Start The New Year Right

We all want to start the new year right. While there are many ways to start the new year, there's only one way to start and end the new year with God's favor. Will you start the new year right? 

2017 has been one of the best years of my life.

But it didn't start until around the end of the year. It was around October when I started to see God move mightily in my life.

Living Revelations' reach started to expand around the world, and I started receiving more testimonies than ever before. God opened more doors for me to speak and share the gospel, and I was invited to be one of the leaders in the Single's Ministry at my church (even though I had only attended the ministry for a couple of months).

While all that was a blessing, God overwhelmed me with more favor.

I was asked to speak at the Single's Ministry service and saw so many lives touched that day. I also had the opportunity to lead worship for their Christmas event. I started to see God use me in the prophetic gifts and words of knowledge. God started to reveal things to me of other's lives that allowed me to pray for them on a deeper level and encourage them in their walk with God.

I've never felt more free and whole than today.

How did this all start? Through my obedience to God.

God had asked me to let go of a past relationship for a while, but it was this past summer that I finally had the courage to let it go.

I put my faith into action through obeying what God had been asking me to do. Because I obeyed, I was able to see God's favor in my life. God exceeded my expectations in just a few months. Never did I expect that God would move through my life and use me as he has from my obedience.

Starting the new year right starts with obeying God. 

When we surrender our lives to God, he takes our lives and uses it in ways we could never do on our own. Our faithfulness to God will lead us to his favor. It's through God's grace and favor that we will see him do so much more in our lives than we could ever imagine. Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."

While there are 12 months in the year, it wasn't until July that I finally decided to start the year right and walk in obedience to God.

You have the chance to start the new year right today. 

What have you put off that you know God has been asking you to do? How can you start the new year right with God? 

Ruth from the Bible is a great example of a faithful and honorable woman who experienced God's favor in her life.

Ruth had lost her husband. Instead of staying in her hometown to start a new life, she was faithful to her mother-in-law Naomi and followed her wherever she went. She knew following Naomi would lower her chances to find a new husband, yet she still stayed faithful to Naomi.

Ruth said to Naomi, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.." (Ruth 1:16). Ruth followed Naomi to a foreign land where Moabites (Ruth's people) were not welcomed.

Because of Ruth's faithfulness, God's favor was upon her. Ruth found favor among a wealthy and high-standing man name Boaz. Ruth asked Boaz, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10). Boaz replies and says, "I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law..how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.  May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord.."(Ruth 2:11-12).

Not only was Ruth able to glean in Boaz's field, she ended up marrying Boaz which led her to be part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Ruth was known as a woman of noble character (Ruth 3:11). Because of her faithfulness, she found God's favor in her life. God restored to her what she lost and did the impossible by allowing her, a Moabite, to be a part of the lineage of Christ.

Just as God was able to do immeasurably more than what Ruth could ever ask for, he wants to do the same in your life.

Will you go wherever God asks you to go and do whatever he asks you to do? Will you start the new year with being faithful to God?

Your obedience to God gives him access to use your life mightily.

Psalm 84:11 says, "..the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." So remember, start the new year right with God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to start this new year right with you.

The Best Gift Of All

We all know Christmas as the time to receive and give gifts. It's the time of year when we are filled with the most joy spent with loved ones. While this season can grab so much of our attention compared to any other time in the year, we must not forget to adore the best gift of all which is Jesus.

What I love about the Christmas season are the Christmas songs that I get to listen to every day on the radio. Songs like Joy to the world, O Holy Night, Silent night, and so much more. These songs are perfect for bringing me in the mood for the season.

But as I was preparing myself to lead worship for my Church's Christmas celebration, I realized that all these songs had one thing in common: they were all to adore the best gift of all - Jesus.

It's easy to get distracted by the beauty of this season. But we must remember that Christmas is more than the gifts, parties, caroling music, and decorations. Christmas is the time to remember the gift of our savior Jesus Christ. 

Christmas is all about remembering the gracious love of God who sent his son Jesus to die on the cross on our behalf so that we could be saved and spend eternity with him.

Isaiah 9:6-7 says, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;...And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

There is no better gift than the gift of Jesus.

It's easy to get caught up with adoring the season but forgetting the reason for the season. We must not forget the true blessing we have in our lives. We may receive amazing gifts for Christmas, but all these gifts would mean nothing if Jesus never came and offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins to save us. We would be left with amazing gifts but hopeless without Jesus.

Philippians 3:8 says, "...I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ." 

Paul reminds us in this verse that everything in this world is worthless compared to Christ. No gift is worth comparing to the gift of Christ. Only through Jesus do we have real love, joy, peace, hope and eternal life.

Our constant adoration of Jesus should not only happen during Christmas but every day of our lives. It's time that we take our eyes away from worthless things and focus our gaze on the beauty and hope that Jesus gives.

Jesus is a gift we can open up every day and not only on Christmas day. 

Will you focus your adoration on Jesus each and every day? Stay in a posture of adoring Jesus above all. The struggles of life will bring you down when your eyes are fixed on the things of this world and not your true savior Jesus Christ. Your adoration is due to Jesus.

Has the business or joy of the season taken your focus and adoration off of Jesus? Will you put aside everything else and set your mind and heart to Jesus? Will you give the adoration that is due unto him?

Whether this season has brought you joy or sadness, know that Jesus is all you need to get through. Jesus is God's best gift for you. So remember, the best gift of all is Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, I want to adore you above all else this Christmas and every other day.

Are You Waiting Or Rushing?

Who loves waiting? Why wait if we could have it now? While rushing may seem like the better option, it's in the waiting that we receive the wisdom to make the best decision. Are you waiting or rushing?

