A change is coming!

The Lord says: 

"My beloved, a change is coming. Change for the better. So, do not lose heart. Keep looking to Me and waiting on Me. Those who wait on Me shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. Many of My people are entering a time of transition. This is a transition to the better. This is the time to receive My anointing afresh and anew. This is the time to receive a new strength that comes from Me. You shall run and not be weary. You shall walk and not faint." 

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) says, 'But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles; They shall run and not be weary; They shall walk and not faint.' 

We shall study these two words 'wait' and 'renew' in Hebrew today. 

The word 'wait' here is 'qavah' in Hebrew. It can mean 'to collect, to gather (together), to expect, to hope, to look to, to bind together'. Picture this as 'being intertwined together with the Lord', like ropes twining together. This word 'qavah' can also be defined as 'to be joined together (with the Lord)'. 

Let's look at the word 'renew' now. It is 'khawlaf' in Hebrew, and it can mean 'to change, to exchange, to spring up, to move forward, to sprout afresh'. 

This is also a time for exchange!

Exchange your infirmities (or whatever health problem) that you have with His divine health. Exchange your lack with His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Exchange your sorrow with His joy. Exchange your dead-end with His breakthrough and open doors. Exchange your hurts, pains, disappointments and shame with His wholeness and restoration. 

This is your time for 'khawlaf'! This is a time of renewal and refreshing for you! Yes, this is also a time of restoration, repair and recovery for you! 

Job 14:7-9 (NKJV) says, 'For there is hope for a tree; If it is cut down, that it will sprout again. And that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant.' 

In cross-reference to Isaiah 40:31, this word 'sprout' is the same word 'khawlaf' in Hebrew, the same as the word 'renew' in Isaiah 40:31. 

Beloved, whatever area in your life that has become hopeless, you are going to see yourself 'khawlaf' again! You will sprout again! You will spring up again! You are going to move forward again!

Job 14:14 (NKJV) says, '...All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes.' 

This does not necessarily mean waiting to change from mortal body to immortal body, even though this is our ultimate destiny. But you know what? This change can also happen while you are still on earth! In other words, a change for the better in your life, a change for the better in your health, a change for the better in your career or your vocation, a change for the better in the ministry that you put your hands on. Yes, a change for the better in any area of your life while you are on earth! 

By the way, 'hard service' here can mean 'your current struggles, your current warfare, your current challenging situation, or a difficult time that you are in'. 

See the cross-reference with Isaiah 40:31 again? Those who wait on the Lord, those who hope on the Lord, those who collect and gather from the Lord, those who are joined together with the Lord, those who keep looking patiently unto the Lord; and for these people, the Lord is saying: "A change is coming! A change for the better is coming!" 

Very interestingly, the word 'change' here in Job 14:14 is 'khawlaf' again in Hebrew. So, earlier, you saw 'renew', and you saw 'sprout'; and now you see the word 'change'. These are all the same word 'khawlaf'' in Hebrew. 

Right now, surrender all your struggles in life to the Lord. Let the Lord 'khawlaf' you. Let the Lord renew you. Let the Lord cause you to sprout again. Let the Lord change your situation and circumstances. 

In God's eyes, despite Job's miserable situation with his health and physical condition, and all the problems that he had encountered, there's hope for a change of circumstances! Even if Job didn't think so at that time! Job felt like there's no more hope, Job felt like it's over, and Job felt like his days were numbered. But God! 

The truth is God has never forgotten or forsaken Job. God has never abandoned Job. As a matter of fact, God still remembered Job. God still has a beautiful plan for Job. Now it is the same with you and your situation. And you know what? When Job acknowledged who God is, God began to intervene in his life. It was a divine intervention. Job began to look at the Lord in a fresh new way. As a result, a renewal happened to Job. A 'khawlaf' happened to Job. A change happened to Job. Change for the better. Job saw his breakthrough. And he never looked back ever since. Job was restored. Not only that. God blessed Job double, twice as much as he had before. 

So beloved, this is that same time. This is that time of transition. This is a time for your 'khawlaf'. Remember this word 'khawlaf'. 

