I am going to start today's installment of this series by opening with some quotes from the first installment of this teaching. You may want to go back and read that if you have not done so, as it provides a foundational approach to this subject, "what's special about the new year?"

Now here is what i wrote in the first installment of this teaching: '...this two divides or mentality defines how people approach the new year. One is that of personal responsibility as a pacesetter for the success in the new year, the other is leaning on the prophetic agenda for success in the new year! Now, both are required for your success! Never get carried away that what will happen in 2019 is all down to you. God has a calendar and on His calendar, he has an agenda'

One other thing that came to mind from the first installment of this teaching is that God does not live within time, but God certainly works with time. And it is with time, seasons and years that God sets his agenda for humanity. It is with time, seasons and years that God sets his plan and their accomplishments for an individual, a people or a nation. And today we are just going to go through certain scriptures, a lot of scriptures, to establish the truth that every passing calendar or changing calendar carries with it God's agenda for the hour!

FOR EVERY OF GOD'S AGENDA THERE IS A SET TIME AND SEASON FOR ITS FULFILMENT

In Genesis 18:14 the bible says, "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son".

The birth of Isaac represents a crucial plan in establishing the nation of Israel and for that grand purpose, God appointed time for its fulfillment. This brings to mind another scripture in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 where the wise man Solomon said: 'To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven'

There are things that may seem to take too long in our lives to be fulfilled, but the word says, it's not really long, for every delayed blessing is waiting for its appointed season! At the time appointed, God says, I will return to perform my word. For some people, 2019 is the year God is returning on their behalf.

GOD APPOINT TIMES FOR THE FULFILMENT OF HIS WORD

Genesis 21:1-2 tells us that at the time God appointed God visited Sarah and fulfilled his word. For the fulfillment of any prophetic word, God appoints time and seasons for their fulfillment. Even concerning the birth of the savior of the world, there was a time appointed for that. Jeremiah 33:15 said, "In those days and at that time will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land".

IN GOD'S AGENDA, EVERYONE, EVERYTHING, EVERY PEOPLE AND EVERY NATION HAS A TIME

Talking about Jacob Psalm 105:19 says, "Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him". Until Jacob's appointed time came his life was a trial and error, neither here nor there!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God makes everything beautiful " in his time". Meaning, at your appointed time your beauty will emerge!

In Jeremiah 50:31-34 we read of how God talks about a time he will deal with the proud nations around his people and restored Israel back to there land.

"Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon"

Reading further in the book of Daniel we are made to understand it was going to be 70 years long but eventually, Israel was going to be restored!

Daniel 9:1-3, " In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes".

And exactly seventy years in the first year of King Cyprus, a decree was issued pronouncing the release of God's people from captivity. "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem"(Ezra 1:1-6)



When we come into our season of divine fulfillment of God's words things are stirred up on our behalf.

Every person, individual and nation has a set time for Gods visitation. Jesus lament concerning the city Jerusalem in Luke 19:41-44 for she knew not her time of visitation, "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side" . This is why it's important that our hearts should be able to discern times and seasons! It was the same scenario in Jeremiah 8:7 when God lamented that even animals have the discernment of times but His own people can't discern the time.

"Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord" (Jeremiah 8:7)

It was this same lack of discernment that Jesus criticized the religious leaders of his days of in Luke 12:56. There is a reason why the discernment of time is crucial. Discernment of God's timing makes us work with understanding and an understanding of God's agenda puts us in command of life circumstances. "And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had an understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred, and all their brethren were at their commandment" (1 Chronicles 12:32). In 2018 it is your understanding of what God is doing that will put you in command. Your attainment this year will be closely tied to your discernment of the times we are in. The calendar has changed, things may still look the same, but coming on the horizon is an agenda of God for this time that will be made known to the discerning heart, and the discerning heart will be the one in command!

To be continued

If you’ll like to receive Jesus into your life please pray this prayer: “Father I acknowledge that I am a sinner, that Jesus died for me, that you raised him from the dead. Father, please forgive me. I accept Jesus today as my Lord and my Saviour. Amen.”