It is a new dawn; a new year is here! While some are entering the year with excitement and great expectation, others are not. The lack of excitement being the product of past failures, disappointment and dashed hopes. Several people have received a prophetic word for the year in the past and they have believed God to fulfil that word but alas, the years have passed and the Word has not been performed.
Such set of people are not likely to be excited as churches and ministers of God declare God's counsel concerning 2017. There is likely going to be a quiet doubt in the heart as they receive God's Word. They are likely to laugh like Sarah at the Word of God or respond with the words of the woman of Shunem at Elisha's prophecy. "No, my Lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant." This is a reflection of how hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Perhaps, the illustrations above describe your situation. You have seen God's Word "fail or fall to the ground" on several occasions. You seem not to believe the Words coming to you right now. It is not because you did not want to believe, it is just that you heart no longer responds because of the recurrent failures of the past. You are like a conditioned fish in the aquarium, which sees a prey but will not attempt to go after it because it has hit its head against a transparent barrier in the past. The fish has stopped trying even now that the barrier has been removed. You have given in to fate; you are throwing in the towel.
First, I need to reinstate to you that God's Word does not fail irrespective of your experiences. Your experiences cannot redefine God's Word. Your experiences cannot make God's Word void or invalid. God's Word is true and authentic. It has been tried and tested. It is impossible for God to lie. If God says it, He meant it. God does not feel compunction. He is committed to His Word. He is watching over it to bring it to pass. We have the responsibility to believe and allow God's Word to shape our experiences in life.
Each of us must come to the place where we can say, "No matter what my experiences are, God's Word can never be faulted." I have personally resolved that I will not allow the so-called realities of life give me a faulty view of the power and the Word of God. Rather, the experiences of my life will have to comply and be realigned with the Word of God. I have chosen to believe what God says about my finances, marriage, career, health, etc. irrespective of what I see or the way I feel.
What I am driving at is simple; your failures or even "disappointment by God" in the past is not enough a justification to doubt or fault His Word. In addition, you should stop extending the jurisdiction of your past into the future. God has great plans for you, your past notwithstanding.
There are a number of reasons why God's Word, prophecies, promises or covenant seem to fail. One of these factors is the fact that the fulfilment of every prophecy is predicated on the premise that man will fulfil his own part of the contract while God also fulfils His own part. Our part sometimes may be to simply believe or take a step of faith or obey an instruction, which will trigger God to act. Prophecies fail because we fail to do our part. We fail to live by the principles that will facilitate the performance of God's promises.
God's promises to you may also fail if it involves a third party who is not willing to play his or her role. This is why God often changes people. David was Saul's substitute. Esther replaced Vashti. Boaz replaced the closer kinsman of Naomi. Samuel was a make-up plan for the failure of Eli. All these people failed to play their role in accomplishing God's purpose. Hence, they were replaced. No one is indispensable. You should understand that while the purpose of God for your life is constant, the process, plan or people involved might change. This is why you should be flexible in God's hand.
I just want to encourage you to trust God again especially as we begin a new year irrespective of the failures in the past. I see God making a new covenant with you in the New Year. In addition, let me inform you that when God makes a new covenant with a man, it serves one of two purposes: CANCELLATION or CORRECTION. God CANCELS a negative covenant by making a new covenant. Colossians 2:14 says, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." (NKJV)
He also CORRECTS an old covenant by enacting the new. "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says:"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah… In that He says," A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:7-8; 13 NKJV).
The new covenant God made with us in Christ Jesus serves two purposes: it cancelled the satanic covenant that came into our lives through sin and corrected the old covenant, which could not effectively deliver us from the power of sin.
God never denied the fact that He was the Author of the faulty old covenant. In fact, He wrote it in a Book so that we can refer to it eternally. Meanwhile, the fault in itself was not with the law but "with them." The law was perfect but we had an imperfect nature. Hence, Christ came not to change the law but to change us so the demands of the law can be fulfilled in us.
Perhaps, you also have a book where you have written several promises of God, which are yet to be fulfilled. If He is indeed the One who said those Words to you, they will indeed come to pass. The Word is perhaps still taking its course. Every Word has to take the required time for its fulfilment. Joseph had to wait for thirteen years before His Word came back and found expression. You may need to wait more until the One who speaks fulfils His promises.
If not, I see God making a new covenant with you while He is not denying the old one. I see God correcting "the fault" in the old covenant in this New Year. Be flexible! He is changing plans and people connected to the fulfilment of His counsel for your life. I see a complete revamp coming to every aspect of your life by the power of God.
Is your opportunity or position given to another? Has your fiancé or fiancée dumped you? Are you facing a disappointment currently? Have you been denied of what is rightly yours? Have people failed to fulfil their promises to you? Friend, every sunset is the birthing of a new sunrise, someone said. Therefore, I will encourage you never to begin the New Year in depression. Rise up because God is making a new covenant with you. New opportunities, new set of people are coming your way. New doors, which no man can shut, are being opened for you. Let Vashti vanish because your Esther is coming. God is bringing a David, stop mourning for your Saul.
This is the Word of the Lord to you,
"Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off" (Isaiah 55:13 NKJV).
"Instead of bronze I will bring gold, Instead of iron I will bring silver, Instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron…" (Isaiah 60:17 NKJV).
What I need you to take note is the word, "instead." God is doing a replacement this year. So get ready because God is making all things new for you.
I love you.