Maybe you too are in a challenging situation right now, and everything seems to be hopeless. Maybe it's your health. Maybe it's your career. Maybe it's your business. Maybe it's even in the ministry. Take heart, beloved. Just as the Lord intervened in Job's situation, God can do the same for your life. And the Lord is saying to you right now again: "Change is coming! Your renewal is coming! Your revival is coming! Your breakthrough is coming!"

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A time to refresh and renew!

The Lord says: "I am refreshing what has become weary in your life. I am setting you free from the weariness that hinders you from progressing in your life. This is the time to receive My refreshing and renewal. There will be new life again! There will be new hope again! There will be new passion again! There will be new strength again!" 

Maybe you feel like a plant that's withering. You feel like your growth is stunted, whether spiritual growth or career growth. You feel like you can't lift up your head high anymore. You feel like there's no headway in your life. You feel like you are going nowhere. Or you feel like your future is bleak.

Whatever it is, the Lord is 'watering' you right now. He is 'watering' you afresh and anew again.

In Jeremiah 31:23-25, the Lord says: "When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and its towns will once again use these words: 'The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.' People will live together in Judah and all its towns - farmers and those who move about with their flocks. I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." 

The word 'refresh' here is 'ravah' in Hebrew. It means 'to fill with abundance of water' or 'to breathe new life'. Interestingly, this word 'ravah' is from the word 'ruwach', meaning 'breath of God' or 'Spirit of God'. 

Indeed, it is the breath of God or the Spirit of God that can truly refresh you. It is the breath of God or the Spirit of God that can breathe new life and fill you with fresh new hope and strength. This is the time for you to receive, especially if you've been feeling weary and tired in your soul, or if you've been feeling hopeless and passionless in your life. 

The context of Jeremiah 31:23-25 here is that the Lord had spoken about the day when His people would say: 'The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.' Not only would they be restored spiritually and materially, they would also be refreshed. 

The same it is with you, beloved. You will find new passion again. You will find new hope again. You will find new strength again. 

Maybe recently your progress in life seems to be hindered. It seems like there's just no breakthrough. It's like there's just no way out from whatever that you are stuck with. 

But the Lord has a good news for you today. He has spoken this is your time to break free. This is your time to declare: 'The Lord bless me, I am a prosperous city, I am a sacred mountain.' Amen!

Let's move on to another part of the Scripture. In Isaiah 44:1-4, the Lord says: "Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant, O dear Israel, My chosen one. For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a river bank." 

Even though these words are for the people of God those days, this applies to you too. Because you too are God's beloved and God's children. 

The word 'thrive' here is 'tsaw-makh' in Hebrew. It means 'to spring up, to spring forth, to grow again, to be full of life again'. Let this be so for you too!

This is your time to receive afresh and anew from the Lord. This is your time to receive a fresh new hope and a fresh new strength for what's ahead in your life. In Jesus' name, I declare by faith that greater things are ahead of you, and the best is still to come. Amen! 

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Never failing nor abandoning you!

What does your Abba Father want to tell you today? 

Men may fail you. Organizations may fail you. Politicians may fail you. Leaders on earth may fail you. But your Abba Father will never fail you nor abandon you! 

Genesis 28:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother."' 

For the record, Abraham (Isaac's father) wished the same for Isaac. Now, Isaac wished the same for Jacob his son, that is, not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, but instead go to the parents' hometown. 

You may ask, "Why were they finding wives for their sons from among their relatives? Don't you think marrying relatives may present genetic risks?" 

Let's interpret these verses in the context of 'finding life partner of the same faith, not different faith'. In other words, not to be unequally yoked with people of other faiths and beliefs. That's how you can apply these verses as believers of Christ.

Genesis 28:11-13 (NKJV) says, 'So he (Jacob) came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants."' 

The Lord then spoke further in Genesis 28:14-15 (NKJV), "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." 

The word 'leave' here is 'aw-zab' in Hebrew, meaning 'fail, leave, forsake'. In other words, the Lord was saying to Jacob that He will not fail him. As long as Jacob never leaves the Lord, the Lord will never leave him nor forsake him. And the Lord will never fail him nor abandon him. 

