In Genesis 12:1-3(NLT), God said to Abraham, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.” This was a promise with no expiration date, and both Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were way past child-bearing years. Like all God’s promises, this was one of mutual benefit. This means that the promise God made to Abraham would forward Heavenly Father’s agenda in the earth, and it would also bring Abraham and Sarah fulfillment and satisfaction, because they desperately wanted a family; and thought they couldn’t have one. We sometimes forget this aspect of God’s Plan. We forget that His promises not only bless us, but they move His agenda for the entire earth forward as well. Every one of us need to spend some serious time meditating on this. The New Year will mark a season of unpredictable changes in our lives. To prepare for what God has in store, you need to know His priority for this season and make sure you’re putting it first.
Most people spent more time complaining about the hardships of the last year than they did thanking God for all the blessings they had received prior to it. Lessons of patience, endurance, and gratitude are baked into all tribulations and challenges. They are a part of life, and as long as life on earth continues, tribulations and challenges will press us to ask God questions about ourselves that we never thought to ask before. As God answers our questions about ourselves and helps us through tough times, He will show us a side of Himself and His love that we haven’t seen. We urgently need to realize that there’s a connection between how we view God and the circumstances that surround our lives day to day. Every time there’s a significant change, it presents an opportunity to exercise our faith muscle and to receive a greater revelation about God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:1(NLT) tells us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” The most outstanding example of faith in God was that of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but in His Word, God has given us other examples through individuals that faced the impossible but overcame through their faith in Him. All these examples surround us, and because we are blessed to learn about these everyday individuals who accomplished the extraordinary, God commands us to take action. He tells us to strip off every weight that slows us down.
There were many things that impeded our race in 2020, not the least of which was the pandemic. Through it, the devil stole many precious things, and he tried to muzzle the Gospel through masks and shutdowns, but on the flip side, this horrible attack forced us to see things in a different way. Resources we never thought to use were brought to the forefront, and outreach of the Good News of our Lord and Savior was expanded through technology. But also, be aware that some of our weaknesses were exposed as well. Our comfort zones were clipped. The degree to which we had neglected to prioritize time with Heavenly Father through prayer and meditation was revealed. We discovered that we could not hear His voice as clearly as we thought we could, and therefore, the warnings He delivered were not heard or heeded.
So, 2020 prepared us for 2021. Rest assured that there will be things we must strip off completely so that we can receive the blessings God has promised. “SUDDENLY!” will be frequent in our vocabulary this year, and we should want to make sure that mostly, it will pertain to blessings and not trouble. For the faithful, it will be a time of greater unity, joy, and focus on the Lord. Manifestation of this depends on our commitment to acknowledge God’s Word in Isaiah 26:9(NLT), “All night long I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek for God. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.” Judgement is upon the earth, and there is no way we can deny it. The evil of the world outweighed its willingness to do what is right, and this created an environment where the devil wreaked havoc. It also created an opportunity for us to reaffirm our faith convictions, to renew our adoration for God, and to reprioritize our lives so that He is continually and forever in the number one spot.
Do not miss the message of your season, and do not choose comfort over the conviction of your faith. God’s priority for the season you’re in is to prepare you to receive what He has in store. Sin is the thing that weighs down our lives. It keeps us from our blessings, and to the extent that we’re not feeling blessed, we need to seek God. Now is the time for reflection and repentance, because this is the only way to open the door to the newness we desire. God does not want us to be miserable, sick, confused, and wandering with no purpose. That’s not our destiny. God has a good plan for our lives. We’re still among the living, we can still praise His Holy Name, and we can grow in faith to become all that He desires us to be. Let’s celebrate this race God has set before us and be committed to run it with endurance. There is treasure even in the deepest valley, and we need to be ready to lay hold of what is ours.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God’s Priority for the Season You’re In” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!