So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the
crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army
which I sent among you….I am the Lord your God and there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.

– Joel 2:25-27
In 1642, a bitter struggle between King Charles I of England and parliament led to the outbreak of the first English civil war. The parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell defeated the king’s Royalist forces. After trying the defeated king for treason and having him summarily executed, the monarchy was abolished and a republic was declared known as the Commonwealth of England, which was governed by Oliver Cromwell himself.
However, when Cromwell died in 1658, his son Richard was chosen to be the next leader. He was however ineffective, so the heir to the executed king was asked to return from exile and rule Britain. In 1660, King Charles II was brought back to Britain and he took his throne. Thus aristocratic power was restored to England once again. This is popularly known as the English Restoration.
Now, God created man to have dominion over everything created.
Unfortunately, that dominion was lost to the enemy after the fall in the Garden of Eden. Through His death and resurrection however, Jesus restored man to his original position and gave him much more. Thus, everything that was rightfully man’s at creation was restored to him. Through the finished work of Calvary, you and I can today live the victorious life God intended for us.

The truth is, God is still in the business of restoration; He is constantly renewing and restoring. And when He restores, He does not just restore to the original position; He takes it above and beyond what was lost. Such was the case of Job. In spite of his overwhelming troubles and losses, the Bible states, “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). As a matter of fact, the end of Job was far better than the beginning. And this defines the nature and the character of the God we serve.

It does not matter what you have lost or seem to have lost over the weeks, months or years, His word to you this month is: “…I will restore to you….” And He is emphatic that, no matter how gloomy the situation is, you will never be put to shame. So get ready for supernatural restoration and discard every thought of shame. If God has promised, He will surely bring it to pass. Even if it was your own mistake that brought you to where you are right now, He will forgive and restore to you all you have lost.

It was Dan B. Allender who said, “The work of restoration cannot begin until a problem is fully faced.” So, this month, deliberately begin to see your seeming impossible situations in the light of God’s Word. The truth is, your restoration begins once there is a positive shift in your mind-set.

Irrespective of where you are right now, God wants to give you a fresh start, a new beginning. This month, you too will encounter divine favour and restoration. God will make the impossible become possible-in your health, finances, relationship, life’s purpose and every area of your life. You will never know shame again in Jesus name.
Welcome to April, your month of Covenant Restoration!
If you require counselling or want us to prayerfully agree with you, feel free to send me a mail at pastor@pastortaiwoministries.org. I also encourage you to visit our websites www.tfolc.orgblog.pastortaiwoministries.org,  www.discoveryforwomen.netwww.thewomanleader.orgwww.ruthandboaz.orghttp://homeaffairs.tfolc.orgwww.discoveryformen.org for more articles and resources.
God bless you.
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya