People begin every New Year full of hopes, aspirations and expectations. Some make New Year resolutions and determined to fulfill them. During Cross Over worship services, many make new vows and others renew and reaffirm commitments to God. Prophetic utterances and messages are made personally and corporately by men and women of God. We pray to God for guidance, protection and mercy. We make efforts to reconcile our differences with God and one another and importantly, do away with those things that hurt God and our common unity.
God saved and preserved our lives to this day. We should not be surprised that the wickedness of this end time is rising worldwide (2 Timothy 3:13). Apostle Paul foresaw that evil in our world shall increase, accelerate and intensify as the end approaches. During this end, the world shall experience widespread of greed and selfishness; moral collapse, differences in family structure and well being; arrogant lovers of money and pleasures more than lovers of God (1 Timothy 4:4). Many hold hypocritical religion but deny the power of the gospel that is the bedrock of faith and genuine Christianity. In the last days, men shall be “selfish, fearful, covetous, blasphemers……fierce, traitors and truce breakers and despisers of righteous people; traitors, and high-minded (2 Timothy 3:3b-4a). God presence makes you unbeatable, unmolestable, and invincible as well as invulnerable.
God had sent His Son, Jesus Christ to come to His world and cause mankind to be saved and deliver us from fears, failures, curses, satanic hindrances and death. Apostle Paul preached that a man is not just freed by works but by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16). “The difficulty about salvation is not that we should be good enough to be saved but that we should see that we are bad enough to need salvation. Christ can save only sinners. Grace cannot begin until the law has proven that we are guilty as the book of Romans show each of us to be; then Christ offers us His righteousness” – What the bible is all about by Henrietta C Mears. God creates and recreates, replenishes, refreshes and restores. Whatever God did before, He does again and again.
a) Prepare for the new things!!!
*“If you fail to plan (prepare) you are planning to fail.” “A man that is prepared has half won the battle.” *You are a child of destiny; your Father is God and has given you all things in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3ff). *You have been equipped to succeed; you have so much potentials that you cannot fail. *You are not permitted to fail. Failure is not your portion or your covenant with God. Your only alternative is to win/succeed. *Be focus and stays focus; concentrate. *Refuse to lose concentration/expectation through depression, self pity, and self comparison. *Learn to see what you believe God for with your positive imagination. *Resist distraction from your long awaited expectation. “Know that only winners are celebrated.”
b)Trust God!!! – Faithful, dependable, compassionate and merciful.
+Belief that God can do what He promises to do. He is a covenant keeping God. +Belief that you can be what the word of God says you will be. +You are a child of a King – whatever belongs to the king belongs to the prince and princess. +But you have to ask (John 14:14). Prayers show we are depended on God for everything. +Before you ask, set your priorities right; so you do not ask amiss (E.g. you New Year resolution, marriage vows).
c) Before we go into prayers:
*Learn the spirit of gratitude: being thankful, grateful and appreciative. (Psalms 95:1-6; Phil 4:14, 16). *Stop seeing by sight but by faith – stop judging from appearance; it is a barrier to consciousness of God. “For we walk by faith, not by sight….” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “…. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen……..” (2 Corinthians 4: 18a). *You cannot see the greater glory of your walk with God until you begin to see in the invisible. See your expectation coming; see that child pregnancy; see the new job and promotion; see expansion in your business; see the new vision manifesting; see your coast widening; see the Church growing; see your spouse loving you more; see more juicy in your relationship, etc. *Every action has predictable consequence. For this to work, you have to do your part: work hard, be focus and trust God. E.g. If you plant hard work, you reap success, if you plant faith, you reap miracles, if you plant perseverance, you reap victory; if you plant worries you will reap wrinkles, etc. *Stop thinking lack and impossible. DO NOT FOCUS ON WHAT YOU LACK, WHERE YOU FAILED AND YOUR DISAPPOINTMENTS. Have-not mentality/consciousness can produce only three (3 L’s) things: less, loss and lack.
*Avoid stress, state of urgency and always keep to time; time is the soul of business. *Do away with negative thinking and imaginations: i) Self blaming, ii) blaming of others, iii) hurrying and worrying, iv) stop exaggerating consequences of incidents and problems (what you fear may never happen). *Stop confessing negatively. Begin thinking and talking positive – calling those things which be not as if they were. As a man thinks, so he is…. (Romans 4:17; Psalm 116:10; 1 Corinthians 2:14). *Be focus on your expectations. Say what you need not what you want. If you do not need it, do not say it. What is yours will get to you in God’s time. *Confess, “I have it regardless of appearance.” confess with your mouth …..and believe in your heart…… (Romans 10:9a). *Release (do not hold) bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. God is love; bitterness squeeze out love. You can get angry or upset but for a time; loose it and let it go so that something positive can come in and occupy right thinking and positive result. *Finally, rejoicing in hope; be patient in tribulation and continuing instant in prayers (Romans 12:12).
In the season of life, the year moves forward and cannot be reversed back. That appears contrary to the way our automobiles are built. By the power of the gear, we move forward and can reverse backward, as need be. So every year gives us opportunities to live it, enjoy it and exploit it, while it last , for once it passes, it’s gone for good. For this and other reasons, Apostle Paul urged us to keep moving on, “Press towards the goal” (Phil 3:14). In our walk with God, even in the midst of crises, we must trust Him and keep moving; for the reverse leads to death. “We live life forward and learn from it backward.”Last year is gone; we have today to live, enjoy and move forward and while learning from the events and experiences of the past.
HAVE A FRUITFUL NEW YEAR!!!
Reach: Evangelist/Elder Ogbonnaya, Godswill at email: weefreeministries@yahoo.com or P. O. Box 720035, Houston , Texas , 77272; Web:www.weefreeministries.org; Call: 8328813929 (Cell).