Be renewed and refreshed, and receive the fullness of His joy!

The Lord says for this time: 

"Rejoice and be glad, for I am your God and I have loved you with an everlasting love! This is your time to receive the joy that comes from Me! Be set free from all your griefs and sorrows, and look to Me! I am now breaking every yoke and burden in your life! I am now destroying every curse and unwholesome word that has been spoken against you! I am setting you free right now! I am renewing and refreshing you, as you return to Me and receive from Me!" 

The Israelites are observing Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot) at this time of my writing. 

What is 'Sukkot'? What is the significance to the believers of Christ under the New Covenant? 

Before that, let's look at the word 'Sukkot'. The Hebrew word 'sukkot' is the plural of 'sukkah', which means 'booth' or 'tabernacle'. That's why this festival is also called 'Feast of Booths'. 

What does this Feast commemorate? It commemorates the forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert after escaping slavery in Egypt. They were living in temporary shelters, i.e. 'sukkot'. It also commemorates God's miraculous provision for them all those years. 

The word 'sukkah' in turn is derived from the word 'sakak' in Hebrew. This speaks of 'to be covered (by the Lord)' or 'to join together (with the Lord)', as the Israelites dwell in booths or 'sukkot'. 

Deuteronomy 16:15 (NKJV) says, 'Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.' 

See the words 'you surely rejoice' here? Surely rejoice! In New International Version (NIV), this is translated as 'your joy will be complete'. 

Flowing with this season of the Lord, as believers under the New Covenant, this is also a time for you to rejoice and receive the fullness of joy that comes from the Lord, and your joy shall be made complete! 

This is also a time of renewing your fellowship with the Lord, and coming and returning into His presence. Maybe earthly things have made you dry. Maybe many matters of this world have encumbered and burdened you, and you need a renewal and refreshing in your spirit and your soul. This is your time to receive such renewal and refreshing from the Lord!

In fact, this is also a time for you to give thanks to the Lord, and celebrate His goodness, His provision, and His blessing in your life. Yes, even in advance, for what is ahead of you! 

You see, where His presence is, there's fullness of joy! The joy that money cannot buy, and that the world cannot give. Because this joy comes directly from the Lord! Now, as a believer under the New Covenant, you can look to Jesus who is the Source of joy! 

Jesus is in the Old Testament concealed, and in the New Testament revealed. It means the Jesus whom you know in the New Testament was present all throughout the Old Testament through prophecies, typology, and as a foreshadow of what is to come in the New Testament time that we are living in today. 

Isaiah 53:4 (NKJV) says, 'Surely He (Jesus) has borne your griefs and carried your sorrows...' So that you can have His joy! This happened when He died for you on the cross some 2,000 years ago. 

Beloved of God, whatever grief or sorrow, bitterness or pain, hurt or brokenness that you may have suffered recently, let go all these to the Lord. In exchange, open your heart to the Lord again, and receive the outpouring of His joy from heaven into your life! Yes, let it flow right now! Heaven is open right now. Let the joy of the Lord flow unto you. Yes, you! 

God's Spirit is also the Spirit of joy! And when His joy comes, sorrow has to flee! 

Maybe recently you have suffered a loss. Maybe a loss of a loved one. Maybe you have suffered a certain heartbreak or betrayal. Maybe a loss of certain opportunity or job. Or maybe some people have said something about your life that has greatly disturbed you or affected you. 

Whatever it is that had happened, the Lord understands your situation. The Lord understands all those griefs and sorrows of yours. Today, the Lord says to look to Him and look ahead of you. The Lord wants to refresh you today with the refreshing that comes from Him, like a waterfall! The Lord wants to set you free from your griefs and sorrows, and release the joy that comes directly from Him. Receive all this by faith! 

Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV) says, 'To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...' 

Receive this oil of joy! This oil of joy destroys every grief, sorrow, yoke, burden, or bondage in your life! Be set free from your heaviness and captivity, and receive the fullness of His joy! And this joy of the Lord shall be your strength to carry on and look ahead in your life. Amen! 

Prayer: 

"O Lord God, we thank You for Your presence and for Your covering over our lives. We surrender to You all our griefs, sorrows, burdens, and heaviness, and in exchange, we receive Your oil of joy. Let Your Spirit of joy overflow in our lives right now. Let Your refreshing fall upon us like the waterfall, renewing and reviving us right now. We acknowledge there have been times the earthly things and earthly matters have made us dry, and even diverted us from You. But we now return to You and receive from You. We return to our first love that is You. We return to our fellowship with You. And let our spirit be filled with the fullness of Your joy right now. Right here! Today! In Jesus' name. Amen!" 

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Trusting God for divine protection

In recent days, I've been dreaming about some people whom I know, and I saw them either heading towards danger or already in danger. Each time, I woke up to take authority and pray to prevent any evil or danger from happening to them.

For you as well, beloved of God, pray and believe also for the Lord's divine protection be with you, your loved ones, and whoever the Lord has put in your heart to pray for. 

Now, don't get me wrong. Not that at other times you don't pray for divine protection. But what I'm saying is this is a very important and crucial time to pray. Why do I say so? Because I heard the Lord saying these words: 

"Pray! A crucial time to pray! Be watchful and be alert to your surroundings! For the power of darkness has begun sending many cohorts to cause harm to My people. It is happening all around the world. But fear not! Look to Me for your divine protection and angelic protection. For I am your shield and your covering. I will lead you under the shelter of My wings." 

Psalm 91:1-4 (NKJV) says, 'He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge...' 

In Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV), the Lord says, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me." 

The word 'weapon' here is 'keliy' in Hebrew, and it literally means 'an apparatus or equipment (e.g. an artillery) to consume and destroy', from the word 'kalah' in Hebrew, meaning 'to consume' or 'to destroy'. 

The devil comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But beloved of God, fear not! Because the Lord is assuring you that nothing that tries to consume or destroy you shall be able to do so. You know why? Because you are a beloved and a servant of the Lord, and your righteousness comes from the Lord!

In Isaiah 43:1-2 (NKJV), the Lord says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame scorch you." 

How reassuring! As a beloved of God, whether you are on the land, at the sea, or wherever you are, the Scripture says the Lord will be with you. Yes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At all times! The Lord will know how to protect you and shield you from any form of evil or danger, and from whatever that tries to "drown" you or "scorch" you, as long as you look to Him and put all your trust in Him! 

Psalm 121:5-8 (NKJV) says, 'The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand... The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore.'

You see, there's no exception here. All evil means all evil. In other words, the Lord preserves you from all kinds of evil and all kinds of danger. And no matter how strong the power of the enemy or the power of darkness may be, the Lord your God is greater than all these! 

Your 'right hand' speaks of your 'stronger hand'. It also speaks of your 'working hand'. In other words, the Lord is protecting all the works of your hand. The good works that you do with your hand!

Psalm 18:2-3 (NKJV) says, 'The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies.' 

So, call upon the Lord, and look to Him. Because He knows very well how to save you and deliver you from any form of evil and danger that is conjured up by the enemy. Amen! 

Prayer:

"O Lord God, we thank You for Your protection and for Your angels whom You've sent to guard us. We thank You for leading and guiding us under the shelter of Your wings. We look to You and we call upon You. We come to You, our fortress and our shield. We thank You for the Holy Spirit that continuously guides us and leads us. We thank You for the Scripture promises that we have confessed and declared today. We take You at Your Word. We believe every word that You have spoken through these verses. Yes, we believe even for our loved ones and for all those whom You have put in our hearts to pray for. In Jesus' name. Amen!"

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Thanking God for the breakthrough!

The Lord says for this time:

"Give thanks in everything, and do not cease giving thanks. Give thanks even in advance for your coming miracle or breakthrough, whatever the situation or problem you may be facing at the moment. As you give thanks and as you look to Me, watch how My hand is going to work things out for your good." 

Philippians 4:5-7 (NKJV) says, 'The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God...' 

The word 'thanksgiving' here is 'eucaristia' in Greek. It can be defined as 'to show gratitude as an act of worship'. You see, giving thanks to the Lord is part of your worship to God! 

So, whatever your situation or circumstance may be at the moment, begin to give thanks to the Lord! Give thanks even in advance for your coming miracle or breakthrough that you need! 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) says, 'In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' 

The Apostle Paul wasn't saying you are to accept your problem in life as "fated", and that nothing can be done to improve your situation or your life. But what he was saying is in spite of your current situation or problem that you may be facing, you can give thanks to God, knowing that victory, miracle, or breakthrough is at hand!

Notice the words 'this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you' here. Do you see that? In Christ Jesus! Now, that makes a whole lot of difference! You know why? On the cross, some 2,000 years ago, He made that difference! He has carried away all your curse and all your problems when He died for you! Because of that, you are now blessed with every blessing that comes from the Lord! 

And that's why Apostle Paul wrote, 'In everything give thanks.' Yes, even if it's a challenging situation in your life! Because in Christ Jesus, there's already a victory, there's already a breakthrough, and there's already a miracle! And there's already a way out for you, whatever your situation may be! 

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV) says, 'But thanks be to God, who gives you victory through Christ Jesus our Lord.' 

The word 'gives' here in Greek is both in present tense and continuous tense. It actually means 'keeps on giving'. In other words, God keeps on giving you the victory and breakthrough that you need! That's why the Apostle Paul was saying to give thanks to God, for the very fact that God keeps on giving you the victory and breakthrough in your life!

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) says, 'Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.' 

Do you see the word 'always' here? The word 'always' here really means 'always'. Not 'sometimes'. Not 'often times'. Not even 'almost always'. But 'always'. Period. 'Always' means 'always'. We give thanks to God because He always leads us in triumph in Christ! You see, to triumph is not just to have the victory, but also to celebrate the victory that He has given us! 

Are you facing a difficult situation in your life at the moment? Maybe it's a health issue. Maybe it's a mounting debt. Maybe it's a problem that seems to have no solution. Whatever your situation or problem may be, take heart in what the Lord has done for you on the cross. Look to Him and all that He has done for you on the cross. His finished work on the cross! 

And because He has done all that for you, you can begin to give thanks! Yes, even give thanks in advance for your coming victory, breakthrough, and even miracle!

Psalm 107:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.' 

Do you see that? Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! As a believer in Christ, you are the redeemed of the Lord! And let you say so! Say what? Give thanks to the Lord! Let the redeemed of the Lord (that's you) give thanks to God! Why? Because He has set you free, and He has redeemed you from the hand of the enemy! 

The words 'give thanks' here is very interesting. It's 'yada' in Hebrew. It literally means 'to shoot out your adoration and gratitude (towards the Lord)'. In other words, as you praise the Lord and honor the Lord for His greatness and for all the good that He has done, you also express your thanksgiving to Him for His goodness! 

In my life, I know He has never failed to help me, and deliver me, even from the darkest of situation. He has always been there. And I believe He will not fail you too. He definitely has a way out for you! 

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