CROSSING OVER TO GREAT FRUITFULNESS

CROSSING OVER TO GREATER FRUITFULNESS

Dec. 29, 2016                                             Exodus 14.12, 15.14, 15.27, Mark 4. 35-41

The last days of the year is always a period of evaluation. It behooves every sincere child of God to pause and analyze the outgoing year so as cross over into greater fruitfulness. Every crossing over requires adequate self-examination and preparedness. Israel was in severe affliction in Egypt till they desired to cross over. God always give the condition and the strategy for crossing over yet Israel must be sure they are in total compliance with God’s direction before they would be able to cross over. Even in the time of Christ, crossing over by His disciples was in obedience to His instructions, and the same is for us today. Our own cross over is not the physical Red sea or Jordan River but from one year to another. Actually, our crossing over should not be of the lunar calendar but spiritual, mental, emotional, marital and financial. When we take stocks of our lives, we may discover that we need to cross over from failure to success, from poverty to prosperity, from weakness to strength, from being a sinner to a member of God’s kingdom, from the year of recession into a year of fruitfulness, plenty and prosperity. The Lord had commanded us to go forward and cross over in spite of the challenges and obstacles around us. He had assured us of His presence and power in the coming year and by His grace and mercy we shall receive abundant of fruitfulness in the coming year in Jesus name.

Depressions and predicaments of the current year.  Exo. 3.7, Gen 26.1. 2Kings 2.9, 1 Chron. 4.9, Mark 4.37-38

Egypt was not a land of pleasure for Israel at this time. It was a period of hardship, groaning and excruciating pain where there was no mercy for God’s people. Pharaoh set taskmasters upon them to afflict them severely without measure. Their experience is symbolic to what happened to others in bible days and also to us today. A period of scarcity, penury and poverty sometimes come as we have in our case this year. In the days of Elisha, the land was barren and the water was naught because the land was under a curse. In the days of Abraham and Isaac, it was a period of severe famine. Apart of these experiences of depression in the land, there are other various predicaments that people face individually from which they must certainly cross over. Jabez was in sorrow until he realized he must cross it over. Hannah was childless until she became desperate to change her status and cross over. However, to the disciples of Christ, it was a great storm on the sea. What is your own predicament today? Though there is an economic recession in the land, God promises us divine fruitfulness in the coming year if we can follow His precepts through faith. You shall cross over from your defeat to dominion and the Lord will calm every storm for you in Jesus name.

Divine precepts for crossing over into the new year. Exo. 14. 13-16, Exo. 12. 13, Joshua 3.5

God always provide the way out for His people. He commanded Israel through Moses to go forward. Then He instructed Moses to stretch his rod to divide the sea. But this was done because Israel had obeyed the redemptive instruction the previous day by applying the blood of the lamb upon their lintels. They were purified from their iniquities. Also at the brink of Jordan, Joshua commanded the people to set themselves (sanctify) apart for God because the Almighty is in their midst and will fight for them. We also cannot do otherwise. We must recognize that because of the presence of the Lord, we must surrender fully to Him by (i) Self-examination of our relationship and services with God this year (2 Cor. 13.5), (ii) Complete repentance from sin, yieldedness and total submission to His will (Rom 12.1-1), Expressing our total trust and confidence in God as the only Help (Ps. 37.3), (iv) Pray earnestly for the specific change you want in your life (James 5.16). Making up your mind to follow Him in righteousness to the end.

Dominion and prosperity in the coming year. Exo. 15.22-27, 2Kings 2.19-22, Luke 18.1; Lk. 18. 35-43, Zech. 3.1-4, 2 Kings 7.1, Isa. 35. 1-7, Isa. 60. 1-22, Dan.11.32,

 Israel crossed over the Red sea but that land thereafter was without edible water but through Moses’ prayer, God turned the bitter water into sweet and gave them a covenant of healing and health, and brought them to Elim - the land of fruitfulness and prosperity.  God had given us many precious promises to change our status in the coming year, but we need fervent prayer and faith in God to claim them and launch in to the realms of the supernatural. We must understand and believe that with God all things are possible. God who turned poverty to prosperity at the gate of Samaria (2Kings7.1) will overturn all our predicaments in Jesus Name. In this faith, we must act positively in the dominion God had given us.  Prayer of faith changes situations and circumstances. Your level of prayer tonight will show how much change you desire from the Lord. Pray and claim His unchanging promises till you cross over into fruitfulness.