THE YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOUR

THE YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOUR

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. Luke 4:91

2000 years ago, Jesus entered a synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth, to read out the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah concerning the coming Messiah. Jesus read Scriptures as a declaration that He was the Messiah in Isaiah’s prophecy (Luke 4:17-18):

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written; “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

The mission of Christ is clearly stated in this prophecy. He came to share the message of salvation to the entire world, beginning with the Jews. He came to set people free from spiritual bondages. He came to bring divine healing to the mind, spirit and body. He came to release the favour and blessings of God. In 2011, I desire to see a greater fulfilment of the prophecy of Christ in our lives, communities and nations. We can believe God for more people to experience the love of Christ, more people to experience the freedom of Christ, more people to experience the healing power of Christ, more people to experience the favour and blessings of Christ. I want to share some ways of how to experience the fullness of God’s favour in 2011:

Go deeper into the Word of God

The word of God is more than just a book about historical events and figures. It is living and powerful and cuts through lives like a sword: it gives revelation, wisdom, direction, peace, comfort, hope, faith and strength. God desires to speak to us through His word. We need to allow Him to speak to us through His holy words. Let us be hungry for the word of life. We will be transformed into the Christ-likeness as we renew our minds with the Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Go deeper into the Spirit-filled life

A few years ago, I received a prophecy that changed my spiritual life. A friend saw a vision of a half-filled water tank. God was saying that I was like the half-filled water tank - He desired to fill the tank of my spiritual life to overflowing. I was so impacted by this prophecy that I decided to do everything possible to ensure God filled up my spiritual tank. I started to pray in the Spirit more frequently. I started to come into the presence of God and worship Him more frequently. I started to exercise my spiritual gifts more frequently. If you desire to walk with a greater measure of God’s power, make the decision today to fill up your spiritual tank. (Acts 1:8)

Go deeper into walking in love

I believe the greatest motivation in life is the love of God. The more we experience the love of God, the more we can give away the love of God to others. Love is the central message of Christianity. God desires for us to experience His lavish love and demonstrate it to those around us. Our lives are made complete when we become a channel of God’s love. Sometimes, we are challenged to love others because of past hurts or rejection. We need to lean on God to help us to forgive others and allow God to heal and restore us with His love. Let us make a decision to walk in greater love of God in 2011 so that we can be a blessing to our family and community. (1 John 4:7-16)


*This article is taken from www.petertruong.org