FOCUS ON GOD’S OVERCOMING POWER

The Bible identifies two overcoming powers that are in place for one that believes in the word of God. Revelation 12:11records, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”When a believer pleads the Blood of the Lamb or claims the word of testimony, experiencing the power of God will answer for the believer.
ABOUT THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB
John the Baptist informs all about Jesus as the Lamb of God in John 1:29, “…Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”Jesus is the Lamb of God that shed His blood on the Calvary for those who will receive and believe in Him. 
The word of John 10:10 confirms the coming of Jesus as the reason to believe in Him as the overcoming power as it states, “…I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”  
As a believer of God’s word, calling on God for your expectation for manifestation, plead the blood of Jesus with trust and hope, expect God’s intervention on your behalf.
ABOUT THE WORD OF TESTIMONY
Word of testimony can be described as an open declaration of what God has done or what God is doing in one’s life. In the face of a challenging situation, a believer that declares what the Lord God has done or what God is doing will experience the move of God. In most cases, what you declare is set to decorate you with your testimony to the glory of God. As a believer, give testimony to the glory of God to become an overcomer. As a believer, when your testimony about the goodness of God becomes your meditation at the time of challenges or no challenges, experiencing the overcoming power of God will become your portion.
Through the pages of the Bible, there is evidence of what positive or negative testimonies delivered into the lives of the testifiers, let your testimonies of God be positive to answer for you to make you an overcomer.
Evidence of Positive Testimony: King David, by the word of his testimonies, had a great and mighty deliverance when he overcame Goliath. In his attempt to go and fight Goliath, King Saul was discouraging when he said to David, “…You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” (1 Samuel 17:33) David refused to be discouraged, but gave an account of what he was able to do as he responded to King Saul, “…Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.” (1 Samuel 17:34-35) David was not intimated by the confronting challenge that was posed by Goliath. Instead, David dwelt on what The Lord his God had enabled him to do in the past and he gave testimony, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:37) David, by the word of his testimony, was able to overcome the giant challenge of Goliath.  
Evidence of Negative Testimony: The children of Israel experienced a great miracle when they were coming out of their bondage of over four hundred years and passing through the Red Sea on dry land but their testimonies denied them from God’s Promised Land. 
The Israelites’ response to the spy’s negative report after investigation of the Promised Land, they had no better testimony but to confess, “…If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, ‘Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.’” (Numbers 14: 2-4) 
God heard the children of Israel’s negative testimony when sent Moses to the Israelites, “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you.’” (Numbers 14:28) In truth, entire numbers from twenty years old and up except Caleb and Joshua, failed and not get to the Promised Land, because of their negative testimony.
What are your testimonies? Which words are being produced in you and being released by your tongue as testimony? Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of tongue…” David saw challenges, he testified to the power of God and he overcame. The children of Israel saw challenges, they confessed negative and could not arrive Promised Land. In facing challenges, give positive testimonies, meditate, confess and be established for the glory of God.

2020 THE YEAR OF KEEPING GOD’S TESTIMONIES

The word of God is His command, His statutes, and His testimonies for all man.
Living God-given life, keeping the testimonies of God will provoke the blessings of God.
One with desires of the blessing of God should diligently keep the testimonies of God. The word of God speaks to all, “You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 6:17)
Is it your desire to experience the blessings of God in these coming days, New Year? 
Keeping the testimonies of God is seeking God to receive the blessings of God.
What you keep in the word of God (testimony of God) will keep you and become of you as the blessings of God.
Psalm 119:2 encourages, “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!”
The promise of God does not return to God void.
Live life by the word of God that does not return void.
This season of yours, regardless of your challenges, you will gain God’s attention by keeping His testimonies, and will not become a victim of a wicked world.
One with understanding and knowledge to be confessing, speaking to the year as, “the year of keeping God’s testimony” shall not fail but will experience the blessing of God.
Calling your year “the year of keeping God’s testimony” will keep your focus, meditating testimonies of God, to do according to God’s word not to be a failure in the year journey.
Keeping the testimonies of God also extends to addressing negative challenges as a positive challenge to call for God’s intervention.
For example, David’s keeping of God’s testimony over his life encouraged him to fight Goliath and provoked the blessing of God for him to win and became the leader of his people.
David’s testimony of God that provoked the blessing of God’s victory for David records, “Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:37) David kept the testimonies of God over his life, he confesses positively against negative, to fight the Goliath, ignoring discouragement not to fight.
The testimony of God’s deliverance for David at his battle against Goliath was the blessing of victory for David over Goliath.
God promises that the BLESSED ones are those who KEEP His testimonies.
In the journey of a new year, continually call the year as, the year of keeping God’s testimony, to remind you to do right before God with the expectation of God’s blessing.
Also, just like David, when you keep God’s testimonies to remember in the face of confronting challenges, expect God’s visitation for His blessing of victory over confronting challenges in your life, to the glory of God.
Call 2020 as your year of keeping God’s testimonies, His blessings will not fail. 
Keeping the testimonies of God will be meditating the word of God.
Meditating the word God continually is communicating with God not to miss His presence.
The word of God identifies keeping His testimonies in Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Keeping God’s testimonies by meditating on His word is set to gain the blessing of God’s success.
In the journey of life, the year 2020, give self to testimonies of God by meditating on His word continually.
The Bible identifies some happenings the result of meditating the word of God:
Psalm 77:6, “… I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.”
Psalm 77:12, “I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.”
Psalm 145:5, “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.”
1 Timothy 4:15, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”
The word of God is God.
The word of God is His command, is His statutes, is His testimonies and one that will live life by keeping the word of God, meditating the word of God will experience the blessings of God.
Keep the testimonies of God to experience the blessing of God.

