Hey people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy new year! I hope you can feel the excitement in that first line! I’m so excited to be back to writing to you. I took a much-needed break to rest and refocus. I didn’t get as much rest as I had hoped but I feel reenergized – so goal achieved anyway!
How have you been? How was the Christmas holiday and how has the new year been so far? Sixteen days in; any exciting news at your end? I know we all hoped that COVID would pass away with 2020 but alas, we are in the famed second wave with differing restrictions across the world. Please don’t let COVID steal your joy. Restrictions on movement aren’t restrictions on love, joy, family, life, knowledge, impact, etc.– so we still have so much to be grateful for. For anyone who may have lost friends, family and loved ones to the pandemic, my heart and prayers go out to you. I pray that God comforts your heart and that you experience His love more than ever at this time. Please stay safe everyone, wear your masks, social distance and do the needful.
Friends and family, welcome to 2021!
I am so glad to declare to you, “IT’S A NEW DAY!”
I know it’s cliché to say a new year connotes a new day, new goals, new resolutions, new decisions, etc.; but it really is a great opportunity to start over, take new strides, learn new things, open your heart to love again, deepen your walk with God, refocus, etc. I don’t doubt that you can start to do all these things from tomorrow morning, however, my point is that it’s a new year, so make the best use of it. Don’t procrastinate your dreams, goals, and desires; start today!
That said, our conversation today is not about taking new steps but more about a new way of being. I may not know the details of what the year holds, but I know, without a doubt, that God is set to do amazing things with, for, in and through us this year. As awesome as this sounds, the question however is, “are you ready?” I reckon the response for most, may be a loud and resounding ‘yes’ in a heartbeat; but remember there is a price for newness. For the new to come in, we must trade the old; comfortable and familiar as it maybe, one must precede the other.
I know I sound a tad terrifying but rest easy; this newness isn’t demanding your life. God would never demand from us what isn’t in our capacity to give. This newness, like everything else God brings and does, is in our best interest. We know this through Jeremiah 29:11 that reads, “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”
So, what is this new day that I’m talking of?
It’s a new day to walk closer with God.
It’s a new day in the words of my dear friend to, “lean in” to God.
It is not the time to play bingo (in Nigerian parlance, “play tumbo-tumbo”) with your life and decisions when you can thrive and flourish by divine instructions and guidance.
It is time to allow Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness to illuminate your path, instruct you, teach you and counsel you. (Psalm 32:8)
It is time to allow Him to be your Good Shepherd. (Psalm 23:1-6)
It is time to be like sheep and allow Him truly to be the shepherd of your soul.
Like I said in my previous post, “Shepherded”; shepherding demands submission, obedience, time to cultivate a relationship, etc.
It is time to utterly submit to His instructions.
It is time to allow God to be the LORD of all aspects of your life.
It is time to allow Him to define the direction of your life, not trends, popular culture, not your own limited perspectives and belief systems, your strategic permutations, etc. Friends, God is way bigger than all that!
It is time to allow Him to guide your life. He is the Extraordinary Strategist! (Isaiah 9:6 TPT)
Nothing! No man, no being, no strategic imperatives, outcomes, blueprints, action plans and mind maps can outwit God. He is the all-knowing God. (Psalm 139:1-6)
This year, live yielded and obedient. Lean into God. Make room for Him. Reorganize your agenda, calendar, program, and lifestyle to prioritize Him. Let God be your soul’s greatest delight and deepest desire. Permit me to say, obsess over Him. He’s worth it.
It is time to go DEEPER with God!
It is time to say like the Hillsong song “Oceans”; “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters, wherever You would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made be made stronger in the presence of my Savior”.
It is time to go on an adventure with Jesus.
This year, prioritize knowing God. Prioritize cultivating an intimate relationship with Him. Prioritize obeying Him and prioritize His leading.
Let me add this, obedience begins with listening carefully, then acting immediately and exactly. No adding you and your own peculiarities to what He’s said. Obedience is compliance to His directives – nothing added, nothing taken out irrespective of how unpopular it may seem.
Obedience begins with being before doing. It begins with becoming the man and woman after His heart. Obedience begins with seeking Him, being hungry and thirsty for Him. It begins with answering His call to go beyond routine and religion and come into relationship.
I love how Psalm 32:9 (TPT) says it – “So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before. Don’t make me tug you and pull you along. Just come with me!”
You heard Him! He’s ready to take you where you’ve never been.
The question is, “are you ready for newness?” If yes, come along because I’m ready for new adventures with my Father.
It is a new day to walk with God! It is a new day to go deeper! It is a new day for absolute obedience!
Welcome to 2021!
P.S: I hope you’re subscribed to my podcast, “Growing Together with C.I”. It’s live on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify & Anchor FM. I’ll be sharing some more on this on there. You don’t want to miss it!
As always,
