What Is A Good Year

miss_tpa

Dec 30, 202310 min read

Updated: Jan 6, 2024

The usual memes are circulating and there is one saying how people have learnt not to say how 2024 will be their year. The reality of 2023, or even before, can leave us with a bitter taste or scars to say we’ve not just been in a battle but a war. A war that can feel like all world wars combined. A war that doesn’t leave us as hopeful/positive/faith driven as we were before. Should we have our guard up to the point we are not hopeful at all? The answer to success in 2024 can be found in many places especially social media.

Every influencer, entrepreneur has the keys to success but the catch is you have to pay them an amount that you hope will be a good investment both in the short and long term. The success they may give you is also in one thing, which yes may spill into others but will always be limited. A human can never fulfil another human.

There is a verse I recently read that I’ve read before, that hit different this time. What I concluded was that verse is the key to success in 2024. Before I share the verse, I also learnt something great from the preceding verses that I would like to carry each day. I am not waiting for the New year to carry it. I have not done New year’s resolution for years and I will not be starting anytime soon. Anything can be changed at any time.

So much pressure is put on 1st of Jan and the beginning of the year as if it’s the one that bears all things and endures all things. Its Jesus who asked us to cast all our cares and burdens on him. I don’t remember Jan 1st or the whole of January promising anything let alone having some divine powers that if any plan is executed in that month, it will go to complete success purely because it’s a new year.

What I learnt from the verse is that any problem we face is not just there to prune us because we need some arbitrary pruning. The troubles we will face are to prune us to produce more fruit! Meaning, God’s view is that before our problems started, we were bearing fruit! How awesome is that! More awesome is what we’ve produced he wants to multiply! Amen for the God of multiplication!

My prayer for us is that for any trouble that may come in 2024, may we see it that way. Being Pruned for more fruit. Our response to greetings should change from “so, so, I’m good (when you’re clearly not!), not so bad” into “oowi! I’m being pruned for more fruit.” isn't that more hope giving than the usual greetings and salutations. I welcome you to message me on any platform if you find yourself here.

Like many, 2023 has been a hard year and some tears have been shed and for all sorts of reasons. A month after the 2nd burial anniversary of my cousin, I found myself back in the crying phase. I didn’t find it odd/question why the tears returned after a long time. From all the things I have learnt about grief even before she slept, was that grief is like that. My Forever hope that keeps me going, gives me strength and peace, for anyone I know who has slept, is that Jesus himself will raise all those who died in him.

So, it may look like death has won but it has not and can never! What I know is the First born of the dead has all the power and the Excellent Book states how before his crucifixion he categorically said that not even the ruler of this world has power over him. What a day of rejoicing it will be when death is destroyed and we are reunited with all our loved ones. And that day is coming, it’s not a fairy tale/fable/myth. It will happen! Hallelujah! The rest of us need to do our part to make sure we are in that number.

What I am so grateful for and hold as the constant success I’ve had this year is the spiritual lessons/perspectives/revelations and knowledge of also doing earthly things. These too have brought tears because I’ve seen how God really cares about the things we may consider mediocre/mundane/ “not prayer worthy”. Yes he listens to the spoken prayers, but he listens especially to the unspoken ones, the sighs, the grunts, the ones you don’t even know how to articulate because you don’t even want to articulate it because its not something you want to dwell on (too frustrating or painful).

When I say he hears, I mean he hears AND answers it as if you spoke the prayer. What an Awesome God. This particular character of God is what has brought the good of 2023 and they haven’t been mediocre good, they’ve been Good! Good! I now have a new routine of doing a happy dance in the moment and whether my Guardian angel joins me as I ask him to, I will find out on that day when we get to see the “movie” of this life we have lived.

Of the revelations and learnings, they’ve been so many, and I am trying to share them on my IG page especially from the sermons. Lessons which I’ve said have been like a private masterclass with God as the teacher as per my previous post Masterclass. One came to me this week that again is something I have heard before, but hit different this time. Something I feel we all need to carry into 2024. This thing called guilt and shame that is cancelled out by this marvellous unending gem called Grace. The day I had this revelation I was about to mess up. The lesson is we will always mess up. When I say mess up, I mean out of harmony with God. So many times I try not to and as it happens that’s the very day, the devil will be rejoicing because I’ve fallen again in one way or another, in a potent way.

The divine teacher and counsellor reminded me Grace was invented because as a human, I will be out of harmony with God in some way and he knew this, and its not a surprise. One thing about God, he always wants us to win. If we were not going to sin, then Grace would not have been invented. This doesn’t mean we’re given a pass to do anything that is not in harmony with him. It means when we take accountability for our actions, as is so often spoken about these days, instead of that guilt and shame consuming and overwhelming us and most of all making us feel like we can’t talk to our God, and need to keep our distance from him because we feel unworthy, we don't need to take that approach. Taking that approach of unworthy to talk to God and be friends with God is a lie the devil would want us to believe.

We all fall and get out of harmony with God only because we are human beings. Our ancestors set us up that way and they set us up for this troublesome life that we now live. But there is hope and in addition to that there is Grace. As we approach 2024, guilt and shame need to be buried in 2023 latest by 23:59, because they don’t deserve to see any new year.

