How God Wants You To Begin This New Year – Part 2

CALL TO PRAYER

By: Stephen Osei Kuffour

Date: 15.01.2023

Title: How God Wants You To Begin This New Year – Part 2

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

(Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

In last week’s Call to Prayer, I started sharing on the Topic titled, “How God Wants You To Begin This New Year.” We learnt that just as most People, Families, Churches, and Organizations make their Plans for the new year, the Lord also has plans and expectations for His Children, and we will be blessed if we align them with our plans. We learnt this from the instruction the Lord gave the Israelites to observe at the beginning of each year. Today, I would like to continue with what we can learn from the Old Testament instructions that the Lord gave the Israelites.

We have to decide to lead a holy life in this new year. The Lord instructed the Israelites to eat unleavened Bread or bread without yeast for the first seven days of the first month (Abib/Nisan) in each new year (Ex 13:6-7). In the New Testament, leaven represents sin. Apostle Paul told the Church in Corinth to get rid of the old leaven of malice and wickedness for unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Cor 5:7-8). He also instructed them not to associate with sexually immoral people (1 Cor 5:9). There are some bad friends and relationships we need to disassociate ourselves from in order to lead the holy life that the Lord expects from us.

The Lord also expects us to always keep His word in our hearts and on our lips. The Lord instructed them to keep His instructions like a sign on their hand, a reminder on their forehead and it should always be on their lips (Ex 13:9). We have to do everything by following the word of God. Let’s, therefore, spend time studying, learning, reading, meditating, and confessing the word of God.

Last but not the least, we must give an Offering to the Lord. The Israelites were instructed to offer the firstborn of their Animals as an offering to the Lord. However, in the New Testament, we don’t give Animals as an Offering to the Lord. The best Offering, I believe we can give to the Lord is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord and His Kingdom (Rom 12:1-2). We have to be fully committed and dedicated to the Lord’s Work to ensure that His Kingdom is established on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Beloved in the Lord, God has blessed us with another year and the beginning of each year is mostly characterized by many Plans and New Year Resolutions. However, the Lord also has Plans and expectations for all His Children in every new year. Some of these are to lead a holy life, live according to His Word, and offer our bodies as living sacrifices and we will surely be blessed when we adhere to these instructions.

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for blessing us with another year. Let’s ask Him to help all Believers to lead a holy life, live according to His Word, and offer our bodies as living sacrifices.

God bless you all