Receive discernment for this time and season

The Lord says: 

"My people need to discern! My people need to discern what I am doing in their lives right now, and in this time and season. This is the time to ask for discernment and understanding of the times. Ask, and you shall receive. As you receive from Me, you will know how to avoid the pitfalls and dangers around you. As you receive from Me, you will know how to prepare and walk in the new works that I am doing in your life. Stay in tune with Me. Stay aligned with Me. Commune with Me." 

In the context of God's words today, 'to discern' means 'to be able to understand, perceive, see, and recognize (something)'. Is it from the Lord? Or is it not from the Lord? Is it time to move ahead? Or not to move ahead? What you ought to do? And what you ought not to do? 

Many things are going to change this year. The way we do things. The way we see things. The way we understand things. That's why discernment is the key right now. But the Lord will help you, if you look to Him. Amen! 

The last time a major change of season was in the year 2020. But this year 2025 is the beginning of another big change. For you, I want to believe and pray it will be a change to the better. A time of breakthrough in your life! 

I heard the Lord say further: 

"Like in the days of David, it is time to bring My glory back to your home or wherever you are." 

Yes, this is one area I heard loud and clear from the Lord in this time and season.  It's time to bring His glory back into your life. It's time to bring His glory back to your home. It's time to bring His glory back to your household. Welcome Him. Let His glory fill your life again. Let His glory fill your home again. Let His glory fill the land where you are, wherever the Lord puts you in this time and season.

Let's go all the way to 1 Chronicles 13:2-3. David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us, and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul." 

Now, 'the ark of the covenant' here speaks of 'the glory of God or the presence of God being with you'. David and God's people those days eventually brought the ark back. To cut the whole story short, they never looked back ever since. They went on to see great victories and success. God's name is glorified! 

So beloved of God, like David, the same it is in your life, in your family, and in your household. Open your home and open your household to His glory filling all in all. Amen!

You see, David knew the time and season. David knew it is the right time. David gave priority to this. Just one chapter before that, you see there lies the key! Let's look at 1 Chronicles 12 now. There's a tribe among God's people those days whom God specifically mentioned about knowing their time and season. 1 Chronicles 12:32. '...of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do...' The New Living Translation (NLT) puts it this way: 'From the tribe of Issachar... All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.' 

Interestingly, the name 'Issachar' (or 'Yissakar' in Hebrew) can mean 'he will bring reward, he will yield reward'. Like the sons of Issachar, as you walk in God's timing for your life, you will see good reward and good result too! In other words, right timing brings right results! Therefore, it's so important to ask God for discernment and to understand the right timing in your life, especially in this unpredictable time in the world right now.

Many people underestimate the importance of the sense of timing. For example, when to go ahead on something, or when not to go ahead on something. You see, timing is the key! There is a time to prepare, and there is a time to launch. There is a time to advance, and there is a time to retreat. There is a time to release, and there is a time to hold back. But one thing for sure: God knows better and sees farther! So, you can count on the Lord in this. 

If something is from the Lord, and it is the right timing to go ahead, the Lord will give you the sense of peace inside of you. He can give you the confirmation about it. Confirmation can come in many ways. It can even come through dreams from God to show you what to do and what not to do. I personally have been guided by dreams from God many times at different junctures of my life. It saved me from a lot of trouble, when I heeded those dreams. 

Let's move on to Proverbs 3:5-6. I read from The Message version. 'Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He's the One who will keep you on track.' In Ecclesiastes 3:1, The Message version puts it this way: 'There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth.' 

So beloved, listen to His leading and guidance in your life. You may ask: "How?" Go deeper in the Word of God. Dig into the Word of God. Pray in the spirit often. Set your mind on the Lord. Set your mind on the things above, and not on the things below. Commune with Him. Go deeper in your relationship with Him. That's how you can stay in tune with the Holy Spirit inside of you. Of course, stay aligned with Him and His Word. Heed what He says. And let His blood wash you clean, cleansing you white as snow. Cleanse your heart. Cleanse your hands. Clear yourself from any entanglement or sin in this world. Ask God to teach you and help you how to clear all those mess. And you know what? Many things are going to be made clearer and clearer in your life. There will be clarity! 

