2023: A Year of Turnaround
We all face situations that seem permanent and unlikely to change. We pray but our health doesn’t improve. We work tirelessly but our finances aren’t improving. We resist so hard but the temptation remains. It is easy to get weary and think that nothing will ever change. We think we have to manage the addiction, put up with sickness, and learn to survive. But God says, “I will turn things around for my people” (Zephaniah 3:9). He is a God of restoration. He parted the Red Sea and turned it into dry land. He brought water out of rock. He turned five loaves and two fish into dinner for thousands.
The enemy will whisper, “Your situation is permanent. Your marriage is doomed. Your children are too far gone.” That is when you must remind yourself that a turnaround is coming. God will turn your mourning into dancing. Healing is coming. Breakthrough is coming. Freedom is coming. 2023 will be a turnaround year! God will do things for you that are miraculous, spectacular, and out of the ordinary. I have seen this turnaround in my own family
My father came from a poverty-stricken family. He had to drop out of school in order to support the family financially. He lived in a mud house without furniture, electricity, or running water. He was married at a young age. In due time, he and my mother had three ordinary boys and one exceptional child. When I was one year old, my mother suddenly passed away.
My father was devastated. He did not know how to raise four children. When an orphanage offered to take us in, he reluctantly agreed. My dad had very little knowledge of the Bible but sitting in his leaky, thatched-roof, mud house, he prayed, “God, make my boys great!” God hears our prayers. When we feel furthest from Him, that is when He is closest to us.
Long story short, God had a turnaround for my dad. He went from mud house to living in the biggest house in his village, from drawing water from a public well to indoor plumbing, not knowing the Bible to mentoring young people. Before he went to heaven, he traveled the world with us, praying for people, and enjoying the fullness of God’s blessings.
Friend, no matter how hopeless your situation may look, we have a turnaround God. You may have gone through a loss, life has not been fair, you could easily give up but you serve a turnaround God. He turns loneliness into companionship, lack into abundance, and sleepless nights into peaceful rest. God has things prepared for you that will make your head spin. When your time comes, you will not remember what you went through.
One thing we can do to ensure a quick turnaround is to have a clean conscience. If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. The Bible says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15 NIV). Is God telling you to do something that you are putting off? When He brings something to light—a bad attitude, anger, jealousy, unforgiveness—let us deal with it. Do not harden your heart and let this opportunity pass by.
God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people that they had 40 days to repent, or God was going to destroy the city (Jonah 3). Notice how God put a time limit. He said, that they had 40 days to get their act together! When Jonah delivered the message, the people fell on their knees. The king took off his royal garment, put ashes on his head, and declared a citywide fast. They did not say, “Give us a week, ten days, or a month!” They responded immediately by saying, “God, we are sorry for the way we have been living!” They repented and God spared the city.
I wonder if there is anything you can do to unleash God’s unlimited favor over your life in the next 40 days. Maybe the Holy Spirit is telling you that you have 40 days to get right with God, 40 days to forgive someone, or 40 days to break free from a bad habit. God gave 40 days to the Ninevites. I do not know what it is for you but I know that God is speaking to you right now. Deal with the issue God is bringing to light. If you deal with it, He will give you unprecedented grace and power to overcome it. The moment you act, God will free you from depression, anger, and bad breaks. He will heal your body and restore everything you have lost. Friend, this is going to be a turnaround year. Cleanse your heart and get ready for increase, impact, and influence. I declare a turnaround is heading your way!
