Welcome to 2012
My Beloved,
As I write to you this 31st day of December, 2011, I am burdened and pained by the trend of sad occurrences in our nation, Nigeria. The rise of terrorism and general insecurity is worrisome. Since the conclusion of the last general elections into political position, armed robbery cases, kidnapping, blatant looting of the nation’s treasury by highly placed persons and government officials have taken a new dimension. If you will be honest, and you listen and watch the news, you will feel like Prophet Habakkuk felt 2000 years ago.
Habakkuk’s Perplexity: Habakkuk Questions God’s Inactivity
2 How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.
3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.
4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. What Lies Ahead for Judah
13 But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?
14 Are we only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?
15 Must we be strung up on their hooks and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?
16 Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them. “These nets are the gods who have made us rich!” they will claim.
17 Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?
As if these internal problems aren’t enough, the worsening financial melt-down of the nations of the world is threatening money supply and ultimately food supply.
Where are we headed?
What about continued intolerance amongst us believers?
Increasing pressures from inter-personal interactions (irritations, offences, etc)!
Commitment and endurance among believers diminishing? Youths are becoming more and more disrespectful and mannerless? Anyone interested in learning ethical corrections?
What is God saying? What is ahead for us, the people of God?
The Lord gave our Pastor, Pastor A Oladele these words of admonition earlier in november for the church:
“Endeavor to make your days count (for eternity);
Correct your errors (now);
For I come with judgement and with prize”
Here are few inspired admonitions and exhortations from men of God that I relate with:
Lee Grady
As I have prayed about the coming year, I’ve sensed three clear directives. Some people are terrified of 2012. They worry because the Mayans of ancient Mexico mysteriously ended their 5,126-year-old calendar on Dec. 21, 2012-as if they expected the world to end that day. This silly hypothesis became the basis for several New Age books and a goofy disaster movie, 2012, in which actor John Cusack avoids meteors and earthquakes just in time to get his family aboard the modern version of Noah’s ark (built in China!) before the rest of the world is destroyed by a tsunami.
I’m not afraid of 12/21/12 because
(1) Ancient Mayans never actually said the world would end in 2012-and even if they did, they didn’t have an inside track to God;
(2) Doomsday predictions have never been accurate; and
(3) Jesus holds the future in his hands. As long as I’m in relationship with Him, it doesn’t matter what happens on earth. I’m secure.
“Despite strange weather patterns, global terrorism and the specter of an economic crash, I’m actually optimistic about where we’re headed in 2012.”
Despite strange weather patterns, global terrorism and the specter of an economic crash, I’m actually optimistic about where we’re headed in 2012. And as I have prayed about the coming year, I’ve sensed these three clear directives:
1. Expect major transitions in kingdom leadership.
The world is focused on leadership in the political arena, but God has been working behind the scenes preparing men and women for kingdom assignments. Our focus should not be on Democrats, Republicans, Obama or Romney. 2012 is not about a presidential contest. Just as David was prepared for the throne during years of testing in the wilderness, a new battalion of Christian leaders has been trained in obscurity. They will be commissioned and appointed in the new year. And their influence-not that of a political figure-will shift the nation.
Jesus said He would call the humble from the back row and seat them at the head table. He openly rewards those who pray, fast, give and serve in secret. God will exalt those who have walked with Him in faithfulness and crucified selfish ambition. As in the days of Elijah, He has reserved thousands of prophets who have not bowed their knee to Baal. They have been in isolated caves of preparation for years, and some have been on the verge of quitting. A wind of new strength will cause them to stand and assume their positions.
2. The sound of evangelism must be amplified.
The prophet Isaiah said: “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!'” (Isa. 40:9). Just as the early disciples prayed for boldness in the midst of persecution, and the Lord answered with a supernatural earthquake (see Acts 4:29-31), the Lord wants to turn up the volume of our message and empower us with a spirit of might. We must put aside our timidity. We cannot hide our light under a basket.
Many churches in the United States have not made outreach a priority. We’ve catered to the saved and preached to the choir. The Holy Spirit wants to remodel and revamp weak churches and make them into powerhouses of spiritual impact. He can take a church with a four-cylinder engine and outfit it with eight; He can turn up the volume and cause a quiet congregation to shake a city. In 2012, expect small churches to be revitalized. God specializes in using small armies, like Gideon’s group of 300, to catch the enemy by surprise.
3. Supernatural provision will be released.
The great recession has brought heartache and difficulty to families, companies and churches, but it has a silver lining: God has used it to purify motives, refine faith and refocus priorities. The Holy Spirit has exposed our materialism, and His fire has also consumed unhealthy prosperity doctrines that tainted the church with scandal and greed.
