Renewal

RENEWAL

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Periodically, we need some push to help us gather momentum. This is because we often get stranded in life. This happens when for some reason, you come to a standstill in your life and find it difficult to move ahead. It happens to all of us.

   In fact, maybe today, you find yourself stranded in your own life. Perhaps life has lost its energy for you. Perhaps you’ve settled for mediocrity. Mediocrity in your marriage; mediocrity with your Christian life, mediocrity in your career. But God has so much more for you! He wants to do supernatural things in you, things you could never imagine.

   His promise to you today is firm and clear: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” In other words, God is saying “Look! Can’t you see it? Can’t you taste it? Can’t you feel this new thing that I’m doing?”

   He takes barren places and barren people and uses them for His glory when He does a brand new thing in their lives. And God wants to do something new in you. Give Him space in your life. Open up to the Holy Spirit. When you do, He will take you out of the place where you are stranded. He will move you out of mediocrity and make your life exciting.

   Can you see the great things He has in store for you? Look, He is about to do something new in your life today. Reach out. Touch Him. Take His hand and let Him walk you into new places. This is a new day for you.

Prayer: Father, renew my strength and help me gather momentum towards what You have set before me this year.

Scriptural Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse,

The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):

18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.

21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.

NKJV

Renewal

You Are More Than A Conqueror

YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR

_”The Lord will cause Your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come against you one way and flee before you seven ways.” Deuteronomy 28:7

God does not promise us a life without enemies. What He promises us is victory over the conspiracies of our enemies. Who is an enemy? Webster’s Dictionary describes an enemy in part as ‘one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent.’

   The ultimate enemy for a child of God is Satan. However, there are human beings who off and on play the role of enemies in our lives. Apart from that, certain conditions of life and situations we encounter may also become our ‘enemies’ such as sicknesses, poverty, ignorance and low self-esteem.

   Enemies can either ‘rise against’ us or ‘come out against’ us. Both postures are postures of challenge. An enemy’s challenge or attack is designed to drive fear into us so that we turn and run away.

   God promises that when we walk in obedience before Him, He will cause two things to happen to our enemies:

•  ‘They will be defeated before your face.’ That means God will give us a visible victory. It will not happen behind your back but right in front of you.

•  ‘They shall flee before you seven ways.’ God will rout our enemies in battle and scatter their plans and conspiracies on the winds.

   Whether your enemy is Satan, people or threatening conditions, there is victory for you. When the evil conspiracies multiply against you, fear not. Today, your enemies seem formidable; tomorrow they will be defeated and scattered.

Prayer: Lord, cause that which rises against Your purposes for my life to be defeated and scattered before me.

Scriptural Reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-14

1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.

2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

8 “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

9 “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.

10 Then all pe…

You Are More Than A Conqueror

Set Some Spiritual Goals

SET SOME SPIRITUAL GOALS

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be. Your heart will pursue anything that you consider to be important. For your heart to pursue the right things, you must treasure the right things. You must have godly desires and godly goals.

   A spiritual goal is any specific Christ-centred target you set for yourself. The Lord said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” God’s Word is filled with what is right and good, therefore reading and learning the Bible is a good place to start and a good place to stay.

   A spiritual goal does not depend on people or circumstances beyond your ability or right to control. It is a goal that depends on God’s grace and the help of the Holy Spirit. Although people may let you down, you can still fulfil your godly desires. When your desires are of God, His grace and favour abounds towards you.

   Holiness is a spiritual desire. Walking in love is a godly desire. Serving in the house of God is a spiritual desire. Sharing the gospel with others is a spiritual desire. Set these desires as goals to pursue. Seek these first and all the other things shall be added to you.

   When your ways please the Lord, He answers your prayers before you pray. When your heart is in the right place, God’s will becomes your will. His thoughts become your thoughts. His ways become your ways. If these are your treasures in 2019, then your heart will be in the right places this year.

Prayer: Lord, I need Your help to make some advancements this year.

Scriptural Reading: Colossians 3:1-16

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Character of the New Man

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

13 bearing with one another, and forgivi…

Set Some Spiritual Goals

Go From Strength To Strength

GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:7

Those who get prepared and set their hearts on pilgrimage, enjoy God’s rain. That means, God refreshes them. In addition to that, they go from strength to strength. The key to renewed strength is waiting upon the Lord. Waiting on God is not a waste of time. Our strength always comes from the Lord. Waiting on Him is like charging your phone before using it. The longer you charge your phone and continue to keep it charged, the more usage you have of it. Similarly, when we wait on the Lord, we go from strength to strength.

   The passage says those who go from strength to strength will appear before the Lord. This Psalm was for those who were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. For the pilgrim on the journey to a feast to Jerusalem, their goal was to eventually appear before the Lord. We are also on pilgrimage. For us, the goal of our pilgrimage is getting to the place God has appointed for us. The place could be a spiritual place or a family place or a career. As we journey in God’s strength, He enables us to get to arrive at the goals He has given us. By the end of this year, each one of us should be able to say we are where God wants us to be – in all areas of our lives. He will give us the strength to get to our appointed place.

