Times and seasons are markers that make live measurable and more meaningful. Since time immemorial, the turning of times has always signalled a new beginning. Imagine what life would be if it was an endless loop of days without a comma or full stop? Humans would have had to bear a backlog of pain, failure, errors, mistakes and guilt forever. There would be no season to celebrate past victories and blessings; no reference point to the past or the future. There would have been no opportunity to begin afresh on a clean slate. Life as a lump sum without the punctuation mark called “years” would be boring. The only place where such makes sense is on the God side of eternity. We are, therefore, grateful to God for the concept of a new year; the idea of a fresh start; and the opportunity of a reset every 365 days or so.

Welcome to the year 2015, the Acceptable Year of the Lord and the year of His favour. It is a year of double comfort for God’s people, a conduplication of favour and mercy. There shall be an end to every form of hard service and warfare. There would be emancipation from all forms of bondage and slavery, and restoration of all rights and privileges. Expect double blessings for your trouble, double for all you have lost. Divine help will be the hallmark of the year 2015. I hear God say, I am here to help you: “I was the first to tell Jerusalem, ‘Look! Help is on the way! - Isaiah 41:27 (NLT). Let it be on record that God said it first. Tell Nigeria, tell yourself, tell your family… help is coming. Happy days are here again; better days are coming again.

However, there are instructions critical to the year 2015:

1. Commitment is the key to breakthrough; commitment exercised in patience, hope and persistence. Your commitment must be first to God, then to His work, Church, Family and then your dreams. The secret to JOY is still Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between.

2. Make a way for the Lord in 2015, a major road: Express, straight and smooth. Create priority space for God. Give Him unhindered and unrestricted access to the uncultivated and barren areas. Allow Him access the shameful and unfruitful portions of your life that you have fenced off public view. Give Him the keys to the dark corners of your life and let Him unearth every dead, hidden and buried glory.

3. Pull down everything that is raised (lifted) in your life: Altars, idols, habit, mindset, culture, tradition and stronghold… Deal with the ‘big deals’ in your life. God alone must be raised and praised.

4. Add finesse to your life. Smoothen your character, abilities and talent. Develop every latent gifts and crude potential. Address every weakness in you. Don’t ignore or cover up. Make up for every deficiency, curb excesses. Don’t ignore pitfalls, fill them.

5. Fill every void and emptiness with substance. Read the Bible and meditate on God’s word. Read books, listen to messages, attend seminars and develop yourself.

2015 is the year of the Lord’s glory. I pray that the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. Amen. [Isaiah 40, 41, 61].
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