Beloved of God, it is the same with you and I. If we do not leave Him nor abandon Him, He will never ever leave us nor abandon us. He still remembers His plans and purposes for our lives. 

Let's now see what Moses said to all of Israel just before they began the conquest of the land the Lord had given to them. Deuteronomy 31:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel, "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.' The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said."' 

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (NKJV) says, 'Then, Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."' 

You see again, the Lord was saying He will be with His people, His beloved; and He will not leave them nor forsake them. In other words, He will not fail them nor abandon them!

The word 'leave' here is 'raw-faw' in Hebrew, meaning 'to slacken, to cease, to faint'. Indeed, He is the Lord who never slackens, never ceases, and never faints in your life. Very interestingly, the word 'forsake' here is the same word 'aw-zab' in Hebrew, exactly the same word for 'leave' in Genesis 28:15 that we've read just now. Over there, the Lord was speaking to Jacob that He would not leave Jacob. 

As you can see here, these words 'leave' and 'forsake' have been used interchangeably, and both can be translated as 'aw-zab', meaning 'fail, leave, forsake'. In fact, in King James Version, it is written this way: "And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." 

The sentence above here is a 'double negative' statement. In other words, it puts a strong emphasis that the Lord 'will never ever, not by any means' fail you nor forsake you. 

So, take heart, beloved. No matter what situation you may be facing right now, the Lord is saying the same to you, that He 'will never ever, not by any means' fail you nor forsake you. Amen! 

Keep looking to the Lord. That's your part. Keep trusting the Lord. That's your part. 

Let's look now at Job. He was abandoned by his spouse, and he was abandoned by his pitiless friends. Job 2:7-9 (NLT) says, 'So Satan left the Lord's presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die."' And in Job 16:20 (NLT), Job said, "My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God." 

As a matter of fact, the Lord had never abandoned or left Job. It was the people around him who abandoned him. In fact, the Lord had already in view of Job being restored and being blessed. When Job began to let go of his own self-righteousness, and began acknowledging who the Lord God is, the Lord then restored Job and gave him twice as much as he had before. The Lord also blessed the latter days of Job more than in the beginning! 

Job 42:10 (NLT) says, 'When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!' Job 42:12 (NLT) says, 'So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning'. Hallelujah! And you know what? Job then went on to live another one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations! 

What a happy end to this Job story! The Lord remembered Job. Now, it is the same with you. The Lord remembers you, even in a time when you feel there's just no headway in your life. Be patient, beloved. Don't lose sight of Him. He loves you. He will never fail you. He will never leave you nor forsake you, as long as you keep looking to Him and keep trusting Him. 

At this juncture, I want to pray for the Lord's strength to be with you, and the Lord's power to be with you. You shall see many more good days ahead of you, in spite of whatever that had happened in your life! 

Finally, let's look now at the Parable of the prodigal son. The question here is, "Who abandoned who?" You can see that in Luke 15:11-32. In these verses, Jesus told of a parable where the younger son took the portions of goods given by his father, journeyed to a country far away, and there he wasted all his possessions with prodigal living (i.e. wasteful and wild living). But when he had lost everything and came back to his senses, he returned to his father, ready even to be made one of his father's hired servants. But when the father saw him from afar off, he had compassion for him, and he ran and embraced him. You see, the father could have turned this prodigal son away. But no! The father even said, "Bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." 

So beloved of God, whatever sin or mistake that you've committed in the past, let the past be past. Let the bygones be bygones. The Lord is saying to you right now that He loves you, He has forgiven you, and He remembers you. 

The 'father' in this prodigal son story speaks of 'our Abba Father in heaven', whereas the 'son' speaks of 'someone who had abandoned Him before', or 'someone who had failed Him before'. You see, we are all on the same boat. Imperfect as we are, there's no one on this earth that has never sinned or committed mistakes before. But you see, the moment the son returned to the father, the father was so glad that he celebrated his return with a banquet and with music and dancing! This is the Father's heart for you and I as well. 

Throughout the Scripture that you've read today, you can see the heart of your Abba Father in heaven. He will never abandon you, nor will He abandon His plans and purposes in your life. Will you take this time to receive His love and embrace afresh and anew today? 

