Today’s Bible Verse
Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, PLEASE DON’T SQUANDER ONE BIT OF THIS MARVELOUS LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN US. God reminds us, I heard your call in the nick of time, the day you needed Me, I was there to help.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (TMB)
Living the Marvelous Life
Happy New Year! It is a powerful new year for us! Expect 2021 to be full and flooded with God’s marvelous life! Living the marvelous life is the kind of life He desires us to experience and enjoy. We have all gone through a tumultuous year. Unfortunately, for some, it’s been worse than others. It’s been strange and difficult in so many ways. We continue to pray for God’s comfort on everyone, our families, our city, our state and our nation! Yet, I want to humbly remind us that our God is the God who still, “Crowns the year with His goodness and leads us on paths that drip with His abundance” (Psalms 65:11). God desires us to seize the life He alone provides and guarantees His Church by covenant. I call this…”Living the Marvelous Life!”
A friend recently reminded me, in an email, what a strange year we’ve been through. He used a sports analogy to remind me of a very powerful Biblical principle to help us have breakthroughs in 2021. His story began with a statement you may have heard: “All’s well that ends well!” He then continued with his sports analogy: The pitcher threw a perfectly executed pitch. The catcher caught the pitch and held the ball – for what seemed like forever – waiting. Then the catcher put a demand on the umpire, “Well, what is it a ball or a strike?” To which the umpire replied:
“It ain’t nothing until I say it’s something!”
Then, my friend who sent me the email asked me a probing question: “Guess who makes the call if 2020 has been a ‘ball’ or a ‘strike’ or whether 2021 will be our best year yet?“
To which my friend answered by saying: “You and I do.”
He said it’s our call, and repeated the umpire’s statement to the catcher: “It ain’t nothing until we ‘say’ it’s something.”
My friend’s little sports analogy ended up having a big reviving impact on my perspective for 2021. I was reminded, again, of the power and authority God has bestowed His people with. It’s the power and the authority of “WHAT WE SAY!” I mean, after all, Jesus did tell us, “You will have what you say” (Mark 11:23). Jesus said, “By our words we will be justified and by our words we will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). I’m also sure we recall Solomon telling us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). He also said, “We are snared by the words of our mouth” (Proverbs 6:2). Yet, I was quickly reminded by the Holy Spirit, what God wanted every Christian to never forget, through the writer of the book of Hebrews…
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
HEBREWS 10:23
Of course, in this verse, “confession” does not mean, “the admittance of mistakes, errors or sins.” Rather, it literally means, “to say the same thing as.” In other words, God is expecting us to say what He has already said and established according to His Word and His covenant – we must confess His unfailing promises. He wants us to know that what we say carries power. He wants us to understand that speaking words of faith according to what He’s already settled, changes circumstances and situations in our lives. Jeremiah 1:12 tells us that God watches over His Word to perform it. As you can see, every Christian needs to speak His Word over their lives and circumstances…which also includes 2021. We need to speak according to the “HOPE” of the Gospel (hope is that joyful expectation of a favorable outcome by the hand of God, on our behalf). We need to say “what God’s already said” without wavering. Wow! Now that is a powerful way to start off our New Year! We must never forget that the Bible tells us to, “Decree a thing and it shall be established unto you” (Job 22:28).
You see, God’s Word is inalterable, undeniable, unchangeable, unfailing, irrefutable, everlasting and eternal. The Bible clearly tells us, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). This also means we cannot change it. The good news is that circumstances or crises cannot change it. Opinions nor politics can change it and – certainly – the devil cannot change it. God’s Word is forever settled in heaven and on earth. So that gives us great opportunity to be confident in what He’s said and what He’s promised. In other words, “He Who promised is faithful.” Now, because “He’s faithful,” our “confession of hope” should be “without wavering.” So, when we as Christians, “Say unto the mountain to be thou removed,” God is faithful to work on our behalf unto triumph! Therefore, we must, “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He is faithful.” So, now we can understand why my friend’s insight, in his email, is so important. Because God’s waiting on us to call it “a ball or a strike.” Because “it ain’t nothing until we ‘say’ something.”
God has ordained a marvelous life for us! However, sometimes this marvelous life can get “clouded over” with the “stuff” of life’s challenges, circumstances, activities and responsibilities. So much so that we end up missing out, all because of something as simple as the words that we speak or don’t speak! What we speak or don’t speak ties directly into seizing the marvelous life He wants us all to have. Paul the Apostle begged Christians with this truth…
“PLEASE DON’T SQUANDER ONE BIT OF THIS MARVELOUS LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN US.”
2 Corinthians 6:1 (TMB)
Something to Think About
As we take heed, we will experience what it truly means to Seize Life. We will seize everything about His life by faith, because we have chosen not to squander “THIS MARVELOUS LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN US” for 2021! Well, there’s no time better than NOW to start! If we’re waiting on God to move, He is waiting on us to speak! “He who supplies the Spirit and does miracles amongst us, does He do it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?” (Galatians 3:5).
God wants to hear our faith! There’s a miracle in our mouth for 2021! Remember, “It ain’t nothing until we ‘say’ it’s something.”
Yes, let’s think, meditate, ponder, apply and activate what we just read! Let’s be “doers of the word” and “declare a thing and it will be established!” (Job 22:28) (Pastor Art Sepulveda)
Today’s Declaration
Father, Your Word instructs me to “decree a thing and it shall be established unto me.” Therefore, in Jesus’ Name, I decree that “ You shall crown my year with Your goodness and You will lead me on Your paths that drip with Your abundance.”
From the beginning of the year, starting now, until the end of the year, I anticipate the inevitable, supernatural intervention of God in all my affairs! I expect a miracle outcome – spirit, soul, body, financially, socially, domestically and in my ministry.
I am fully confident in each and every one of Your promises which are all “yes and amen” unto me. 2021 will be filled with joyful expectation and favorable outcome by Your hand on my behalf.
I am, according to Your unlimited Grace – blessed, highly favored, empowered to prosper, and impossible to be cursed because I have been redeemed from the curse of the law, because cursed is the One who hung on the tree – the cross on Calvary. Jesus was my substitute. Jesus, set me free! Therefore, I am anointed to win!
Lord, I thank You that You’ve blessed me with Your Son, Christ Jesus! You are my God of the turnaround as You turned around Jabez’ life; so, my life in Christ has been turned around! Thank You Lord that You continue to bless me, enlarge my territory, and You keep Your hand of favor upon me!
No weapon formed against me will ever prosper, and any tongue that rises up against me will be condemned! You make me to be an answer to my generation!
Lord, in 2021, I will seize life because I have chosen to live Your Marvelous Life – Your way. I am trusting You with all my heart and leaning not to my own understanding and acknowledging You in all of my ways! I am led by Your Spirit and You will direct me in all of my paths!
Today’s Bible Reading
- Old Testament: Genesis 1 & 2; Psalms 1
- New Testament: Matthew 1:1-17; Acts 1:1-11
