Month: July 2025

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” — Acts 3:19 (KJV)

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What is “Times of Refreshing”?

A time of refreshing is a divine moment where Heaven meets Earth with restoration, renewal, and a revival of strength. It is a season where the dry places become fruitful again, where brokenness gives way to wholeness, and where the past is overshadowed by the glory of what is new.

Just as Psalm 23:2 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters,” this time is symbolic of green pastures, divine restoration, and a shining moment when God turns mourning into dancing and ashes into beauty (Isaiah 61:3).

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Emblems of Refreshing:

Each symbol is a divine tool used by God to bring us into His freshness:

1. Water for Cleansing – “…with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26); Heb. 10:22
2. Blood for Purification – “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7; Heb. 9:14, Rev.1:5
3. Rain for Supply – “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain…” (Zechariah 10:1; Leviticus 26:4; Isaiah 55:10-11
4. Spirit for Renewal – “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…” Isaiah 40:31; Romans 8:11; II Corinthians 4:16

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Biblical Examples of Refreshing:

Throughout Scripture, God brought refreshing to lives and situations long deemed hopeless:

• Naaman – from leprosy to restoration (2 Kings 5:14)
• The Bent-over Woman – 18 years of bondage ended in one encounter (Luke 13:11-13)
• The Woman with the Issue of Blood – 12 years healed by a touch (Mark 5:25-34)
• The Man Born Blind – saw for the first time (John 9:1-7)
• Elijah and the End of Drought – rain restored after 3.5 years (1 Kings 18:41-45)
• The Lame at the Gate Beautiful – leapt for joy after years of begging (Acts 3:1-10)
• Sarah – aged womb refreshed to bear a nation (Genesis 21:12)
• The Prodigal Son – From rebellion to restoration- (Luke 15:24)

Characteristics of Times of Refreshing:

1. It is Visible to All – “And all the people saw him walking and praising God.” (Acts 3:9)
2. It Is Better and More Glorious – “The glory of this latter house shall be greater…” (Haggai 2:9; Psalm 126:1-3
3. It Comes with New Strength – “Your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5)
4. It Terminates Old Stories – “Behold, I will do a new thing…” (Isaiah 43:18 -19)

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Magnitude & Dimension of Refreshing:

• Perfect Refreshing – God completes whatever He starts (Philippians 1:6)
• Full Refreshing – Nothing missing, nothing broken (Joel 2:25-26)
• Lasting Refreshing – Like rivers that never run dry (John 4:14)

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PRAYER UPROAR: Let the River Flow!

“Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” — Psalm 81:10

1. Father, I declare this is my season of refreshing – “The set time to favour her has come.” (Psalm 102:13)
2. I receive the full dimensions of divine refreshing – “That you might be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19)
3. Let the Living Water flow into every dry area of my life – “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
4. By the Blood of Jesus, cleanse me—body, mind, and soul—for a fresh start – “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.” (Psalm 51:7)
5. Holy Spirit, renew my strength, empower me for righteousness and purpose – “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
6. Let AyoBello Memorial Baptist Church, Ilorin, testify of continuous refreshing – “The Lord shall guide you continually… and you shall be like a watered garden.” (Isaiah 58:11)

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Conclusion:

Beloved, “Times of Refreshing” are not just seasonal—they are spiritual. They come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). As we align our hearts, lift our voices, and yield to the Holy Spirit, rivers will flow, glory will fall, and new stories will be written. Let us step boldly into the stream of God’s refreshing! “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground…” — Isaiah 44:3

Introduction

• Beloved of the Lord, over the last two weeks, God has opened our spiritual eyes and blessed our understanding with powerful revelations on Renewed Beginnings—a divine journey into new heights and new glory. We’ve come to recognize that in Christ, we are never stuck, never finished, never without a future.

But today, the Lord is shifting the dimension of our revelation. He is bringing us into a new horizon: a renewed beginning for a New Hope in Christ.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

• These are not mere motivations—they are the living manifestations of divine hope.
• It’s a spiritual promise—a covenant reality.
• New hope in Christ brings fresh strength,

soaring grace, and the power to overcome weariness and faintness, even in the face of overwhelming opposition.

• Hope in God never dies. Hope in God refocuses us. It revives the hopeless heart and transforms it into a womb of divine opportunity.

