Lessons for the New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope and pray that you had a wonderful holiday season and you felt God’s presence as you celebrated the birthday of His Son.  I also hope you’ve started the New Year with new hope for the future.  It’s interesting, I’ve come into the New Year feeling much like I felt last year…..hopeful for better days but knowing no matter what happens God is in control and He is my source and my portion.  He has me no matter what.  

While 2020 was hard and I was glad to be coming up on a New Year with new opportunities, I accept that what happened in 2020 will have effects on our future.  That doesn’t mean the effects will be bad.  But it does mean, we need to learn from our past and do better.  Last year led me to study more and spend more time with our heavenly Father.  I don’t always do it right or spend enough time with Him, but I’m striving to do better each day.  I have been reading my devotional (not every day, but I work to play catch up), and so far this year there are some notes I want to share with you (some are concepts we talked about in 2020).  

1. When you face hard times or challenges, remember God is with you!  If you are His child, no matter what we go through or what someone else means to do, God will never leave you (Heb 13:5) and He uses it for our benefit.  It may not feel like it at the time and it may not feel good or be what we want, but God is always with us as His children.  Every challenge or difficult experience helps to mold us more into who God is making us.  There is a lesson to learn and change to occur.  He is looking for more from us as we grow.  We are always becoming more.  The question is more of what.  If we are God’s children, hopefully, it means we are becoming more like Him.  So, a question for you.  What kind of fruit is God looking for specifically from you in 2021?  Is there a need for you to be more kind?  More patient?  More loving?  More compassionate?  What?  Seek Him and He will provide the guidance for you and He will be there to support you as you develop.  You are never alone. 
2. Obey God and He will bless you in ways you can’t imagine.  I don’t know about you, but when I’m obedient I see the rewards of it.  Whether it be in word or deed.  Tithing is something I’m super serious about (I know it can be a struggle for some).  I’m super serious about it, because according to the Word, it you don’t do it, there is a curse (Mal 3:9-12).  I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to deal with any curses, that I can prevent.  God said that if the tithes are brought into His storehouse, He will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that overflows and then He’ll rebuke the devourer for us.  Can you imagine appliances lasting well past their life expectancy or surprise checks in the mail?  I’ve experienced it.  God has rebuked the devourer for me and I know He will do the same for you.  God has blessed me in ways I could not imagine.  The job I have now, which pays well, was not on my radar.  In fact, if asked even five years ago, I would have said, I’d never be in this role, yet here I am.  I’m not bragging, because this is not due to who I am, but who God is in my life and my being obedient to His Word.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have it all figured out and I don’t do everything right.  I still sin and have to ask for forgiveness, but as I figure it out, I do better – not perfect but better.  I hear people saying all the time, they’ll try to do something.  In the words of Yoda, “Do or do not, there is no try.”  Trying means you’re giving yourself an out.  Either do what you plan to do or don’t.  Work hard to accomplish what you set out to do, or sit down.  Life isn’t going to hand you great accomplishment.  It only comes with hard work, determination and a strong belief system – believing God when He said you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:36-38); you are the Head and not the Tail; you are above and not beneath (Deut 28:12-14).  Obey Him, it will never be a wrong choice. 

Ultimately, God wants you to experience His love, mercy, faithfulness and favor!  If you walk with Him and live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him, He can bless you beyond your wildest imaginings in ways you never thought possible (Eph 3:20).