Passing the Peas: 5 "P" Qualities to Cultivate in the New Year
Bishop Leonard Chatham
As we stand on the threshold of a new year, many of us are thinking about resolutions and fresh starts. But instead of the usual goals, what if we focused on cultivating some spiritual "peas" in our lives? No, I'm not talking about the black-eyed peas we traditionally eat for good luck. I'm talking about qualities that can truly transform our walk with God and our impact on others.
In a recent sermon, I shared five "P" qualities I believe God is calling us to develop in the coming year. Let me serve you up a helping of these spiritual peas that can nourish your soul and help you grow.
1. Prayerful
The first "P" I'm asking you to cultivate this year is to become more prayerful. I'm not asking for your money - I'm asking you to become more prayerful. You know why? Because if you're prayerful, you won't have to be asked for your money.
James 5:16 tells us, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Notice it says to confess your faults - your weaknesses. We all have weaknesses. But here's the strength that makes our insufficiencies become sufficient.
When we pray right, the Holy Ghost is so on us that before we even get to our situation, God has already given us the anointing to go through that thing. You can make it through this, but you got to be praying.
2. Purge
The second "P" is purge. God says He's going to have to purge us in order to get more out of us. To purge means to rid oneself of impurities or things that are undesirable.
Look at John 15:1-3. Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." He goes on to say that in order for you to have more fruit, He has to cut you. Not because you're not bearing fruit, but so that you might bring forth more fruit.
God's gonna get more out of you this year. He may have to cut you, but He's gonna get more out of you. It's gonna hurt when God cuts you. But I'm telling you, to cut you means that He's going to engraft you.
3. Perform
The third "P" is perform. I want you to allow God to perform through you this year. To perform actually means that you're being carried to completion. God is ready to not only complete something in you, but He's ready to bring you to completion.
Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." He will not only complete it, but He will let you keep it. It will be preserved, sustained, held up when people try to cut it down.
Look at yourself and say, "I'm still standing." After all I've been through this past year, I'm still standing. After all that people said I couldn't have, I'm still standing. No matter what the economy said, I'm still here.
4. Prevail
The fourth "P" is to prevail. It means to be of greater strength or influence. James 5:16 again says that the prayers of the righteous availeth much - those prayers that are stronger, those prayers that have more influence with God.
All favor is influence. Are you favored by God? That means that you have an advantage that the world doesn't have. God will lead you in and out of your trouble. God will take you around things that people have set up as traps for you.
I don't care what the devil said to you, you will come out of this. I don't care what the doctor said, you will come out of this.
5. Patience
The final "P" I'm asking God for this year is patience. You say, "Well, you're setting yourself up." But you know what? I'd rather be setting myself up for the goodness of God than to be trying to sit around here and wait on something to happen.
Patience means having the ability, the willingness to suppress even my restlessness. When everybody else is cracking up, everybody else is giving up, I'm just cool. As they say on SportsCenter, "as cool as the other side of the pillow."
James 1:4 says, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Patience only comes to mature people. When you've got patience, patience says, "Let me hear the whole matter."
Putting It Into Practice
As we step into this new year, I challenge you to cultivate these five "P" qualities in your life:
Be more prayerful, connecting deeply with God
Allow God to purge you of anything holding you back
Let God perform His work in and through you
Prevail over obstacles through God's strength
Develop patience that leads to maturity
Remember, God didn't bring you this far to leave you. He didn't bring you out to leave you out there. He didn't help you get over this in order for you to just fall and give up right now. You know why? Because you're too close to reaching your goal.
So pass the peas and dig in to these spiritual qualities. Let's make this a year of unprecedented growth and impact for the Kingdom of God!
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