ADVANCE!

'And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night' (Exodus 13:21 NKJV).

During the days of my medical laboratory practice, we went to render a service at the clinic of a military cantonment. We drove to the closed main gate and stopped. The sentry on duty bellowed to us from his cubicle: "Advance to be recognised!" We drove closer, presented our ID's and told him our mission. He looked us over, checked our car contents, then signalled to his mate to pass us in. We went in and accomplished our mission. Moses led the children of Israel to the bank of the Red Sea. When he saw no way forward he hesitated. Not knowing the magnitude of the power he was carrying with him, he lingered and started crying to God. But God told him back, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward...lift up your rod over the sea and divide it!..." (Ex.14:15,16). Who would divide the sea? Moses himself, under God's power with him! When he used the power, the daunting sea parted. And you too can. He was carrying with Him the power of God but didn't realize it. Many already have the power to proceed, subdue, conquer and possess but still tarry. Some gave up midway in 2018 giving room to doubt, fear and failure and ended with nothing. Others were already on the way to success but gave up too soon when obstacles came their way and ended with only little. That's not God's expetation from us.

Advance means proceed, move ahead, shift forward, press onwards, rise in rank, make progress. It's a transitive verb giving command. It enjoins us to mobilise the innate power ingrafted in us for advancement. In the case of Moses, God deployed the power to proceed against opposing obstacles on their way, the boldness to overcome fear and intimidating situations. Be bold. Take the first step toward your goal. By divine arrangement as children of God, we have been given a Helper - the Holy Spirit who empowers us when we are weak; emboldens us when we become faint and disheartened, supplies us strength when we run short of courage. Of the twelve scouts Moses sent to spy the land of promise, only two accomplished God's purpose for the mission - Joshua and Caleb. They said, "If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey'’ (Numbers 14:8). God heard those words and put His Spirit in them for success against all odds. Israel advanced and took the land, and Joshua ended up giving that same portion of land in the land of promise to Caleb as his inheritance (see Joshua 14:13-14). In our opening scripture God was the light by day and pillar by night. That's the presence of His Spirit round the clock. You will need the continual companionship of the Holy Spirit for your success in 2019, so stay close to Him. The grace of Jesus, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us.

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