It’s time to move forward, by Funmi Komolafe

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Brethren, let’s thank God for a new day. For us, it should be a time to move forward.

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Moving forward means moving from the point you are now to a new point. Indeed a new status.

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It also means, it is time to make up your mind to shift from stagnation to motion.

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It could also mean a time that you want to put challenges behind you and have a better life.

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All of these are possible but with the help of God.

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For it is written, John 15 vs. 5 ( KJV): “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”.

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These are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Let’s look at movement forward from the point of rest from challenges.

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The Bible records that after the work of creation, the Lord rested on the seventh day.

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Genesis 2 vs. 2 “ And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made”.

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Beloved, you are in the seventh month. May God give you rest from all challenges in the name of Jesus.

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Beloved it is time to move forward. It is time to put challenges behind you, time to look away from challenges and look towards testimony.

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God does not like stagnation, the LORD wants us to progress.

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Deuteronomy 1 vs. 6 & 8: “ The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, You have dwelt long enough in this mount:

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Behold, I have set the land before you : go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them, and their seed after them”.

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It simply means that God does not want you to remain with a challenge forever.

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Besides, every challenge has an expiry date but they may not expire until the person that bears the burden is fed up with it.

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Challenges such as poverty, barrenness, loneliness, sickness etc. are issues that keep on stagnated but with determination in this month of perfection, you can be set free .

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An incident recorded in the Acts of Apostles 2 vs. 1-5 ( NIV) tells us about a man whose determination to end a challenge ushered in his miracle.

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“ A few days later, when Jesus again entered into Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.

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So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

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Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.

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Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralytic man was lying on.

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When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “ Son your sins are forgiven”.

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The story completes in verses 11 &12 when Jesus spoke power into the paralytic : “ I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.

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He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “ We have never seen anything like this”.

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May God give you a miracle that would amaze everyone around you in the name of Jesus.

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What do we take away from this story? First is that the man’s friends had compassion for him. They were concerned about his situation and genuinely wanted him to be healed.

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The question is who are the people you discuss your challenges with? Are they people that truly want to you be free? Are they giving you counsel in line with the word of God?

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You are in the best position to answer these questions.

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I’ll share the story of a lady who was barren for years. One day, her friend’s mother called her and advised that she could go and sleep with another man to get pregnant and that she the child would resemble her husband that sleeps by her side everyday. That is her husband.

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Brethren, this was a wrong advise that could cost the woman her marriage. The woman being a born again Christian of course, thanked her but shunned her advise.

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The cried to God and after a few years, God blessed her with a Samuel.

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The second lesson from the encounter of the paralytic with Jesus is that the man was determined to get the challenge out of his life.

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If he hadn’t consented, his friends wouldn’t have been able to pass him through the roof to have an encounter with the great physician.

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In the same way, Hannah got fed up with the mockery and torment from Penninah hence she went to cry to the Lord.

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Hannah wanted to move forward. She wanted a new name.

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1st Samuel 1 vs. 6 ( KJV) : ‘ And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

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See what Hannah did when she got fed up with the challenge of barrenness.

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Verses 10&11 : “ And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

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And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head”.

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Beloved, you need to demonstrate faith to move forward. You need to show genuine compassion to get a miracle.

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Hannah moved her faith and cried to the LORD with full belief that only GOD can give her a child. She prayed and God answered.

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In the case of the paralytic man, he benefitted from the compassion of his friends that of the LORD Jesus.

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Do you know that the man must have shown his friends some kindness for them to be so determined to help him.

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Brethren, it doesn’t matter what you are going through, please show mercy to others.

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Remember the Holy Bible tells us in Matthew 5 vs. 7 : “ Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy”.

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Brethren, you need to play your part to move forward and have rest from all challenges.

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Do not fear challenges. They didn’t begin with you and they would expire once you remain connected to the LORD.

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My prayer for you is that before the end of this month, the LORD will give you rest from all challenges.

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Shalom!

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