The Crowning of Diligent Service
Serving the Lord . . . Enjoying His Goodness
Psalms 65:11 “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness”.
Prov 22:29 “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men”.
Job 36:11 “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure”.
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!! Hosanna! Hosanna!! It’s the dawn of a brand new year 2009. Shalom & kingdom greetings! Grace, love and mercy be to you in the triumphant, precious and redeeming name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
I can only thank God for you and many others who have been recipients and a part of the grace given to me in this kingdom assignment. Much more, thanks to God for the grace that has enabled us into this precious year 2009 after all the battles of 2008.
YEAR 2009
To some it’s normal to see 2009 dawn before them – but for those with knowledge, it’s by the grace of God. When you consider all the pains, trials and turbulent life experiences that have taken hold of our world – economic crunch and meltdown, business closures, job losses, marital and relationship breakdown, natural disasters, domestic and regional unrest, various sicknesses and disease epidemics, political instability and many others. There is a great need to thank God continuously for you being alive to make amends for a better tomorrow.
Prophetic Declaration
Isaiah 60:1-3 “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising”.
Isaiah 60:19-20 “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended”.
2 Peter 1:19 “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the DAY STAR arise in your hearts:”
Matt 2:1-2 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship him”.
When you skip through the various channels on TV, radio stations, go through the World Wide Web – all the news, discussions, debates, comments that you hear are opinions on the way the world and national economy and politics will go. Some negative, some with both negative and positive connotations.
In life people tend to lean towards these debates and declarations of their leaders in government, business and financial statements of fact, while others might lean towards the dictates of family circumstances, natural laws and dictates of colleagues.
Beloved, hear the Word of the Lord. There may be ‘facts’ to prove how our circumstances will turn out – the good Lord wants you to ARISE and SHINE for your light is come to shine in the midst of the darkness that has befallen the world.
The word of the Lord came to me saying – “Say to my people, as the wise men saw the star of Christ to guard and guide them, so shall my people be led to their place of salvation. That as every star shines, so shall every one of my people shine in the midst of the confusion in this world. For the light is superior to darkness, so shall they reign supreme for the daystar is come in their hearts to cause them to shine and glory in the Lord – ARISE, SHINE and walk in the path of my star, to lighten you up as a star.”
Beloved, your response by faith to the negatives and facts you see and hear determines how much of God’s word you will walk in and how the Lord can crown the year for your goodness as you SERVE Him in spirit and in truth. Triumph and victory is available to you if you incline your ear to the saying of the Lord for the year 2009. Crowning the New Year with goodness is God’s plan, therefore ARISE and SHINE.
2009 – Manifestation of Spiritual Gifts & Fruit
I Cor 12:4–11 “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will”.
Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”.
The figure nine ‘9’ signifies completeness, perfection, maturity and wholeness. There are also nine ‘9’ gifts of the Spirit and nine ‘9′ fruit of the Spirit.
The spiritual gifts are to enhance the ministerial gifts – offices – in the body ministry and all that pertains to life. The spiritual fruit is to produce the Christian faith character that we have of our God. I can perceive of God that as many who diligently covet after these spiritual provisions of God will definitely have them to enhance them in all aspects of life and godliness.
This is the year for a complete and perfect time for you to ask God to endow you with spiritual gifting to enhance the walk of life in your hand and the spiritual fruit to enhance a befitting Christ-like character in every area of our life. You cannot afford to do without them if you must make the mark of crowning a fruitful year and serve God uprightly in obedience.
Inclining to God’s Sayings
Prov 4:18-22 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. My son, attend to my words; INCLINE thine ear unto MY SAYINGS. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh”.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”.
Beloved, year 2009 is a year of great possibilities for God’s people in spite of what news you hear, see and feel. The scriptures above indicate one prominent statement of faith – Our God is faithful consistently consistent towards His thoughts and plans about us. He is a God who will keep to His sayings even in the midst of life’s mess-ups – if only you will incline your ears and attend to God’s sayings and keep them in the frontlets of your eyes.
The scriptures simply indicate that:
- God’s thoughts and plans toward us are good.
- God’s thoughts and plans toward you are not evil.
- God’s plans for you are peaceful.
- God has hope and a beautiful future and final outcome for you.
- . . . & many more.
Inclining to the sayings of God is what will take you to your promised blessings in 2009. This is a choice that you have to make lest you walk like mere men and not as God’s chosen child designed for victory and triumph.
Walking in Diligence – Year 2009
Prov 22:28 – 29 ″Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men”.
Prov 12:11 “He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding”.
Prov 28:19 “He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough”.
Heb 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”.
