At the start of 2020 there were many parallels being drawn to this year being one of 20/20 focus. Ideas were circulated about the need to remain focused and maintain a vision of what God will do in this year. That was before the global pandemic which has shut down the world, grounded flights, and created unstable economies.

Despite the challenges that this year has presented, there are also opportunities that have opened up as a result of it. Hear me out before you dismiss my suggestions as I say this with empathy. I know that there are people who have lost loved ones in this year and people who have lost jobs and businesses. While this is happening, there has been an influx of new business ventures created globally through the internet.

I believe that God is doing major things in this year and the body of Christ needs to pay careful attention so that we do not miss it. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)

None of what is happening in the world today takes God by surprise. So if he has allowed it, then we have to trust what he says in his word. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

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During the reign of King Ahab and Jezebel, the Israelites turned away from God. The King and his wife caused the people to follow the detestable practices of worshipping foreign gods and offering sacrifices to them. Altars were constructed to offer sacrifices to Baal and other gods and some sacrifices were mixed with human blood. (1 King 21:25)

Elijah was disheartened at the way the people’s heart had been turned away from God. And Elijah said to the people, How long will you linger between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not respond. (1 Kings 18: 21)

After Elijah repaired the altar God answered by fire. “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”
‭‭(1 Kings‬ ‭18:38‬)

We need the fire of God to bring light to the dark situations in our communities and countries. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to bring change, healing and deliverance. God will send his fire after we have repaired the altar in our lives. We do not need to build a physical altar but establish an altar of prayer and worship unto God. And when we return to God and seek him with all of our hearts, then he will hear our prayers and heal our land.

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Life is sometimes full of ups and downs and defined by mountain top and valley experiences. When we put our trust in God we shall be like Mount Zion that cannot be removed, but abides forever (Psalm 125:1). Mount Zion represents the mountain of God which is firmly fixed and cannot be brought down by any natural disasters or human invasions.

We know that the angels of the Lord surround those who fear him and delivers us (Psalm 34:7). So when we are afraid we trust in our God to offer protection and deliverance. Fear is not of God and that spirit does not come from him. Instead he gives us power, love and a sound mind. Our enemy wants us to live in fear and torment and carry a burden of guilt and shame.

God replaces the ashes of grief with beauty; he gives us the oil of joy when we mourn and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that we might be trees of righteousness planted by the Lord so that his glory might be seen in us (Isaiah 61:3).

God cares about our wellbeing and it is the lies from the devil that tries to convince us otherwise. God cannot be tempted of evil and he takes no pleasure in the death of sinners but wants everyone to repent and live in him. It is sin that separates us from God and keeps us in bondage and torment. God offers freedom and protection and joy and peace that can only be found in him.

He will not let your foot slip, he who watches over you will not slumber (Psalm 121:3).

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God is saying that in this season, there will be a major transfer of wealth from the sinners to the righteous. Many believers have experienced lack, debt, poverty and have experienced major financial losses but we are about to come into a wealthy place. In this season, we have to be strategically positioned to cross over this Jordan and take possession of the land which God has promised to us and our children’s children.

“”Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses” (Joshua‬ ‭1:2-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

In this season, surround yourselves with the sons of Issachar, men that have understanding of the times, to know what ought to be done (1 Chronicles 12:32). We equip ourselves with the understanding of wealth, business, finance, real estate and other financial investments. In so doing we will gain the wisdom and understanding which we need to gain and maintain our inheritance.

We also have to be sensitive to the move of the spirit in order to move in correct timing. “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:11).‬ “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬).

Trust your decisions to God so that he will show you when to invest, when to make purchases and when to make major business and financial decisions. Let us be led by the spirit and also remember that once God has blessed us to remember to keep all of his commandments and to put him first in everything.

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There are worldly philosophies that suggests that hard work leads to success and generates wealth. While it is important to work to the best of our abilities and to be industrious, hard work is not synonymous with wealth. This idea is a human fallacy which can lure you into the trap of burn out and lifestyle diseases. If that was the case then people who put in hard manual labour would be wealthy. In fact many of the world’s poorest populations include people who work long and arduous hours and earn meagre wages.

How then do we attain financial freedom and overall success? We remember that it is God who gives us the ability to gain wealth. “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:18) When we work with this mindset, we do our best and allow God to do the rest. We learn and understand biblical principals of success such as sowing and reaping.

“give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”” (Luke 6:38) Sometimes if we are in debt or things are tight financially, we can be tempted to tighten our belt. We can become stingy and worry about giving from the little that we have because we worry that there won’t be enough left for us. God is not unjust to overlook your labour of love and will bless you when you have the faith to be a blessing to others.

Trust God with your finances; study the bible to understand what God prescribes as principles for success and work to the best of your ability but don’t over extend yourself with the view that this will cause you to gain wealth. “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs‬ ‭16:3‬)

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Moses was born into a Jewish family who were enslaved in Egypt. The Pharaoh at the time was threatened by the rapid expansion of the Jewish community. He commanded that all the male children should be killed. Moses’s mother hid him when he was born and after 3 months, put him in a basket and he was found and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 1-2).

The time came when Moses had to choose between, living like an Egyptian and enjoying the luxury of the palace, or admit his heritage and work to free his people. Why would Moses give up the “easy” life of luxury, in the palace to suffer with the people of his origin? How many of us would give up the chance to live in wealth in order to own up to our true identity.

