A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Happy New Year to every living TREMite. I’m so excited and delighted to welcome you to the year 2019, a year wherein you will be ABOVE ONLY in all areas of your lives. There is no going down for you this year; you are on the eagle’s flight, therefore you will soar this year. Beloved get ready, because this year you will sing your song, and you will dance your dance, God will do the “Big One” in your life. I know I will hear your testimonies this year, I am very certain of it.

Beloved, it is for this reason that you must not trivialize things this year. Your approach, attitude will determine what you experience. God has said that 2019 is our year of ABOVE ONLY. Now, the question is do you believe it, and are you ready to walk in the reality of this word in all areas of your life? One thing you must understand is that this year is brand-new; everyday this year is completely new. I mean you have never lived in today, Sunday, January 6 2019 before now, nor Monday January 7, 2019 before it comes around tomorrow. Therefore don’t take the Word for the year as one of those things, no! Child of God if you must walk in the reality of all the prophecies and declarations in this year 2019, then you must have a different approach. You must position yourself to reap the benefits of these Words by engaging God.

David was a man who had fought many battles and won. One of the first things any believer or anyone for that matter, learns about David, is his triumph against Goliath. David was undoubtedly skilled at fighting wars. However, David’s secret remained that he would always inquire of the Lord, irrespective of what the situation was. He never got to the point where he felt he had arrived and knew everything about waging wars, or what to do to win; he always inquired of the Lord about every battle. Even when he was faced with back-to-back battles, he didn’t rely on the previous strategy that gave him victory, but sought the Lord for a fresh strategy each time.

“Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.” 2 Samuel 5:23 (NKJV)

If you read from verse 17 of this scripture, you’ll see that the Philistines came against David after he had been anointed King. In verse 19, he inquired of the Lord about how to tackle the Philistines, and the Lord told him what to do, and he was victorious. However, that didn’t stop the Philistines, they came against him again in verse 22. From the text in verse 23, we see that David went back and inquired of the Lord again concerning what to do as pertaining to this particular battle, and the Lord gave him a completely different strategy. The question I want to ask, and I’m sure you’re also thinking the same way, is, “What if he had assumed that the previous strategy would suffice, and went on to attack the Philistines, being that God had not too long before, given him that strategy?” More especially because it was the same enemy, and he had been at this rodeo before.

Your guess is as good as mine, that he might have suffered a grave defeat at the hands of the enemy. Alternatively, even if he had defeated the Philistines, it would not have been on the same degree of victory that he enjoyed.

Child of God, the year has just started and as is customary, you are making key decisions, setting goals, and making plans for the year. But I want to ask you, have you inquired of the Lord concerning what these goals should be? Have you inquired on what your strategies for the year should be, or are you just going by head knowledge based on last year’s strategy? David was faced with making some key decisions, and he chose to seek the face of God for direction. Don’t tell me it was easy for him to pray and seek God’s face for direction – it most definitely was not! Imagine having won a battle against your arch-enemy and whilst you’re enjoying your victory, you receive news that the enemy you thought was destroyed, has regrouped to engage you in another battle. Beloved, that’s a trap right there! It would have been easier to be overconfident and rally the troops to go decimate the enemy one more time, than it would have been, to pray and seek God’s face.

Thank God for David, that he did not lean on his own understanding. Any wonder the Bible refers to him as a man after God’s heart. David, rather than operate in his own understanding, was humble enough to inquire of the Lord, and God gave them victory.

Beloved, if we must win and be ABOVE ONLY in 2019, accomplishing all that God has in store for us, then we must be humble enough to realise that 2019 requires a different approach, and it can only be gotten from the mouth of Jehovah.

Our God is a speaking God; yesterday’s revelation is gone, and He wants to show you great and mighty things that you do not know of, today. He only desires that you ask Him. Take out time and seek the face of the Lord, not just now, but for everyday, and He will guide your steps. I’m excited about what God has purposed for us in 2019, and I plead with you to position yourself rightly to take advantage of what God has perfected for us in eternity. You will not miss your portion this year, in Jesus’ name, amen. I bless you!

Maranatha!

In His Royal Service,

Dr. Mike Okonkwo

The Presiding Bishop