A. Understanding New Hope in Christ

1. Hope is the Blueprint of Faith

• Hope is not inferior to faith—it is foundational to it. As Hebrews 11:1 says:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

• Hope gives form and aim to faith. When hope is absent, faith loses its target—it becomes scattered, like arrows without a bullseye. But when hope is alive, faith becomes sharp, intentional, and fruitful.
• Hope builds the image of God’s promises in your heart so that faith can go to work and bring it to pass.

2. Hope is Supernatural Expectancy

• Biblical hope is not worldly “wishing.” It is not a shallow desire or emotional optimism.
• The hope that the Word of God talks about is rooted in your covenant with God and the anointing He has released to fulfill it in your life.
• It’s not based on your conditions—it’s based on God’s unchanging will.

“…remember that at that time you were separate from Christ…without hope and without God in the world.” – Ephesians 2:12

• But now, by the blood of Jesus, we have a living hope (1 Peter 1:3), and a supernatural expectancy that what God has promised, He is well able to perform.
• In Philippians 1:19, Paul uses two powerful Greek words that are translated as hope. One means “happy anticipation of good”; the other means “eager longing, strained expectancy, watching with an outstretched head.”
• That’s the image of someone looking beyond their natural limitations, fully absorbed in what God is about to do.
• When you walk in this kind of hope, distractions lose their grip. The trials of life cannot weigh

you down, because your heart is locked on the certainty of God’s movement.

B. How to Obtain New Hope in God

1. New Hope Comes from God’s Word Revealed

• Hope rises when God’s children discover His Word and cling to it until it reshapes their inner image.

“In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures…” – Daniel 9:2

• When Daniel discovered God’s prophetic promise in Jeremiah 29:10–11, hope ignited in his heart and led to intercession and fulfillment.
• The same way, Isaiah 55:10–12 reveals that God’s Word brings joy, peace, and productivity when it enters our hearts.
• Hope comes when you take those promises and keep them before your eyes and ears, until they begin to build an image inside you. You stop seeing yourself without it—and start seeing yourself possessing it.
• Go to the Word—God’s will is His Word. It is His will for you to be healed, whole, fruitful, victorious, and full of divine purpose.
• Stay in the Word until your hope becomes crisply defined, until your spirit stretches with expectation.
• Meditate until you’re so full of divine vision that your morning starts with declarations of healing, joy, and power! 

2. New Hope Comes Through Absolute Trust in God-  Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 26:3

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not  Proverbs 3:5-6

• When your hope is grounded in God, unbelief has no entrance. Your heart becomes immovable, your mind unshakable.
• The fiery darts of the enemy bounce off you because your soul is anchored in divine expectation.

3. New Hope Comes to Those Who Wait on the Lord

• Hope is born in the secret place—where we wait on God in worship, in quietness, and in faith.

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” – Isaiah 40:31

“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” – Proverbs 23:18

• Waiting is not wasting. It is a spiritual posture of expectation. You may look still, but your spirit is soaring. Your faith is preparing to catch what God is about to release!

4. New Hope is Strengthened by Bold and Unwavering Faith

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace…to the seed of Abraham.” – Romans 4:16

• Like Abraham, you must hope against hope. The Bible says Abraham did not waver through unbelief but was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised (Romans 4:20–21).
• The lame man at the gate (Acts 3:5) looked at Peter and John expecting to receive something. That kind of hope is magnetic—it pulls the supernatural into the natural.

“We having the same spirit of faith…we also believe, and therefore speak.” – 2 Corinthians 4:13

• When hope matures, it opens your mouth. The spirit of faith begins to speak—not out of formula, but from overflowing expectation. It calls things that be not as though they were, because it has already seen them in the spirit.

Conclusion: What New Hope Does in the Life of God’s Children

Hope is not an emotional cushion—it is a spiritual force.

Hope keeps you intensely focused on God’s promise. It paints the image of the future God has prepared for you—even when your circumstances show the opposite.

When you have hope:

• The devil cannot beat you down.
• Trials cannot rob your joy.
• Setbacks become setups.
• You develop a divine stubbornness—refusing to quit, rising stronger every time you fall.

“At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.” – Job 14:7

• Let your hope be fierce, focused, and full of fire. Let it stir your faith into action. Let it birth prophetic vision and victorious living.

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit…” – Romans 5:5

This is your season for New Hope. And by the Spirit of the Living God, your hope shall not be cut off.

Introduction / Preamble

Beloved, we gather today under a divine declaration — not of mere encouragement, but of prophetic reassurance. The passage before us is a word in season.

It is God’s word to a weary people, a word to revive the faint-hearted, restore lost glory, and initiate a renewed beginning filled with New Glory.

