A NEW DAWN.
MEMORISE:
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19
READ: Ephesians 5:15-17
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
MESSAGE:
A new year is a new dawn; it is a fresh opportunity to get things right. Every new year and on every birthday of mine, I consider how far I have come in the assignments God has given me and I have candid conversations with God as to things yet undone. Today I challenge you to also spend time reflecting
on how far you have come and see if you are really where God expects you to be at this time. If you are lagging behind, then you must take advantage of this new dawn to put everything in its proper place so you can fulfil God's expectations for your life. Remove everything that has been holding you back and grab those things you know will help you move forward. Look back at the mistakes you made in the past
and learn from them; determine never to make them again.
Believe me, the fact that you made it to this year means God is giving you another opportunity to be closer to Him than ever before. This year can mark a new dawn for you spiritually. Decide today that this year, you will live for Him and Him alone. Decide that this year, you will not miss any day of the Open Heavens Devotional as it will help you commune with God daily. Determine that this year, you will spend and be spent for God. Make a commitment to
God that in this year you will please Him by preaching the gospel to every sinner you come across. Promise God that you will fast and won't let your flesh
control you.
A new dawn also means the arrival of joy as we see in the Bible passage below:
"For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5
The year 2020 may have been very challenging and tough for you. Perhaps you lost a loved one, perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic affected your means of livelihood and things just didn't go as you had planned. I have good news for you: It's a new dawn. You may have wept last year, but this year, you will experience joy. As long as you live holy and serve the Lord, this will be your season of joy.
KEY POINT:
Live for God this year and you will experience joy like never before.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 10-12
HYMN 10: I'M PRESSING ON THE UPWARD WAY.
1. I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
o Refrain:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
2. My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.
3. I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.
4. I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
