Forward Moments Part 2 - Rev Elija Mulavu

www.cremministry.org

Transcript

Defining Forward Moments

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Forward moments. When we talk about the forward or biblical forward moments, we are talking about the ability to uh move forward as you trust the Lord with all your heart in all your undertakings. Uh, we're talking about the aspect of forward moving, the aspect of moving forward, which means we let go, according to what Paul said, uh, what is familiar or rather our past, and uh allow God to um walk with us and enable us to walk towards his divine purpose. Uh, when we talk about moving forward, we're talking about uh um we move against the challenges, circumstances that we face in our lives. And so um, no, I'm speaking uh this immediately after the celebrations that we had, after the 30 years that the Lord has been faithful, has been gracious to us as a ministry, and it is very likely that after the celebrations we take things for granted. We get used to the situations and feel now that we've been able to accomplish this and we've been able to achieve this, we've been able to arrive here. It is very likely that you will find yourself getting used to um the situation, becoming complacent and sometimes uh ignorant of uh the plans and the purpose of God in our lives. And so when we talk about uh moving forward, we're talking about the aspect of advancing, um, the aspect of moving on, uh, regardless of what you're going through, regardless of uh your achievements, regardless of uh the challenges that you're having, and you purpose to move on. You purpose to proceed immediately after something

Guarding Against Post‑Milestone Complacency

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has happened. And this time I'm talking about uh after the celebrations that we had. We need to continue doing ministry, we need to continue uh growing in our own lives, we need to continue building up our families and accomplishing the purpose and the plans of God for our lives. And uh, this I want to talk in regard to uh what Paul said, because the scriptures talked about uh the aspect of uh a call to be uh faith-driven progression. We're talking about towards divine plan that God has. It's talking about leaving the past behind and of course moving on, and this involves obeying God, it involves trusting God to guide you, it involves allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you through the process, it involves allowing God to also help us understand what we are supposed to do at a particular time, and so um the Lord has impressed in my heart that we talk about the aspect after what we've been through, we still need to have forward moments. We're talking about allowing ourselves to move, to take the initiative, to have the readiness to advance. I'm talking about staying focused on what God wants us to accomplish. Because you remember at a certain time God spoke to Joshua and he told him that we still have more cities to be taken. Because I think at this time uh Joshua had relaxed, but God had uh plans for him, and so I'm speaking to Krem in the name of the Lord that uh we need to understand that we still have more uh land, more souls to be won to Christ. We still have more things that we need to accomplish um in the Lord, and so it requires us to engage and embrace forward moments in our lives where we will be able to move on, where we'll be able to, of course, sometimes take uh personal reflections and allow God to help us understand where we are and what we need to do in our own lives, where we are able to focus on what is ahead. Um, of course, we need to understand past um is an experience that we may reckon with, but we don't need to dwell on our past. We don't need to regret on what we have the failures that we had yesterday. We need to move on, we need to grow in our lives, and we need to pursue uh the life that God wants us to live. And so that is what I will be speaking to us, uh, most probably God allowing us today and uh uh the the next Friday. Um, I will be speaking about the aspect of uh impressing uh the forward movement moments in our lives, the aspect of fully engaging um with the present. Of course, you be able to engage uh with the Lord in accomplishing his will in your life, we are able to live a purposeful life, we are able to allow God to use us to be able to accomplish what he wants us to do. Now, because we're talking about the growth mindset, we're talking about um taking actions in our lives, we're talking about allowing God to use us. Now, when we talk about uh the forward um movement, we're talking about uh the way of faith. Of course, we

