He is here to turn things around for you!

We all make mistakes in life, don't we? Given a choice, nobody would want to make a mistake in whatever he/she does. But thanks be to God, because even if you thought you have 'blown it', your God can turn things around for you and do a miracle for you!

Romans 8:28 says, 'And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them'. Indeed, God will work things together for good, in spite of your mistake. He can even use your mistake and turn it into a miracle, if you look to Him and put your trust in Him! Proverbs 3:5-6 says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths'.

In 2 Kings 6:1-5, the Scripture says,
'One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, "As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet."
"All right," he told them, "go ahead."
"Please come with us," someone suggested.
"I will," he said. So he went with them.
When they arrived at the Jordan River, they began cutting down trees. But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. "Oh, sir!" he cried. "It was a borrowed ax!"'

To begin with, let's ask this question: What is the purpose of the 'ax'? 'Ax' is used when we cut trees for the building of things (e.g. buildings, furniture, etc). 'Ax' is therefore used 'to build'. In our context here, it speaks of building what God has called you to build (be it ministry, business, vocation, etc). But in this passage, the ax head fell into the river! And once fallen, never easy to retrieve, considering it was a heavy iron ax head! Not only that, it was a borrowed ax! So the man cried!

But God! He is a God who can turn things around, and He is a God of miracles! Notice Elisha had never left nor forsaken 'those who were in the midst of building'. When someone suggested for Elisha to "Please come with us", Elisha said, "I will", and he went with them. You know what it means here? 'Elisha', by the way, is 'Eliysha' in Hebrew, coming from two words, i.e. 'El' meaning 'God', and 'Shuwa' meaning 'riches, supplies, helps, hope'. People of God, the Lord is assuring you today that He is still your God of riches, supplies, helps, and hope, even when you have made a mistake or 'committed a faux pas' along the way!

In 2 Kings 6:6-7, the Scripture says,

'"Where did it fall?" the man of God asked.
When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot.
Then the ax head floated to the surface.
"Grab it," Elisha said.
And the man reached out and grabbed it'.

The 'stick' here speaks of what Jesus has done for you on the wooden cross. Just as the 'stick' caused the iron ax head to float to the surface, what Jesus has done for you on the cross is your turning point! Look to Him and put your trust in Him! And do not lose heart! He is your supernatural God and He can turn things around in ways human cannot think of!

I heard and released these words of the Lord recently:
"As you keep building what I've called you to build, I will give you new strategies, I will give you new resources, and I will give you new strength! I will even turn your mistakes around and do a miracle for you! Do not lose heart therefore, and cast all your cares to Me, for I am the Lord who cares for you!"

Indeed, He is here to turn things around for you, no matter what had happened in your life. There is nothing that He cannot turn around for you, because He is your miracle-working God. No mistake, no failure, no curse, and no enemy can hold back His turnaround power in your life! Believe and receive. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Keep building what God is building!

The Lord says these words to His people:
"Keep building what I've called you to build! Keep restoring what I've asked you to restore! Cease not! For My eye is upon you, and My hand is with you! This is your time to yield your eyes to Mine, and your hands to Mine! And nothing shall be able to stand before you!"

The key chapters to read in this time and season is Ezra chapters 3-7. In these chapters, the Scripture shows us how the Lord had moved His people to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, having been in Babylonian exile for seventy years. The writer (Ezra) narrated how Zerubbabel (the governor of Judah), Jeshua (the high priest), and the rest of the priests and Levites began this work of rebuilding, only to find themselves facing resistance from the adversaries (Ezra 4:1-5).

This part of the Scripture is actually prophetic of our times as believers in the New Covenant today. If those days, the Lord was building His temple; today, the Lord is building His people. The former is the 'shadow', and the latter is the 'substance'. 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NLT) says, 'Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?' The word 'temple' here is 'naos' in Greek, and it simply means 'the dwelling place of God'. Indeed, you and I are 'the dwelling place of God'! 1 Peter 2:5 (NLT) says, 'And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests...'