THE MERCY OF GOD BROUGHT YOU THIS FAR!

Day after days, week after weeks, month after months, year after years, the mercy of God has been consistent to see you this far, not to become a victim of the wicked world.
Just as power belongs unto God, mercy also belongs to God. 
The mercy of God means God is compassionate or kind forbearance that never runs out. 
The mercy of God is His loyal love; it is the conventional love of the covenant-keeping God. 
Only God that is in the position to render mercy unto all, unfailingly.
The mercy of God is no man’s merit but the goodness of God. 
God cannot be intimidated or manipulated by any of His creation for the release of His mercy.
God declared and was testified of in Romans 9:14-16, “…I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion. So, then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
God’s mercy is in place for all and nothing under heaven can displace or deny one which God is set to visit with His mercy.
It was with mercy that God led the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. The Bible records, “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed…” (Exodus 15:13) 
In this wicked world, understand and know to live life to attain the mercy of God as the Bible records His word.
THREE POINTS AMONG WAYS OF PROVOKING GOD TO OBTAIN HIS MERCY ARE:

The mercy of God is attainable when the life of one aligns with the word of God
One that lives life according to the word of God will always receive the mercy of God. Joseph’s life was the evidence of one that lived according to the word of God, the will of God. Every time there was an incident that could tempt him to violate the word of God, he did not give himself to the temptation to fail before God (Genesis 39:7-15). In one instance, he denied the offer to sleep with his master’s wife by claiming, “…How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) Joseph’s reaction to his master’s wife provoked God’s mercy for Joseph. The Bible mentions, “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor…” (Genesis 39:21). 

The mercy of God is attainable when one loves God
One with the love for God will always provoke the mercy of God. The Bible makes us realize that loving God is keeping His commandments (John 14:15). To love God is to fear God.  
The story of Joseph points out that Joseph kept God’s commandment by forbidding adultery when he fled away from sleeping with his master’s wife. Joseph loved God to obtain the mercy of God.

The mercy of God is attainable when one asks or plead for His mercy
Job, a man God declared as none like him on the earth; a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil found himself in a position to plead for God’s mercy when he said, “For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge” (Job 9:15). Despite God’s testimony of Job did not excuse Job to receive the mercy of God without pleading for His mercy. 
Just like Job, pleading for the mercy of God, Psalmist did the same saying, “Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death.” (Psalm 9:13). 
Sometimes, there is a need to ask for God’s mercy to receive from God.

The book of Numbers 14:18 says, “The Lord is long-suffering and abundant in mercy…” God does not run out of mercy.
Are you living outside of God’s word while expecting His mercy?
Understand and know that God’s mercy is abundant. Live life for God in obedience to Him. 
There is nothing done under heaven that is beyond merciful God’s response.
Now, be consistent to live life by the word of God to attain the unfailing mercy of God.
God is merciful to respond with His mercy.

