Crossover to take over (2)

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Deuteronomy 9:4‭-‬6 (NKJV)
“Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

In a previous post Crossover to take over (1), we were given the assurance of a victorious 2022 because God has already conquered 2022 and delivered victory to us. And that though we may face of with intimidating and overwhelming challenges this year, we should be rest assured that God who is with us and in us is greater than whatever challenges we may encounter. These were the 'draw out' from the words God spake to the Israelites in preparation for their crossover of the Jordan River, whereby He told them they are crossing over to dispossess nations, cities and people greater and mightier than them.

Furthermore, after God had given the Israelites prophetic words of their victorious fate beyond the Jordan, as it pertains to the battles they will face, knowing the heart of man, He gave them a stern warning or reality check of some sort, that they should not in anyway think that the victory He will give them over their enemies is a consequence of their righteousness, uprightness of hearts, good works or obedience to the law of Moses (Deut 9:4-6). In the passage, you will find that God had to repeatedly say this. This is because humanity is so quick to highlight efforts and correlate results or output with inputs. Many times, we want to find a reason or explanation for our success from the view point of what we did right or are doing right. Unfortunately, when we do this, we are not able to fully or truly give due credit and regard to God for the happenings in our lives. Does this mean we should not put in our very best efforts in the pursuit of success or victory? Absolutely not! You give everything your best shot, but you must not amplify or glorify your efforts. Your pursuit of success must be done with the consciousness of God, that He is the source and giver of what you're striving for, and you must put your faith on Him to receive it as you put in your efforts. So, God is saying to you, "This year 2022, you will dispossess nations, cities and people greater than you. You will conquer every challenge that comes your way. You will move mountains. You will accomplish great things. You will break new grounds. However, when it happens, don't get tempted to think that it is a consequence of your self-righteousness, good works, qualifications, connections, expertise and experience".

Friends, I believe that this is a good time to be reminded that everything we have received or will receive from God is not a function of our works or self-righteousness. Our salvation (the very foundation of our relationship with God) which happens to be the greatest gift any man will ever receive from God was not delivered as a consequence of man's righteousness, how much more any other less significant gift man will receive from God! Beloved, God is incredibly gracious and His dealings with us are from the position of grace. The Bible says He is sitting on the throne of grace (Heb 4:16). Once we put our faith in Jesus for salvation, God releases His righteousness to us as a gift; and everything else He releases to us is as a result of His grace. This grace we enjoy has been sponsored by the blood of Jesus although we have to access this grace through faith. Be rest assured God will never withhold anything from you, and this is not dependent on your works. He is delivering victory to you because He loves you. Being made in His image and likeness, you are highly valued by Him.

In conclusion, once you acknowledge that your victories and accomplishments this year will not be a consequence of your works but the grace of God, this understanding should help you look to Jesus in 2022 and subsequent years. Your focus should be on God all through 2022 and beyond, acknowledging that He is your source, not your works nor your job, qualifications, experience or connections. God loves you perfectly and infinitely; even in your worst days, His love does not diminish. You need to trust in God's perfect love and unmerited favour. When you do, His divine life will flow through you more for unprecedented success such that you will produce wonderful results in your life that cannot be correlated to your inputs. God is with you always; no matter what circumstances you may encounter this year, pleasant or unpleasant, you need to learn to see or focus on God in the midst of it all and believe that all things are working out for your good. You need to be convinced that when you experience difficulties, it is meant to refine or beautify you as fire does for gold; when situations try to suppress or stagnate you, you will thrive even more like the Israelites in the land of Egypt. Choose to be under the influence of God's grace. Open up your heart daily to receive the abundance of God's grace and mercy so you can reign in life. God bless you.

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