GOD WILL MAINTAIN YOUR RIGHT AND YOUR CAUSE

1 Corinthians 15:57

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Yesterday I ended on the note that when God has given you the victory, then your response is to praise Him and thank Him for what He has done. This perfectly is in order as you stand on the threshold of a new year, to end a year with the voice of thanksgiving and praise and at the same time to enter a new year with same. Not many can do that, but when you have received a word from the God, the maker of all things, that you have the victory already it would be sheer unbelief to still be wondering what the new year holds for you and be in anxiety. 

Philippians 4:6 says,

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ( definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.” AMP

There is no need for anxiety anymore, there is no need for fear anymore. What is needed is faith, and faith will make a man praise God when you have received a word of assurance from God. This is what your praise and thanksgiving will make happen for you:

“I WILL praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds! I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High! 

When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before You. For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging righteously.” 

Psalms 9:1-4 AMP

GOD WILL MAINTAIN YOUR RIGHT AND YOUR CAUSE. ANOTHER TRANSLATION SAYS HE MAINTAINS YOUR LOT OR PORTION. GOD WILL MAINTAIN THAT WHICH IS YOURS IN THE NEW YEAR. THAT WHICH IS YOURS ANOTHER SHALL NOT TAKE.

THE REASON FOR YOUR VICTORY

1 Corinthians 15:57

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Do you know that right now you have the victory? Yes you have it. You see God speaks ahead of our lives and tells us what will be before things actually happen. What God wants me to tell you right now is that you have the victory and there is nothing to fear. I want to remind you of Jesus’s in John 16:33, the amplified translation:

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”

This is the reason for your victory, everything and everyone that comes against you in the New Year has been deprived of the power to harm you. So you are in a “fixed” fight and your victory has already been given.  Your victory is by not man but by God almighty and there is nothing anyone can do about it. I feel a sense of victory in my heart today for you and I know it is God’s word for you at this moment. 

So what should be your response? The same way the children of Israel under Jehoshaphat responded when God told them they did not need to fight because He had taken over their fight; they resorted to praising God. I want you to also praise God today because you have the victory not just for today but for the incoming new year.

FAITH OR FEAR?

“While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”

Faith or fear, which is reigning in your heart right now as you inch closer towards the New Year. It is easy to know, the same way faith comes so also fear and they work by the same principles. These are diametrically opposite forces, that is why where one is present the other is not.

Faith works this way: It comes by hearing the word of God and it is developed through meditating and acting on the word. It is released through the mouth – speaking. It actually begins where the will of God is known.

The beginning point of fear is uncertainty about God’s will. Fear will come so also by hearing, but hearing the word of satan or the world. It grows in the heart as the lies of the devil are meditated upon and it is released to work when you speak out your fears.

Lets us go back to our question: Faith or fear, which is reigning in your heart? What or who have you been listening to in preparing your heart towards the New Year? If you have been listening to the news bulletin on the television or papers you will not have faith reigning in your heart but fear.  I want to encourage you to take God’s word and meditate on it, pray to God if you have not been doing so and watch your confidence level shoot up. 

As I have been pointing out to you for the past three days, God’s plan is to do you good and to give you a future and a hope. But you have a part to play in drawing it in. YOU MUST BELIEVE.

SEEKING GOD

Jeremiah 29:11-14

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord…” NIV

The fourth thing that enables you not miss God is in what God said Himself in our text; “…You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I WILL BE FOUND OF YOU…” (emphasis mine). Did you see that?

There is no confusion; God said categorically you will find Him. I want you to know God is not hiding Himself from you His child. I once heard someone say that God hides Himself from people; that cannot be true according to His word. Hear Him:

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15

How many things are made known to you from the Father? All things.

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:13-15 KJV

Again, how many things of the Father has Jesus? And how many things of what Jesus has will the Spirit reveal to you? All.

I am saying all these to you so that you can have confidence that when you seek God to know His will for your life you get absolutely that and nothing less. You will not be left wondering whether you will know it or not. God said you will find Him, so just believe that seek His face. He might not show you everything at once but He will show you enough for you to have a direction and to still walk by faith.

SAY THIS, “I HAVE THE CAPACITY TO KNOW THE MIND OF GOD FOR MY LIFE, AND I WILL KNOW THEM. JESUS SAID MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE, I AM HIS SHEEP AND I HEAR AND HEARKEN TO HIS VOICE ALONE. THE VOICE OF A STRANGER I DO NOT FOLLOW.

DISCOVERING GOD’S PLANS FOR YOUR LIFE

Jeremiah 29:11-14

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord…” NIV

We are still on discovering God’s plans for your life.

The third thing that enables you not to miss it in the goals you set for yourself in the new year is if you also engage in what David spoke about in Psalm 37:4-7 in the Message Bible Translation. I will call the step by step guide to walking with God.

“Keep company with God, get in on the best.

Open up before God, keep nothing back; he'll do whatever needs to be done:

He'll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon.

Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him.

Don't bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top.”

Why is this important? It is because in setting goals for their lives, it could be out of a selfish ambition, or because you are comparing yourself with another. In the book of Habbakkuk, he says the vision you write down must be what He (God) has shown you (Hab 2:1-4). This means God must show you first what the vision is before you set them.  This will come easy to you because you keep company with Him or delight yourself in Him as it is rendered in the King James.