"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."

Romans 13:12

 

The outgoing year in the context of the above Scripture can be said to be the night. Gradually, it is winding down. It is winding down with all its challenges and struggles, its goodness and joy, depending on the divide that you are. To some, this outgoing year would be the best and glorious year of their entire lives. To some, it would be the year they never wish had come. Irrespective of what it has been to you, the year is going already and it is time to prepare for the new one.

 

In Luke 8:22, Jesus said to His disciples "Let us go over unto the other side of the lake." Some of the disciples may have been looking at Jesus and saying something like "Why do we need to cross over? But here is where things have been happening. Here is where we have much people listening to your gospel and they aren't trying to stone you, let us remain here." Just like some would believe and feel, this year shouldn't end, this is the best year of my life, I wish I can just continue to enjoy these breakthroughs and all the things that this year brought for me, et cetera.

 

But one thing we don't know is this: and it is the fact that at the other side is a MIGHTY MIRACLE waiting for you. You can't afford to remain here because there is a miracle waiting for you in the new year (YOUR DREAM JOB IS WAITING FOR YOU IN THE NEW YEAR, YOUR MARRIAGE IS WAITING FOR YOU IN THE NEW YEAR, to those trusting God for the fruit of the womb, YOUR CHILDREN ARE WAITING FOR YOU IN THE NEW YEAR, YOUR CAR, YOUR HOUSE, THAT MIGHTY HARVEST OF SOULS, ARE ALL WAITING FOR YOU IN THE NEW YEAR). This is why you can't afford to remain fixated on the what you have been through in this year, it is time to move into the new.

 

That Scripture says "the day is at hand." The new year that is fast approaching could be said to be the day that is coming. We haven't seen it before, it is like a gift that is veiled. We don't know what it has in stock for each and everyone until it is unveiled. Every new year present with it the opportunity to start afresh or start anew.

 

As the preceding year winds down and God has given us the privilege to be alive, life gives us the opportunity to take stock of the things we have done with our lives; the errors or the mistakes that we made, the progresses that we recorded, and we have time to introspect on the things we think we could have done but didn't do. The reason we do this, according to the Psalmist, is so that we may apply our heart to wisdom (Psalm 90:12). Wisdom there talks about the quality of being wise, knowledge of what is proper or reasonable and a good sense of judgment.

 

I believe there are people who are dead right now, whom if given the opportunity to live again, would want to come back to this life and make amends. An example is the story of the rich man in the book of Luke chapter 16:30. The rich man pleaded with father Abraham and said, "but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent." But this isn't possible. A man who is dead don't make amends, it is only the living that has the privilege to make amends. And this is why each moment we are alive gives us that privilege to right the wrongs and make amends where and when necessary.

 

So, in unveiling the new year, what are the things we are supposed to be doing from now? Because I believe you don't want to wait till January 1st of 2020 before you start to preparing for the new year. Preparation for it must begin in earnest, even from now. Let me show us 7 things I think and believe we must start doing from now if we are going to really unveil the new year.

 

 

Number One: See the New Year Through The Eyes of Your Spirit!

Whatever you can see, you have the capacity to possess it. Eve saw the forbidden fruit, and then she partake of it. Abraham possessed the land for himself and for his descendants by simply looking. Genesis 13:14-15 tells us

 

"And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever."

 

I believe Abraham wouldn't have possessed the land by his mere physical eyes alone. Scientist have said the best a human eye can see if you are standing on a flat surface is just 3 miles away, and if you stand on an elevated surface, maybe 30 miles or thereabout. Obviously, God was not telling Abraham to possess the land 3 miles or 30 miles away northward, southward, eastward, and westward. It takes a special kind of eye to be able to fathom what Abraham saw. You can possess the new year by envisioning it through the eyes of your spirit. Looking at it with your physical eyes may limit you because you don't even know what the year has in stock for you. But the eyes of your spirit, through the lenses of the Holy Spirit can help you achieve this.

 

 

Number Two: Begin To Declare What You Want To Experience In The New Year!

 

"In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things."

James 3:5 (AMP)

 

There is so much power in our tongue. Through the words of our mouth, we can shape our life's experiences. Declaring here does not necessarily mean that you are praying. What it means is that you are speaking positively and confessing what you want to experience. Whatever you speak, you would get so, start declaring from now how you want every day and every month of the new year to be for you and your family and your business.

 

Listen to Podcast: Unveiling The New Year Through The Eyes of The Holy Spirit

 

Number Three: Praying and Planning Towards The New Year Must Begin Now!

Begin to shape the new year with prayers and with planning. This is no time to take things for granted the way you did in 2019. You can begin to shape the new year for yourself in the spiritual, calling forth those things that do not exist as though they did (Romans 4:17). This is a fundamental key in prayer, especially when praying for the UNKNOWN. You can speak forth what you want to experience in the new year, even from now. You can declare your days, weeks, months, hours, minutes, even every seconds and speak over them. Let me show us a Bible passage that corroborate this assertion. Proverbs 16:2-3 (NIV), the Bible says:

 

All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.

 

Did we see that? When you commit to the Lord whatever you do, the Bible says He establishes it. The only thing He does not establish are the things you don't commit to Him. And how do you this? It is through prayers.

 

Then don't just pray, plan for the new year too! God isn't against us planning. Even though He has His own plans for our lives, He isn't against us planning too, as long as our plans would be submitted into His own bigger plans for us. He says in Luke 14:28 that "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it." That passage clearly talks about us planning. God isn't interested in us living our lives haphazardly.  He is a God that plans, and so, we must plan too. Enough of living your life without a specific order. 1 Corinthians 14:40 says "let everything be done decently and in order."

 

If you want order in your life in the new year, then you must plan towards it.

 

Number Four: Approach the New Year With a Definite and Specific Purpose/Goal!

Enough of living life aimlessly, running from pillar to post. There is a way purpose gives meaning, direction and shape to one's life. Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:26 that "Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air." This is a clear example of one who knows why and what he is doing. Let me show us two things from the life of David that made him to be successful in life.

 

In 1 Samuel 17:29, David said, "Is their not a cause?" He told his brother, I didn't just show up here accidentally, something important and definite brought me here. For you to have a fruitful new year, you must look for your own cause! That cause could be your purpose, it could be a goal that you have set for yourself. Find it and then pursue it vigorously.

 

Finally, in pursuing your purpose and goal, you must have a winning formula. Winning formulas are what and what that would work for you in attaining that purpose and goal. Other person's idea or formula may not exactly work for you because purpose and goals may be different. David had a winning formula. Although, Saul suggested that he tried out something else, by wearing his own armor. But David couldn't use Saul's armor because he had not tested it. That was not his own winning formula. See 1 Samuel 17:38-40:

 

So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

 

What exactly are your winning ways? Ask God to give you different approaches to handling your different challenges. There is sure a way out of those things you have assumed are your biggest challenges. If you are suffering from alcohol or drug addiction, there is a way out. If you are having issues maritally, or having challenges raising your kids, there is a way out too. There is no problem that is absolutely insurmountable. All you need is to find the right winning formula, and you will see yourself overcoming those problems.

 

 

I Pray the Lord will help us in Jesus' name.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!