Faith Moves Forward, Not Back

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know the way of faith moves forward. That is the first thing that we need to understand that the way of faith moves forward. This means that we need to take action, we need to take a courageous step in trusting God to be able to accomplish his will in our lives. We need to impress the unknown. Sometimes we may not be able to understand fully what is expected of us or what we are supposed to do, but we need to trust God that he will be able to help us. We have many examples in the Bible of people who did not have full details on what is expected of them, but when God challenged them to move on, they were able to obey him and they moved on, and God was able to use them in great ways. There are three ways of uh moving forward that I want to uh speak about today. And the first one is uh the aspect of uh uh being uh pushed or uh pulled forward. This is where God uses other people to either encourage you or support you to move forward. Uh because when we talk about moving forward, and I think uh this is part of uh the things that we had, uh our brother Kamuta give testimonies of experiences of people in the course of the 30 years that the Lord has been with this ministry. There are people who participated, there are people who um became a blessing, there are people who were able to participate in the process of building the ministry, and that is the reason why we need each other, because we are able to encourage one another to move forward, and so we need each other. That's why the Bible says in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 24, that we need to consider how we can spar one another towards love and good deeds. When we talk about sparring each other, we mean provoking each other. So through love, we are able to provoke each other towards moving uh forward because we are able to understand, you are able to know whether a certain brother or a certain sister is moving forward. So the first dimension of moving forward is the aspect of being helped by other people to move forward. They either equip you, they rebuke you, they challenge you, uh, they empower you. And so we have the aspect of being helped to move forward. I'm um let me let me give you an example of my life. I I can remember many years ago when I was growing in ministry, uh, where I had encounters and especially with my mentors. I had uh a certain experience with my senior pastor one day. He rebuked me, and it was a terrible rebuke, and I felt it. But after some time, I allowed the Lord to minister to my heart, and the Lord was able to confirm that that rebuke was necessary, and that is the reason why today I'm broadly ministering to you, because I allowed myself to be challenged, to be rebuked, and that was a way uh forward in my life, and so I want us to understand because I have said the way of faith moves forward, it doesn't stagnate, and in our way, in our process of moving forward, sometimes we get used, sometimes we stagnate, but God uses people, and I believe that in the year 2026, the Lord will use others to push us forward, the Lord will use uh one another within the ministry to help each other to move on in the mighty name of Jesus. So I'm praying that the Lord will enable us to uh pull each other because we need to be a brother's keeper. You don't just wait until somebody has messed up and uh you will be because I have seen it in church that people see it and they know what is happening in the life of a brother and they leave it. I mean, they leave him alone, and so when he messes, now people will be saying, I knew he will do it. Yes, we knew, but what did you do? And so I challenge you in the mighty name of Jesus. Sometimes God enables us to see what is happening in the life of uh somebody because one time we are up there, another time we are down here, but we need to encourage each other, we need to pull each other forward so that we'll be able to move on and accomplish the

