A time to birth forth like Hannah!

1 Samuel 1:17-18 (NKJV): Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." And she (Hannah) said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman (Hannah) went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

The name 'Hannah' here is 'Channah' (pronounced 'khan-naw') in Hebrew, which means 'favored', from the word 'chanan', meaning 'to favor, to grant graciously'. Indeed, in Christ, you too are the 'favored' of God. Ephesians 1:6 says, '...to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved'. The word 'accepted' here is 'charitoo' in Greek, which literally means 'be highly favored'.

Now, here's the background leading to Hannah's breakthrough. 1 Samuel 1:1-2 says, 'Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah... And he had two wives, the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children'. 

Elkanah was a good husband to Hannah, and he loved Hannah even though she was barren (1 Samuel 1:5). Interestingly, the name 'Elkanah' is 'El' (meaning 'God') and 'qanah' (meaning 'to obtain, to redeem, to possess, to recover, to procure') in Hebrew. Today, the Lord is also saying to you that He loves you, and He too has 'obtained, redeemed, possessed, recovered, and procured' you from all the provocation and works of the enemy. 'Peninnah' speaks of 'the worldly way of seeing things, the worldly mindset, the outward way, or the flaunting way of this world'.

People of God, if you have been persecuted, mocked or ridiculed by the 'Peninnahs' around you recently (1 Samuel 1:6-7), take heart, because God is about to cause you to birth forth, just as He did for Hannah in those days! Your breakthrough is at hand!

As Hannah cried out and poured out to God, God (through the priest, Eli) answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." Today, whatever your situation may be, and no matter how 'dark' your situation may be, God is still the same to you as He was to Hannah. He has never changed His ways towards His beloved (Hebrews 13:8).

Hannah then said, "Let your maidservant find favor ('grace' in KJV) in your sight." She then went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad (1 Samuel 1:18). And herein lies a very important key to your breakthrough. Now watch Hannah at this point of time! Has Hannah seen her breakthrough (of asking for a male child) physically yet at this point of time? No! Yet the Bible says, 'she went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad', as if the breakthrough had already happened! 

Many believers make this mistake of remaining bitter and sad (i.e. negative), and some even took Hannah's weeping and crying as the reasons for them to remain in their own 'pity party'. But you see, that really wasn't the case with Hannah herself! The moment she received a prophetic word from the Lord (through Eli), she began to take God at His words, and walked free (from sorrows) as if she already had the breakthrough!

You see, as long as you remain bitter and sad (i.e. negative), God cannot bring you out of your 'barrenness', whatever your 'barrenness' in life may be!

Therefore, people of God, this is a time to rise up from your 'melancholy' (state of being sad or depressed) and eat! Eat of the Word! Drink of His Spirit! Rejoice and be glad! And never allow 'negative' people around you to pull you down any further! Remember you are the 'Hannahs' of today! Hannah rose above, ate, and rejoiced, even before the child Samuel was actually born! This speaks volume of her trust in God’s words (prophetic words), and as 1 Thessalonians 5:20 says, 'never to despise prophecies'. By the way, 'Samuel' here speaks of 'the breakthrough that you've been yearning for'.

See now what happened when Hannah began to rejoice and eat! 1 Samuel 1:19-20 then says, 'They (Elkanah and Hannah) rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the Lord."' 

And just as God remembered Hannah, He remembers you as well.

'Samuel' in Hebrew is 'Shemuw-El', from two words, 'El' (the name of 'God'), and 'Shama' meaning 'to hear attentively, to give attention carefully, to be obedient'. 'Samuel' speaks of the 'apostolic and prophetic move of God in our days'. God used him for the unprecedented in his days, breaking new grounds by anointing the first kings, and opening the way for God’s people to enter into the new things. 'Samuel' also speaks of ‘the fountain of revelation from heaven being opened’ at a time when the word of the Lord was rare and there was no widespread revelation (1 Samuel 3:1). 

People of God, as you cross into the next one year, you'll also see many people in this world not knowing what to do, or how to go about anymore, but take heart, ‘you will know’. God is going to show you many things that ‘eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him' (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

Recently, I heard these words from the Lord during a time of worship and prayer:

"The fountain of revelation is being opened! I am raising up a people who hears! I am raising up a people who hears from heaven, revelation upon revelation from My throne! And I am going to thrust those who are ready into greater things! Greater things than they could ever have imagined!"

And I heard further:
"This is a time to return to Me in worship! There is a call for My people to worship! Yes, like they have never done before! Yes, even entering into new dimensions of worship! This is also a time to bring your 'rod' into My Holy of Holies! Like Aaron's rod! Surrender every 'deadwood' of yours in My presence! For I will use you if you are willing, and I will cause your 'deadwood' to sprout, to put forth buds, to produce blossoms, and to yield ripe almonds."

