We Have Every Reason To Rejoice
Believers in Christ have every reason to rejoice. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). Christians should be rejoicing at all times. There are so many scriptures that talk about joy, and the benefits of joy. We are supposed to rejoice in the Lord always. I can spend several hours referring them to you. “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Ps. 34:1-3). “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Friend, I encourage you to start your day rejoicing. No joy, no strength. If the devil can steal your joy, he can steal your strength. The Bible says, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it”. The reason why you must begin the day with joy in the Lord is that the joy of the lord is your strength, it’s every believer’s strength. Everyone wants to start the day strong. People will be saying you shouldn’t be ministering on this, you ought to go onto something else, but the bible says “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” If you don’t have joy, you don’t have strength. “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Jesus said in John 16:33 to cheer up even in difficult situation. Paul, writing from prison said, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). If you let the devil steal your joy, then you let Him steal your strength. Just compare this to your physical body. What will happen if you have no strength? If you are around people who have no strength or who are physically weak, you will find that it’s a miserable existence. It affects everything, you can’t do anything when you don’t have any strength. If you don’t have the joy of the Lord operating in your life, then according to scripture, you do not have strength. There are so many Christians who are not operating in joy. Most Christians believe that joy is a by-product of circumstances. My friend, you cannot rely on people and circumstances to give you joy. Don’t spend your time waiting for circumstances to change or waiting for everything in your life to be perfect before you rejoice. Start rejoicing now! A good reason to rejoice is because you have something good. The Lord is your portion. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” (Lamentations 3:24). Do you find it difficult to rejoice? One thing the enemy is trying to do is to discourage you. But the good news is, you can choose to control your feelings. God is always trying to help you find true joy. Joy is not based on what’s happening in your life. If we don’t have anything else, we’ve got the best thing in the whole world because we’ve got God. God is our portion, and He is good, so we all possess good. The only person who can be permanently happy and rejoice is the one who enjoys peace of mind and lives in the favour of God. God’s favour is so amazing. We need to believe God for favour because when God puts His favour on you, you’ll experience the amazing difference in the things that can happen in your life. And this is all because you begin to trust God to supernaturally open doors for you. Rejoice because God is good, and every good and perfect gift comes from Him. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). So, you can rejoice because you have something good, but you can also rejoice because you are expecting something good that you haven’t had yet. Not just rejoicing occasionally, but continuously. You ought to be magnifying and praising the Lord and rejoicing in the Lord always! Another reason to rejoice is because you are seeking God. Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The Lord be magnified!” (Ps. 40:16). If you are seeking God, then you are supposed to be rejoicing. Someone will say, I’m seeking the Lord, but I haven’t got my deliverance yet, I haven’t got answers to my prayers yet, I haven’t got solutions to my problems yet. Well, if you are operating in faith, the scriptures say in many places that you must rejoice. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). When you are seeking God and believing, then the answer is in the pipeline or on its way, and so you need to start rejoicing and praising God on this side of the problem and not only on the other side. You can rejoice on this side of the red sea, and not wait until you have crossed to the other side of the red sea. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). That peace will fill you with joy. If all the problems are removed, then it takes no faith.
