Lord _____________!!!!!!!
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - As we enter a New Year, so many people are discouraged, despondent, and filled with doubt because this past year has been filled with hurts, heart aches, disappointments, trials, death, sickness, grief and many other things.
Understand discouragement always comes from the Devil, despondency paralyses us for useful and effective service unto the Lord, and doubt displeases Jesus Christ. But I am reminded of the scripture in John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”. We don’t have to be discouraged, despondent, and doubtful when trials, disappointments, grief, sickness, and death happens because we have Christ in us the Hope of Glory. As long as we have this hope this blessed assurance, we know that everything is going to be alright.
So often preachers at the end of the year the beginning of the new year come up with catchy phrases and cliché’ like I’m free in 2023. I don’t have a fancy cliché’ to quote. I don’t have a catchy phrase to say. However, I do have a prayer that I am entering into this New Year with and that is Lord ____!!!!
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURE: - Psalm 127:1 “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain”.
Genesis 18:14 “Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life”.
So many times, we try to handle life’s difficulties and situations by ourselves, we try to work out issues and problems only to end up in more trouble then when we first started because we fail to understand that except the Lord build the house, all my labor is in vain. We are like the car stuck in the snow spinning it’s tires on solid ice, tires are spinning but no advancement is being made because there is no traction, there’s nothing for it to grip onto so all the spinning is useless.
As I look back over the year past and I see so many things that if I would have taken my hands off of it I would not have had the problems that I did have. God was saying let me have it, let me fix it but so often we become so conditioned to holding on to it that we refuse to let it go and as long as we have hold of it God can’t do it.
We try to do it our way. We think that it should go in a certain direction and if we keep messing with it, we will keep messing it up.
We need to understand God knows the beginning from the end. He knows what is best for us. His promises are true and therefore, we need to live knowing that there is nothing too hard for God.
Genesis 18:14 “Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life”.
Understand there is an appointed time and God will only move when His appointed time has come. What we need to understand is how to be patient and stand still until His appointed time is come.
WATCH THIS: - There are 30,000 promises in the Bible and according to 1 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us”. WATCH THIS: - All promises are yea and amen in other words, it’s a done deal, if He promised it, it must come to pass. All we must do is obey His commandments to see it come to fruition.
Every promise that God pledges is true they are not flippant, casual, blowing smoke promises like we often make to people; these promises of God are sure, true, unequivocal vows made by God Himself. Since God cannot lie if He said it, it must happen. When He said “let there be light” the light couldn’t do anything else but shine because God said.
When God says something, it has to come to pass. Hebrews 6:18 says “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us”. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good”. If He said it, you can count on it.
2 Peter 1:4 says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust”.
WATCH THIS: - These promises come from God who is under no obligation to make promises of anything to His creatures; yet He has given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that come from amazing grace and loving favor, and not of any merit that we have done. These promises express Him and are made good by His greatness, goodness, and loving kindness. His promises are absolute, free, irreversible, and unchangeable of more value and worth than silver and gold they are exceeding great and precious.
His promises are a blessed assurance that it is going to happen
He promised Elijah that the ravens would sustain him by the brook Cherith, and it was so 1 Kings 17.
He promised Mary she would bring forth a son though she was a virgin, and it was so Luke 1.
He promised that the walls of Jericho would fall but Rahab’s house would be spared, and it was so Joshua 2 & Joshua 6.
He promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child when it was humanly impossible, and it was so Genesis 21.
He told the Children of Israel He would deliver them and He brought them through the Red Sea on dry land and destroyed the enemy behind them Exodus 14.
He made water come out of a rock Exodus 17.
He turned water to wine John 2.
He fed 5000 plus with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread Matthew 14.
He raised Lazarus from the dead John 11.
He opened up the blind eye of Bartimaeus Mark 10.
He delivered the demonic man that had a legion of demons in him Mark 5.
He forgave the thief dying on the cross Luke 23.
He converted the jailor and his entire family Acts 16.
He said in John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”.
WATCH THIS: - That is a promise He is coming for you and me because He said so, but He will come in the appointed time. So, until that appointed time comes as we head into this New Year understanding that His promises are true, my prayer is simply Lord work it out!
Yours might be.
Lord fix it! Lord do it for me! Lord break the unbreakable! Lord move the unmovable! Lord cover me! Lord tear it down, Lord build it up.
Lord Heal my body! Lord immerse me! Lord hold me! Lord keep me! Lord deliver! Lord save my family!
Lord remember me! Lord revive me, Lord renew me, Lord restore me, Lord shape me, Lord have your way.
You never lost a battle, and you never will. So, Lord help me to stand on your word.
CLOSING: - Whatever you need the Lord to do in this coming year hold on to His promises knowing He never lost a battle and He never will and simply say Lord ______!!!!!!!
Then begin to praise Him in advance.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
