the community, followed by an increase in God's favor—evidenced by signs, wonders, miracles, and many people getting saved—bringing increase, fulfillment, and blessings. I believe it is going to be that kind of year.
This year we must embrace the fear of the Lord in a new way in order to experience the fullness of God's favor.
Finding Your Assignment
Every one of us as Believers must recognize that God has a specific assignment for each of us to accomplish. Often when prophetic words are being released, God is highlighting giftings, callings, and spiritual assignments He has designated for the individual person.
You may be wondering how to discover and receive your spiritual assignment. First, examine your passion. Ask yourself, "What touches my heart?" Then, find your purpose. Sometimes your pain will reveal God's purpose so you can comfort others with the same comfort you yourself have been comforted with.
Next, spiritual assignments can be discovered on your journey of progress, which means obeying and doing what God asks of you. Even the small things often open doors for the next thing God has for you to do.
Finally, your assignment will involve an experience of God's power. Identify your gifts and abilities. These things will help you understand God's plan for your life and feed the fulfillment of your prophetic assignment from the Lord.
The Assault on Your Assignment
In 2025, however, it became clear that as we pursued our spiritual assignments, there was an assault on our assignments. Many people we know, myself included, have faced unprecedented challenges designed to stop us from fulfilling all God has spoken.
It was quite the year, but let's pause and give thanks to the Lord for His presence and incredible sustaining grace! If you are called to do something great for God, then you will face great obstacles in order to fulfill it!
Adam and Eve experienced a similar assault. They were created in God's image and likeness and were called to represent Him in the earth. God gave them an assignment, a mandate: "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion" (Genesis 1:28 WEB).
He has given each of us a similar mandate. Decree this out loud: God, fashioned me to be fruitful! I am called to multiply! I was created to fill the earth with God's glory! I was made to have authority and rule and reign in this life with Jesus Christ! (Photo via Unsplash)
Adam and Eve were living in Paradise, the Garden of Eden, which translates to mean a fenced in area of pleasure (see Strong's H1588 and H5731).
Yet, there was an assault on their assignment. What was the assault? It's very similar to how the enemy assaults us today. First of all, the enemy came with seduction: the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). He came using subtle schemes, tempting them to do what was forbidden.
Second, he used deception and got them to believe a lie, or even half-truths, especially about their identity. This kind of distortion of truth will always lead to rebellion, which causes us to go against the very authority that was set in our lives to bless us. It becomes "as the sin of witchcraft" (1 Samuel 15:23) and disrupts the fulfillment of the mission.
Whatever challenge you have faced, the enemy's goal has been to get you to doubt God, give up, and quit your assignment. Don't do it! Stay in faith. Walk in grace and fulfill your assignment!
Jesus, the Second Adam, also had an assignment. He was sent to reveal the heart of the Father, to destroy the works of the devil, and to restore man back to God. Yet, even Jesus had a major assault on His assignment.
He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. The religious spirit wanted to kill Him. He faced the internal conflict of His soul, sweating blood and asking the Father if there was another way to fulfill His assignment, but then arising in a resolute decree: "not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). He battled rejection from the womb to the tomb of His life, as He came to His own and His own rejected Him (John 1:11), yet He was faithful to fulfill every part of His assignment, including dying a cruel death on the cross.
The question each of us must answer in 2026 is this: Can God trust me with His assignment for my life?
David at Ziklag
2026 is going to be like David's recovery at Ziklag. If you recall, in 1 Samuel 30, David and his mighty men were off fighting God's battles against the Philistines. While they were fulfilling their assignment, the Amalekites attacked their camp at Ziklag, carrying away their wives, children, and possessions. When David and his men arrived home and discovered what had occurred, they were in such despair, David's men even thought about killing him. But David inquired of the Lord.
