Sing a new song in this New Year

Are you singing a song that is so old

It sends shivers down your spine

 makes you moan, sigh and cold?

It’s driving you crazy

Putting you in a frenzy

You’re tired of it, but you cannot shake it off

It has bound itself to you

Like a dead bird round your neck

It has foul smell, sounds a death knell

You long for a way to jettison it

Ditch it, enter a new Dawn, a New Morn

A New Day when the old is gone and he New has come.

Do you want to sing a new song in this new year?

If so know that it will not just happen because you desire it

You must come to the One Who gives a New Song

Confess to Him all your wrong

Give Him full sway in your in your life

He has to reign to rein in a New Song

Guide your path in His righteousness.

He will light your path, birth his life

Full of peace, full of heaven, full of hope

He will guide you into your Promised Land

Where your blessings will be like the stars

And even like the sands  in a sea shore.

Your problems will propel you to prosperity.

Your trials will bring a trail of triumphs.

You must have faith in the God of Hope

To turn your water into wine

As you do that which he bids

Even if it is ridiculous

Knowing that He brings

water out of a rock

He turns night into day

He even raises the dead

So He can give a New Song

He can turn your darkness

into His  glorious brightness

Just give Him your old Song

Yes, you may have sung the old song

For so long that you think that

that is all there is to life

But I dare to declare

To you that Jesus saves

Delivers, renews those who come

In humility, in repentance

He saves the best wine for the last time

With Him the old can go

And the New can come.

Revival can come

Rejuvenation can come

The valley of dry bone

Can rise as a mighty army

And you will sing a New Song.

So go to Him today

Give Him the old song

Pray for the New Song

Receive the New song

And sing this New Song.

Egypt, horse and horse-men

Are types, images of bondage

Craving , depending on these

Is an affront on the Most high.

It is trusting in the arm of the flesh

And in the strength of the horse

It is depending on people or friends

It is relying on your ability, dexterity.

People may be a channel

But Your God is the source

He is well able to provide

Just as long as He presides.

So be strong in the Lord

Call on Him in your trouble

Pray, plead the promises

And He will deliver you.

Provision belongs to the shepherd

Healing is the job of the Great Physician

Protection is the province of the Banner

Preservation is the specialty of the Lord of Hosts.

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

 ¹ Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
   who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
   and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
   or seek help from the LORD.
² Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster;
   he does not take back his words.
He will rise up against that wicked nation,
   against those who help evildoers.
³ But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God;
   their horses are flesh and not spirit.
When the LORD stretches out his hand,
   those who help will stumble,
   those who are helped will fall;
   all will perish together.

 ⁴ This is what the LORD says to me:

   “As a lion growls,
   a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds
   is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
   or disturbed by their clamor—
so the LORD Almighty will come down
   to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
⁵ Like birds hovering overhead,
   the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver it,
   he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”

   Isaiah 31:1-5 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. ¹¹ They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

 ¹³ Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴ The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Ex14

King Asa in league with Ben-hadad in the face of a treat from King Baasha of Israel1Kings15:16-19

Jehoshaphat relied on God when he was besieged by three nations. He called a fast and prayed and Got gave him a strategy- praise and going out against the enemy in faith the result was that the enemy destroyed themselves, leaving Judah to gather spoils of war more than they could imagine or think. 2cho20

 When Nebuchadnezzar depended on his wealth, pomp and power, God humbled him by driving him into the forest to live like an animal, grow claws and feathers until he acknowledged God. Then God had mercy on him and restored him.

 Daniel and his friend depended on the Lord when faced with a choice of keeping themselves pure or slavishly accepting favours that will compromise their purity.  As they relied on God, He made them ten times better than the others who ate the king’s delicacies.

And when threatened later with the fiery burning furnace unless they bowed to the image of gold, they once again stood their ground and trusted in God to deliver them.  In fact, they went beyond to say, ‘Even if God does not deliver us, we will not bow.’

