Leap Into the Unknown
As we've come into one of my favorite months of the year, February, I want to share some prophetic insight and encouragement with you.
It's a month for many to take wild leaps of faith into the new. It's time to trust that God will get you to the other side with a safe place to land. Do not be intimidated by the unknowns and the obstacles, for Jesus will be with you every leap of the way.
There is beauty in change. There is growth in stepping into a new season. Spring time is coming. Let's talk about it.
Leap Into Joy: Month of Adar
"The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills." (Song of Songs 2:8 ESV)
In the middle of February begins the Hebrew month of Adar. The Hebrew name "Adar" is related to the word "adir," which denotes strength and power; this is known as the month where we "increase in joy"![1] The long winter months are beginning to fade as we come into a season of springtime. (This is also the month in which Purim, or the Feast of Lot, falls.)
What once rested and lay barren is now going to bloom and grow. It is a beautiful picture of change.
The seasons change on purpose,
They groan in giving worship...
All the earth belongs to You, Lord.
(Song by Upperroom and Abbie Gamboa, The Earth Sings Worthy)
The Tension of New Beginnings
When a new season comes, we can often feel a mix of emotions. We may feel relieved that an old season is passing away; perhaps we have been ready for a change for a long time.
It can seem that the change is far past it's due date, and now we feel like the season has expired. And yet, we can feel sad about leaving an old season behind. Change can be hard. And when the change finally comes, when we feel Jesus is beckoning us to cross the Jordan River to come to the other side, we may hesitate on the river banks. We may long to look back to the wilderness we have grown so familiar with. It 's comfortable because it is known, predictable, "safe."
To make the leap across the river will cost us our comfort. It may require new levels of trust and dependence on God. It may require us to leave some things behind, but this is where faith expands and we start to grow.
For me, personally, I have noticed a prophetic cycle of endings and new beginnings in February. This is also my birthday month—which makes it extra meaningful to me! This is the month when God has transitioned me out of old jobs and into new jobs. This is the month when, in 2022, I took a wild leap of faith and stepped into running my ministry, Embolden, full time. (Photo via StockCake)
A Gift in the Shift
In 2022, I was in a time of prayer and fasting with my community in a ministry called "Take the City" (now called "Harvest"). One night during prayer, my friend Ashley came up to me and gave me a word of encouragement. She said, "I saw a picture of a branch extended like an arm, and there was a Tiffany blue box in the branch. God is saying there is a change coming, but it will be a gift to you,"
To me, her vision was a picture of me "branching out," making a change, doing something new. And the branch represented Jesus (Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 33:15).
The next night, I went to a Bible study at my friend's house. Before I left, she came up to me and said, "I have a gift for you!"
She handed me a Tiffany blue jewelry box. I took it in amazement. It immediately reminded me of the word my friend gave me the night before.
I opened it and found a beautiful ring inside.
My friend said, "I remembered you said you liked this once when I wore it, and I wanted to give it to you!"
I knew the Tiffany blue box was a confirmation of the word of the Lord. He was going to bring a shift, a new beginning in my life. Only in hindsight did I understand this fuller meaning of the prophetic experience.
At the end of the week, my corporate job dissolved, and God thrust me out of the nest. It was time to "branch out" and start my full-time ministry.
This took a wild leap of faith on my part. This was God's gift to me.
Leaving the familiarity and comfort of my corporate job was scary, but I am so glad that God brought that change in my life. Otherwise, I may not be writing this to encourage you today.
The Invitation: Wild Leaps of Faith Are Coming
As we come into springtime, look for God's invitation to take wild leaps of faith with Him. Sometimes, God brings a change by His sovereign work in our lives. Other times, I believe God invites us to step into change with Him. We may not have extreme clarity or direction, but we know we need to move forward. As we start taking steps and leaps of faith, God begins to direct us.
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)
I have been hearing the Lord say lately, "Move forward!"
I was listening to a sermon talking about moving forward when my friend Christina texted me and said, "It's time to move forward, Mariel." And I believe the Lord would say this not just to me, but to some of you today.
"It's time to move forward. I have new things ahead that I am preparing for you. It's time to step forward, even when you don't have 100 percent clarity. It's time to come out of feeling stuck and stagnation and make forward motion. (Photo via Pexels)
"You can trust that I am with you, even in the moments when you can't discern My presence. I have promised to never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). You can trust I will be holding your hand the entire way.