Haggai 2:6–9 reveals God’s heart toward His covenant people in a time of disarray, dejection, and devastation.

These were people who had known glory — seen it with their eyes — and watched it depart. But the God of all seasons and situations had not forgotten them. And beloved, He has not forgotten us.

Contextual Background

In Haggai’s time, the Israelites were at their lowest ebb:

• The glorious Solomonic Temple had been destroyed (cf. 2 Kings 25:9).
• The Ark was gone, the lampstand extinguished — Ichabod, “the glory has departed” (cf. 1 Samuel 4:21).
• Many had returned from exile in Babylon, but they came home to ruins and rubble.
• Worship felt restricted, and the passion of their devotion was clouded with despair (Haggai 2:3).

They had memory without manifestation… hope without substance.

Yet in the middle of that darkness, God speaks.

God’s Fourfold Response in Haggai 2:6–9

1. God Sends His Word (vs. 6)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says…”

Before God moves, He speaks — His Word always precedes His work.

• The Word is not bound by circumstance. (Isaiah

55:10–11)

• The Word is the seed of transformation, the catalyst for change. (Psalm 107:20)
• In your chaos, God still speaks. Are you listening?

His voice shakes the heavens and the earth — because sometimes things must be shaken before they are rearranged.

🔥 God’s Word is the shaking that precedes the shifting!

2. God Demonstrates His Sovereignty (vs. 6b–7)

“I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations…”

God reminds Israel that He is Lord over all realms — heaven, earth, sea, and dry land.

• Nothing is outside His reach — not your wilderness, not your broken altar.
• He is the One who causes nations to tremble so His purposes can emerge. (Daniel 2:21)
• He shakes structures and systems to reveal what cannot be shaken. (Hebrews 12:26–27)

No matter where you’ve been — be it exile, barrenness, betrayal, or bondage — God is not

confined by geography or history. His sovereignty extends into your personal wilderness.

3. God Proves His All-Sufficiency (vs. 8)

“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine…”

This is God’s divine declaration of total ownership and limitless provision.

• You don’t need to see the provision — just trust the Provider. (Philippians 4:19)
• Every resource required to fulfill God’s purpose already exists in His hand.
• He is Jehovah Jireh — not just a provider, but The Provision Himself. (Genesis 22:14)

The Israelites worried about the cost of rebuilding — but God said, “I own the supply chain.”

🕊️ The One who gives the vision also owns the provision.

4. God Promises New Glory (vs. 7b, 9)

“I will fill this house with glory…”

“The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former…”

This is the crescendo — the divine announcement of a New Glory.

What is God’s Glory?

• His Presence (Exodus 33:14)
• His Weightiness – the kabod – the heaviness of His nature and influence
• His intervention in the affairs of men

When glory comes:

• The ordinary becomes extraordinary
• The natural is overtaken by the supernatural
• The temporal becomes a stage for the eternal

Dimensions of New Glory in Verse 9:

• 🌅 New Horizon – A new dawn breaks over your life. (Isaiah 43:19)
• 🌿 Greater Restoration – More than what was lost will be restored. (Joel 2:25)
• 💖 Divine Comfort – Peace, not as the world gives. (John 14:27)
• 🔁 Transformation – A change of story and status. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

🎇 This isn’t a recycled past — it’s a brand new future.

Life Application: God’s Glory in Our Midst

What does this mean for us today at AyoBello Memorial Baptist Church?

1. God’s Work in the Midst of the Year Is Mighty

“In a little while…” – God doesn’t need forever. He can shift things suddenly.

God is shaking things, not to destroy, but to reconstruct your future. (Habakkuk 3:2)

2. God Can Turn Around Any Situation

From exile to rebuilding, from tears to triumph — nothing is too far gone.

3. God’s Intervention Is the Gateway to Glory

When God steps in, beginnings are renewed — the end is better than the beginning. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

4. Peace Is a Signature of God’s Glory

“In this place I will grant peace…” (vs. 9)

Not just absence of trouble, but shalom – fullness,

harmony, health, and wellbeing.

Conclusion:

God is not finished with you.

• He is a restorer of ruined places (Isaiah 58:12).
• He is the lifter of those bowed down in discouragement (Psalm 145:14).
• He gives new beginnings, not by erasing the past, but by redeeming it.

No matter your age or stage — whether you are elderly remembering former glory, an adult in the struggle of rebuilding, or a young adult looking toward the future — God is calling you into a New Glory that exceeds what was.