We know what happened.  Although their confession of faith did not prevent them from being thrown into the fire,  but the fire freed them from their bonds and God sent His Son to be with them in the fire. Their non-compromise brought them unto another threshold of faith in God.  God did what was unheard of.  They were later brought out unharmed but their enemies were destroyed and God was glorified.  God will do what is unheard of when you unflinchingly trust Him. Your deprivation and persecution will bring you promotion. Your affliction will free you to bring glory to God if you will trust Him.

 Similarly, Daniel was faced with a choice to communicate with God, obey Him, pray to Him as usual or bow to threats of death sentence. Daniel had a Caleb, Joshua and Joseph spirit-excellent spirit, devotional spirit. He was sold-out to God.  Nothing would come between him and his God.

Again this dedication did not prevent hi from being thrown into the lion’s den, but God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions. Daniel became their friend. And later Daniel came out safe and sound, glorifying his God and leaving a testimony that caused even the pagan king to give glory to God.

The disciples in Acts 4  were threatened to stop preaching in the name of Jesus; threatened with imprisonment, flogged, harassed, persecuted, but they were undaunted; they prayed instead and continued to obey God.  And He gave them victories as many came to know the Lord.

Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!

 The arm of flesh will fail you, but God will not fail you. ‘Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.’

 When Abraham trusted in himself he got Ishmael – a child of the flesh that became a thorn in his flesh.  But when he depended on God, he got Isaac – laughter and laughed forever.  when against all natural hope be believed in supernatural hope, calling the things which be not as though they were, and was strong in faith, God made him fertile in his old age and Sarah became pregnant to bring forth the child of promise.

 So trust the Lord, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.  Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the whole armour of God in the evil day.  In the day of the Lord’s power let not your strength be small.  Even if you are hard-pressed on every side, you will not be crushed.  You may be perplexed but be not in despair. Even when persecuted, know that the Lord has not abandoned you. When you go through waters you will not drown.  And when you go through fires, you will not burn or even smell of smoke. You are coming out like gold like Job of old.  Your Redeemer lives! He will defend you, protect you, provide for you, heal you, give you peace that transcends all understanding and rest.  Trust not in the arm of the flesh or the horse or horse- men; they are of little value, brittle and fickle and will disappoint you.

 Regardless of the difficulties, delays, disappointments, opposition or barriers you face, make your face like a flint, be a fortified city, a bronze wall; have faith in God.   Away with the horsemen and the horse or Egypt! The Lord is your light and your salvation- the strength of your life and what can man do to you?

Call upon Him in the day of trouble and He will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you know not yet of. ( Jer.33:3) Call upon Him and He will answer you, deliver you and you will glorify Him( Ps50).  Call upon Him and He will answer you and set you on high, because you acknowledge His name. ( Ps91)

You have been delivered from Egypt. Do not lust after her. Move ahead by faith.  Press on for the prize of the High calling in Christ Jesus. (Phil3) Move on in to your promised land in spite of the giants, lions or bears. Trust God that you will not rust or see decay, and you will see the great exploits you will do. Let Pharaoh pursue, let Laban get angry and pursue, yet put your hope  in the God of Hope. Let the Red sea stare you in the face, your God can part it like He did in times past. Let there be bitter water.  Jesus will make it sweet.  Yield not to the temptation of doubt and unbelief.  Let them falsely accuse you, throw you into the pit or imprison you, like Joseph, little do they know that they are introducing you into your palace, your prepared place and fulfilling the destiny foreordained for you. Do not grumble or think Egypt was better. Yes, even the hard place- in the prison, interpret the dreams of others and God will not forget you. and when you are knocked down, know that it’s not over until God says so. You may be knocked down but you are not knocked out.  ‘The righteous man may fall seven times but he rises again.’ ‘The kingdom of God suffers violence but the violent takes is by force. They over came him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, that they loved not their lives unto death.’  You are more than a conqueror- an overcomer through Christ  and if God be for you, who can be against you? Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. No weapon fashioned, premeditated or contrived against you will prosper or prevail or avail.

Stand and see the salvation of the Lord. Your enemies who pursue you will die in the blood trap. And God will be glorified.

©Fenny West 2011