Beloved, we are still in the mood of thanksgiving especially as the LORD has kept us to witness the beginning of year 2025.   Today is the 5th day of January 2025.    That leaves us with 360 days left in the New Year. I’m sure you are convinced that it is still thanksgiving time.

By his Grace, reasons to thank God always would not cease in our lives.

Numerous reasons abound why we should thank God.  As human beings, we tend to remember those things that we have not been able to do for ourselves or even what God has not done for us.

We are told in 1st Thessalonians 5 vs. 18 ( KJV) ” In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God  in Christ Jesus concerning  you”.

I share with you the words of our father in the LORD, Pastor Enoch Adeboye in his daily manual, Open Heavens the why we should thank God.

Pastor Adeboye wrote in Open Heavens of December 30, 2004: ” Yes the year (2024) has come to an end and you wish you had done better but if you look closely, you will discover that you have many things to thank God for.  If you had died in the course of the year, you would not even be here to reflect on the past”.

Brethren as it is often said, ” let by gone be by gone”.  2024 is gone forever.   

 Crying over spilt milk is unhelpful.  It is the defeatist attitude. Those who look back take so much time looking back, they don’t look forward and this could block their view of the goodness that await them.

Brethren the Bible tells us that in Psalm 92 vs. 1  : ” It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing  praises unto thy name, O most High:”

We need to usher in the year with thanksgiving because we are taught in Colossians 3 vs. 17: ” And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him”.

Those who look forward are the faithful.   They are the ones that have hope and once we are hopeful, faith is lifted up.

Brethren, it isn’t time to grumble or lament over what didn’t happen last year.   If you could make them happen, you could have done so.

No wonder Hannah said, 1st Samuel 2 vs. 9  ” He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail”.

Our emphasis here is ” for by strength shall no man prevail”.  It simply means, your physical strength, is not enough to make you an overcomer.

When we pray and give thanks, we are actually looking forward with expectation that the Lord would meet our demands.

I refer to Pastor Adeboye again. He wrote, ” Note that God can make all things work together for your good.  God can turn whatever you count as loss into profit for you”.

In this column last year, it was stated   that you should never write yourself off.  It doesn’t matter what you may be going through, put it aside and begin to praise the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Almighty God.

 Need I say more?  Pastor Adeboye wrote, Don’t ever write yourself   off, always put God in the equation of your life.    When you do this, you will experience a complete turnaround and His tremendous blessings will flow”.

Brethren, Hannah   experienced delay in conception and child bearing before her Samuel came and Samuel that came from a woman that had been written off by others   became the voice of God for Israel.  It is significant that while others wrote Hannah off, she didn’t write herself off.

Rachael also had a similar experience but when God opened up the womb, a Joseph was born. 

 Joseph was the child that became a prime minister in a strange land.  He was the child that became the one that all his 11 brothers and they father bowed to.

If you don’t give up, a glorious child, a special child, the one that God has decided to favour would come from that closed womb in the New Year.

We need to take a few lessons from the words of mummy Hannah after God gave her Samuel.

Let’s refer to 1st Samuel 2 vs. 6-9: ” The  LORD  killeth, and maketh  alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

The LORD maketh poor and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up”.

He raiseth up the poor out the dust, and lifteth up the begger from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them”.

This is an assurance that only God can turn things around.

Those who want a turn-around must look forward and not backwards.

The Holy Bible also tells us in Isaiah 43 vs. 18& 19: ” Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new things; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it/ I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”.

This is a direct message that we should look forward and not backward.  

Rather than look back, make a critical examination of yourself and ask yourself what you did wrong.

 Whatever you did wrong shouldn’t be the reason to look back. Ask for forgiveness and look forward.

God is merciful but you must also be remorseful.

Our Father in the Lord, Pastor Adeboye in the book quoted earlier sounded a note of warning.

He wrote, ” If however, you have been living in sin, do not expect God to help you turn things around”.

Concluding, Pastor Adeboye wrote, ” If you want to experience God’s blessings in the year ahead of

You, make up your mind to live according to His will daily”.

Psalm 32 vs. 11 ; :  Be glad in  the LORD , and rejoice, ye righteous : and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart”.

Ask yourself, are you upright in heart?

We have an assurance that when we rejoice in the Lord, it would lead to celebration.

Psalm 68 vs.3 -5: ” But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation”.

We are told in Philippians 4 vs. 4 ” Rejoice always in the Lord always”.

As the Lord lives and you continue to walk in his ways, keeping his commandments, you would not only celebrate, you would be celebrated in Jesus name.

As we progress in 2025, brethren, make God your focus.

Look forward trusting that God would take care of your needs.

Only God knows what year 2025 brings along but as the Lord lives and we remain in Christ, the year would bring in good tidings for us all in Jesus name.

Beloved, when we look forward, it is a confirmation of our trust in God and the Holy Bible tells us that in Psalm 37 vs. 4: ” Delight thyself also in the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass”.

By the Grace of God, we would navigate 2025 with joy in Jesus name.

May the Lord be our guide in all that we do this year and beyond.

Happy New Year!

It shall be a year of good health, sound mind and Divine Prosperity for all that trust in the Lord.

Remain blessed.

JESUS is LORD!