Three Ways God Moves Us Ahead

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will of God. Sometimes we ignore uh the uh the preference, but let me tell you, you will need him tomorrow. You may not be necessarily feel that he is uh um essential at this particular time, but I'm assuring you you will need that brother. So let's uh push each other, let's encourage each other in the year 2026, call each other, challenge each other, and uh help each other to move forward. The other dimension of moving forward, of course, is where God allows situations in our lives, where he allows circumstances, and we realize that we are pushed by the circumstances that sometimes we are moved to the world, but no wonder God allows those situations to shake us to the point of having us make the right decisions to move on. So it might be a challenging situation in your relationships, it might be financial issues, it might be a conflict in your place of work, it might be a challenging situation in your business, but one thing that we need to understand is God allows some of these uh things to happen in our lives to push us forward. I think I can give you an example of many things and situations that I have been in through in my life that pushed me forward. I trust uh I don't know whether I have shared this uh um thing, but I encountered a situation in my life where I think uh I went through in in life and in ministry without uh uh allowances, and something happened, and um um I was not receiving my allowances. But I'm telling you at that particular time, my faith grew, and especially on the aspect of trusting God to provide for our lives. And I usually remember that situation and thank God that it happened in my life because it pushed me forward in my faith and especially in the aspect of believing and trusting God in providing for my life. So I want you to understand, yes, God uses people to uh pull us forward, and he also uses circumstances. And I know maybe I'm talking to somebody who is going through a particular uh situation in my life. I want to challenge you. It is not for uh your destruction, it is for your good. He has allowed it to happen in your life, and sometimes we need to reflect in the midst of a situation that you're going through and ask yourself critical questions. What is God saying at this particular time? What is God telling me to uh maybe change or transform? And uh when we allow God to speak, he always helps us. But remember, he uses circumstances to push us forward. The other situation is uh where we allow or make we choose to continue to move forward um on our own uh will or decision. We um um decide that I'm going to move on in my own life, I'm going to move forward. Where you are ready to pay the price, you're ready to wake up in the morning to pray, you're ready to uh give, you're ready to um uh get involved in ministry, but I'm I'm calling them forward moments because everything that happens in life, even in ministry, we have people who have moved forward in that particular situation, or rather, they have had forward moments for the sake of that particular thing for a ministry to succeed. We have people, we have uh sacrifices that have been made by people who had the forward moments in sacrificing, in prayer, in giving, and uh in participating in ministry because that is a forward moment, and so we we we are talking about where we uh uh decide that I will be able to move forward on your own accord without being forced, without being pushed by circumstances, without being pulled by others. You decide, you make a choice that I will move on, I will do what I am supposed to do. And so I want to declare 20 uh 26 reference. We are going to make up our minds and uh choose to move on, and especially when it comes to ministry, when it comes to doing the right thing, we will have forward moments in doing what is right, we will have forward moments in doing what we are supposed to do, even without being taught to do. Because, like if I um take, for instance, ministry, we know what happens, we know we are expected to give to us uh the missions for 2026. So we don't have to wait until um, I mean, we are pushed to do so, but we allow ourselves to move on in this particular uh obligation that we are supposed to undertake. And so I want to challenge us, uh, the year 2026. Yes, we have the three dimensions, and I know the Lord will use them, but I um I urge you to purpose on your own to stride forward in order to be able to accomplish God's purpose in your life. Now, let me try to reflect from the Bible. What does uh moving forward look like according to the Bible? It looks uh like uh when we trust God, even when the path ahead is not clear. So when we talk about uh moving forward, we don't have to wait until everything is clear because the Bible says in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verse 5, that trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your ways. So, what does moving forward look like according to the Bible? It looks like we let go the past of sometimes mistakes and walk in his grace. According to the book of Isaiah, uh chapter 43, the Bible says, verse 18, remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of God. But the old I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth. Shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. So, uh, how how does um uh moving forward look like according to the Bible? It looks like taking a small step of obedience even when you feel insignificant, according to Zechariah chapter 4, verse 10. The Bible says, For who have despised the day of small beginnings or small things, for they shall rejoice and shall see the permit in the hand of Zeruber with those uh seven, they are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro from the whole heart. So we take the small steps of obedience. Sometimes we want to wait until it is a mega thing that God is challenging us to do, but even those small steps uh are supposed to be our forward. That we are supposed to take, however small they are, because the Bible is asking who has despised the day of small things. Um,