The Lord is also saying to you right now: 

"Do not fear what comes in this world! Do not be tossed to and fro by the media or by the news of this world. Shut your ears from the noises of this world. But listen to the still small voice inside of you. I want to speak to you! I want to show you many secrets that you know not of before! Do not trust in the 'chariots' and 'horses' in this world. But trust in Me. Let Me fill you with My Spirit. For you shall begin to walk in My wisdom and My revelation, going forward. Take heed, and no matter what 'shakings' that you see in this world, you shall be spared! For I'm going to teach you how to see according to My way. Not according to how the world show you. Not according to how the world say to you."

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Why does God allow delay?

The Lord impressed upon my heart to share about dealing with delay, and why does God sometimes allow delay. 

As a matter of fact, nobody likes delay. We all wish that when we want something, we want it now! Just like when we wait for the bus, the train, or the plane! How many of you have experienced waiting for hours and hours for the plane to arrive?

Many things are being delayed in a time of pandemic this year. It's a rather disruptive year for many. For some, it is a delay in the area of your career path. For some others, in the area of your personal plans, or personal dreams (or visions). 

But you know what? Delay sometimes isn't a bad thing at all! 

So today, we are going to explore this topic: Why does God allow delay?

1. He is protecting you from certain harm or danger 

He knows your future better than anyone else on earth. He knows what is ahead more than you'll ever know. And because He loves you, He wants to ensure that you'll avoid a certain 'pitfall' in your life. He knows certain things that come too soon will 'crush' you (e.g. an honor or title that comes too soon). You may not be ready now, but God is working to ensure that you are ready when the right time comes!

Psalm 57:1 (Expanded Bible) says, 'Be merciful [gracious] to me, God; be merciful [gracious] to me because I come to You for protection [seek refuge]. Let me hide [be protected; seek refuge] under the shadow of Your wings until the trouble [destruction] has passed'.

Psalm 25:20 (Expanded Bible) says, 'Protect me and save [rescue; deliver] me. I trust [find refuge in] You, so do not let me be disgraced [shamed]'.

2. He is delaying His answer because of His timing 

His timing is always perfect. He is in full control of all things, at all times, and in all places. Delay can happen because it isn't His timing for you yet. He has a time and season for everything. Rest assured it doesn't mean He isn't answering you, or He is denying you or forsaking you, but He knows what's best for you and when's best for you!

Isaiah 55:8 (NKJV) says, '"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord'.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (Expanded Bible) says, 'There is a time [season] for everything, and everything [every activity] on earth [under heaven] has its special season [time]'.

3. He is still in the midst of preparing you and growing you

A delay may be God's way to prepare you for bigger or greater things in the future. A delay may be God's way to grow your faith and character. A delay may be God's way to equip you to handle greater things in the future. A delay may be God's training for you to have a greater capacity for a time of expansion in the future. Your faith, character, and even understanding of how God works will grow more and more as you learn to trust Him in a time of delay.

James 1:2-3 (NKJV) says, 'My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience'.

1 Peter 1:13 (NCV) says, 'So prepare your minds for service and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ is shown to you'.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NKJV) says, 'But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work'.

4. He is delaying His answer in order to give you a new purpose/direction 

When delay happens, He may be in the midst of re-directing you. His delay may be a way to tell you to seek Him afresh and anew. His delay may be a way to tell you that you need to seek His will. It may be a call for you to undo and re-do certain areas in your life. You may be focused on one direction, but He wants you to focus on another direction. Or you may be 'leaning your ladder' against the wrong wall, when He wants you to 'lean your ladder' against another wall.

Colossians 1:9 (NKJV) says, 'For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding...'

Job 37:12 (Amplified Bible) says, 'Its direction is turned around by His guidance, that it may do whatever He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth'.