"Watch and see how what I bring you into is so much better than the old, stale, and expired past season. Watch and see how you find a safe place to land in Me as you take a new leap of faith. Watch and see how you find your faith strengthened, how you are so much stronger than you realize. Watch and see how ready and prepared I have made you for the new season I am bringing you into. And in the places you feel weak, uncertain, and afraid, watch as My power is perfected in your weakness."
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)
"Trust that I will be with you as we move forward together."
A Time to Remember and a Time to Move On
In moving forward, we can find strength by looking back and remembering how God came through in past seasons. We can begin to prophesy to our next season and declare, "'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever' (Hebrews 13:8). If He came through for me before, He will come through for me again. I can trust Him in where He is taking me, for He is faithful."
Then there are times when we are not to preserve the past and move forward.
"Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." (Luke 17:32–33 ESV)
This moment with Jesus from Luke 17 is so sobering. Lot's wife looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah when God was delivering Lot and his family out of destruction. She ended up turning into a pillar of salt. Salt is a preservative. When God brings us into the new, we can't look back. We can't try to preserve the old, expired season. We must move forward. Better is ahead.
Prophetic Key: Guard Your Heart Against the 3 "Ds"
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)
In times of change, it's important to guard our hearts and minds so we can be focused on what God is doing and move forward. Here are the three "Ds" to guard against:
1. Guard Against Despair
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13 NASB1995)
When new changes come, you may feel tempted to settle in the hallway of despair. You may not have a full vision of the beauty of the new thing God is bringing into your life, so you think the best is behind you. Guard against despair and fill your heart with the hope of God's Word. Trust He has a hope and future for you. (Photo via PickPik)
2. Guard Against Distraction
It can be easy to want to tune out and check out when you are facing change. Don't get distracted by doom scrolling. Keep prayer and reading the Word consistent so you can be clear minded to discern His leading.
3. Guard Against Disillusionment
Right now, there is a lot of shaking going on in the Church and in the world. It can be easy to fall into disillusionment and hopelessness. I want to encourage you to strengthen yourself in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10) and be anchored in the hope of Christ. Though nations shake and leaders fall, His throne stands. Our God is unchanging, immovable, and constant.
"Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe." (Hebrews 12:28 NLT)
Even though everything is shaking, God's plans and purposes will come forth. Prepare your heart to move forward.
The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength—to Leap!
"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV)
In the changes to come, the joy of the Lord will be your strength to take the leap! You can trust that not only will God be with you, but He will go before you and make a way.
"The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV)
He will prepare a place for you. He will bring the direction you need. He will open the doors. He will move you to a new location. He will bring the resources and relationships. He will supply the jobs and projects. He will bring the solutions.
Whatever you need, God knows. He will provide what you need. And when you hear His voice calling you to your next adventure, I pray you wouldn't hesitate, but you would joyfully take the leap of faith!
"My beloved speaks and says to me: 'Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.'" (Song of Songs 2:10–12 ESV)
Grow in Faith in 2026
I pray this word encourages you! Here's a short prayer you can pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to follow You into the new this year! Where You go, I want to go, and where You stay, I want to stay. Strengthen me to take leaps of faith when You call me into the unknown! I trust You, Jesus. Amen.
Sources:
1. Purim 2026, "9 Things Every Jew Should Know About the Month of Adar," Chalbad.org.
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Mariel Villarreal, Founder
The Embolden Co.
Email:Â Mariel@marielvillarreal.com
Website:Â www.marielvillarreal.com
Mariel Villarreal is a writer, speaker, and prophetic mentor. Her heart is to encourage this generation with right-now prophetic words that reignite hope during the waiting between a prophetic promise and its fulfillment. Through her ministry, the Embolden Co., she holds seasonal prophetic mentorships, training programs, and retreats to empower people around the world to develop their spiritual gifts and hear God for their lives, so that they can bring revival to the nations. You can follow her on social media on Instagram @Mariel_Villarreal_ and Tiktok @Mariel.Villarreal and Facebook @TheEmboldenCompany to get more prophetic encouragement!
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