A New Beginning

A critical look at all the Biblical characters will reveal a subtle truth that many of us don't pay attention to, they all had to start their lives over many times. Imagine that! Adam started life the moment he was formed and he lived in the presence of God until he was given Ishah, his female companion. They lived together until the forbidden fruit incident happened. They started again after leaving the Garden of Eden, this time they had their children and saw those children grow into adults.

Moses got a start at birth, as a prince of Egypt another start when he turned 40, as a fugitive another start when he turned 80, as a god unto Pharaoh David had a start at birth, another start after getting anointed to become King, and another start when he ran away from Saul to live in the land of the Philistines, another start when he moved to Hebron with his men to become King over Judah, another start when he became King over all Israel, another start when he was dethroned by Absalom. The life of every mortal is always full of decision-making and mistakes, some mistakes can be dealt with directly while some would need us to press stop and restart our journeys. Elimelek and Naomi were well established in Israel before the famine came, they decided to move to Moab with their two sons Mahlon and Kilion. They settled down and started afresh in Moab, Mahlon and Kilion thrived and even got married. Then Elimelek, Mahlon and Kilion died in the space of two years this left Naomi, Ruth and Orpah all alone to start afresh. Naomi chose to return to Israel and start again, Ruth decided to go with her while Orpah chose to return to her people. The three of them had a fresh start each, some of us literally left our former lives to relocate to another country to start all over again. Some of us had to start all over again after spending many seasons lost in the fantasy land of a relationship which did not pan out at the end of the day. We were brokenhearted We had to dismantle all the castles we had built in thin air. We had to find the courage to heal, we had to start all over again. Life is not an exact science, and for this reason, many of us had to start our journeys several times until we began to make sense of who we are and what we find fitting to do. Some fresh starts are triggered by God Like the Fresh start of Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Paul, Luke and Ephraphas. Some fresh starts are triggered by circumstances, some fresh starts are political in nature.

As we examine our lives, we all can see where we had to start afresh based on the issues we had to deal with in life. Sometimes, like Jacob, we had to pack our bags and make a dash for it in the middle of the night. Jacob did this four times, the first time was his making after stealing the blessing belonging to Esau, his parents urged him to run to Laban so that he would not be killed in retaliation as sworn by Esau. He also ran after he got his share of Laban's animals which were dotted and speckled. The third time he ran was when he was to meet with Edom and he realised Edom was Esau's nation and that Esau had become greater than him in everything. The final time was when his sons killed the people of Shechem and he was afraid of retaliation, so he had to leave Canaan in the middle of the night.

Many of us are like Jacob, we ran due to the circumstances in which we found ourselves. Some of us ran from abusive boyfriends or husbands. A friend told me recently that she dated a man for two years, she said the man was good to her in his own way, he was devoted to her as a man and he gave her everything a woman could hope to get from a man in material terms. She said she was scared of him and what he was capable of, she knew if they had children together he would use the children to bind her to him in such a way that she would never be free of him.

She said she never loved him but she stayed with him for two years because she didn't have any option at the time. She said after two years, she had saved enough money to get an apartment for herself and she had also secured a job. The problem was how to tell him she would be leaving him, she said the first time she tried to talk about breaking up with him, she had a dream in which the man set the whole house where they were staying on fire. The second time, she saw that he seized all her things and threw her out naked, calling her an ingrate and a user. The third time she saw that he became very violent and mean to her, she knew she had to leave him but how was she to do it with her life intact? She invited a friend over to spend the weekend with her and they both packed only her things. The following Monday morning, as soon as the man left for work, she and her friend quickly packed all her things and ran away from his house. She was careful not to take anything that belonged to the man so that she would not give him any legal right to pursue her for theft or any other reason. She said she needed a fresh start and had to make one because it wouldn't make itself. The best fresh starts are the ones orchestrated or ordained by God. The worst ones are the ones fueled by a disaster. Some people had their properties burnt down and had to put up with friends for a while before finding their footing to start afresh. Some people lost a spouse or a child, some were sacked and had to do a deep rethink and reevaluation of their lives. Some attempted suicide and regained their focus after practically coming back from the dead, some were victims of evil perpetrators of society and they had to brave the ghosts of many traumas to live again. Some are victims of their own miscalculations and plots.No matter where we find ourselves in life, a fresh start is always a great idea as long as we have learnt our lessons from the past and are determined to do better this time around. Jesus offered us all a fresh start, a total disconnection from the past and a new beginning.

Apostle Paul had a taste of the impact the fresh start Jesus gives in the life of a believer. So many of us can testify to this fresh start after we have given our lives to Jesus Christ. Even in Christ, there are several fresh starts. John Mark had a start with Paul and Barnabas he turned back, and then he had a second start which didn't last very long and then he had a third start with Barnabas as they took the gospel to Asia together. Apostle Paul had a start with Barnabas and later a fresh start with Silas.

I had a conversation with a very devout Christian Brother whose wife left him because he couldn't make her pregnant. He was forty-six years old when his wife left and it really left him in bad shape, I insist that we didn't get married to have children, we got married to live together and stay together as companions. If children come, that is fine and if they don't come, that is okay. This is the Biblical standard. The rate at which men and women who got married as believers are abandoning their marriages because they couldn't have children is alarming. If all you want out of a marriage is children, there is no truth in the vow you exchanged with your spouse. The Brother in question had to apply to be transferred to another state in the country so that he would heal from the heartbreak. His properties and hers were still at their flat somewhere in Lagos. He said he would inform her brother to send a truck to pack her things when he returns home in December because he would no longer be renewing his rent in Lagos. He will have to start afresh in Akwa Ibom. The best fresh starts are always the divinely orchestrated ones, they come in the form of a vision or an instruction. They lead the believer like a guiding light.

The Tehilla Praise we are having on Friday has been preceded by so many prophecies and instructions to count. This is my joy as a believer, the Lord said to announce to those who will be coming to the Praise session that He will be giving many a fresh start or a new beginning. I saw a vision, I saw a dome, I saw men with thin farm implements clearing the drain pipes around the dome. I saw a water tank rise out of the dome and discharge its contents into the dome. I saw the water rushing downward through the drain pipes to farmlands, houses, schools, factories, companies, churches, etc. There is an outpouring of the Spirit. There is a capacity to receive and walk in divine instructions. There is a set time and place for this new reality to be set on course. For as many as will come to the Tehilla Praise as ordained by the Holy Spirit, there is a guarantee of a new beginning by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

PS: I got another message from one of our ministers in another country. She shared what the Lord showed her yesterday While I was writing this, @dafidimimo called me and told me the word of prophecy that was received in Ibadan overnight regarding what the Lord has laid ahead of His people in the coming days. This is why I am asking those who really need divine intervention to come for the Tehilla Praise. I want to discourage the fun seekers and thrill seekers from coming, there is no point taking up space just because you don't want to sleep at home on Friday. This Praise session will be destiny-defining for many. Please make sure you are there to receive of the fullness of the Spirit of God in the place of praise. Remember to come without any offering, we are the offering to be presented to the Lord as living sacrifices on that day.

Glory be to God.