Prayer in a time of delay or waiting:

"O Lord God, I thank You for Your love for me, and that You want the best for me. Help me in this time of delay or waiting, so that I can move according to Your perfect timing. Help me to be patient, not give up, and trust You even in times like these. Help me not to take matters in my own hands. I choose to trust You, and I choose to be faithful to You. Deepen my understanding of how You work. Give me a greater knowledge of what You are doing in my life. I thank You that You have the perfect wisdom for my life, and You know exactly what's best for me. I therefore yield to You and Your perfect timing for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen."

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Fulfilling your God-given destiny

The Lord spoke these words:
"Rejoice! Again I say rejoice! If I have given you a destiny, no one can take it away from you! But you've got to look to Me, not to man! Choose to look to My wisdom, instead of the wisdom of man. Choose to walk in My ways and timing, instead of the ways of this world."

The word 'destiny' in English is derived from the Latin word 'destinare', which can mean 'to establish, to appoint, to make firm, to put in place'. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (Amplified Bible) says, 'For God has not destined us to (incur His) wrath (that is, He did not select us to condemn us), but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ'. This verse speaks of our general destiny as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

But how about our specific God-given destiny for each of us? The Scripture has many verses to show us that the Lord has indeed established us, appointed us, and put in place a specific destiny for each one of us. No two persons are exactly the same. Each one of us is unique and special in our own God-given ways. Ecclesiastes 6:10 (NLT) says, 'Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny'.

The good news is His destiny for each one of us is always the best-suited one, simply because He knows each one of us inside-out, more than we know ourselves. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) says, 'For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'. Our part is simply to heed Him and follow His ways (and timing)!

Let's look at David's life now, and we shall see as long as he heeded the Lord and followed His ways (and timing), no one could take away the destiny God had given him! Proverbs 16:20 (NIV) says, 'Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord'.

It all began when the Lord spoke to prophet Samuel to anoint someone from among the sons of Jesse as king of Israel. 1 Samuel 16:1 (NLT) says, 'Now the Lord said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king."' Soon, Samuel found David as the one he was to anoint, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. And David was only fifteen years old at that time.

However, if you look at the Scripture, it took many more years before David eventually became king. After Saul died a tragic death (1 Samuel 31:1-10), David was installed as king not long after, but only as the king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:1-4). He was thirty years old at that time, about fifteen years after prophet Samuel anointed him. Through those years, it was a time of preparation for David, and even a test of faith and patience for David.

Even then, this wasn't exactly the fulfillment of his God-given destiny, because he only became king of Judah, but not yet king of Israel. And the reason why David was not yet installed as king of Israel was Abner (commander of Saul's army, who was also a cousin of Saul). Abner knew God had designated David as the next king of Israel, and so did the people of Israel those days. But out of his own self-interest, he installed Ishbosheth (a son of Saul) as king of Israel instead! (2 Samuel 2:8-11) With that, Abner became the 'brain' behind Ishbosheth, who was merely a puppet-king. Abner then challenged the servants of David to a fight; and a long, exhausting war between the house of Israel and the house of Judah ensued (2 Samuel 2:12-17). But as years went by, the house of Judah (under David) grew stronger and stronger, whereas the house of Israel (under Ishbosheth, who was a 'puppet' of Abner) grew weaker and weaker (2 Samuel 3:1).

Very interestingly, through those years (when Abner stopped David from becoming king of Israel), David did not oppose and react against Abner who installed Ishbosheth as king of Israel. Why? Because he understood it is the Lord who holds one's destiny, not man. If it wasn't his time yet, then so be it! Furthermore, David had made a promise never to cut off Saul's descendants. Therefore, he would not (by any means) remove Ishbosheth as king of Israel, whether through subtle ways or by force.

As you can see here, David learned to wait on the Lord, and he chose to walk in God's ways (and timing), not man's ways (and timing). Some seven years later, things turned around when Abner was killed, and Ishbosheth too was killed (2 Samuel 3:27, 2 Samuel 4:5-7). David's time eventually came, and he reigned over all of Israel and Judah from then on (2 Samuel 5:1-5), ushering in what historians call as 'the golden age' of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah.

As David reminisced in his old age, he wrote Psalm 37. In verse 4 of that psalm, he wrote, 'Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart'; and in verse 23, he wrote, 'The steps of a good man are ordered (appointed, directed, established) by the Lord, and He delights in his way'. 

