Happy New Year! We thank God for his mercy which has allowed us to see this new year. The Bible says, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” Lam 3:22. Although we were all relatively watchful and diligent about our affairs, the Bible makes us to understand that the real secret for our success and preservation is God; “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Psalm 127:1. Glory be to God for watching over us and for nurturing and building up his church. Heavenly Father we thank you for your love that never fails. They are new every morning.
It is important to know that one of the reasons we are still alive is because God is not done with us yet. His purpose and calling on us has not been accomplished. God wants us to possess 2022. The bible says, “Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.” Yes, God is counting on us to possess 2022 for Christ. God has faith in us, he says “go up and possess it…fear not neither be discouraged.” He is saying to us what he said to Moses and Joshua, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. [5] There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Joshua 1:3,5. 2022 is a place in time and as long as we are here, we have the mandate to excel and have good success. I’m absolutely confident that we shall all excel in Jesus’ name. No man, no demon nor principality shall be able to hinder against us in the mighty name of Jesus.
What is our divine strategy for success? What does God want us to do for us to succeed? He told Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8. He told the psalmist, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. [3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3. And in Matthew 4:19 the Bible says, “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Note that in Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3 we were directed to follow the word of God, but in Matthew 4:19 Jesus Christ, God’s word in human flesh is saying, “follow me and I will make you…”. It’s absolutely beyond any reasonable doubt that our God-given strategy for success for this year and the years to come is simply put ‘following Jesus’. Let the word of God reign supreme in your life. Be a doer of his word. It breaks my heart when I see Christians allow Satan mess with their health, finances, marital lives etc., because they would not apply God’s word.
For instance, I know many Christians trusting God for financial breakthroughs and or for the fruits of the womb that do not pay their tithes. How can you be trusting God for something and at the same time ignore what he has said about that thing. Please read with me the next verses of scripture; “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. [10] Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. [11] And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. [12] And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:9-12. When we ignore God’s word and think that long prayers or other forms worship will substitute for our disobedience, we deceive ourselves. King Saul lost his throne because he thought he could substitute obedience with something else; “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. [23] For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23. The fact that obedience to God’s word should be paramount in our minds if we truly want to succeed, cannot be over emphasized. And for the sake of this write up, I will like us to examine some basic biblical principles that would help us win in 2022.
The first thing we must endeavor to do in order to possess this year and excel in it is having accurate knowledge of God our Father. Yes, we must understand that God is our father. He cares and loves us beyond what we can imagine. Jeremiah 31:3 He said, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” We also understand from 2 Peter 3:9 that God is, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” In other words, God will never give up on you. So please don’t give up on yourself. He has also promised to be our companion. Your friends may desert you when the going gets tough, but he said,” I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5. Our faith skyrockets when we see God as a loving father. Look at what Jesus said in Luke 12:32; “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God is excited to grant you victory at every turn in this 2022. We must believe this. God is on our side. He is on your side; he wants you to succeed. See this assurance coming from Jesus Christ himself, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Matthew 7:11 KJV. As your father, he has the responsibility of protecting you. He will protect us throughout this year and the years to come. The Bible says, “The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. [7] The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. [8] The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” Psalm 121:6-8. No wonder the psalmist said, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56:3.
These are just a few of His obligations to us His children. Let’s not forget that as our father it is also his obligation to ensure that we are in good health, well provided for and well instructed or guided. He has also promised us good and perfect gifts:
Exodus 15:26 …for I am the Lord that healeth thee.
Philippians 4:19 – But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Psalm 32:8 – I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
God wants us to understand him. He wants us to know that he is a loving Father. And it is pertinent to add here also that although God loves us dearly, his eyes cannot behold sin. He hates sin. Wisdom therefore demands that we avoid every appearance of sin. Don’t allow anything to stand between you and God. Sin can hurt you. It can stymie your progress. When we make mistakes or fall into sin as we sometimes do because we are still in this carnal tabernacle called flesh, let us be quick to repent and forsake our sins. Proverbs 28:13 tells us that, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” The ball is in your court, it is in our court. Don’t forget that it’s God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. You will excel in 2022 in Jesus name.