Pushed By Circumstances To Grow

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what does uh how does um the moving forward look like? Uh the Bible talks about uh, of course, releasing fear and doubt because God has not given us the spirit of fear, but he has given us the spirit of power and love and sound mind according to 2 Timothy chapter 4. We so we have to release fear and doubt and allow ourselves to move in the spirit of power and love and allow God to accomplish his will in our lives. How does it look like to move forward? It looks like uh moving, choosing faith over feelings, knowing that God's truth is unshakable. Of course, the Bible says we don't walk by sight, but we walk by faith. So I challenge us uh that we should continue to move on and allow ourselves to have uh forward moments in the year 2026 that yield to fruitfulness in our lives, that yield love in our relationships. Those uh forward moments where you take a step of faith, and we have said it doesn't have to be a big step. The tiny the the details we need to consider them because God is also in the details. So I'm challenging us uh that we push past discouragements and believe that God is still at work in our lives. The Bible says that all things work for good uh uh for them that love God, for them that are called according to his purpose. So, brethren, let's allow ourselves to move past discouragements. And I know I'm talking to somebody who is going through situations, or rather, in the course of the year, you will go through discouragements. We need to push through, we need to move on past uh those experiences because God is still working in our lives, he's still working. I I like um I remember a someone I have always preached when I mean I was saying God at work, He He is still working in your life. We need to surrender control and allow God to lead us and uh in our lives. The Bible says that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. So God delights in our way, he delights in ordering our steps, and these steps that is leading us are steps that we are moving forward to be able to accomplish his will, to do what we are expected to do, to seek him, to love him, to share the gospel, to share his love with others, to give and support the work of the ministry. And I'm calling those forward moments, and I'm trusting God for forward moments in our lives where we will be able to um give testimonies at the end of the year and remember how the Lord has worked with us. So we also need to um grow through challenges and all that trials produce uh endurance. According to the book of James chapter 1, verse 2, the Bible says, My brethren count it all joy when you fall in diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, but the patience of a perfect work that it may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. So we need reference to move on, to move forward. So I want to declare this year, the year 2026, that we are going to move forward, we're going to have forward moments in our lives as we do what we expected to do. Also, we also have to have forward moments in also pulling others in order to move on, to encourage them, to challenge them, to help them, to support them. We need to have such forward moments in our lives where we take responsibility of our brothers to become a brothers' keeper to help them, and so that is the reason why I'm declaring this year as a ministry, we will move on, or rather, we are going to have ministerial forward moments in our ministry that we have taken a step forward by faith. Because sometimes we have said we don't have to have the details, but we need to trust the God, our God, who is he has promised that he will be with us. So moving forward in faith is not about perfection, it is not about the speed, but it's all about trust. We keep stepping on, we keep seeking him, we keep believing him, for God is leading us forward. Our God is a God

Choosing To Advance By Decision

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of forward moments. That is why in the Bible we see he gave men uh forward opportunities for forward moments in their lives, and he allowed them to trust him. So I want to challenge us in 2026 financially. Let's keep stepping on, let's keep seeking him, let's keep believing him because we know and we need to uh be sure of this uh fact that he is leading us forward. Hallelujah. So finally, as I wind up, I want us to maybe see um an example. But before we get to that, I want us to understand that that moving on, when we talk about moving forward in faith, we we have said it doesn't have to be a mega leap or a giant leap, but the small steps, the steps of obedience, we need to press on to the mark, uh, or rather to the price of our high calling that God has called us to. When we of Paul was talking about the pressing forward, he was saying that he will not look back on the situations, on the experiences, and we know he had his own experiences that he had in his ministry, but he kept on moving on, he kept on doing the work of the ministry, and God was able to help him. I want us to look into the Bible, a very good example of a woman who uh um moved on through a situation and she was able to receive from the Lord she had a forward moment in a particular situation that she was. Of course, the Bible talks about the woman with the issue of blood. We know the situation that she was in, and the Bible talks about uh her investment in looking for a solution until uh she exhausted her finances and uh she still remained sick and unclean according to the Jewish culture. She was not supposed to mingle with uh every other person, she was not allowed to uh be within the public vicinity, but the Bible talks about a situation where she um she heard about um uh the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to understand the situation that she was. Actually, she was holistically cut off, she was physically, mentally cut off, she was in a terrible situation because she was not supposed to mingle with uh people, her health was not improving, she had exhausted everything, and then and I believe she had heard about Christ, and one day she um hears about him, and so the Bible talks about what she did because uh we know the religious customs and of course and traditions were not allowing her to do anything about uh her situation, but she heard about Jesus Christ, and the Bible says she took a step of faith, she took, um she utilized a she she had a forward moment in that particular time, so she moved forward in faith and sought out to the Son of God, of course, to the Messiah. And the Bible says she spoke to herself. The first thing she did, she said, I was touch the aim of his garment, because she believed she will be able to receive uh healing. And so the Bible says she was brave enough to push through through the crowd because you know, um because you remember Christ asking, Who has touched me? And the disciples responded that uh we are so many. I mean, we cannot be able to um um uh define the person who has touched you, but Jesus insisted that somebody has touched me, and this woman had uh moved on in this particular situation, and uh the Bible says she touched the aim of uh the

