Beat your plowshares into swords and
your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, 'I am strong.'
Joel 3:10

This year will be a year of many new beginnings and breakthroughs as we walk with Him and talk with Him, side by side, along the journey. Not running ahead of Him nor slacking behind Him but in pace with Him. The Lord will instruct us and teach us in the way that we should go. He will guide us with His eye.

Is there something in our hearts that continue to keep us in bondage? Is there some pain that we carry for far too long? Is there still hope for broken dreams and shattered lives?

This is not the time to lose heart. This is not the time to give up. This is not the time to blame others, ourselves and God. This is not the time to get discouraged and despaired. This is not the time to run away from the Lord and the Body of Christ!

Some of our swords are broken, and some of our swords are blunt! It is time to reforge our swords and to sharpen them again! It is time for us to go back to the Word of God for it is the Sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). Back to the Bible where our souls can find the spiritual food and drink we need! Back to the Bible where our faith is being built and our strength is being renewed. Back to the Bible where we see God in His Written and Living Word!

It is time to take up our swords and fight the good fight of faith! It is time to let go of our past and embrace the present. This is the day that the Lord has made! Today is a gift of God for living the abundant life. It is time to be bold and be strong in the Lord. It is time to let God be God! It is time to love again our brothers and sisters in Christ! It is time for the reconciliation and restoration of the walls of salvation and the gates of praise! The jigsaw pieces are coming together. It is time for us to move into our strategic positions in the Body of Christ.

Some of us are giant-killers; some of us are history-makers; and some of us are just people seeking to live a peaceful and quiet life with our families and loved ones. Regardless of our different roles and ideals, each of us has the same high calling! We are called to be His people! Each of us has a journey to travel. A journey that begins and ends with God, the Alpha and the Omega, and everything in-between! A journey of faith, hope, love and strength! A journey of seeking and finding God! A journey where we get to know and become who we are in Christ! A journey where we come face to face with ourselves and God!

There is no need to be afraid. We are never alone in this world. Our Shepherd of love is here just besides us - through our best dreams and joys, and through our worst fears and disasters. He is right here with us. He has journeyed with us, and will continue to journey with us. He is always with us till the end of age.

God broke through the darkness of mankind
and gave us a Star twinkling joyfully in the skies.
God broke through the womb of a woman
and gave us a Son laying peacefully in a manger.
God broke through the stillness of the night
and gave us a Song heralding lovingly by the angels.
God broke through the sins of the world
and gave us a Saviour bringing joy, peace and love.

God will break through our pains and weaknesses and bring us hope. Jesus is THE Answer when human answers aren't enough!

I believe 2009 will be a year of fresh starts, building from ground zero and no longer building castles in the air. The stock markets in the world are trying to find their bottoms. Until they land on solid grounds, they will always be on sinking sand. Fresh beginnings, fresh hopes, fresh breakthroughs and fresh revelations.

Let go of our struggles and sins, and let God be God! What are we waiting for? He is waiting for us! The recovery of the prodigal, the restoration of the Church and Israel, and the return of our King!