THANKSGIVING BELONG TO GOD

Everything is possible for God to do, but only one thing He cannot do is to fail.
One having a life is the evidence to be thanking God, and there should be no reason not to be thanking God.
Thinking thanks before God is not giving thanks, but lifting the voice of thanks is giving thanks to God.
One that does not know to think will not know to thank God.
One with understanding to thank God possesses wisdom and knowledge of God, and to be able to enter the presence of God.
One that loves God will thank God for all THINGS.
One that loves God, that knows to thank God for all things, will have all things to work together for good. 
Thanksgiving is an appreciation for God’s doing in one’s life. 
Thanksgiving to God should not be limited to uttering words but giving thanks by living life to please God for His goodness.
Thanksgiving before God is not an act of thinking thanks but should be thanksgiving to God from one with mindful of God.
Thanksgiving with praising God is worshiping God.
Worshipping God is seeking God diligently.
Giving thanks to God or praising God must be with understanding.
Psalm 47:7 admonishes all, “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.”
With thanksgiving and praising God, worship God with the understanding that is reasonable and acceptable before God.
Ephesians 5:20 buttresses, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 
One with the lack of understanding to be giving thanks for all things at all times should not expect all things to work together for good.
With understanding and the knowledge of giving God a HEART-FULL thanks for all things will not be giving MOUTH-FULL of thanks before God.
God always awaits our thanksgiving offering regardless of any challenging situation. 
One that turns to God with a HEART-FULL thanksgiving should expect God’s deliverance.
Thanksgiving with praise worship before God is like a weapon to gain victory.
The Bible records how thanksgiving is the way to move forward and not become a victim of the wickedness of this world.
For example, Daniel, with his thanksgiving before God he escaped and not died by the evil agenda of wicked ones that placed him in the den of Lions. Daniel 6:10 records, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Daniel gave thanks to God to escape from the evil agenda over his life. With thanksgiving, Daniel could not die an untimely death. 
Thanksgiving before God gave Jonah an escape from sudden death. Jonah disobeyed God when he found himself in the belly of fish. The Bible records Jonah’s testimony, “But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) Jonah’s thanksgiving before God was his deliverance from the belly of fish.
Are you giving thanks to God with understanding?
Thanksgiving before God demands consistency.
Thanksgiving before God for all things will make all things work together for good, to the glory of God.
God is a jealous God with expectation for thanksgiving before Him at all times.
When Jesus healed ten lepers, only one returned to give thanks to Jesus for his healing. The response of Jesus to the only one testifies to the truth that God waits for all’s return for thanksgiving. The word records, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:15-19)
Are you with the understanding of knowing to be returning to God for thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving before God should be rooted in the mind of man but not just in the head.
A man that is mindful of God will be giving God all His glory and honor, the reason why God creates all man. 

GIVE SELF TO GOD’S WORD

The word of God is the living word, the word of God is His presence.The word of God testifies that: 
The word of God does not sleep.
The word of God is not stagnated. 
The word of God is always near to all, regardless of how one takes a distance from God because of one’s sin.
The word of God, the living word of God will always come to give direction to one that is opened to receive God’s direction.
Bible testifies in Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”  God, by His word, will come to deliver all that will receive His word as His presence.
John 10:10 states about His coming to deliver, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus, the living word of God is here, by His testimony above, He said, “…I have come…”
When the word God comes to you with direction for your deliverance, to live life abundantly, will you allow the word to ENTER you?
A failure for the entrance of God’s word will not set one for deliverance.
Bible records what happens when the word of God enters:
“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things” (Proverbs 2:10-12) The word of God that enters shall depositWisdom, knowledge, and understanding to set one to excel, living life for the glory of God.
Psalm 119:130 also testifies, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”
Are you a simple one that is living life as a believer of God?
Simple on can be a believer of God’s word as Proverbs 14:15 states, 
“The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps.”
When the word of God comes, it becomes one’s choice to open self for the living word of God.
Will you allow the living word of God’s entrance into your life?
Many hear without listening ability to know and live life by the living word of God, but turned to tell lies in the name of God, which is wrong before God.
Telling lies before God is adding or taking away from God’s word as Revelation 22:18-19 states, “If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” 
Consciously or unconsciously, a liar before God will add or take away from God’s word.
A liar does not call for justice; a liar gives self to empty words, to do evils. Isaiah 59:4said it, “No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.”
Are you a liar?
A liar that quotes God’s word wrongly by adding or taking away from God’s word will not be able to claim the promise of God in His word. 
For example, one quoting, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper…” is not complete, but takes away from God’s word which will deny not to receive the promise of God.
One must give self to the word of God as the Bible records, not to be denied but to receive the promise in God’s word as Isaiah 54:17records, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.”
When adding or taking out of God’s word, receiving God’s promise in His word is not possible. 
One that takes or add to God’s word, does not give self to God’s word and not answers as God’s servant.
One’s world can represent a stage of confusion when not giving self to the word of God.
One’s that pleases self by not doing right by the word of God in the place of giving self to please God is with a lack of understanding before God.
Give self to the word of God continually, to build you up and live life in the truthful of the word of God.