   May you grow from strength to strength. May your energy at the beginning of the year be stronger each day. Today, receive strength for your journey. Receive strength to overcome every challenge. Receive strength to push through every resistance. Receive strength in your spirit. Strength in your mind. Strength in your body. Strength to win.

Prayer: Lord, give me the inner strength to persevere till I break through.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 84:5-7

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength;

Each one appears before God in Zion.

NKJV

Go From Strength To Strength

Be A Good Steward

BE A GOOD STEWARD

I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Revelation 3:8

The kind of doors that open for us determine the places we can enter. If a classroom door opens to you, you will enter a classroom. If a business door opens to you, you enter into that business. Open doors are exciting but each one of us has experienced a closed door. Sometimes we try for some doors to open to us without success. There are job seekers who try one door after another, yet no one responds to their résumé. No university accepts their application. No buyers look at your property.

   The good news is that our God is able to use closed doors to advance His cause. He closed the womb of a young Sarah so He could display His power to the elderly one. He shut the palace door on Moses the prince so He could open another door to Moses the liberator. He marched Daniel out of Jerusalem so He could reveal the God of heaven to Babylon.

   Our Lord Jesus also knew the challenge of a blocked door. In the garden of Gethsemane He did not have His will granted. When He requested a path that bypassed the cross, the Father said no. Yet out of that ‘no’ came the greatest ‘yes’ of all time. Yes, to our salvation. Yes, to our healing. Yes, to our blessing. Yes, to heaven.

   God’s ‘no’ is not a denial. It is a redirection from our path to His path. From our way to His way. Ultimately, what we consider a closed door is actually an open door to something bigger, better and greater.

Prayer: Lord, when the door shuts, help me to see the new doors You’ve set before me and the new path You want me to walk on.

Scriptural Reading: Revelation 3:7-13

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,

‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”:

8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘

NKJV

Be A Good Steward

Make The Valley Sing

MAKE THE VALLEY SING

As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. Psalm 84:6

Our verse today, follows after our verse yesterday. It is the result we receive when we prepare for the year. Those who set their hearts on pilgrimage; or face life prepared, are able to turn situations around to their advantage.

   They pass through the valley of Baca. The valley of Baca was a dry and waterless place on the road to Jerusalem. It also symbolised weeping. As people made the pilgrimage to the house of God, they went through the valley of Baca – the place of dryness and weeping. Yet, because they had set their hearts on pilgrimage and prepared their hearts, the valley of Baca could not depress them. Instead of depression, the valley of Baca becomes a spring to them. They experience God’s rain.

   That is how our year will be. Where others weep, we will experience God’s rain in the valley of Baca. Not only will we experience God’s rain, He will create pools for us in the valley of Baca.

   As we set our hearts on the Lord and the journey ahead of us, He also sets His heart on us. He sets His heart on us to water our dry places. The distance of the journey will not change but the presence of the Lord will renew our strength and cause us to flourish. The Lord will cause us to blossom in the place where others are weeping.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You will cause Your rain to fall on every dry path in my walk this year.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 84:5-7

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.

NKJV

Make The Valley Sing

Be Prepared

BE PREPARED

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5

Welcome to the New Year. We give thanks and praise to God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ for bringing us into this new year. God has awesome blessings for us this year, but we have to be prepared for them.

   The motto of the Scout Movement is, ‘Be Prepared.’ Boys and girls who join the Scouts are trained mentally and physically for emergencies. To face life, we have to think like the scouts, ‘Be Prepared.’ What comes to mind when you hear about preparation? Do you think about, studying for a test, or maybe packing all the necessary equipment before a trip? Perhaps, we need to approach the year as we would a test or a journey. We need to be prepared for 2019.

   The first preparation we need for this year is the preparation of our hearts. We need to prepare our hearts to the Lord. The Psalmist encourages us to set our hearts on pilgrimage. That means to prepare spiritually for the journey that the Lord has set before each one of us.

   Prepare your heart. Take charge of your spiritual life. The word of God must move from the pages of the Bible into our hearts. To do that, we must read it often and meditate on it deeply.

   Prepare your head. Take charge of your thoughts. Choose the thoughts you entertain in your mind.

   Prepare your hands. Take charge of your actions. Choose to courageously do what you know that the Lord has called you to do.

   Preparing for a journey does not change the distance of the journey; it only helps us manage our lives better during the journey. It gives us better tools to deal with whatever comes our way on the journey. Let’s live 2019 with hearts that are prepared for the journey. It’s going to be a good ride.

Prayer: Father, my heart is set on pilgrimage this year; order my steps.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 84:5-7

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.

NKJV

Be Prepared