I don't like waiting for anything. And it was clear that I didn't because I started to do things my way and taking God out of the equation.

My desire to be in a relationship made me want to rush God.

Instead of waiting for God's direction, I started doing things that I felt God would approve. I translated God's answer of "wait" to permission to do what I felt was right in the midst of my uncertainty.

But God soon showed me that I was not waiting for him - I was rushing him.

When we are unsure of God's will for our lives, it's tempting to rush and make our own moves. But it's in the waiting that we gain the best direction for our lives.

We are to wait on God and not rush God. 

Isaiah 26:8 says, "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desires of our hearts."

Will you say yes to God, even if it requires being still and waiting for him to show you where to go? 

Waiting on God means not getting ahead of him, but allowing him to go before us. And when God stops, we stop too and wait for his direction.

When we get ahead of God, it clearly shows that our desires are more important than his desires. Isaiah 26:8 reminds us that God's glory should always be the desire of our hearts. God only has the best intentions for us. When we wait on God, we are waiting for the best answer.

We know we're rushing God when we start doing things without first waiting to hear from God.  

The enemy wants us to rush things and see the waiting period as unimportant, but it's in the waiting that we receive God's wisdom to make the best decisions for our lives.

Abraham and Sarah from the Bible are a perfect example of why we shouldn't rush doing things our own way. God had promised Abraham that he would give him a son and he would have descendants as much as the stars (Genesis 15:4-5).

Abraham and Sarah had the desire to have children, but instead of waiting on God, they rushed with their own ways. Sarah told Abraham to sleep with their servant Hagar so that they could build a family and Abraham agreed.

We see later that they had to suffer the consequences of not waiting on God's wisdom but rushing into doing things their own way. Genesis 16:4-5 says, "..When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering..."

Abraham and Sarah tried rushing God's promise by doing things their own way. They took their desires into their own hands and it left them suffering.

What desires in your heart are you trying to take into your own hands?

We have to be careful to not make the same mistake that Abraham and Sarah did. We must always be in a posture to wait on God's direction in every part of our lives, even in things that God has promised he would give us.

In Genesis 18:3 God finally reveals his plan and says, "Sarah your wife will have a son." If only Sarah and Abraham had waited on God, they would have seen God's promise come to pass in the perfect way and timing.

What do you most desire in your life? Do you trust that God knows the desires of your heart? Will you keep your delight in God and wait on him? Will you trust that in his time and in his way he will give you the desires of your hearts? 

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

God himself will give you the desires of your heart. You don't need to take things into your own hands. God only asks us to commit to his ways and to trust that he will provide all of our desires at the right time.

Perfect peace enters our hearts when we are still and wait on God. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."  

You will find perfect peace in the midst of your fears and uncertainties when you put your trust in God's goodness. Keep your mind steadfast in him and don't think ahead of God. We only invite fear into our hearts when we try to get ahead of God.

God knows the best for your life - trust him and don't rush him. So remember, are you waiting or rushing?

Prayer: Lord, remind me to not get ahead of you but to be still and wait on you. 

Turn Messy Conflicts Around

Conflict is never a fun experience; it always involves pain and hurt that becomes hard to get over. But there is a way to turn messy conflicts around.

I've been hurt many times by people who were dear and close to me. The actions that they took completely showed that my interests were not in their mind.

The pain felt real and tears became unstoppable.

I started to say things like, "How could they do that? Were they really that heartless to even think of that? Do they not care about my feelings?"

I was ready to express my feelings and speak words that I felt they deserved to hear.

I asked God, "Am I wrong to feel this way?"

God's response to me was, you're not in the wrong to feel the pain and that person did do wrong. But despite the pain and hurt, God reminded me that he still had a greater calling for me: to be like Jesus.

To be like Jesus is to humble myself, put others' interests before my own, and to love as he loved. 

We have a greater calling to be like Jesus in every situation. 

Philippians 2:1-4 says, "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

When we humble ourselves and put the interests of others before our own, we will have no reason to be in pain or hurt. 

Messy conflicts turn beautiful when we put the interests of others before our own. 

If we have truly been united with Christ and share in his spirit of love and compassion, then we are to live it out by putting others first. 

Jesus himself always put others before himself. He took the nature of a servant to those who beat and mistreated him. Philippians 2:8-9 says, "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name."

Just as God exalted Jesus for his sacrifice and service, God too will lift us up as we humble ourselves and put others first. 1 Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

When we humble ourselves, God lifts us up and we no longer need to lift ourselves up to feel better. When we try to lift ourselves up, we will end up hurting ourselves, the other person, and the image of Christ in us. But if we humble ourselves and pursue to be like Jesus, we will find joy and shine Jesus's love onto others. 

You're going to experience conflict in all aspects of your life; your work colleagues, family, friends, and significant other. But it's in those moments of conflict that we have the choice to turn it around by putting them first.

It's in moments of conflict that you have a greatest opportunity to shine the love of Jesus to turn the situation around. Imagine how much conflict you would avoid by putting others' needs above your own. When life becomes less about us and more about others, it positions us to love others. 

How would living a selfless life look in your life? How would it impact your life and the life of others? Will you put other's interests before your own and trust that God will take care of you? Will you pursue to be like Jesus in any situation you face?

We have the power to turn messy conflicts around by our own choice to respond like Jesus. We don't have to wait for the other person to be right for us to heal and be filled with joy. God's love is all we need. His love positions us to love others despite what has been done to us. So remember, turn messy conflicts around by putting others first.

Prayer: Lord, help me to put others' needs before my own so that I can always walk in your love.