God's word to him then is what He is speaking to us for 2026: PURSUE, OVERTAKE, and RECOVER ALL! That must be our decree. When the enemy assaults our assignment, we must rise up and take back everything he stole and recover all. Whatever you lost in 2025—joy, peace, hope, love, health, confidence, finances, etc.—rise up and pursue, overtake, and recover all. Disrupt and disappoint the enemy's assault on your assignment by launching your own assault on his. Make the devil pay!
My Prophetic Journey: The Years 2021–2026
In 2021, while seeking the Lord for that year, God gave me an unusual instruction. I was to examine the Strong's Concordance numbers associated with the year 2021. For those that are unfamiliar with this Bible resource, it connects the Hebrew and Greek words in Scripture to numbers for easy access and definitions. What I discovered was very interesting for that year and for each subsequent year since.
Each year brought a connected emphasis of what God is speaking to the Body of Christ that will assist us in accomplishing our assignments. A word for a year does not start and stop with the calendar, but one word connects and continues with the subsequent years, bringing more clarity and emphasis into each season. Here is what God has said to me along this prophetic journey.
Year 2021
The Hebrew word for entry 2021 in Strong's is hotsen (Strong's H2021), meaning "a weapon of war," or "chariot." It is from an unused root meaning "to be sharp or strong."
The Greek word for entry 2021 in Strong's is epicheireó (Strong's G2021), meaning "to take in hand" or "to undertake" or "to put one's hand to." (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
What is God saying through this? As we are endeavoring to press into our personal, prophetic assignments, we must rise up and fight with all our might. We must keep our weapons sharp, be trained in order to be skilled in their use, and be willing to take them out of their sheaths and quivers and place them into our hands to wield and war with to accomplish God's missions in this season! He is giving us spiritual weapons, but it is our responsibility to take them in our hands and fight!
Year 2022
The Hebrew word for entry 2022 in Strong's is har (Strong's H2022), meaning "mountain" or "hill country," and can symbolize a nation. The Greek word for entry 2022 is epicheó (Strong's G2022), meaning "to pour upon." God says He is preparing to use us, His Ekklesia, to pour out His Spirit upon the mountains of culture and even upon nations. He is going to release an outpouring that will cause dreams, visions, and prophecies to be released.
The only place in Scripture epicheó is found is in the story of the Good Samaritan, as found in Luke 10. If you recall, a man was robbed on the road to Jerusalem and left for dead. A priest and a Levite, supposed spiritual men, saw him but passed him by—too busy to stop and help, and unwilling to be detoured or sullied by the mission of caring for the hurting and helpless right in front of them. But a Samaritan, despised by the Jews, saw the man, stopped and cared for him, and poured (epicheó) oil and wine into his wound. He took him to an inn and helped him until he was made whole, and was willing to pay whatever price to see him restored.
God is challenging us to be ready for divine interruptions and diversions. God may give us an unexpected detour or "interruption" on the journey of our assignments to "pour upon" someone in need, who may actually be the real mission and purpose God has given to us in this season. Pouring out upon the hurting and broken is how we are going to see the seven mountains impacted for the Kingdom of God in this hour!
Year 2023
The Hebrew word for entry 2023 is hor (Strong's H2023), meaning two mountains in Palestine. This speaks of the double portion. It's time to receive the double portion of God's grace and power by the Holy Spirit as the inheritance of the Father's blessing!
The Greek word for entry 2023 is epichorégeó, meaning to "lavishly supply" (Bible Hub, Strong's G2023, HELPS Word-Studies). What a word! If you are like me, the assignment of the Lord costs money. But this word "lavish" means "elaborate," "luxurious," and "sumptuously rich," and its synonym is "unrestrained." This implies unrelenting, extravagant generosity.
Epichorégeó further means "to supply," "to provide," "to furnish abundantly," and "to properly, lavishly supply, as it is suitable to outfit all that is needed to accomplish a grand objective" (Bible Hub, Strong's G2023, HELPS Word-Studies). In a literal sense, in classical Greek culture, the word related to someone who gave on behalf of the choir. It references a choir, or someone with a grand vision who has a wealthy benefactor that supplies all they have need of to accomplish their mission in abundance.