He promised Jacob that He would never leave him, and that He would bless him. He also promised Joshua the same. And He's saying the same to you today. As you look forward in your life, I pray that you too will experience the power, the goodness, and the lovingkindness of your Abba Father. Amen!

Prayer:

"O Lord God, You are our Abba Father in heaven, our Daddy in heaven. You are the Lord who never fails us. You have spoken that You will never leave us nor forsake us, nor will You abandon Your plans and purposes for our lives. You have done it for Jacob. You have done it for Joshua. You have done it for Job. You have done it even for the prodigal son. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. We take heart, and we can be assured today. As we look forward in our lives, we too shall see many good days ahead of us. We receive Your love. We receive Your hope. We receive Your assurance afresh and anew today. All this we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen!" 

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You are never too late!

Words from the Lord: 

"You are never too late! Whatever your past may be, and even if you have messed up or missed out, do not worry. I make all things new. Keep looking to Me. Keep walking with Me. Keep praising. Keep worshiping. Keep receiving My Word. For I have not forgotten you. I will know how to redeem your lost time. I will know how to restore your lost opportunity. I will even set up many new divine appointments for you, going forward. Just do not limit how I am going to do it."

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NKJV) says, 'The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.' 

Before I explain this verse, let's go to the words 'time' and 'chance' here. The word 'time' here is 'eth' in Hebrew. In the context of this verse, it can mean 'the time that is appointed by the Lord'. The word 'chance' here is 'pega' in Hebrew. In the context of this verse, it can mean 'the Lord's divine appointment for you, the Lord's opportune time for you, or the Lord's right timing for you'. 

There's time and season in everything. But one thing that you don't have to worry is the Lord knows exactly what is the best for you. He sees farther than you. In fact, He sees farther than anyone on this earth can. And in His time, He makes all things beautiful for you. Your part is to keep looking to Him and receiving from Him.

How to explain 'the swift', 'the strong', and 'the wise' in this verse? These speak of 'the swift, the strong, and the wise' in the worldly way, using merely human strength or human intelligence. You see, there are people in this world who do all these things without the Lord, or without acknowledging that the Lord is first and foremost in their lives. 

The author of this Book of Ecclesiastes, i.e. King Solomon, had seen life enough to make a conclusion that it doesn't mean 'the swift, the strong, and the wise' will always translate into success, riches, or favor in life. 

Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not teaching people to be lazy. If you are a student, do it the best you know how. If you have a career, do it the best you know how. If you are in ministry, give it your best, serving as unto the Lord. But in all our diligence and effort, know that the Lord has to be in the first place, and be the first and foremost in our lives. Why? Because it is the Lord who sets good things up for us in ways humans cannot. 

In a more contemporary version of the Bible, say, The New Living Translation (NLT), the translators put it this way: 'The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.'

Do you believe the Lord's 'eth' and 'pega' can happen to you too? Will you allow Him to cause good things to happen to you, and set up divine appointments for you, going forward? Yes, even this year! 

As for me, I thank the Lord for the many 'eth' and 'pega', i.e. 'time' and 'chance', that He had already given to me, e.g. how I was saved, how I was healed, how I met my wife, how I answered His call to ministry, how He intervened in crucial junctures of my life, how He led me from one season to another, and the list goes on. And I know there will be more to come. Why? Because I believe that He is a good God. 

Beloved, I want to believe the same for you too, be it in your relationship, in your career, in your business, in the ministry, or in every other area of your life. Amen!

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Praise, and be on your way to breakthrough!

The Lord says: 

"In this time and season, beware of the spirit sent by the enemy to discourage you and pull you down. Take authority and bind it. Focus instead on My power for your breakthrough. For this is the month for your breakthrough. As you enter this new month, don't stop praising! This is a month to praise like never before. Praise your way to your breakthrough and open door. If you have been feeling down recently, praise your way to a new purpose and strength in your life. Never miss this time and season for breakthrough and open door in your life!" 