The word 'delight' in verse 4 is 'awnag' in Hebrew, and in this context, it means 'to be soft (before the Lord), to be pliable (before the Lord), to be easily bended (before the Lord)'. The opposite of this word 'delight', by the way, is 'blame, a hardened heart'. Now, here's the secret to David fulfilling his God-given destiny: David had learned to be soft, pliable, and easily bended before the Lord! 

Not only that, David had learned to be patient, instead of blaming and complaining! He chose to believe there's still justice on earth, because his God's not dead! He knew God would eventually turn the tables on the wicked, and true enough, God did! The truth is God had never forgotten what He had spoken about him through the prophet Samuel!

People of God, like David (whose name means 'beloved'), you too are God's beloved. Do not lose heart therefore if what God had spoken to you (about your destiny) seems so far-fetched at the moment. The truth is He hasn't forgotten you, and He hasn't forgotten His destiny and 'appointments' for you on earth. Never mind if things look impossible at the moment. Never mind if you think you have recently missed your opportunity. Look to Him, and return to His ways. Trust in His perfect wisdom and timing for your life! And just as happened to David, God will know how to turn things around for you too, even in ways you cannot imagine yet. Your waiting time will soon be over. In His time, He will make all things beautiful. Amen!

Never too late, never too old!

The Lord says:
"Beloved, let My light shine in your heart, and you'll begin to 'see'! Seeing the many good that I want to do in your life this season! Seeing you aren't too late yet, even if the enemy wants you to think so! Seeing that I understand and care for that 'tricky situation' you are in right now! And seeing your answer is right on the way!"

The Lord says further:
"My love for you fails not. Let go of your guilt, condemnation and regret, whatever it may be. Old things have passed away, and all things have become new. Do not lose heart, and do not be discouraged, for I AM with you."

Indeed, God's love for you fails not, and no matter what your past failure or mistake may be, He hasn't forgotten you. And if you think you are too late or too old for a new lease of life, the good news is you are not! 

In the book of Exodus chapter 3, when the Lord met Moses at the burning bush, He said to him, "I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians..." (Exodus 3:6-8a) 

The Lord then said to him, "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:10) But Moses answered, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11)

For the record, some forty years ago, Moses had tried, and he failed miserably. Those days, having looked at the burdens of his fellow Hebrew brethren, and seeing an Egyptian beating one of them, he took matters into his own hands and killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12). This act was found out by Pharaoh who then sought to kill him, and Moses had no choice but to flee from Egypt. So here he was, forty years on, from being a prince in Egypt to an old, forgotten nobody in the desert!

Beloved, have you felt like time is not on your side anymore? You are running late, and for some of you, you have even felt like you have 'missed the bus' altogether! That was what Moses felt too when he said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" After all, he was already eighty years old, and was no more the mighty, eloquent man he used to be!

But God! At the point when Moses had nothing in himself to boast about anymore, and at the time most unexpected to him, the Lord saw him ready for a great work that He was about to do. As you'd already have known, Moses did not look back ever since, and with the rod of God that's in his hand, he eventually led his people out of the bondage of the Egyptians successfully.

The Lord is still the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). There is nothing too difficult for Him, no matter how you think you blew it, or how useless you think you are right now. Just as the Lord asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?", and Moses answered, "A rod". The Lord asked him to cast the rod on the ground, and then pick it up again. This same rod was with Moses as the Lord did great signs and wonders, and even opened the Red Sea through him (Exodus 4:17, Exodus 14:16).

Today, the Lord is also asking you the same, "What is that in your hand?" There must be something in you (it may be a talent, a skill, or anything else) that He can use, no matter how insignificant you think it is. Let the Lord use it, and He will know how to turn things around for you!

This is the time to declare that your miracle and deliverance is coming your way! The Lord has spoken, and He is a God who keeps His promises. Your part is to believe and receive! Indeed, old things have passed away, and all things have become new. This is also the time to declare there will be a restoration of your calling in life, and there will be a new authority coming in your life! And like Moses at that juncture of his life, the best is yet to come in your life too. Amen!