As I look back in my years of serving the Lord and look at the present in the course of seeing the heart of God by the knowledge and understanding that He has given me thus far, I have come to realise why many great prophesies given to men as individuals, local churches or ministries stay stalled or appear unfulfilled. Its is because some people just receive the prophetic declaration on new years eve as well as in the beginning of the year and yet not walk diligently in the fulfilment of the words of grace in their life. There is an ancient landmark in the scripture that makes the diligent stand before kings not mere men and that makes God rewards those who diligently seek Him.
In 2009, colourful living is not for those who are lazy to walk in God’s prophetic statement of faith. Crown success is not for the idle minded but for the diligent.
Diligence – a consistent steady effort or hard work – is for those who want to reign in life and be crowned as kings in their doings.
Rev 5:9-10 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth”.
Being a child of God demands for the pressing if we must make progress, for great and established achievement is recorded on diligent pursuits. He that tills his ground shall have plenty of bread. (Prov.12:11; 28:19). Diligence involves investing your abilities, strength and all that you have into the pursuit of your life vision and mission for 2009 in order to earn the desired crown year.
God will only prosper the callings – mission – in your life by prospering your efforts, your investments toward your goals through diligence (Heb 11:6). Run away from idleness and idle people, because idleness is a career and carrier of POVERTY – spiritual, physical, financial etc – and it has no remedy.
Therefore invest in labour – tilling your land – and reap the great harvest of 2009. For your part in 2009 is the task of planting and watering, God’s task is to bring about the increase and overflow. (1Corinth 3:6-7; Phil 3:14; 1 Cor 9:24; Psm 1:1-3). Be diligent in prayers, in studying – not just reading – the scriptures, in fellowship, in business and in all aspects of doing life to enable you know how to observe God’s inspiration and revelation for your breakthroughs. (Joshua 1:8)
Obedience in Service
Job 30:11 – 12 “If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasure”
Ex 23:25-27 “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee”.
Isaiah 1:19 “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”
Josh. 15:24:15-17 ” . . . Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord . . . ”
The things that have happened to our world economy and political instabilities is far beyond the thought that its the fault of the United States of America or any other nation that may have been attributed with the evils and problems today – be it domestic or otherwise.
These happenings are a process through which God wants His Church to ARISE and take their place in SERVICE through obedience to bring about His purposes to the world in His Church.
Eph 3:10-11 ”To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”
The scriptures on obedience indicate that if we obey and serve Him:
- We will spend our days in prosperity.
- We will spend our years in pleasure.
- We will eat the good of the land.
- We will not be barren in the land, in our body & in our business.
- We will be in good health and strength.
- We will not have miscarriages in body, vision, ministry, marriages, business etc.
- We will be free from the evil that is in the world
- . . . and many more. (See 2Peter 1:1-13; John 15:1-8)
Beloved, these are the days when our Christian faith is challenged by what is happening in our world on a daily basis.
It is only by engaging in serving the Lord through absolute obedience that we can bring about a true and lasting change in our lives and society in such a time as this. Serving the Lord in obedience includes – but is not limited to – the following:
- Time availability
- Financial ability
- Physical and mental abilities.
- Spiritual and ministerial abilities
- Services in various opportunities of a local church.
- Reaching the poor and needy.
- Giving to missionary causes
- . . . and many more
Serving the Lord in obedience can only be achieved through the heart of love in spirit and in truth. You cannot serve the Lord effectively without a genuine act of love in our hearts and lives. In 1st Corinthians 12, we are told of spiritual gifts but to effectively function with them as in 1st Corinthians 14, there is an injunction in chapter 13 to express an excellent spirit of love. Love is the only principle that can cause a genuine service of obedience to bring about God’s blessings in our lives. (Mark 12:29-31; Gal 5:6, 13; 1 Tim. 1:5)
Finally: Crowning Year 2009
Psalm 65:11 (1-13) ‘’Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness’’.
Serving the Lord, diligent walk and walking in obedience to the Word of God are the keys to enjoying His goodness.
One thing that God has assured me in the spirit and in the Word is to crown the year with His goodness and this is why Christ came, to give you a good, beautiful and colourful life. (John 10:10, 3 John 2)
God is not a man that He should lie. He will bless you and make His part of the deal come to pass. I am assured of God’s ability to turn your darkness and setbacks of 2008 into a blossoming glory in 2009.
I therefore welcome you by the grace of God into year 2009 of the 42nd Generation Foundation mandate. I pray by the anointing vested in us by the reason of this commission that you will do well, prosper and enjoy the fullness of God as He crowns you with His goodness.
‘’The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you Peace’’ Numbers 6:24-26
HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR 2009!
Dare to Walk in Diligence . . . Obediently Serve in Love . . . Be Crowned with His Goodness.
In His World For His Glory
Pst Chukie MORSI
Publishing The WORD . . . REDEEMING The Whole-man
From The Chains of POVERTY, SICKNESS & SPIRITUAL DEATH
Note: All scriptures are in King James Version except otherwise indicated.