People of God, maybe in recent times you have grown tired of building what the Lord has begun in you. In fact, some of you are already on the verge of giving up. For some, it's because you haven't seen much fruit; and for some others, it's because you've grown tired in facing resistance from those naysayers. Whatever your reasons may be, the Lord is saying "Cease not!" Because the Lord who has begun the good work in you will continue His work until it is finally completed! (Philippians 1:6) He will give you new strategies! He will give you new resources! He will give you new strength! He will see to it that what He has begun in you, He will complete it, if you do not lose heart!

That was exactly what happened those days, as written in the book of Ezra. Interestingly, the name 'Ezra' (which is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew word 'Ezer') means 'The Lord helps'. Indeed, in the midst of resistance from the enemies (who tried to frustrate and discourage God's people), the Lord's help was evident, and the Lord's eye was with them. Ezra 5:5 (NKJV) says, 'But the eye of their God was upon them, so that the enemies could not make them cease...' Not only that, the Lord also sent prophets Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo to prophesy to them in order to edify them. And the prophets were with them, helping them as well! (Ezra 5:1-2)

The word 'eye' here is 'ayin' in Hebrew, and it can mean 'fountain, favor, presence'. In other words, the Lord's fountain of living waters (speaks of 'the Spirit of the Lord') was upon them, flowing in (and through) them! As a result, they never ran short of wisdom and revelation to complete the Lord's work! Of course, the Lord's favor was with them, and the Lord's presence was with them too! Now, how could they fail? Later on, the Lord even raised up a King Darius to issue a decree to let the temple be rebuilt and be firmly laid, with all expenses paid from the king's treasury! (Ezra 6:3-5)

People of God, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Bible says you are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He has prepared beforehand, that you should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). The Lord's eye ('ayin') is upon you, and His Spirit is flowing in (and through) you too! Be open and let Him. And just as the temple in Ezra's days was successfully completed, every good work that the Lord has begun in you will also be successfully completed! Receive these prophetic words into your life today! In Jesus' name. Amen!

Your time to advance has come!

The Lord says these words in this time and season:
"Many of My people have let go of their past. Many of My people have been determined to stand their ground in the face of the enemy. But NOW is My people's time to advance!"

The Lord says further:
"Your time to advance has come! Like Joshua who chose to let go of the past, and began to move forward! There will be new ways of doing things. There will be new ways of seeing things. Behold, I will do a new thing!"

People of God, as you let go of the past and begin to look forward, this is a key time to declare Isaiah 43:19 unto your life: 'Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert'! Notice it is the Lord who will do a new thing, and not us. Our part is to heed and move with Him!

One example of transitioning from the old to the new is found in the book of Joshua. Joshua 1:1-2 says, 'After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying: "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, and go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving them..."'

Moses had paved the way for the people of the Lord, and through him, they were delivered from the stranglehold of the Pharaoh. But now was Joshua's time. And the Lord spoke to him to arise, and go over to take the Promised Land!

As we all know, change is never 'comfortable', because it involves re-adjustments (in the way we see or do things). But change is necessary, so that we can enter the new that God has prepared for us, just as He had prepared for Joshua!

A time of change is also a time of allowing God to bring renewal (in the way things are done, even in unprecedented ways). Change, of course, takes willingness and great courage. That's why the Lord spoke these words to Joshua as an assurance to him, "No man shall be able to stand before you... as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you... Only be strong and very courageous..." (Joshua 1:5-7)

Now, don't get me wrong. We don't change for the sake of changing. But we change when the Lord tells us so. As Joshua embraced change, the Lord assured him that He would not leave him nor forsake him. Joshua was to be strong and very courageous, because the Lord would show him many things he had not been taught before in Moses' days. Joshua in turn went on his three major military campaigns (central, south, and north) with great success (see Joshua chapters 6-11).

You see, the key to Joshua's great success was his willingness to embrace changes in strategies whenever the Lord instructed him to do so. And as Joshua heeded the Lord's instructions every step of the way, advancing as He advanced, there was no looking back, and the people of the Lord began to enter a time of greater blessings!

People of God, know that your Joshua time has come too! Don't miss this time and season! Let go of those past (whatever it may be), and declare that you too are entering a time of greater blessings!