Mensa Otabil - We Have Crossed Over Into a New Year
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Welcome to a brand new year, a year of increase for each one of us. May the Lord increase us and cause us to abound and multiply the seed we sow and help us to see His goodness this year. We are excited that the Lord has guided each of us into this great year, 2022. Here we are.
Now, we go to our concluding reading from Joshua chapter 3, verse 17: «Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel crossed over on dry ground until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.» I love what happened; they stood, and the whole nation crossed over until everybody had completed the cycle. We thank God for bringing all of us into this new year. We know that there are still some nations that probably have yet to experience a new year because of our differences, but the Lord will take each one of us.
To God be the glory for the great things that He has done.Today, we stand at the beginning of the year of increase, and we are very confident that God will increase us; He will prosper us. I don’t know how your new year went, but however you entered this year, may the Lord increase you. May the Lord prosper you. May the Lord multiply your efforts and may He cause you to see goodness throughout this year.
Just three important things I want to share with you as we start a new year. The first one is gratitude. It’s always great to be grateful to God for bringing us into a new year. Some might say, «Well, it’s just another day.» It’s not just another day; it’s the beginning of an epoch, the beginning of a new season: 365 days-that’s not a joke; that’s a lot of days, a lot of weeks-52 weeks. So, to start a new year is not something to take lightly, and that’s why people rejoice all over the world when a new year begins. Let’s be grateful to God for watching over us throughout 2021, and we are confident that He’ll watch over us throughout 2022.
The second is to be grateful to God for His goodness and to be confident that the Lord will be good to us. Many of us begin the new year with anxiety, fear, and uncertainty; we’re not sure how things are going to pan out. But remember, the Lord is good; we serve a good God, not a bad God or an evil God, but a good God. While He doesn’t promise that everything will be smooth and without turbulence, He promises us His presence. So, we must constantly have faith in the goodness of the Lord; we must trust that He will lead us and make things well for us. I believe that the Lord will be good to you, to your family, to the work of your hands, to your business, to your career, to your schooling, to your education-whatever you’re doing, may the Lord be good to you, and may the goodness of the Lord overshadow you in all your endeavors. So, let’s be grateful and think about God’s goodness.
Number three, we have to enter with faith and live by faith, not by sight. Living by faith means that the Word of God must always be at the forefront of everything we do. We meditate on the Word of God, we pray by the Word of God, we trust God every day, we pray every day, we do our devotions, and we just walk by faith-a daily walk of faith. God, Jesus taught us to pray and said, «Give us this day our daily bread,» not «this day our yearly bread.» God doesn’t give you everything at once; He provides it bit by bit, little by little, day by day. But you have to trust Him every day, and the accumulation of daily trust will lead to a great year.
So, you walk by faith with each step. When you encounter a problem, you pray about it; you trust God; you talk to God about it. It may not be resolved immediately, but you continue going day by day in faith. We walk by faith and not by sight.So, show gratitude to God, have confidence in God’s goodness, and walk by faith, and I believe if you do these three things, you will not just manage well, but you will increase abundantly in the year 2022. Welcome to this year, and let’s enjoy the ride and God’s presence with us throughout this year.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of life and a brand new year. I bring my life and my family under your covering. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. I’m so glad that we made it this far, and the Lord will take us through to the end of the journey. I am Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.