With the lessons, revelations, divine counselling and testimonies I’ve been blessed with, what I can say about the key to success in 2024 is the verse in the Excellent Book that says “He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.“ If we want to bear not just fruit but Much fruit, we've been instructed on what to do. If we want to do something, we've also been instructed on what to do. And what is this Much fruit we want to bear. This is where the difference between what the moguls offer and what the Vine offers, lie.

The moguls will tell you how to get external fruit: money, invest, buy a house, travel, get in a relationship, have multiple streams of income but we’ve all seen what all these are without internal fruit: peace, joy of the Lord, eternal life. We’ve seen numerous celebrities die of suicide yet it seemed like they had all these things the moguls/influencers teach us to do or have. The truth is we need more than the external things. When the internal is in turmoil, having £1 billion isn’t it. So then what is a good year?

During my book reading this week, I read how an unbelieving husband was wondering why his Christian wife would always wake up and serve him food regardless of how late he come back home. He bragged to his friends about this and one time invited them to see if that what he was saying was true as they doubted him. They discovered it was true. She woke up at that 3 am they strolled in and made for them food. The husband asked his wife why she treated him that way. She said since you won’t make it to heaven, I might as well give you a piece of heaven while you are on earth. While in church today, the pastor shared of a man popularly known as total man, who has since passed away. He was very powerful and rich but is now just a memory here and there. His total-ness, died with him.

The revelation I have of what a good year is, is one that sets you up for eternal life. Yes 2023 was hard, but did it set you up for a life of no sorrow, no more tears, enjoying the mansions Jesus said he was going to prepare? If the answer is yes, then contrary to what we all thought, 2023 was a good year. If we continue with the path we are on of building and growing in faith, and at the same time receiving the gem of Grace, then even before 2024 has started we know that it will indeed be a Good year despite the scars we may be carrying not just from 2023 but from before.

This is comforting and eases the pressure of the unmet expectations that can happen, lead to disappointment, frustration and on the far side, despair. God didn't create us for or to live in despair. Again it is the sole duty of the devil to make you believe your feelings over what God has promised. He has promised Hope, Victory, and eternal life where there will be no iota of despair. The pre-requisite, John 3:16. You don't have to pay, Jesus paid it all. You don't have to work for it because you can't. How can you work your way to the cross and die for others? You don't have to study for it, Glory to God! Only Believe.

If our lives are fragile, here today gone tomorrow, the things we accumulate are equally fragile if not more. When its time to go home to the mansions that have been prepared for us, all the generational wealth people are focusing on will all be destroyed. Sometimes even before. Shortly after writing my previous post, my neighbour sent me a video of how someone had knocked into Chestnut, my car, scratched and dented it with the passenger side mirror on the ground, glass all around that side.

Instead of wondering about the short term, what kind of year we will have, the bigger question is, in the long term, at the end of time, what will happen to us? What will happen to our friends, families, children and the generations after? And what can we do about it? If we will be prepared to enjoy the things God has prepared for us then come what may in any year, it will be a good year(s) because the biggest picture of our life will be achieved even through the traumatic times. The traumatic times can never take away what God has promised us because they have no power ever, over the promises of our God.

Most importantly the Excellent Book says as we seek eternal life, ALL, not some, ALL the things we could ever ask think or imagine shall be added unto us, not might, Shall! Hallelujah! Why? Because when you and the Vine abide in each other, I want to say you are one. So you will ask for the things he would want for you and this is why he says whatever you ask, you will receive. Then BAM! Victory is yours!

The last testimony I want to leave you with is the openness of God. The Excellent Book says how God wants to reveal to us so many things. In 2023 this is what I have observed for myself. My encouragement to you as you approach the end of and beginning of the new year, is ask God any question. My testimony is he will answer some of them soon as, some later and you will be amazed how he archived your question only to answer it, in that perfect time of his. While some, will need patience. “I don’t have patience” join many of us. Ask and keep asking for it and for your questions to be answered.

The whole reason the Excellent Book exists is because God wants to tell us about him, us and most of all how he loves us. So how then can you have a burning question about anything in any topic and this God who loves you and allowed himself to see his son killed for you, not answer your burning question. In 2024 don’t just ask for the things you need, ask for the mysteries in your heart or head that you would like resolved. I promise you in Jesus name, you will have a similar if not better testimony of how you asked a whole bunch of questions, some not even serious and yes God answered you.

May you step into the new year knowing through Jesus you already have a good year because eternity, whenever it comes is waiting for you. May you step into the new year knowing that God considers your fruit deserving of bearing even more! May you look at the hardships of life aka pruning process with new eyes that will leave the devil fleeing from you so you can testify of what it means for Jesus to say you are more than a conqueror. Most of all Fear not! For God is with you. Be not dismayed, For he is your God. Whatever happens, he will help you, whatever happens he will strengthen you, whatever happens he will uphold you with his victorious right hand. Why? Because God is Good, God is Great, God is Ultimately the Best and that is his Eternal Character.

Related Verses

John 15:1-7

2 Corinthians 4:18

Romans 12:12

1 Peter 1:3-6

Colossians 1:15-19

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Romans 8:26-27

Ephesians 2:8–9

Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:29

Daniel 2:21, 22