By Pst David Adenodi (PhD)

Congratulations and praise the Almighty God for you and your family seeing the end of this challenging year 2020, no doubt you will agree with me that you make it by His grace not because of our holiness or because of our righteousness, not because of our carefulness or cleverness or because of your position in the society but because you have received grace and mercy.

God has protected you from the deadly pandemic, when the World Health Organization announced on January 9, 2020, that a deadly coronavirus had emerged in Wuhan, China. Little do you know that in a matter of months, the virus would spread across the World that has affected about 80.2 million people which results to at least 1.76 million deaths, and about 45.3 million people recovered, no doubt a lot of notable people have died this year 2020, but thank God you are not one of them that is while you can still read this message.

The year 2020 is almost over now and it will never come again, so we need to lift our eyes and let the Lord show us what He has planned for us in the New Year 2021. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬). The Lord has prepared new things, new tasks, new people, new opportunities, new relationships and new challenges for you don’t let them slip away from you, now forget about what might have happened to you this year either positive or negative, the Almighty God has some better things for you. “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:12-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

LET GO OF THE THINGS OF THE PAST

Let us forgetting those things which are behind, Jesus Christ wants us to live in faith and expectation of future things. What will You need to let go of? (a) Successes and Achievements, celebrate them, and thank God for them but don’t live on past successes and accomplishments. (b) Mistakes and Failures, these can be a source of guilt, shame, reproach or regret for one past action, these can begin to cause erosion of confidence, boldness if not properly addressed, remembered all have sinned we are only saved by grace. Face all the obstacles and bring them to the Cross and the Blood for forgiveness. “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:23‬ ‭NLT.‬‬ (c) Sorrows and disappointments, sorrowful experiences can cling to and erode motivation, the spirit of grief attaches to them and drains energy and life. Terah set out for Canaan but stopped halfway. Terah stopped at the place of memory of the past grief.

Your past hurts and grief will not stop your breakthrough in 2021, you will not die without the accomplishments of your dreams. “This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living.

Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.) But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children. One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.”Genesis‬ ‭11:27-32‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

The disciples on the road to Emmaus face sorrows and disappointments and grieve over loss and receive comfort from the Holy Spirit. You might have lost your loved ones this year 2020 but God will comfort you on every side, the reason why you have not lost all is that God still has something special for you in 2021. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

REFOCUS YOUR VISION IN the YEAR 2021

Let us reach out forward to those things that are before us, don’t wait for it but make it happen, the work of the kingdom is always advancing, always moving forward through men and women of great vision, join the train today and you will be glad that you do so.

The year 2021 will be full-on new challenges, some battle to fight, some opposition to overcome but in all, you shall be victorious. Your vision needs to be clarified, what you want in the year 2021 you need to be specific, you need to be very focused and get ready for the changing that is coming your way. “You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.”

‭‭John‬ ‭4:35‬ ‭NLT‬‬. Friend don’t procrastinate or make excuses, lift your eyes and focus on the opportunities that come your way, be determined to stretch, press towards the goal for the prize, you need to stretch, you need to extend yourself, you need to pursue, you need to run swiftly to obtain the prize, get out of your comfort zone for an outstanding and enviable breakthrough is awaiting you.

The year 2021 shall be your year of inexplainable enlargement, expansion, lifting and success.

HAPPY NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE

Pastor David Adenodi (PhD) is the Senior Pastor Superintendent, Christ Apostolic Church (Vineyard Of Comfort) U S A Member CACNA Coordinating Council