'Rod' speaks of 'your calling in life', and your calling brings with it 'authority'. 

Let the Lord visit (and transform you) as you cross into a new year. 

1 Samuel 2:21 says, 'And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the Lord'. You see, Hannah was meant to be fruitful. That was her destiny in her life, even though she did not start well. In Christ, you too are meant to be fruitful (in every area of your life), no matter how your past has been. Expect the Lord to visit you too right now, as He did to Hannah in those days. You are indeed highly favored in the Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Receive perfect peace from the Lord

Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV): You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

The word 'perfect' here is 'shalem' in Hebrew, meaning 'full, whole, complete'. This word 'shalem' comes from the word 'shalam', which means 'to be safe, to be complete'.

How about the word 'peace' here in this verse? This word is 'shalom' in Hebrew, meaning 'safety, wellness, wholeness, welfare, health, prosperity, favor'. Notice the broad meaning of this word 'shalom' here. By the way, this word 'shalom' also comes from the same word 'shalam', which means 'to be safe, to be complete'. 

So, here you go! 'Perfect peace' in Hebrew is 'shalem shalom'! As you can see above, both these words 'perfect' and 'peace' come from this same word 'shalam'. Double 'shalam'! Dual peace! As your mind is stayed on Him (instead of on the world, or on the issues/problems of this world), God will keep you in 'shalem shalom'! That's perfect peace - both internally and externally!

Internally:
In John 14:27, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." The Word of God says Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). This word 'prince' here is 'sar' in Hebrew, which can mean 'head, chief, ruler, keeper, lord, master, beginner, source'. Indeed, He is the 'Sar Shalom', the Source of Peace that no one in this world can give! When He gives, it is for you to receive! And when He leaves this peace with you, it is meant to stay in you! This peace stays in your spirit and your soul (i.e. your mind, will, and emotion).

Externally:
And then in Mark 4:39, in the midst of the windstorm and rough seas, Jesus said, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. This peace is also upon your physical body and the circumstances around you.

You see, that's what 'perfect peace' should be! And you have it when your mind is stayed on Him. The word 'stayed' here is pronounced 'saw-mak' in Hebrew, which simply means 'to lean upon'. This 'leaning upon' is an attitude of your mind which trusts God that His thoughts for you are always thoughts of peace ('shalom') that gives you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

People of God, continue to lean upon Him and never give up trusting Him, no matter what. He will help you if you are willing. By God's grace, you can choose to set your mind on Him, instead of the things that trouble you in this world. Colossians 3:2 says to 'set your mind on things above, and not on things on the earth', and Romans 8:5-6 says as you 'set your mind on Him (i.e. being spiritually-minded), you'll have life and peace'.

To trust Him is to put all your confidence in Him, even if there are things that you can never understand or comprehend why these happened.
To trust Him is to know that He is still sovereign and in control, despite some personal tragedies, chaos, or bad news that may have shaken you recently.
To trust Him is to look to Him and be fully dependent on Him, knowing that He is God, and we are not, and that He knows all things, even things ahead of us; 'for in Him we live and move and have our being' (Acts 17:28) and 'that all things will work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose' (Romans 8:28).

The devil will always want to 'steal, kill, and destroy' God's people (John 10:10). The devil will always want to cause doubts among God's people - doubts about God, doubts about God's Word, doubts about God's goodness, and doubts about God's grace. In other words, the devil will always want God's people to question God, God's Word, God's goodness, and God's grace. Because he knows doubts will eventually lead to loss of faith. When there's loss of faith in God, God's people will begin to walk out on Him. That's the devil's ultimate aim. That's what he did to Adam and Eve anyway (see Genesis 3:1-5), and his aim has never changed since then.

The apostle Paul understood this very well, because often times, he could have doubted God. In fact, he had every reason to doubt God or God's calling for his life. But by God's grace, he was able to keep putting his trust on his sovereign God. This is what he wrote: 'in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness' (2 Corinthians 11:23-27), yet his deep concern was only for God's things (2 Corinthians 11:28).

In the next chapter, he then wrote, 'And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities (weaknesses, i.e. dependence on God), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities (weaknesses, i.e. dependence on God), in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong' (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

So, whatever you may be going through at the moment, you are not alone through this. We are all in this together, and the citizens of heaven are also cheering us on, as we continue to run towards the finishing line. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, 'Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin (including fear and unbelief) which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God'.

Ephesians 6:12-13 says, 'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand'.

In the meantime, I pray 'the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord' (Philippians 4:7). This peace in you will hold you together when everything else in this world seems to be in chaos. Receive this peace from Him. In Jesus' name. Amen.