Category Archives: New Year’s

Messages related to New Year’s Day and New Beginnings

In the Little Things

Posted on by yolandaberry
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One thing I’ve noticed about the Lord is that He operates in seasons, patterns and cycles. He also delights in the small things. Throughout the Bible, the Lord showed His power through operating in small things and making something out of nothing. Jesus multiplied seven loaves and two fishes to feed 5000 people. The woman and her son had more than enough oil and flour during a famine to feed Elijah while trusting in God’s promises. 1 Kings 17 Another woman multiplied her oil and sold it to pay off her debts. 2 Kings 4.1

In Matt 17:20 Jesus says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

When you’re rooted in God, even your minuet ability to believe ignites the magnitude of God’s power. We live in a world where seeing is believing but in the supernatural, we walk by faith and not by sight. As the world continues to grow in darkness, chaos, and deception, we should hold fast to our faith and the promises of God. Do not despise the day of small beginnings. Zech 4:10 The Lord works His greatest miracles when we take insignificant steps of faith despite unknown outcome.

As we enter a new year, a new week, and a new day, whatever goals, plans, projects or assignments you’re considering, let it be a small step in the direction of elevation and progress. No matter how small it looks, the Lord will breathe on your movement of faith in action. The Lord will show Himself strong and mighty in the midst of unclarity, chaos or confusion. For God is not the author of confusion. 1 Corth 14:33 The Lord desires peace, order, and structure.

When you step out in faith, the Lord will meet you exactly where you are. In Proverbs 15:16, it states, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures with trouble.” The Lord will prepare you for development, growth and capacity. There is a divine process which includes different stages and levels of development and growth to enable you to handle capacity. You cannot rush the process. The Lord will shape your character and every challenging experience that you walked through to be able to handle the pressure, weight and depth of your growth for the expansion of capacity. Your gifts, talents, abilities, and interests are packaged for your calling, purpose and assignment. Do not limit the Lord. He is omniscience, omnipotent and omni present. (Psalm 139, Isaiah 46:10, Psalm 139:1-4)

In Proverbs, 16:8-9 it states, “Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice.” A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Every step is a step in development leading to growth.

The Seed of Spiritual Development

Based on my experience, here are three spiritual growth phases. This is by no means the actual blueprint for your life process but only as a reference point. The Lord will divinely guide your path according to His will and plans for your life.

The Development Process

When you’re entering the phase of development. It is a season of preparation. It’s a time of exploring, discovering. experimenting and learning new things of interest. It’s a time of failure and pruning. It can be an uncomfortable process yet a time of self-discovery and fulfillment. It’s a space to embrace creativity. You may feel pulled in several directions or have no direction at all. It’s a time of isolation and idle time. Movement is slow paced. It’s a time to listen and be still.

The Growth Process

The growth process stretches you into the unknown. You seek clarity and wisdom. You do not dismiss any ideas but keep record of them. You are placed in harsh conditions to rely on God as your source. You’re constantly learning and possibly shifting to new areas to expand your knowledge and experiences. Your spiritual life becomes more tangible. You don’t see the world at surface level but understand there’s much more to life than material gain and success. Your values, morals, disciplines and principles are defined and aligned with the Lord.

The Expansion Process

The phase of expansion draws you even closer to the Lord. All reliance is based on confiding in the Lord for next steps. Courage, strength and resilience will knock on your door as you walk through higher levels of spiritual elevation and revelation. Although you may still struggle with fear or doubt, it doesn’t have the same power over you. You have authority over it. You will increase your capacity to handle tension and unstable environments with ease because you understand the power comes from the Lord who gives you the strength to overcome every scheme, plot or plan of the enemy. The creativity and ideas that the Lord has placed within you begin to surface like a seed planted in fertile ground. The years of development and growth take shape and blossom like cypress tree.

Characteristic of a cypress tree searched on Google:

Key Characteristics

  • Foliage: Typically small, scale-like leaves that hug the stems, giving a feathery look, though young plants have needle-like leaves.
  • Shape: Often conical or columnar, but can vary by species.
  • Cones: Small, woody, and round (globose).
  • Bark: Varies but often peels in strips.
  • Habitat: Many prefer moist or wet conditions, like the Bald Cypress, which thrives in water

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:13

Trust in the plan that God has for your life. He is faithful to complete the work that He has entrusted you with. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1;6

Characteristics of a myrtle tree researched on Google:

True Myrtle (Myrtus communis)

  • Description: An evergreen shrub or small tree with fragrant leaves and sweet-smelling white flowers, producing dark berries.
  • Origin: Native to the Mediterranean region.
  • Uses: Culinary (spices), medicinal (essential oils), ornamental, and symbolic in traditions for love, beauty, and devotion. 

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Related Bible Verses

Hosea 14:8

8 Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.

Luke 16:10

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

1 Corth 1:28

28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

James 3:3-5

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

Prov 30:24-28

“Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 hyraxes are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
27 locusts have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

1 Corth 1:27

27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Read more on the blog

The Wind of Change

Posted on by yolandaberry
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sunset, field

Everything is changing very quickly in this world. Unfortunately, I don’t have a high level of anticipation, like I did when I was younger, for the new year. What I can say is that times and seasons are shifting beneath our feet whether we want it to or not, but we should maintain a high level of expectation in our Lord for He does not change. He is unmovable and unshakeable.

