We have reached the end of another year, and it is now time to reflect and take a look at some of the challenges and triumph that occurred.

The world has viewed some tragic disasters on the news that have led to many deaths and sorrow. Some of these heartrending events have been Malaysian airlines double disasters that killed over five hundred passengers.

Three days before the end of 2014 we heard the terrible news of yet another disaster involving Air Asia 8501.

The recent news reported that a plane crashed in the Java Sea killing all 162 people on board. Our hearts and prayers are going out to God on behalf of the victims’ relatives to give them strength and comfort. Only God can envelop them in His peaceful arms at this time of crisis.

Relatives of Flight QZ8501 praying. Image courtesy of theguardian.com

We have also seen the emergent of deadly pestilences such as Ebola and the ongoing wars and terrorism such as the Russia/Ukraine war, Palestine/Israeli war and the radical Islamic movements in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. There were also mass protests and civil uprising in many countries such as USA, Hong Kong, Venezuela, and Ukraine.

Protests at Ferguson, USA August 14, 2014. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Many people in various parts of the world experienced some victorious times during the past year. The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the Sochi Winter Olympics have given many athletes the opportunity to fulfill their lifelong dream of obtaining a gold medal or to simply participate in those historical events.

Not to mention the few lucky winners who have won jackpots in the lotteries and have all their material dreams fulfilled.

German football team – World Cup winners. Image courtesy of BBC News.com

These are just a few of the many great things that happened over the past year that the international news media covered.

However, many of you have had some very trying and victorious times. Your situation may not be publicized, but it does not mean that your emotions are not just as deep as those who have received media attention.

One of the triumphant occasions in my life is the establishment of this blog in March 2014 in obedience to God. I had no previous experience with blogging, but God placed people in my path to help me.

This blog will be reaching millions of people soon because it is God’s desire that His words are taught and preached in the entire world. This blog is, therefore, a work in progress.

If this is your first time on this blog, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit.

Please feel free to browse through all the pages especially the ABOUT page where I introduced myself to you.

Some of my favorite posts are A Song for my Beloved; Pleasure in your Old Age; Wait for Love. To be honest, I love all of the posts on this blog, and I enjoyed writing them.

It is God’s desire that we become the oil and wine.

All of the posts are my personal testimonies or reflections of the experience of God in my life. The word of God has been my motivation and source of strength. I hope that you will find each of them a blessing to you.

Receive only the good things.

2014 is passed and none of us can undo the past events whether good or bad. Therefore, I encourage you to take only the good from last year with you to the New Year and leave behind the bad and the ugly.

Always remember that it does not matter what situation you are going through, you are not facing it alone because God is with you. He knows your heart, and He sees your situation.

Some of God’s many promises:

For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. (1 Samuel 12:22)

So

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Note carefully that:

The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men (Psalms 33:13)

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7B)

The Lord loves us and wants the best for us because:

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Ephesians 1:4).

Finally, let me assure you that according to Psalms 139:

The Lord searches and knows each of us individually. He knows when we are awake and asleep. He understands all our thoughts, and He directs our paths.

The Lord is aware of all our ways. As a matter of fact, even the very words in our mouth He knew them before we speak them forth. The Lord God is supreme.

The Lord has formed a hedge around us when we put our total trust in Him such that we cannot escape from His presence.

It does not matter where we find ourselves, whether in the deep seas or the far corners of the earth; whether we ascend to the highest heaven or the lowest depth, the Lord is with us and His right hand will hold us firmly. Nothing can snatch us from His grip. So, let the burden begins?

These are a few of God’s assurances for us. We can claim them because they are sure now and in the coming New Year. You can afford to sleep through your storms.

The Lord loves us because He created us and covered us in our mother’s womb. Therefore, it is only fitting that we praise and glorify Him because we are wonderfully made and marvelous is His works.

Thank you, Lord!

Let us embrace this New Year with renewed hope and vigor.

Happy New year!

Published by Beverley

Beverley has been serving the Lord since she was a child. At an early age, she recognized that God had a special plan for her life, but it was not until in her adulthood that she surrendered her total life to God and accepted the mandate that God placed on her life. The Lord called her into His Kingdom to be an encourager, intercessor, teacher, scribe, priest, and to proclaim the Word of God. Since then, Beverly has established a blog to teach us to become the oil and wine. The oil and wine are purified and mature products, which is the advanced level that the Lord expected of us. In 2017, Beverley published her first book, Harm Not The Oil And Wine. In it, she described her trials and how God helped her to overcome them, and to live more victoriously. The book also exposed the enemy of our souls with detailed information about his past defeats and future extinction. Wright spents most of her time studying the Bible to know the truth of God’s Word. She believes that only God’s truth can expose the deception of the enemy, and uproot and tear down spiritual strongholds. You can learn more about Beverley’s life and testimony on her website becomingtheoilandwine.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Google+ under the name of her blog, and on Twitter as @Theoilandwine. View all posts by Beverley