Focus for January: Joy
January 1
A New Path
Psalm 16:11: You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
As the New Year dawns, we seek freshness, newness, beautiful new beginnings, breakthroughs, miracles, and fresh pathways. We expect change and divine shifts. We are not in control of the future, but when we remain in God, we get our strength. Right now, we may be in very hard times, trial, or even persecutions. Some of us are in dire straits and really need big breakthrough.
He wants us to be free from the shackles of our past mistakes of the past years.
If the last year felt like a roller coaster or a dry parched desert, may we step into the New Year into God’s streams of surrender. It has been a rough year for nations, people lost loved one, changes brought tears and sorrow. By faith, rest in Him and let Him take us through His River of Joy this year, in tough times and smooth times. Joy does not depend on circumstances, but happiness is fleeting and depends on circumstances. Joy bubbles from deep within our soul and is nourished by the Holy Spirit. Our circumstances should never dictate to us, because God is bigger than circumstances, and persecution and trials. Let the dead leaves of yesterday fall away to allow new leaves to bud this year. Allow yourself to heal….let God work in you, don’t resist, but yield.
The more we surrender; the more will be our release! The more we hold on tightly, the more we lose what we try to hold. Preservation is the sure way of losing something, yielding and letting go to let God do a deeper work in us is when that dusty OSN starts to transform and sparkle up to the glimmer of diamonds!
We cannot command or demand of God to change things immediately; however, there are three powerful things we can do to enable such powerful breakthroughs. God’s strength within us is His treasure.
1. Surrender to Him daily at all times, the good and the hard times. It is not a onetime surrender but a daily surrender because we are renewing ourselves fresh each day. In this, we allow the Holy Spirit to take over completely in the seen and unseen things. Allow His fresh winds to revive you in a daily surrender, awaken dead bones and release new wonders.
2. Seek Him early in the day, don’t wait until half your day is over before you seek Him. Things mount up in those empty wasted hours. When you seek Him early, you will sense the divine flavor to your day! O taste and see that the Lord is good.
3. Adore Him, worship Him and commune with the Holy Spirit. Let Him be the center each detail. Intimacy brings the goodness in your path of life. Song of Solomon 4:16 – “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits.”
4. Persevere: Don’t give up easily. Per means to keep going, go through and severe means in a very strict, intense manner.
Practice His Presence through a communion walk and the Holy Spirit will be your teacher and guide and He will take us through the Path of Life from strength to strength and faith to glory. Cling to one secret, that though you may have had to leave some of the past behind, God has much more wonderful things in store for you in the New Year, and yes, keep looking up!
Rita F. Kurian
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