Wise Nations prepare for war in the time of peace. Similarly wisdom demands that if we must excel in 2022 we must prepare for it. When we fail to plan, we plan to fail. Our God is the greatest goal setter and an excellent planner. God never does anything without a plan. For instance, in making man, God first went to the drawing board to plan. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost decided to make man. In that plan it was agreed what man would look like, what their role would be and what level of authority they would operate. The future of man was determined at creation. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26. After this, God started putting some resources together to achieve His plan. In Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7 the Bible says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” God gave man a shape like a potter does to his vessels. Thereafter God imparted a divine resource- His breath (Spirit) into the clay and the unique product called man evolved.
Also, when you read Genesis 1:1-31 you will see God at work. The orderliness and sequence of creation is amazing. God did not create man until he has created everything that man needed. When man was created God’s creative activities came to a rest. By the time man was created all that he need were already in place. The earth was created for man. See what the Bible says, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord ; and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:18 KJV. The fact that the earth was created for man becomes more significant when you consider the fact that all the heavenly bodies in the limitless space were created for the earth. For instance, although the sun is approximately 93 million mile away from the earth, yet it influences the weather, and the seasons that make the earth habitable. The point is, Goal is an excellent goal setter and planner. He expects the same from us.
One lesson we must from the creation story is that, plans must precede programs of action. We must endeavor to live a well planned, thought-out life. The question then is: What are your goals for 2022? What plans have you put in place to achieve your goals? You must have a plan for your family, for your children. Whether we believe it or not, the enemies have a plan for your life and every member of your family. So, it is either you have a plan that will destroy the plan of the enemies, or you will find yourself and your family dancing to the tune of the devil. It is when we plan ahead and live our lives according to God’s will that we can confidently claim the promises of God. For instance, the book of Isaiah chapter 54 and verses 14 through 17 say, “Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. [16] Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. [17] No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”
Again, the promises of God does not negate his desire for us to live well planned lives. Start early; determine to live everyday in year 2022 conscientiously. Planning for the year is good, but it is even better to plan for every day, for every hour and if possible for every minute. See what the Psalmist said in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” An incident that lasted for just a few minutes could have a life time impact. And irresponsible idleness can get you in big trouble. If you don’t believe me ask king David. He was just strolling on his roof top instead of praying/being at war, when he saw Bathsheba and got into big trouble with God. A trouble that affected his children and generations that were unborn at the time of the sin. He brought a curse upon his offsprings. Although his affairs with Bathsheba started so harmlessly and within a short time, it ended in a curse; “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.” King David’s glorious story was tinted forever because he was where he shouldn’t be all.
Therefore, we must plan to engage every minute of your life productively. It is the wise thing to do. See what Apostle Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said about time management in Ephesians 5 and verses 14 through17, “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. [15] See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, [16] Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. [17] Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Are you awake? The problem is that, just like regular sleep, someone deeply asleep is not conscious that he is sleeping, those that are spiritually asleep also do not know they are in slumber until they wake up or somebody wakes them up. This might be your wake up call. We can not afford spiritual slumber in 2022. One way you can ensure that you are always spiritually awake is to make up your mind not to leave your home or start your day without consciously taking God with you. When you do this the light of God will shine on you. And by the wisdom of God you will tread carefully; you will not fall into the snares of the enemy.
We can also see from this scripture that God wants us to redeem time. To redeem time means to retrieve lost time and opportunities, something that only God can make possible when we follow his instruction. In Joel chapter 2 and verses 25 through 27 the Bible say, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. [26] And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. [27] And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” It is clear from this scripture that apart from the fact that God can make us truly victories in 2022 and the years to come, He is also capable of making us recover lost time and opportunities. But there is something that we must do to make this happen. What is that requirement? The answer in in Joel 2:15,18, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: [18] Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.” Fasting and prayer are the requirements for all the blessing you see in Joel chapter 2. The blessing of restoration, abundance and open heavens cannot be achieved without a commitment to fasting and prayer. In verses 26 and 27 God said, “my people shall never be ashamed” twice.
Therefore, if we must fully conquer year 2022, we cannot not afford to ignore the various calls to fast and pray in year 2022. We must brace up ourselves to fast and pray as never before. Even when you fail to fast the way you wanted to, don’t give up, keep trying and asking God to grant you grace to do so. God will heal you and give you abundant grace to fast and pray easily in Jesus name. By the grace of God we shall all come to love fasting and prayer in Jesus name.
Finally we must make up our minds to always have the attitude of gratitude to God. God cannot stand murmurers. I have not seen a murmurer that excelled. Murmuring and complaining repel God. Joy which is often borne of gratitude is one of the fruits of the Spirit. No joy, no God. No wonder Apostle Paul admonished us to, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Endeavor to always see the God sides of people and situations that might want to steal your joy. Be ready to forgive people for your own sake. We must understand that the devil can use even the people we love care for to attack our joy. See beyond the person or situation trying to steal your joy. Take time to focus on the various positive aspects of such people or situations. Your joy is just too important for you to allow the devil to mess with. Isaiah 12:3, says “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” In 2022 nothing will steal your joy in the mighty name of Jesus. You will alway command God’s presence and your heavens will alway be open. With God on your side you will surely conquer and excel in 2022 in the matchless name of Jesus.
Thanks for reading through. God bless you.
Pastor Ebi Thourn