Biblical Picture Of Moving Forward

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garment of Christ, and the Bible says she received her healing. I want you to see the situation, the limitation, the restriction that she had, that she was not supposed to me go or interact with the public. And here is a situation where she has seen the Messiah and she has purpose. She has to have an encounter with him. And this encounter is the closest encounter of touching uh the hem of his garment. That was a forward moment, and I want to declare forward moments in your life where we are going to encounter God in different ways financially, uh socially, and uh ministry-wise, spiritually, we are going to encounter the grace and the power of God in our lives. We are going to encounter God in our lives as we take or utilize the forward moments in our lives because God gives us opportunity. This was an opportunity that she had. Remember, actually, the appointment at this particular time, Christ was on his way to Jira's house to be able to deal with his um daughter, but she took advantage, she took a forward moment to have a touch uh of his uh garment, and we know the Bible says she received her healing instantly. And uh, according to Matthew chapter 9, verse 20, Christ had an encounter with her because the Bible says that he turned around and saw when he saw her, this was the declaration of Christ, and it says, Daughter, be encouraged, your faith has made you well. And the woman was healed at that moment. So I want to encourage us that uh the way of faith moves forward, the way of faith has uh forward moments in our lives, and so we want we need to take advantage of situations. Yes, we don't need to give up, it is about faith, it is about believing him, it is about trusting him. It's not about uh uh doubting, no, it's about trusting him. And so I want to declare uh before we pray as I wide up, I want you to understand uh every moment, every opportunity, every day, God gives us uh opportunities, he gives us privileges that we take advantage and move on. And uh the Lord will bless us, the Lord will do marvelous. I I can give testimonies of uh forward moments in my life and ministry where I have dared and believed God. I remember one time uh the Lord spoke to me about giving. In fact, I remember that time I was struggling financially terribly. I was and actually I was a pastor, but I was struggling and struggling financially. And so the Lord spoke to me one morning. I was actually preparing to go to church, and uh the Lord spoke to my heart and uh he challenged me to trust him and believe him financially. And so I talked to my wife and I told him, I'm feeling in my heart that we trust God, and the way of trusting God is just let's give everything that we have. So we emptied our our finances, everything that we had, we put it together and we took it to the church. I remember my wife was asking, Did you hear God well? I I told her I'm I'm trusting him and I had him, and I know it will be uh a forward moment in our life uh as we trust God uh financially. And so you can imagine the situation. I'm a pastor, I'm ministering in church, and I have the envelope containing everything that we had at that moment. And my wife is looking at me, um, you know, trying to ask me, Are you sure that God spoke to you? And uh offering time uh came, and uh I walked to uh to to the um altar and I gave my offering. And I remember that particular time we had, I mean, there was nothing that was left. In fact, uh by that time I was not even driving. So we walked home and um we arrived home, we uh sat and uh we we we we we kept quiet, nobody's talking to each other. That uh somebody knocked our door, and uh a brother came and he said, uh I'm in a hurry, um I was coming here to just bring this to you. He did not even say what it was. He gave me an envelope which had money, and uh maybe next time I was I will tell you the amount uh that he gave us, but it was um sufficient to address several issues that we were facing at that moment, and so I want to say it was a result of our forward moment at that particular moment when we believed God, when we trusted him that he is able to do more exceedingly above all that we can even imagine. And so from then I can uh confidently say I don't struggle trusting God for financial blessing. I know that God is able to do it. And one of my uh forward moments is the aspect of tithing, is the aspect of being faithful with God, what God has given me. I know sometimes we even some of us have been in salvation for many years, but we are still struggling with the aspect of tithing. I want to challenge you. Tithing is a forward moment. I know um sometimes we feel like we have gotten used to God, we know how he operates, but we don't know. We need to trust him every day. He gives us opportunities for our forward moment, and so I want to trust God that 2026 will be the year of your forward moment,

