TIMES AND SEASONS
SATURDAY 01 JANUARY 2022
How we live our lives as Christians is important to God. This year we must make it count by seriously enquiring from the Lord what He wants for us and then serve Him faithfully, so that our assured hope of His glory will be made manifest in our lives in a greater dimension.
Reference: Daniel 2:20-22 The Voice (Voice) "Daniel: Praise the name of God forever and ever, for all wisdom and power belong to Him. He sets in motion the times and the ages."
Daniel acknowledged that it is God who changes the times and the seasons. If you are in this year 2022, you are in the right year at the right time because God in His infinite wisdom, has set the year in motion for your good and benefit.
As a born again Christian, every year should start with acknowledging the wisdom and power of God and seeing the time change through the eyes of our heavenly Father who sets times and seasons in motion. According to the ancient Greeks, "chronos" and "kairos" are two key words for the concept of time. Chronos is the personification of a more absolute sense of time, for instance, by using a clock time that can be measured - in seconds, minutes, hours, years, while Kairos is used as the right, proper time or opportune moment for something.
Moreover, every new year is a gift from God and is more precious than just the time change on a calendar and a shift on the dates. Although the calendar and date change are important because of what they stand for - which is to provide consistency and clarity in man's functionality, a new year is more than just what can be measured with chronological tools or instrument. It is actually a continued and added blessing from God in the sense that God has given us another opportunity to increase the duration of our blessings on earth.
Although the almighty God functions beyond the time realm, by His unlimited wisdom, He inserted the time version amid eternity in such a way that it favours mankind and governs every human function and experience. So it is beneficial to us when we recognize the wisdom and power of God in this new year, which we must embrace as forward-propelling weapons and make them count in our lives.
What did Daniel do when faced with a challenging situation? He acknowledged through praise, that all wisdom and power belong to God and then, he acknowledged that God is the revealer of mysteries. Then most importantly, Daniel used every time wisely. At a point, he asked for a little time so that he could interpret a King's dream. What was the little time for? To seek God's face for wisdom, revelation and assurance. Daniel went home, not to spend the time he asked for on irrelevant matters or unimportant issues under such circumstance. Instead, he summoned his associates and prayer partners, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to agree with Him in his prayer to the God of heaven for insight into solving a mystery that came up.
This year is a new time set in motion and will come with new seasons and events we probably have never experienced before. However we must learn through the life of Daniel, the value of prayer, the intelligence of living according to God's schedule and the discernment of tapping into the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit for the right steps we need to take and for the revelation of things to come. In fact, if you're going to live a life of remarkable impact and make progress in a greater dimension and from a higher perspective, you must pay apt attention to your prayer life. Why? Prayer is an eye-opening, vision-inspiring tool that makes us more ripe to handle the task ahead of us, to excel in our endeavours and to prevail in our world victoriously.
Its a new year and its up to you to decide what to do with the new time that is given to you. However as a child of God, you have the advantage and opportunity to move forward, unhindered by anything because the Spirit of advancement, who is the Holy Spirit, dwells in you. So you must develop your prayer life in a way that deepens your personal relationship with God, in order to cease every opportunity, create or make a real transformative impact in your world and maximize your potentials by using your precious time wisely. Shalom!
Scripture Reading - Jeremiah 29:11; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 20:4; Isaiah 43:18-19; Revelation 21:5.
Guided Prayer: Dear gracious Father, I thank you for your manifold wisdom in setting up times and seasons in favour of your creation on earth and for many other instances. Its a new year and I'm forever grateful for your enabling grace which impelled me to cross over with joy and for manifesting your love in my life in past times, which are indelibly apparent in my thoughts and expressions. By trusting you with all my heart and leaning on your wisdom and power, I have increased in my capacity to move forward and more heavenward in every good and possible attainment in Jesus' Name, Amen!