The current fires in Los Angeles have brought extreme devastation to California. This situation will not only affect California but will affect the economy and nationwide home insurance policies. Whether the fires were caused by a natural disaster or started by arsonists, the God of the father of Abraham, Issac and Jacob is calling His attention to the sins of this nation. How will we choose to respond or react to this catastrophe? Will we throw our fists in the air and grow angry, callus or rebellious toward God? Or will we fall on our knees in reverence and honor to the King of Kings and intercede and repent on behalf of this country?

Hollywood is well known for its idolatry. The exposure and fallen out of explicit sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, pornography, parade of homosexuality, sexual addiction and sexual abuse in the entertainment industry is a prime example of a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. The spotlight is shining on Hollywood as they face tremendous loss and an overwhelming recovery effort in this heartbreaking tragedy.

I noticed while looking at the map of California that the fires were in a circle which I was referring to as the “Ring of fire.” These fires are a warning. The alarm has sounded. Will the fires be a pre-cursor to a devastating earthquake? Let us pray against an earthquake hitting the state of California or additional tectonic plates around the world.

In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was warned to leave the city before destruction and to not look back upon the city for else he and his wife would turn into a pillar of salt. In Genesis 19, Lot was warned that the land would be destroyed due to the sins of the people.

13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

Gen 19:13-14, and 23-24 
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. Gen 19:13-14

23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; Gen 19:23-24

28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt. Gen 19: 28-29

History has a way of repeating itself especially when the lessons are not learned from the past. The vanity, greed and arrogance of man is embedded deeply in our culture. Celebrities are worshipped like gods. The music industry displays the demonic agenda boldly and proudly flaunts their wickedness on stage and within their lyrics as fans flock to their concerts to support them at any cost. Athletes are icons where fans rather attend sporting events than go to church. The movie industry plant seeds of witchcraft and evil to celebrate chaos, destruction and devastation as well as murder, crime, and torture. A woman’s anatomy has become a playground for lust and perversion. Children are no longer safe among adults. In reality, you have to keep a close eye on everything and everyone around you. Unfortunately, many innocent people suffer at the hands of evil men. We are in a spiritual war and it’s a real fight.

“For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt 5:45

Most don’t do anything until it affects them personally, but will we continue to be complacent with a blind eye or draw closer to the Lord? May the light of God shine amid darkness and awaken the blind.

The Lord says to the people, “Awake and come out of deep sleep and perverse darkness!”

“4 And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. Ezk 30:4

7 And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.

8 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.

9 In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. Ezk 30:7-9

13 Thus saith the Lord God; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. Ezk 30:13

15 And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. Ezk 30:15

18 At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

19 Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the Lord. Ezk 30:18-19

Prayer for the Nation

Lord Father, we cast down our idols in honor to worship the one and only true God, “The Father God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.” Forgive us for our selfish nature and disobedience. We repent and we turn away from sin. Wash our hands clean of all unrighteousness, cleanse our heart and renew our minds. Establish our steps to walk Holy as representatives of Christ. We pray for strength, courage and wisdom as we navigate through the terrains of life. May you uphold us with your righteous right hand and do not let us slip. We rest under the shelter of your wings.

May you provide strength, comfort and safety to all those affected by the current tragedies upon this new year and grant peace for those who have lost loved ones in the fatal attacks or L.A. fires. May you increase the strength and safety of the first responders and fire fighters and all those assisting in the care and outreach of those who have lost their homes. May you bring restoration and salvation to the loss. May the outpouring of the Holy Spirit be evident in the lives of your people and may the wind of the Holy Spirit be upon us.

In the precious Blood of Jesus. Amen.

Seeing Past Your Blindspot

Posted on by yolandaberry
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IMG_2235

“Brethen, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Phil 3:13

When you look through a rear view mirror, you cannot see a specific area when you are backing up a vehicle. If you assume or estimate the distance without really knowing if anyone or anything is behind the blind spot, it can lead to imminent danger if you are not cautious.

Many times in life, you may face a blind spot. The blind spot is a very uncomfortable place. You feel stuck. You don’t know which direction to go. You don’t have clear vision. You may not even understand how and why you got yourself in such a predicament, situation or circumstance. It’s a lonely place. It’s a temporary place. It’s an unpredictable place.

In the blind spot, people’s approval or opinions does not matter. It’s a place of solitude. You do not care about seeking advice or listening to a circle of friends, but you are in desperate need to hear from God alone.

The blind spot was designed to remove you from your comfort zone. It was created to stretch your faith. It is a place and moment in time where God gets your attention by calling you to a new place either spiritually or physically. It’s a place that you’re yet to discover. It’s also a place where you can’t force things to happen on your own terms, in your own way and on your own timeline. You must trust God in knowing that He is working behind the scenes.

Although it’s beautiful to hold onto joyous memories, it can slow you down or hold you back if you continue to hold onto the past or feel that life will never be the same. Due to unfortunate circumstances such as a death of a loved one, an illness, a sudden disability, or even surviving a natural disaster, it’s possible that life will never be the same, but God has much more promises and dreams to fulfill in your life. He has much more people for you to meet. He has many more opportunities to receive. Many more mistakes to learn from and many places for you to visit and explore. He has much more love for you to share. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future.” Jer 29:11

You can’t continue to go in reverse and keep dwelling on past mistakes, bad experiences or memories. You must forge ahead with assurance and confidence knowing that you have much more to experience, learn and understand. You can’t move forward if you continue to look backwards. You have to give the Lord the driver’s wheel and trust that He will lead you in the right direction.

“Faith is the evidence of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Heb 11:1