Pressing On Through Discouragement

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it will be a year that God will give you an opportunity to do something that will change and transform your life, change other people's lives, be able to bring an impact in a society, a community, and even a nation. And so I'm trusting God that God will give us the ability to move on, to take the step of faith, to utilize every uh moment that he has given us to move on forward to the glory and honor of his name. So may the God help us that we will be able to embrace every forward moment that God gives us, that we will engage, of course, by faith every opportunity, trusting him and believing him. Um, we have many examples of people who moved on, people who are the um forward moments, and that is why I said um I thank God for what the Lord has done in uh cream for the last 30 years. In fact, I remember I was uh in the celebrations, and one of the things that we had, most of the things, the testimonies of encounters of people, things that were done were a result of forward moments that were taken by people and especially steps of faith. And so I believe as we move on, because yes, we have been there, God has more that we need to accomplish, he has more souls that we need to win, he has more uh finances that we need to give, and so we need to take advantage of every moment he gives us to move on and do the right thing. So God bless you. Um trusting God that 2026 will be filled with forward moments in our lives because even being here, this is a forward moment. May God bless you for being here. I declare the blessings of God in your life because this is a forward moment. Sometimes we ignore some of these um um um opportunities that God gives us, and we take for granted that it's no more, normal thing to miss a fellowship on a Friday. But I want to challenge us that we utilize every opportunity because it is a forward moment, and God is always waiting for such opportunities in order to bless and to uplift us and to grant us an encounter. So God bless you. You are in a situation, you remember we said we have three dimensions. We have the dimension of brethren of men and women of God pulling us forward. That is okay, and we are going to do it. And I know part of my sermon is doing it to you. That I'm challenging you. I know sometimes we might uh be uh gotten used to the situations, but we need to grow, we need to trust God because there's still um new things. He has things that have never been seen. You know, he has uh um things that have never been heard, no art has perceived the things that he has in store for those who love him. And so I want you to believe, God, that every opportunity that God gives us, every day is a forward moment that we need to utilize and allow God to uh accomplish his will in our life. So God bless you. I want to pray with us, and uh, I'm trusting that God will be able to help us as we begin the year that we are going to have a forward moment in our lives, that we are going to say, Yes, I did this. I woke up in the morning to pray, and I can see, I can tell God did this. I gave um a sacrificial offering towards the work of the Ministry and I have seen God do marvelous in my life in Jesus' name. So may God bless you. Maybe we have somebody who is going through a situation. We are trusting God to intervene in our lives. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, we want to thank you for your word that you have sent to us, O Lord, that you have given us opportunities to move on because the way of faith moves on. Moves forward, Jehovah God, you've given us opportunities, and many times we have missed them. We pray that you forgive us, and Jehovah God, help us in 2026 will be a year that will be filled with our forward moments that you give us, that we have utilized, and we have seen what God you've been able to accomplish with those forward moments in our life. We know that many things that happened, even our salvation is a forward moment of somebody who sacrificed, somebody who fasted and prayed, somebody who took time to uh come to our nation to preach, to minister to us as a missionary, somebody who visited our village. It was a forward moment of somebody, and so we pray that Lord,

The Woman With The Issue Of Blood

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this year that as a ministry, as individuals, as families, we're going to have people who are going to benefit from our forward moments in our lives as we engage in missions as a forward moment. Jehovah God, we will see you accomplish and bless people and uplift their lives. Lord, I thank you for 2026. I declare your blessings in uh January, uh, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. I dedicate this year, it shall be a year of great and rewarding forward moments in our lives that we will be able to look back at one time and say, Yes, I did this and this happened. Yes, I sacrificed this, and many people were transformed. I declare your blessing. If there be any one of us who is in a situation and Lord, you've been using that circumstance to push them forward. I pray that Lord you uh help them and give them.