I have good news! Jehovah Jireh is our wealthy benefactor and longs to supply our every need as we accomplish our assignments.
Second Corinthians 9:10–11 says, "Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (NIV).
We will be blessed as God releases epichorégeó, a lavish supply, over our lives in order to accomplish His missions!
Year 2024
The Hebrew word for entry 2024 is hara (Strong's H2024), which means a mountain in Media. This is significant for two reasons. First, God said to me that it is time to deal with the media mountain. He is going to expose the false prophets and prognosticators who are purposely and deceptively promoting false narratives through the media. He is simultaneously launching some Believers into new endeavors in the media (television, social media, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc.) with fresh creativity, ingenuity, and vision.
At the same time, we need to understand that Media was an actual country, which became known in ancient times as Persia or, in more modern times, as Iran.
The day before the Hamas attack in Israel, on October 7, 2023, my wife felt strongly that we were entering a time where the Prince of Persia was rising again. This is the spirit behind all the antisemitism and violence against Israel, and a spirit withstanding and resisting all God wants to do in the nations. Part of our assignment is to stand against this spirit, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, advance God's Kingdom, and believe for our nations to stay in right alignment with Israel in this hour. (Photo via Pikist)
The Greek word for entry 2024 is epichorégia (Strong's G2024), which means "supply." It is used in Ephesians 4:16 when speaking of the Body and "that which every joint supplies," and again in Philippians 1:19, when it speaks of "the supply of the Spirit." God has a saints movement that must be supplied by His Spirit, and our assignment is to know our part and do our part. Every person is a vital member and is needed to supply its part for the whole to be edified! Every person has an assignment, and it is key to understand what it is and fulfill it, faithfully!
Year 2025
The Hebrew word for entry 2025 is harel (Strong's H2025), which means the "mount of God" or "the altar" of God. This is clearly a place of dedication, sacrifice, consecration, and a memorial. We must be diligent to build an altar before the Lord on a regular basis.
The Greek word for entry 2025 goes along with this. It is the word epichrió (Strong's G2025), which means "to anoint" and "to smear." So as we build an altar for the Lord, it becomes a new place of being smeared with His anointing. We know the anointing is powerful, and it destroys the yoke of the enemy! The root of this word is chrió (Strong's G5548), meaning "to anoint," and akin to it is chroamai (Strong's G5530), which means to furnish all that is needed for a task, or we could say, all that is need for your assignment.
Year 2026
Which all brings us to 2026! The Hebrew word for entry 2026 is harag (Strong's H2026), meaning "to kill" violently, "to slay," and "to destroy." It carries the connotation of the wrath or judgment of God. This is exactly what Jesus bore for us when He died a cruel, violent death on the cross. He took our punishment and became our sacrifice. He suffered this so He could destroy the works of the enemy, so He could be our champion hero who fights for us.
God decrees, "Vengeance is Mine!" (Deuteronomy 32:35). That means God is just and knows how to dispense His judgment rightly and righteously in this season!
In Scripture it says that we have to be careful not to allow the fear of man to rule us and keep us from fulfilling our assignments. For man can, at worst, only kill our bodies; but we should fear God, rather than man, who can both kill our bodies and send our souls to Hell (Matthew 10:28). Yes, God will fight for us as our Champion Defender, but He will also deal with us rightly as the Righteous Judge. Wisdom says we need to receive the reverential fear of the Lord in our lives, and in the life of the Church, so we can experience His favor this year as never before!
The Greek word for entry 2026 is epoikodomeó (Strong's G2026), which means "to build upon" a sure foundation. Building upon the right foundation releases God's favor!
First Corinthians 3:9–19 tells us the only foundation is the life and ministry of Jesus:
"For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building.
