2024 - Prepare for a New You
A message of Hope Because it's All Down Hill From Here
As we enter a new year, I know that many of you are going through challenging times. Like many of you, at the start of 2023 (last year) I felt that it was likely the beginning of a challenging, if not biblical, period of time that we were about to enter into. With the onset of wars and rumors of wars around the globe, and more specifically as the year went on, wars and rumors of wars involving Israel, it seems that we may very well be on the cusp of an even greater conflict than even we can imagine.
Add to that, all the things that were happening in each of our personal lives and we can now see that if nothing else, 2023 was a time of great testing! For example, think of the effects that the “plandemic” has had on our economy. Many people lost their jobs as a result. Although the politicos are all bragging how their policies have fixed everything and made them all better than they were before, we all know that isn’t true.
What I want all of you to know is this, please know that no matter what you went through last year, it’s important for you to know that you have not entered this New Year alone. Please remember that you are still here because God has brought you through it. We need to remember that! He's kept you and I alive and for a purpose. If last year was a time of testing like I think it was, I believe many of us will see this year as a time of restoration. You might even say that this year is going to be a time of revival.
Better yet, I believe that a big part of the restoration for many of us this year will be the restoration of Joy. I believe that God is leading us during these challenging times to be more like the Apostle Paul. Remember, Paul was a man who was beaten, put in prison, he was slandered and rejected, but somehow, through it all, he still had Joy! Somehow, in spite of all he went through, he still had peace and contentment. I believe that God is calling all of us in 2024 to be that way. He’s calling us to have a type of peace that comes from within. A peace that is not disturbed by what is happening around us. A peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace where we could be in the face of hate and persecution and still be able to say that we have joy.
So, what’s the key to having true joy and to having true peace? Well, fortunately for all of us, Paul shed a little bit of light on that. Look what he said in Romans 14:17.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Notice the ordering of how he says that. He doesn't say Joy, then peace, and then righteousness. No! It’s righteousness that comes first, then comes peace and then finally there is joy. There is a pattern.
I believe that when we are truly walking in “righteousness” or “purity” it brings about within us an inner peace that surpasses all understanding and that inner peace is what leads to true Joy. Each and every one of us can have true joy no matter what is going on around us. Remember, the Apostle Paul had peace even while being persecuted, going through many trials, tribulations and enduring things that many of us in the Western World couldn’t possibly relate to.
So the encouragement I want to share with all of you is this. Live each and every day in a way that does not grieve the holy spirit. Why? Because when you refuse to grieve the Holy Spirit, “He” (the Spirit) has a way of bringing you Joy.
So, take note of everything in your life that you can give over to God. Take note of everything that needs to be brought to the cross. And as you take strides in doing that, remember that no matter what is happening around you, I tell you this, this year will be a year of restoration! This year will be a year of joy in the holy spirit. When you lay your head down on your pillow at night, you will be able to say within yourself, today I lived for God and that will make you smile and you will have Inner Peace.
So this year, let us prioritize those things that bring us inner peace. Things such as eating better and working out. This is going to be a year of saying no to gluttony. This is going to be a year of caring for the temple of God. This is going to be a year to get your organs functioning as they should. This is going to be a year to fast and pray more than ever. Why? Because these are the things that will bring us inner peace.
The things we do this year that can bring inner peace will help us feel the presence of the Holy Spirit upon us and that brings more joy than any material possession. Material possession, which, can be taken away anyway. Nothing external lasts. We need to remind ourselves that a homeless man with a prayer life who is filled with the Holy Spirit will have more satisfaction and joy than a man with great wealth who lives in a mansion who doesn't know Christ. I guarantee it!
So, those sins you've struggled with in the past, give them over to God. Even if this will mean that you will be in your home all alone, because you refuse to associate with people who will try to get you to give in to temptation, you will have inner peace because your prayer life will intensify. It’s a simple fact that you can pray pray better when you are not distracted by the things of this world and you know you are doing what God has called you to do.
Maybe in the past when hard times came, perhaps you would use addictive substances to help you to ease the pain. But no, not this year. This year will be a time of using things that are challenges to you as the vehicle to help you get closer to God. I tell you, I believe that this is going to be a year of restoration. The people you have been praying for, just watch. Why? Because they will see how God uses you. Many of the people that you have been praying for to come and grow closer to God will! And it will be because they will see what He has done in your life. It’s time for us to believe that this will be a year of restoration and inner peace in Jesus name.
Please remember that if we prove ourselves faithful and remain with God and stay the course, he will see us through.