The new year is finally here and i am glad and grateful to God we all made it. I believe we are on the same page of appreciating God for His goodness. The holidays are gone now and for most of us it is back to business work and school as usual.
The New Year lies ahead and we step out into the future, one day at a time with hope and faith but there is always a concern of what this year has in store for each of us. We have no promise of tomorrow in this life. We don’t know what the future holds but we know our God is Faithful and that Jesus is already there. He has prepared the way before us and He is Jehovah Jireh; our Provider. We are assured that through the power of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will continue this journey through life victoriously.
God has prepared the way before us and provided all we need to succeed but this does not imply Manna will fall from heaven and miracles will automatically happen to us. It rather means everything we need to make it lies with us. The power lies within us. The tools and resources are at our disposal to make this year better and prosperous. We need to work the miracles out! No more excuses or alibi for failure!
Mostly, we wait for breakthroughs but we miss the most important point which is provoking the breakthrough! Whatever we need to succeed, prosper and make wealth has been given unto us by God already! Its left with us to do the work. We have the power to make it happen. Deuteronomy 8:18 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”
In as much as we believe His word, pray and do according to His will, we also must work to succeed and prosper as Christians to serve as the substance, evidence and proof of our faith. The word of God teaches us in James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
God has gifted us in so many ways; talents, skills, opportunities are all around us, all we need to do is step out of our comfort zone and make it happen. This year should not be characterized with idling as have been the previous years. We need to stand up and work the miracles. Success is a product of our hard work. It doesn’t just happen. It is a deliberate effort fueled by our faith in God!
Now, the problem with most of us is we look down on our strengths, abilities, gifts, talents and even opportunities which come our way! Instead of focusing on what we have and working to make it great, we see it as nothing and rather envy what others have!
The parable of the talents teaches us how a master gave talents to each of his servants before going on his journey. These servants were to work with it and make returns but the servant with one talent undermined his own and was rather focusing on what his colleagues had..ENVY! Note that the master gave each according to his ability! This is worth noting: we are all created differently! Be grateful for who you are and what you have! The servant despised his talent because to him, it was not enough to produce more and therefore decided to bury it! Most of us have written off our gifts, talents, visions, dreams, calling, ministry, marriage, business, job, career, ideas etc. just because they are insignificant in OUR SIGHT! (Can i encourage someone reading this?) Don’t bury it just yet for the very thing you have which you see as NOTHING is the ‘SOMETHING’ God needs to multiply your efforts and release you into your season of overflow!
This year, you may want to go back into yourself and put the pieces back together, you may want to stop waiting for things to happen to you and rather make them happen with the little you have!
If your prayer is for God to turn things around in your favor this year, my simple question is “what do you have?” (for God to multiply)
2 Kings 4:1-2 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, WHAT DO YOU HAVE in your house?” “Your servant has NOTHING there at all,” she said, “except a SMALL jar of olive oil.”
Did you read what i just read? Are we on the same page? the widow replied Elisha “I have NOTHING at all , except a SMALL jar of olive oil” the jar of olive oil meant nothing to her. She didn’t know her prosperity was in that SMALL jar of olive oil! Your greatness is in what you are classifying as useless; your success, prosperity, wealth lies in the little that you have! If you have been waiting on God for sometime now, you may want to look at it also in this light; that He is also waiting on you to till the ground, sow the seed He has deposited in you so He can send forth His rain of abundance to give you the super bounty harvest you desire! Yes, you have a part to play! Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”
Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fishes. Before then, He asked His disciples, “HOW MANY LOAVES DO YOU HAVE?” when the need arose for the multitude to be fed. He gave thanks for the five loaves with two fishes they brought. Note that, JESUS did not regard it as woefully insufficient,small or as nothing. Rather he gave thanks and distributed it among them. Lo and behold, there was an overflow from which twelve full baskets were gathered as leftover! (Mark 6:30-44)
WHAT DO YOU HAVE? HOW SMALL IS IT? It doesn’t matter how little, it may as well be a scratch, if only you are committed to valuing it and giving it your all, God in His infinite mercy will replenish your efforts. Now, don’t allow this year pass you by again; get up, go and excel! You are not empty-handed or God-forsaken. You have all it takes; Just open your eyes wide enough to see it well because its not as huge as you expect it to look.
God takes what you have, who you are, and what you can do, no matter how small it may seem and then multiplies it to create miracles. (Can i prophesy to you reading this?);
“And though you started with little, you will end with much.” saith the LORD ALMIGHTY! – Job 8:7
Blessed new year with much love and blessings!
