The Sunday Mail
I pray that 2016 is going well.
The beginning of the year brings new hope, new energy and new perspectives.
Pastor Tinashe
Zinyemba
The Christian Youth
It brings a particular drive and rightly so because a fresh page would have been turned. It allows us to correct the past mistakes and build on our successes.
In Isaiah 43 v 19 The Lord says, “Behold I do a new thing …” Hence when new things are happening you know for sure that God is involved because He is always moving forward.
I pray that is the situation you are in, filled with zeal and ready to take on new challenges.
This situation reminds me of a similar story in the Bible. There was a new season afoot and everyone was excited about the fresh challenges that this season presented. God was doing a new thing and the sky was the limit.
This story is in Joshua 3. God promised the Israelites some land. They had spent 430 years in slavery in Egypt, then an additional 40 years in the desert. God performed some very unique miracles to deliver them from Egypt and keep them alive in the desert.
The man whom God had used to set them free performed all those miracles. When he died, no one knew what happened to his body. His name was Moses.
Moses’ protégé had just recently been appointed to take over from the now deceased and the entire nation was on the border of the promised land.
This is very similar to where we are right now in this month of January. It is the first month of the year, there are new projections, new challenges and a new calendar.
Everyone has a new theme or vision. For some it is New Year’s resolutions, new plans. But in the midst of all of this buzz, one thing remains true – nobody knows what lays ahead in the future.
Now, Joshua the new leader said to the people in Joshua 3 v 4, “… come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go. For ye have not passed this way heretofore.”
He was advising the nation to calm down as no one had ever gone that way before.
Imagine, God was speaking to this man directly. He had prophecies about the future of the nation and was standing on the border of a land that belonged to them.
That is our story for today.
As Joshua advised, no one has gone down 2016 before. As much as we have faith and God has spoken to some of us about the future, no one has gone this way before.
Most of you have completed your annual church fasts while some are still engaged.
Despite this, we must get the job at hand done. Joshua did not say people must not have faith, he simply said we must not leave anything to chance.
Joshua was not saying that we should be fearful, he was saying we should not let past failures determine our future.
This year comes with plenty of opportunities. Some will move to the next level of education while others will get into new relationships. Some of those relationship will go to the next level (marriage maybe).
Maybe last year was a disaster and you are hopeless even as you read this article. Guess what, you have not been down 2016 before. lf last year was a disaster, that does not mean 2016 will be the same.
Even if you have no expectations, you are a year older this year and you have never been that age before. Joshua sent spies into the new land. He asked the people to sanctify and consecrate themselves in preparation for the new things.
This year, I would like to urge you to be as specific as possible when doing things.
Do not leave anything to chance, do not take anything for granted, do not underestimate the challenges or successes ahead.
Do not be slothful or lazy, challenge yourself to be a better you.
I believe in you. God has already blessed this year,
He has already gone before you and He is inviting you to walk where He has already walked and do what He has already done for you.
All the best in that journey. Till next week, God bless.
Tinashe Zinyemba is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church. Email feedback at [email protected]
