I don't get too excited when God gives me a word anymore. In fact, I become anxious. Lol. I have come to know that when God says something is coming, it might take a week, a month or a year to see it come to pass (or to fully understand it). And that period of waiting can be such a long, tough one.
Prepare Your Heart
2016 taught me a whole lot about waiting for the manifestation of a Word.
I grew in the knowledge of patience, faith and love. I can't even tell you how much pruning and cleaning and re-pruning my heart went through. Ah!
When God gave me the word "GLORY" for 2016, what I had in mind was way different from what God did.
I had thought glory was all about the splendour and blessings of God.
Guess what I found out?
Glory is not just,
- the blessing
- the miracle
- the answer
- the breakthrough
Glory is,
- some weight
- some burden
- some pressure
- some pain
- some change
Glory is quite an interesting word and can mean different things depending on the season you are in.
Luke 2:9 - An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
John 8:50 - I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1Peter 5:10 - And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ.
Now let's look on Colossians 1:27. What is ‘the hope of glory’ in this context? So many meanings!
A. The hope of shining brightly
B. The hope of being with God in heaven
C. The hope of displaying the nature and character of God
D. The hope of being praised, celebrated and thought of as something great
B. The hope of being with God in heaven
C. The hope of displaying the nature and character of God
D. The hope of being praised, celebrated and thought of as something great
Well! Which one would you choose? Very clearly we all love D. I wanted D too. But I got C!
God's glory changes you. It brings about a change in every area of your life - career, relationship, finance, business, etc.
Talking about change, have you read my current Relationship Goals? That's some growth right there!
2016 was indeed a year of basking in God's Glory. I look back and I smile. :)
For as many that were on that ride with me through this blog, I hope you got a glimpse of the glory. Yeah?
Oh, I think I should share a blast from the past for those who will be joining me in this new year. Here are my
top heart-wrenching 2016 rays:
- Can't Give Up Now!
- God Wants Me To Be
- Where Is My Phone?
- And God says "STOP"
- Can't Give Up Now!
- God Wants Me To Be
- Where Is My Phone?
- And God says "STOP"
and
top heart-warming 2016 rays:
- Does It Make Any Sense?
- Journey Through Memory Lane
- 10 Years After Graduation
- Meeting With My Girlfriends
- Journey Through Memory Lane
- 10 Years After Graduation
- Meeting With My Girlfriends
Two of my favourite personalities in the Bible are Joseph and Daniel. I love those guys!
Whenever I think about my little dreams, I reflect on Joseph's lifestyle. And whenever I meditate about fulfilling these dreams, I reflect on Daniel's.
You know why we usually talk about Daniel and Joseph today? It is not because of their gift of interpreting dreams. It is because of their character!
Your gift is only as safe as the character that sustains it.
I've understood that character means much more to God than service. God's nature has to come first before we achieve our dreams.
Being a person of character is the strategy to stepping into and taking over our promised land.
Prison can't change a person of character, it exposes their gifts. Being in the furnace can't change a person of character, it reveals WHO they are.
God's glory radiates in character. You shine when His nature is IN you!
Yes, I eventually got a dream job. But, that's not the place. It is only a path that is leading to the place.
So, here is the Word I received for 2017:
'PREPARE YOUR HEART'
I'm so scared but I am confident. Lol. Only God knows what God has in store for this year. Only God . . .
Please give me some more days to press into God.
Once again, Happy New Year!
What's your Word for the year as related to your character development - want to share?
Written by Nwamaka Ajaegbu
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Heart Rays . . . giving light.