Secondly, we must recognize the limited capabilities of the enemy, Satan. If you listen to some Christians and even preachers talk about the enemy, Satan, you will think he is almighty. Satan is not all powerful, not even close. The secrets of overcoming Satan is in God’s word. Here is one of them; James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The key to overcoming Satan is total submission to God. The power of the almighty God, the Lord of host, becomes yours when you submit to God. Also, knowing who you are in Christ would help you as well. The Bible says all things (including Satan) have been put under the feet of Jesus the head of the church and that we are seated with him in heavenly places far above principalities and powers;
Ephesians 1:22 KJV – [22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 2:6 KJV – [6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Remember he said “he that cometh from above is above all.” You are from above. You are born of God. We are the sons and daughters of God. Watch this; 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
The third biblical principle we must follow is that we must endeavor to bless and impact the lives those God will bring our way. We know that when Jesus was here on earth, he went about doing good. Acts 10:38. Looking at the world today, one is often tempted to think that selfishness and individualism are wisdom from above. We must be careful not to fall into thinking that selfishness and narcissism will benefit us in any way. God wants us to care for the welfare others. He has blessed us to reach out to others and will bless us more and more when we do so. In order to fully understand this, please take time to ruminate on the following scriptures:
1 Corinthians 10:24 – [24] Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
Philippians 2:4 – [4] Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Acts 20:35 – I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Ephesians 6:8 – [8] Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Preaching the gospel of Christ and telling people your testimony must accompany our good acts. We must be ready to preach or give out tracks at every opportunity we find. Make sure you have good gospel tracks in your car, purse or handbag. Be ready to tell people Jesus is the answer, Jesus loves you or tell your testimony if you have the audience to do so. Let us not for a moment be ashamed of the gospel. The gospel is the carrier of the power of God. In Romans 1:16 Apostle Paul emphatically wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” We must all make commitments to talk to people about Jesus. This is the heart throb of God. See what Jesus said on this, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. [33] But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33. I pray that the grace to testify of Christ to everyone he brings our way shall abound in the mighty name of Jesus.
Finally, the mentality we have is vital. We need a winning mentality- a mentality that is aligned with God’s will and purpose for us. The reason why many of the children of Israel who left Egypt did not enter the promised land was because they had the wrong mentality. Although they were totally out of Egypt and free from bondage, their reasoning and thought patterns were still the same. They still thought like slaves and talked like slaves. They murmured and behaved like slaves even when God clearly told them that their status has changed. Listen to what God said to them in Exodus 19:4-6, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. [5] Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: [6] And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation…”. When Moses sent twelve spies into the land God had promised to give to them, ten of the spies came back filled with fear and the multitude joined them to say we are not able. They labeled themselves grasshoppers. Except Caleb and Joshua who tried to calm down the congregation of the children of Israel. “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30. And in Numbers 14:8-9, they both said, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. [9] Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.”
These were not complainers like the rest of the children of Israel, neither were they murmurers nor doubters. If we must win in 2022, we must see beyond our personal weaknesses. We must understand that God is our sufficiency. 2 Corinthians 3:5 puts it this way, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God”. There is no doubt that 2022 would have mountains and giants that might seem insurmountable and intimidating but we will be fine if we don’t forget that God is with us. His grace is sufficient for us. Apostle Paul said this perfectly in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” We cannot afford to forget that our status has changed. We must consciously align our reasoning and thought patterns with our new status. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We must cherish God’s authority and association with us. When we are not forgetful that he is on our side, he unleashes his power and might on our behalf. The psalmist understood this. Carefully read through the following scriptures: these statements are products of a winning mentality:
Psalm 108:13 KJV – [13] Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
Psalm 27:1-3 KJV – [1] The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? [2] When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. [3] Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
1 Samuel 17:45 KJV – [45] Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
Philippians 4:13 KJV – [13] I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV – [13] There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
The Bible is replete with faith building scriptures like these. Reading the Bible daily would help us locate them and ‘feed’ on them.
Prayer Points:
- Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me and my loved ones to see this new year. Spend quality time appreciating him for everything: generally, and specifically. Thank him for his mercy and goodness.
- Father, reveal yourself to me daily. Let me come to know you as never before in year 2022.
- Father, grant me insight and revelation knowledge that will make me excel in 2022 in Jesus name.
- Father, grant me grace to be submissive to your word so I can put the devil to flight in Jesus name.
- Father, in 2022 make my life a blessing to many. Open my eyes to see the empty barrels around me. Make me the solution and the answer to many.
- Father, embolden me to possess my possessions. Let me overcome in your name.
- Arise O lord, use me as never before.