“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. ~ Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)

Happy New Year, to a new you! Wow! I cannot believe that a week has passed already. It still feels surreal that 2016 flew by so quickly.

Seize the Moments

During my preteen years, I was sent to rural Jamaica to live with my grandmother. There was no electricity. No radio. No calendar. The house was lit at night by a lamp that left dark circles in the thatch roof. Every night, shortly after nightfall, we would have devotion then retire to bed. At the dawn, the crowing of the roosters roused us from sleep. My grandmother’s waking routine was to utter these words.

“A miggle day. Day dun!” Here’s the English translation. “It is mid-day. The day has ended.”

My cousin Winston and I would howl with laughter. Wisdom was lost. To the unlearned mind of a child, it made no sense. “Why would she say that? The day had just started.” My grandmother was a simple woman. She had very little education. Small farming was her primary means of feeding the family. Goats were also raised. Seldom did we eat one. Meat came from the hind parts and intestines of a cow. Rewards from assisting the village butcher every Friday. Life was harsh at times. My grandmother did not allow our laughter to phase her. She was, “Yuh yung, yuh wi learn.” (“You are young. You will learn”).

Life had taught her to work in tandem with nature. She learned its rhythm and routines. The early morning chirping of the birds. The gathering of the dark clouds. The sign in the sky of the sun with a dark circle around it. The brilliant light of the new moon. An occasional dark circle with glowing edges around the moon. A sudden cool breeze. All communicated God’s signals of the changing weather and times. Signs that assured her when there would be heavy rainfall. She understood that before the rain came the soil had to be prepared. Seed had to be planted in the ground. Without a seed, there would be no harvest. No harvest meant there was no food (Ecclesiastes 11:1-11).

Now that I am older, I understand her proverbs. Her words at the start of each day were a declaration of the urgency of time. Every moment must be seized. Failure to acknowledge the laws of growth will leave us frozen in time. Another year will pass without any change in our situation. Deliberate action must be taken. There is no better time than now. Not tomorrow. Not later. Right now!

Restoration

God wants us to prosper.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. ~ 3 John 2

Prosperity comes when we are about His and our business. To effectively perform our Kingdom assignment, we must know what He has for us. As this year approached, I sought God. I needed him to reveal what He has in store for His people. His words for the people were the same. The message received on the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, in October 2016.

“There is nothing new that I will say to My people. What I gave you is applicable to them. It continues to be a year of restoration. I will restore everything that was stolen for many of my people.”

The Lord begun to tell me about the losses sustained by the saints. The heart of God grieved for His people. He desired that we prosper. During 2016, the devil had distracted many of us. Our failure to remain focused cost us dearly. Many opportunities were lost. Networks that would move us into our destiny were not forged.

This year will be different. It will be a year of conquest for us. Many ministries will experience a revival. God will manifest the answers to years of continuous prayers. Revival will hit our finances, health, relationships, careers, ministries, and homes.  

Year of Uncommon Favor

The Lord told Apostle Sheila O’Brien, Co-founder and Senior Co-Pastor of the Father’s Heart Christian Center, that this year will be a year of Uncommon Favor.  

Strong’s Concordance defines favor as:

‘Grace or Good-will of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.’

In other words, you become the recipient of favor when you receive something that you are not entitled to receive. Favor can be simple. For example, instead of giving you a well-deserved speeding ticket, a policeman only gives you a warning. When you have uncommon favor from God, the policeman will ensure you safely arrive at your destination. Hallelujah! Glory to God!

God is about to strengthen the saints with uncommon favor. Doors will be opened. Obstacles from 2016 will be conquered. Failures will become pathways to successes. Victory will be gained over the bondages that have held us back for years. Relationships will be restored. All that was lost will be restored.