Before we move further, let's go to the definition of 'breakthrough'. This word can be defined as 'an instance of removing any barrier', 'an instance of overcoming any obstruction', or 'an instance of new development after a stalemate'. 

Psalm 22:3-5 (NKJV) says, 'But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.' 

The word 'enthroned' here is 'inhabitest' in King James Version, or 'yashab' in Hebrew. This word can mean 'to stay, to dwell, to inhabit, to make (His) home, to be King'. In other words, as you praise Him, He makes His home in your situation, and takes His place to be the King over your situation. 

The word 'praise' here is 'tehillah' in Hebrew. It is an expression of awe for how great and awesome He is. It means 'to praise with high praises with all your heart and soul, totally focused and given in to Him, giving your highest praise and adoration to Him (for who He is)'. 

Have you recently been feeling like you are not good enough? Have you recently been feeling like you are useless and good for nothing? Or have you recently been dealing with low self-esteem problem, loss of confidence, or even loss of purpose in life? It's like there's just no more sense of purpose in your life, and no more sense of direction in your life. And you find yourself having no strength to look ahead in your life. 

Take heart, beloved. Focus away from yourself and from all these, and focus on the Lord instead. You know why? When you praise the Lord, you are effectively focusing on Him, and not on your own weaknesses, problems, challenges, regrets, or failures. 

As you praise the Lord, you are focusing on His greatness. He is great, and greatly to be praised! After all, He is the Creator of all the universe, the galaxies, the sun, the moon, the stars, and of course, this earth. Let Him take over your situation. There's nothing that's too huge for Him. He is always greater. He is always bigger. He is always stronger. And that's why He is worthy to be praised and extolled! 

The devil wants you to wallow in your self-pity. The devil wants you to regret over something that you have done. The devil wants you to stay in bitterness over something that you have lost. In short, the devil will do anything to pull you down and cause you to feel useless and defeated. Don't entertain him. Focus on the Lord instead by praising the Lord and keep praising the Lord! In fact, praise the Lord like never before! 

When Paul and Silas were in a seemingly hopeless situation, and seemingly at a 'dead-end' road in the inner prison, what did they do? Acts 16:25 (NKJV) says, 'But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God...' It means they were praising the Lord!

And see what happened next? Acts 16:26 (NKJV) says, 'Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.' 

The unthinkable happened. A miracle happened. Of course, your situation may not be exactly like Paul and Silas' situation. But you know what? To God, all things are possible! 

The background of what happened here is that some people were feeling very threatened by Paul and Silas. The masters of those who used the spirit of divination to make profit by fortune-telling were losing their business because of God's work through Paul and Silas. So, they worked out a plan to cause Paul and Silas to be dragged to the authorities, and eventually Paul and Silas were sent to the prison. So, there they were, stuck in the prison, and left in the cold, dark, place.

Now, how did Paul and Silas respond? They didn't wallow in self-pity. They didn't blame anyone. They didn't blame God. But instead, they praised God! Many people would have been tempted to put blame on themselves, on others, or even on God. But instead, they did the opposite. They praised the Lord! And praise they did! 

Beloved, maybe you too are in one of those darkest times of your life at the moment, or in your "midnight hour", so to speak. Maybe it's a seemingly 'dead-end' road, a challenging crisis, or a very difficult situation that you are facing right now. Do not lose heart. Like Paul and Silas, you can choose to praise the Lord and keep praising the Lord! 

I declare that your 'chains' shall be loosed! I declare that your 'doors' shall be opened! And you too shall see your breakthrough! Just do not limit how God's going to do it!

As for Paul and Silas, if you read further in Acts 16, what was initially a "midnight hour" eventually turned into an occasion of great breakthrough and even testimony of how great God is. Hallelujah! The same it is for you! Believe, and receive by faith!

Prayer:

"O Lord God, You are indeed a great and awesome God. Nothing is impossible to You. We do not want to limit You with our own limited minds. Instead, we choose to praise You. You have spoken this is a month to praise like never before. We enthrone You with our praises. We declare You as King over our lives. We declare that You reign in our situation and circumstances. We declare our breakthrough. We declare our open doors. We declare new purpose for our lives. We declare new strength in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

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