This would not have been an easy choice for Moses, but God knew ahead of time the kind of person that Moses was destined to be. No wonder Moses is considered as one of the greatest prophets, who spoke to God and heard him audibly.

“And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses”” (Numbers 12:6-8)?

So intimate was God’s relationship with Moses, that he confronted his siblings Miriam and Aaron when they spoke against him. God honours obedience and he places value in those who are willing to deny themselves to do his will. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

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I was walking into work one morning and a delivery man from a supermarket, had his van parked on the side of the road and appeared lost and approached me to ask for directions. It turned out that the road he was looking for is the road that I live on and he was only two minutes away from it. I started pointing in the direction of the road to show him the way. I noticed that while I was explaining the directions to him, he was not paying attention but continued to look at his phone. To get his attention I asked him if he was listening to what I was saying. He pointed at the phone and mentioned that he was looking at the map.

I felt the need to qualify my experience and said to him, “look the road you’re looking for is where I live so I am showing you the way to go.” He then appeared to gain some confidence in what I was saying and looked up. I showed him that all he needed to do was drive a few metres up and take the second right turn. In fact the road was in eye shot of where we were and he repeated my instructions as it was clearly explained.

As I walked away I thought; what’s the point in asking for direction if he wasn’t going to listen for the instructions? The Holy Spirit said to me, “how many times do we do that to God?” How many times do we ask God for an answer, but we continue intently searching the internet for expert advice or look for answers from different sources. We sometimes ask a friend or a loved one and other sources and at times we lean on our own understanding.

At other times we don’t even ask God for direction. God is all knowing, omnipotent, omnipresent and he knows the end from the beginning. We must trust him and ask him for direction when we feel lost. Let God lead and when he orders our steps we will have great success. Ask God to direct you and seek his face when you need to know the way to go and then listen when he speaks.

“God sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22).

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We all need someone who we can confide in about our struggles. Someone who we can share our difficulties with who will help us to pray for healing. This two way process of mutual sharing and support is both therapeutic and strengthens us spiritually.

The bible encourages us to bear one another’s burdens to fulfil the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2) The aim is to find someone who we can trust to share our burdens with. Someone who will lift us up and help us pray in times of weaknesses. We are to also stand in the gap for that person so that the burden is shared between us.

Adapting this principle will reduce stress and the amount of time we spend in isolation and distress. Pray and ask God to show you someone who you can trust to share your heart with. In 2 Samuel, David had a great love for Johnathan who supported and prayed for him and stood by him in times of trouble. In Luke 1, Mary knew that she could confide in and find comfort in her cousin Elizabeth. Ruth refused to leave Naomi but committed to staying with her in spite of her pain and struggle. (Ruth 1:16) Although Jesus had 12 disciples, he had a closer relationship with Peter, James and John and invited them to help him pray in Gethsemane.

These things were recorded to point to our need for close relationships for support. We need friends and confidants who we can trust to talk to and confide in who can help bear our burdens and pray for us during difficult times.

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Our purpose and plan as believers should be to do the will of God and to walk in his way, no matter the cost. The will of God is not always the easiest thing to do but it is the safest thing to do. God’s instruction is often given to protect us from things that we cannot see. Only God knows the true end of a matter because he can see into the future. He also searches the deep intentions of the heart which we cannot see.

Moses prayed to God in (Exodus 33:12-17) and asked God if his presence would go with him, on the journey that God had asked him to go on. God promises Moses that his presence would continue with him and that he would find rest. A hard journey is a lot easier when we walk with God.

Saul was not so lucky and lost favour with God. He disobeyed the word of the prophet because he wanted to please the people. Saul was commanded to completely destroy the enemy and everything that they owned, during a battle. He took the advice of his men and spared the fattest cattle with the intention of offering a sacrifice to God. God made it clear to Samuel that due to Saul’s disobedience, he had rejected him as King of Israel. Saul’s need to please other people rather than to obey God’s instructions cost him his role as King (1 Samuel 15).

Let us live everyday seeking to do the will of God, listening to his voice and heeding his direction. God often speaks through his word to give us direction. Other times he sends a message through another believer who is able to deliver a word of instruction. Let us obey lest we miss the promise of blessing.

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The will of God is not always the most popular way to live and we often think that instructions in the word, for how to live are outdated and antiquated. God can see ahead of time and there is a reason why he prescribed marriage and the family structure to raise children, for example.

God likened disobedience to the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness he compared to wickedness and idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23). It was because of disobedience that God rejected Saul and his continued rebellion led to the fall of his kingdom and eventual death.

Even if we have rebelled against God, he is waiting to forgive us and restore us to himself. This when we confess our sins to him, repent and return to walking in his will. A life of continual disobedience however leads to death and separation from God (Romans 6:23). I am sorry that I cannot put this in any nicer terms, to appease our twenty first century sense of political correctness, but the word of God does not change. In the same way parents reward their children when they are obedient and punish disobedience, God also disciplines the children that he loves (Hebrews 12:6).

I am not saying that every trial is due to disobedience, as some suffering is redemptive to bring about God’s glory in us and to draw us closer to himself. Other times our challenges are a direct result, of our lack of obedience to God’s will and plan for our lives. There are benefits to living for God and the children of the righteous man are never forsaken or seen begging for bread (Psalm 37:25). Put God first and he will add what you need.

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