"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light." (1 Corinthians 3:9–13 NIV)
How we have built will be tested by fire to see if we have built on the right foundation or the things of this world that will only fade away or be consumed in the fire. God wants to know, have you built on the Rock or the sand? The sand is when we build on the ways of this world, following its trends and opinions. If we are built on the Rock, we will stand in the storm.
There are going to be some tests of fires and storms this year, but if we are built on a right foundation, we will not just survive, we will thrive.
First Corinthians 3:13–15 continues with this admonition: "It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward (favor). If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames (fear)" (NIV, parentheses added). (Photo via Pexels)
Verses 16–19 go on to further warn us:
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
"Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: 'He catches the wise in their craftiness'" (NIV).
God is dealing with those who seek to destroy His house through false teachings, impurity, and the ways of the world, thus creating confusion and division. God is not mocked. Do not be deceived by building with the wisdom of this world, for if you do, God is not playing games in this time!
As I looked at this year, not only in the Strong's Concordance for entry 2026, but at the number twenty-six itself, I was encouraged by two additional words that will help us overcome the assault on our assignments and fulfill all of the call of God in this year.
The Hebrew word for entry 26 is the name "Abigail" (Strong's H26), which means "my Father's joy." We must be intentional this year in accessing the joy of our heavenly Father. His joy is our strength and gives us supernatural abilities.
Jesus was the very expression of the Father's heart and glory. We must walk in the fullness of this during 2026, regardless of what we may face, in order to accomplish our assignments.
Additionally, Abigail represents God's wisdom and favor in the midst of foolish men. If you recall the story in 1 Samuel 25, Abigail was married to Nabal, whom the Bible says was a fool, for he refused to honor David who was God's chosen king. He did not fear the Lord. Yet, Abigail interceded with wisdom, saving her household and also saving David from unnecessary bloodshed. As a result, when God dealt with her husband and he died, Abigail received favor and became David's wife.
The number 26 in the Greek entry is a very powerful and very familiar word, agape (Strong's G26), which is God's divine, giving, sacrificial, affectionate, perfect love. It is that which is of God's heart and character. It is truly the only thing that will last through the fire.
First Corinthians 13 tells us agape love is the most important thing to operate in as we are doing the will of God. Everything else is worthless—even extravagant giving, prophetic accuracy, powerful faith and ministry, and great wisdom. It all comes to nothing without the motivation and character of agape love in our lives! It must become the gold standard and the right foundation on which everything else is built and becomes profitable.
So, this year, as we pursue our assignments in the Lord, remember God is love. We need to let His love fill and fulfill us. We must receive the Father's heart of love and favor towards us, and build on sure foundations of wisdom and the fear of the Lord.
May God abundantly bless each one of us as we overcome the assault on our assignments and fulfill our call as part of His Ekklesia in this year of the Lord's favor!
Â
Whatever you do, don't miss another ELIJAH LIST email! Subscribe at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
Â
Bishop Tom Hamon
Vision Church @ Christian International
Email:Â vcci@visionchurchci.org
Website:Â www.visionchurchci.org
Bishops Tom and Jane Hamon are the senior pastors of Vision Church @ Christian International in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Their ministry together is an example to the Body of Christ of a husband and wife team working in tandem and unity to accomplish God's purposes. Their ministry is characterized by a rich deposit of God's wisdom to provide apostolic covering for the Church, prophetic teaching and ministry, and demonstration of Kingdom anointing and power. They travel as an apostolic/prophetic team to the nations, imparting both the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation to establish the Church and break open territories through spiritual warfare for the Kingdom of God to be experienced in a powerful and practical way.
Â
To receive more words like this in YOUR inbox, subscribe FREE to the Elijah List at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
Â
Â
Thank you for making the always-free "ElijahStreams" possible. To partner with us, click here.
Your donations truly help us keep these emails free for you. Donate at:
Find us on:
* Facebook click here
* XAPiT click here
Â
