MESSAGE FOR 2011

GOD’S MESSAGE FOR 2011

This year 2011 we have decided to write 2 kinds of blogs, one is an update blog which will mainly be information and news, and the second one will be a blog with an inspirational message sharing with all of our friends on what we feel God is saying to the body of Christ.
As we began the year 2011, the Lord gave us a scripture in Isaiah 54 beginning from verse 1 – 4. In this portion of scripture we feel that God is calling us to be fruitful. Verse 1 talks about barrenness and talks about a barren woman who is encouraged to burst out into a song.
You may have been barren last year in your spiritual life, at your place of work, in your family or at your school but this year God is promising great things for you which means an encouragement for you to begin praising Him for the things He is going to do. Praising is an action, a faith action, a sign that you are expectant. Can you begin 2011 with expectancy!
In verse 2 the Bible talks about enlarging our tents, for those of us in Gaba we know what a tent means because we worshiped in one for 6 years, so we know when we talk about stretching a tent. It can be small but it can be expanded. God is speaking to us to expand our tent even before He fills it. It’s the things we do in preparation as steps of faith in expectation for what things God can do. I want to request you to apply this preparation to yourself as a Christian, to your work, in your studies and your ministry.
He says: “do not hold back.” My understanding for holding back is that many times we fear, so we hold back, sometimes we doubt God, thus holding back, sometimes we live in our comfort zones so we hold back, we are comfortable with in our situation and we fear to launch out.
God is not calling us to be comfortable but He is calling us for an adventure with Him. Please don’t hold back.
When He says stretch your tent, He is talking about preparation. Here below, I want you to look at 3 areas of preparation.
1) Evaluate last year.
-What were the great things that God did? Put them down.
– Count those blessings and thank God for them
– Count your lows, your losses, your failures or the negative things in last year.
– Write down the lessons you have learned from the positives and the negatives.
Pray for God’s plan for this year, spend time in prayer may be fasting, look at the Word and ask God: “What do you have for me in the year 2011?” Write down what you hear the Lord saying.
2) Plan for 2011, specifically what do you see God doing in you and through you in the year 2011.
There are 3 specific areas:-
a) Your personal walk with God:- God desires you to grow. God desires you to know him; the Lord wants you to get closer to Him this year. Plan to dedicate yourself to God in prayer, get personal bible study and to fellowship. Schedule these on a daily basis; what goes on your calendar will be done.
b) Plan your service to God:- God created us for himself and called us to serve Him. The things you do for God are the things that will outlive you. So, plan to give God your service this year, either at church, your place of work, in your neighborhood or at school. Start or join ministry at church, be God’s voice this year.
c) Plan for personal development . Every day that we live will never come back again. We are getting older but not younger, so plan for your family, for tangible things you can do this year, plan for financial break through, plan for your welfare and the people you live with.

We pray for a great 2011 for you.