Today, a new passion is arising in the church to fight injustice, feed the poor, show compassion to the broken and share Jesus’ love with unreached nations. We’re tired of giving money to support charlatans who demand private jets and luxury treatment; we want to serve the orphan and the widow in the spirit of Christ. And we are asking God for His supply, knowing that if God can feed a multitude with one lunch, or provide for a family with one jar of oil, He can open sources of provision we never knew existed.
Missionary Hudson Taylor said: “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” I pray you will experience this truth in 2012.
Isaiah 66:9 says: “Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery? . Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” Don’t fear the future. Receive new strength from the Lord as you step into this new year. No matter what disappointments or delays you have encountered during the past season, don’t give up. God brought you to this point, and He will not fail you now. Amen
Pastor Koleowo:
Hebrews 13: 9-10
The wicked in this country will not be established but shall be debased by God’s intervention.
Deacon Akerele:
The grace of God will be our advantage in 2012.
Behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people but the Lord shall arise over you (and all that concerns you) and His glory, (grace) shall be seen on you.
Spiritual Housecleaning:
The Portion of the Wicked:
The people of God were in a bad situation, yet Nehemiah bragged on His God. His enemies mocked him and called him a rebel, but Nehemiah had a revelation; God was his portion! His source was not in man, so he did not have to bow to them. He also let his enemies know that they had no portion in what God had for him. When we (as believers) know our portion and in whom it is placed, we also know the portion (or legal right) the enemy has to get involved in it-none!
The portion of the wicked has no agreement with what God has for us.
The twentieth chapter of Job describes the portion of the wicked. It describes the portion of the wicked to be like a basket filled with curses. It includes the following curses:
. The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment.
. He will perish forever like his own refuse.
. He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
. His children will seek the favor of the poor.
. His bones will lie down with him in the dust.
. His food in his stomach turns sour; it becomes cobra venom within him.
. He swallows down riches and vomits them up again.
. He will not see the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
. From the proceeds of business he will get no enjoyment.
. He knows no quietness in his heart; therefore his well-being will not last.
. In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; every hand of misery will come against him.
. When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath.
. A bronze bow will pierce him through.
. Terrors come upon him.
. An unfanned fire will consume him.
. The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
. The increase of his house will depart, and his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath.
The scripture concludes by saying: “This is the portion from God for a wicked man, the heritage appointed to him by God” (Job 20:29). I praise the Lord because we have no portion in wickedness. Today, when the hearts of many are failing them for fear, we must continue to confess Psalm 73:26, which says: “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
We must rebel against or disagree with the things or the ways of the wicked. This is the only way to avoid social intercourse. Social intercourse is the pathway to idolatry, which comes in the name of status quo social activities. God put the need to socialize on the inside of us, but we must do it according to the Word of God. There is a sweet anointing when the brethren dwell in peace under the covering of God’s covenant.
We can operate in the midst of those who do not know Jesus, but we must lead and not follow. We must influence and not be influenced. This is the calling we have as the salt of the earth. I call it blending without bending
Pastor Bakare: (i picked this inspiration from him during the recent solemn assembly and adopted it)
“PRAYER & CONFESSION FOR THE YEAR 2012 ” Psalm 90:13-17
13 O LORD, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. 16 Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory.
17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!
Bro. Toks:
“WISDOM WORDS FOR THE YEAR 2012” Proverbs17: 9-21
9. Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
11 Evil people are eager for rebellion, but they will be severely punished.
12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.
13 If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house.
14 Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty andcondemning the innocent- both are detestable to the LORD.
16 It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool, since he has no heart for learning.
17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18 It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend.
19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.
20 The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.
21 It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
23 The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice.
24 Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.
Explanations:
17:9: Maintaining a good relationship with another person means forgiving rather than dwelling on faults.
17:9: cf: Prov 10:12 ; Jas 5:20
17:10: The wise will listen to a mild rebuke and act on good advice. Even harsh correction (a hundred lashes) will not change a fool.
17:11: Rebellion flows from the inner character of evil people who defy the punishment that will follow.
17:12: This saying cautions those who try to teach fools. A fool caught in foolishness will react with anger and violence.
17:12: cf: Prov 29:9 ; Hos 13:8 17:12: c’iwweleth ( 0200 ) Prov 22:15
17:13: cf: Ps 109:5 ; Prov 13:21 ; Jer 18:20
17:14: opening a floodgate: Once a quarrel starts, it is very difficult to stop it; a dispute should be avoided if at all possible (see 10:12 ; 15:18 ; 16:28 ; 20:3 ; 22:10 ; 26:21 ). 17:14: cf: Prov 20:3 ; 25:8 17:15: cf: Exod 23:7 ; Prov 24:24 ; Isa 5:23 17:17: cf: Ruth 1:16 ; Prov 18:24
The Liteman T 31st December, 2011