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LAST week we saw how favour knocked at Peter’s door and changed his life forever. 2015 is a year of the Lord’s favour — aim to connect to this favour and it will surely change your spiritual life, family, marriage, finances, workplace, academics and yes, even your health. When favour comes disease and sickness are broken down. O hallelujah, I like it. I like God’s favour! But take note in this year; obedience is a pre-requisite to favour with God. When you obey God’s word, you unlock God’s favour. Read on and discover how you can tap into this revelation of God’s Word and completely turn your life around!

“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught’. And Simon answering said unto him, ‘Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word, I will let down the net’”, Luke 5:4-5. Here we see after preaching from Peter’s boat, Jesus instructs him something. Each time before favour comes, God will instruct you something! Like I said last week that be careful of favour, it often comes disguised! It comes hidden in simple instructions!

Like unto the widow of Zarephath, she survived the drought by simply obeying the word of the Lord through Elijah! Her flour and oil did not run out until the drought was over, 1Kings 17:13-16. Friend, in this year if you will only obey God, you will eat and enjoy the good of the land as written in Isaiah 1:19.

Jesus says to Peter, “Peter, get away from the shallow waters, go a little bit deeper in the water!” O I like this, 2015 go a little bit deeper. Don’t be on shallow waters,

No, go deeper! Deeper in blessing, promotion, prayer, excellence, good health and in all you do!

Go deeper even in being a good spouse in your marriage, being a good parent, an obedient child, a responsible employee, a considerate manager, and a person of his word, a person of integrity!

Go deeper this year! Do you know why? When you go deeper, favour will come your way!

This year, fight to read your Bible.

If you start with a chapter a week, for example by the end of the year you would have covered at least 52 chapters. Go deeper. Don’t miss programs and activities in your local church. You can’t be home watching films when others are praying. 2015, be where you are supposed to be! Favour will only knock when you are at the right place.

If its work time, be loyal and at work. We see now Peter responding, “Lord, we toiled all night but caught nothing!” You may have worked so hard in 2012, 2013, 2014 and caught nothing, your business is withered, family desperate and health fast deteriorating but friend, 2015 is a good year! All you need to do is obey God’s Word.

Peter expressed his concern and understanding. Being a fisherman he knew fishing is done during the night and not on deeper waters.

However, he quickly changed his mind and aligned with the Word of the Master. He just obeyed. You see, it’s not bad to doubt or question a little bit at first but it’s bad to stay and camp on your doubt!

Move away from doubt and believe. If you want favour to come your way you must believe and obey the Word of God.

Many times God speaks to us but we don’t quite hear! It can happen for example when you go to sleep and you hear in your heart, “Wake up and Pray, Wake up and Pray” and you give excuses saying “Ah I have my prayer time at 4:30 am”.

Then tomorrow you hear someone say, “Ah yesterday around such and such a time I almost died.”

And then you say, “Ah, surely I should have woken up to pray!” Teerera shoko! Haikona kuteerera zvaunoziva (Obey the Word, don’t rely on what you know).

I have also discovered over the years that it’s difficult to minister to or help someone who knows too much about their problem.

Someone who knows too much about medicine (for example my interpreter here is a pharmacist and actually helps give prescriptions to people) and you lay your natural hand that eats sadza on his head to minister healing surely it’s a sign God did a work in his life!

Or you are now saying, “Ah, but Bishop my case is different, it’s to do with ancestors, they actually brewed beer and enchanted curses on my life.” No, no, no! Don’t say or think like that! What is the Word saying? The Word is saying go deeper. It’s saying Favour has come! It’s saying whatever you will set your hand on in 2015 it will prosper. Neither be too scientific nor too superstitious in 2015!

And when you start something this year; don’t try, don’t doubt, don’t shake and don’t waver! Just do what the Word says. O hallelujah! Go deeper in the Word of God!

If your friend is pulling you back or just like you — change your friend! Yes, change him or her!

You don’t need a friend who when you break the fast before time he/she doesn’t stop you or rebuke you but says, “Ah, please cut for me also a piece of that mango!” A friend who doesn’t stop you or rebuke you when you think of small-houses, quitting a dream, forsaking your children and spouse is not a friend!

No. That’s not a friend. In 2015 you need to change your mind. And at times to change your mind you have to change your friend! Change your friend and change your future! O hallelujah!

Once you obey its better than sacrifice. Disobedience is as the sin of witchcraft and secondly when you obey act on the Word.

Obedience with no action produces nothing. Don’t you hear in the Bible that a father had two sons whom he both sent to do some work? One obeyed and said yes, I will do but didn’t do. The other refused and said no but later changed his mind and obeyed.

The key is that even though he was sceptical at first but he changed his mind! I say to you, change your mind about things you were not obeying God in the past years. A year of favour is a year of obedience and a year of obedience is a year of action! O hallelujah!