You Have The Power To Save Lives
Our work as part of the great commission has shown us that the good news of the gospel saves lives and it’s vital for producing change and improving people’s lives for all eternity. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). Believers have been given power to witness, so let’s exercise it. The gospel is so important to God that He sent His son from heaven to earth to declare it and die for it. The saving gospel is God’s number one priority and once it becomes your top priority, God is pleased with you. If you are looking for the best person for the job, then every true believer in Christ must be the perfect fit. Sure enough, every true believer must be a witness for Christ because He has given us the power to do so. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Despite the power given to us, and a clear job set for us to serve as witnesses for Christ, many believers in Christ have turned down the great commission because they think the job doesn’t apply to them. They have been attracted to doing other stuff other than witnessing for Christ. Besides that, many believers don’t even know of the great commission which Jesus launched in Mathew 28. Jesus came to this earth with a very clear mission. He came to save those who were lost and He gave His followers authority and power and commanded them to tell His story. Whether we travel to the remotest parts of the world or knock on our neighbour’s door, our motivation is summed up in the great commission. Christ has told His followers to win souls and disciple them. He issued this command just before He ascended into heaven. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Mat. 28:18-20). This passage of scripture (Mat. 28:18-20) reveals to us the area that needs attention. Therefore, we must be most concerned about what this says to us. Not to a neighbour or someone else but to us as individuals, as Samuel once said: “Speak to me Lord, your servant is listening”. As we read this, let us today, with ready ears and open hearts heed to it. God has given us the most incredible power to carry out the task of saving souls and discipling them because it is not something we can accomplish by our own strength. Who can measure this power? Think about the extent of His power – there is no limit. Nothing from us but all from Him. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:7). The power of the Holy Spirit gives us the courage to embark on the great commission assignment and witness for God. Witness is the word for a person who gives testimony regarding an event or another person’s character. Believers are to tell the truth about Jesus Christ. Paul said it is the power of God unto salvation. Every child of God has the most important message the world needs to hear – the Good News of Jesus Christ. Share the story about Jesus; we must not forget about our saviour, we must be witnesses for Him. We are to share our faith in a number of ways. However, the best way is ‘word of mouth,’ that is witnessing, preaching and teaching. It is the only way that some people will have an impression about who Jesus is and what He offers. Jesus said to His disciples “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” It is really important that we declare to the world what Jesus can do. It is the most urgent and pressing job. As true believers in Christ, we have the more urgent and pressing mission, and that is to witness for Christ. This begins at where you live and work or your community, school etc. As you follow His leadings, God will extend your territory of influence. He has given us the power and authority to take territories. He gave us the most urgent job to do. We were loyal to Him at our conversion, we believed in Him, but how long are we to take to understand our task and how late are we to see it? Let’s follow the apostles’ example; they filled everywhere they went with the doctrine of Christ. “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” (Acts 5:28) Andrew is another great example, because he didn’t keep information about Jesus to himself. “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42). Philip, like Andrew, did not keep information about Jesus to himself either. Having responded to Jesus’ invitation to be His disciple, he introduced Nathaniel to Him. “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law,
You Have The Power To Change Situations
God has got His children on this earth, including you and me. We are taking control of every adverse situation because we have been authorised to exercise the powers available to us. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jer. 23:29). Learn how to fire up and be in charge. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Prov. 18:21). He has given us power of His word (Isa. 55:10-11; Jer. 23:29; Heb. 4:12). God doesn’t waste His word. His word is so powerful. God’s word is a generator. It creates energy to generate light (see Gen. 1). God’s word creates energy to accomplish whatever it is set to achieve. Nothing can stop His word from accomplishing what He sets it to do. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the Sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isa. 55:10-11). He sent His word to heal the sick. The limit is broken. For you and your family, the limit is broken. You might be thinking “I don’t know what to do”, know that the limit is broken. Nothing is impossible with you. That’s God’s gift to you. Anything you are determined to do, God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that you can ask or think, according to the power that works in you (Eph. 3:20). Your mouth is a flame of fire. “Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Because you speak this word, Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them” (Jer. 5:14). Anything you want to accomplish in life must first be accomplished through praying the word of God. We do the ‘asking’, He does the ‘doing’. We do the ‘binding and loosing’ through prayer. You are the powerhouse of prayer. Your mouth is a flame of fire. “God has put His word in your mouth, so don’t stop speaking. Use it to accomplish things! Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not” (Jer. 20:9). “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jer. 23:29). Nothing can stop God’s word; it accomplishes what it sets it to do. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the Sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent It” (Isa. 55:10-11). Nobody can limit you from today. We have the apostolic audacity and divine capacity, with the power to do what we want to do. Do you want to build a house? It’s possible. Are you believing for a wife or a husband? It is possible. Are you believing God for money in your bank account? It is possible. But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mat. 19:26). Are you believing God for a good job? It is possible. Do you want to be richer than how you are now? It is possible. Thank God for His word that says nothing shall be impossible to those who believe. The limit is broken in the name of Jesus. From the crown of your head to the sole of your feet, be healed. I pray that the Holy spirit will fill His people with divine ambition. We leave poverty and sickness behind. I declare you prosper in the name of Jesus, be rich, be well in the name of Jesus. Ask God for a miracle. The things that are impossible with men, are possible with God. Open your mouth and ask God for something. Tell God what you want Him to do for you. All your limitations are removed. If you ask God for three things, He will give you more than three things. There’s no limit (see Eph. 3:20). Whatever you ask is done and even immensely more in Jesus’ name. AMEN! We have power against the enemy. “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” (Mat. 10:1). All my limits are removed. It’s time for the children of God to manifest God’s power against the enemy. God has given you and me, disciples of Christ, power against the work of the enemy, so the enemy can’t stop you. What He has given us power against cannot overcome us. What He has given us power against cannot defeat us. One of the greatest challenges in life is incapability, the spirit of ‘I cannot’. But my bible says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13). Never forget that there’s power in the name of Jesus. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they
The Effects Of Salvation
Sometimes it’s good to go back and refresh ourselves on things that are very fundamental but sometimes forgotten. We may let them slip, but let’s talk about the effects of salvation because sometimes I run across Christians who don’t seem to have experienced any change in their lives. You know, we should be experiencing change from the very moment we were saved. There should be something going on, so let’s refresh ourselves in this and see what it’s all about. A good scripture to start with would be Luke 2:11 which says, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”. That’s a good message. Why did Jesus come to the planet earth? Why should God leave the splendour of His heaven and come to the earth? It was to seek and to save that which was lost. We are the recipients of this miraculous, indescribable gift of salvation from heaven. Jesus is the saviour of the world! Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection proves to us that he is the saviour that God promised and he is the path to salvation. Through Christ’s death on the cross, we are saved from eternal damnation and are given the gift of salvation. The greatest gift one can receive is the finest gift of Jesus, whose name means salvation. For you to experience the effects of salvation, you must understand the gospel because the gospel and the power that it carries releases the effects of salvation in our lives. “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith” (Rom 1:16-17). Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is the main topic in the New Testament of the Bible. The gospel is the good news of our reconciliation from the death of sin to eternal life in Christ. Learn more about the biblical meaning of salvation through the gospels. Doing that will enlighten and inspire your faith and understanding of your salvation. The gospel itself is God’s power. The understanding of the birth, death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ, and of being born again to become a new creation are all part of the gospel. So, there are effects of salvation that we should notice as we accept the Lord as our saviour. As we believe in the Lord and begin our Christian walk, we should be noticing something different in our lives and the way we conduct our lives. The term “salvation” has become so familiar to Christians that its true meaning and understanding have been lost. Salvation is much more than just being born again. It refers to every benefit that the believer is entitled to through Jesus. Therefore, if we are not experiencing the abundance that Jesus provided for us in any area of our lives, then we are having a problem understanding what salvation truly entails. The truths of the gospel are not commonly preached or understood in many churches. This is the reason that so many Christians are not walking in all the benefits of their salvation. They don’t have the power of the gospel working in them. The word ‘salvation’ needs to be explained because today salvation has been cheapened from what it originally meant to be. The word salvation as used in the Bible is not limited to forgiveness of sins. It includes forgiveness of sins, but it’s much more than that. Most churches today use the word salvation and forgiveness of sins interchangeably. Yes, salvation includes forgiveness of sins, but it also includes prosperity, healing, and deliverance. Everything that was purchased for us by Jesus is a part of what salvation produces. The Greek word for salvation is ‘sozo’ and is literally referring to not only forgiveness of sins. It includes that, but it also includes the healing of your body, deliverance from Satan, depression, and discouragement. It includes prosperity and so many other things. We can put it this way: the word salvation, as used in the bible, refers to anything that came as a result of what Jesus did. But sad to say, the church for whatever reason today has broken salvation down to mean only forgiveness of sins. They don’t believe it includes the healing of your body. There are some Christians who believe that healing has passed away and God doesn’t heal anybody today. There’s a large proportion of Christians who, if they are sick, will pray for a healing. And if they get their healing, they’ll say, praise God! But they would never say that it’s a part of Jesus’ atonement, that he provided healing just as much as he’s provided salvation, and forgiveness of sins. Most Christians would say, no, that’s not true. They look at healing, deliverance, prosperity, joy, peace, as being possible, but additional to salvation. But this word salvation in the Greek includes healing, prosperity, deliverance, and all the blessings God has provided for us. Jesus paid it all. It’s not based on my performance; it’s based on my faith in what he did. Salvation is the gift of God unto the forgiveness of sins, the healing of your body, your prosperity, joy, peace, deliverance, emotional stability, and many more. For some Christians, this may seem like a radical thought to them; that healing has been purchased through Jesus for them just as much as forgiveness of sins. Prosperity has been purchased for them just as much as forgiveness of sins. Deliverance from oppression, depression, fear, anxiety, and anger, has been purchased for you through what Jesus did. You don’t have to do something else to earn it. It isn’t an addition to salvation, it’s an integral part of salvation. Jesus wants you healed, delivered, set free, and prospered, just as much as he wants
A Whole New Way Of Life
The gospel has power to transform our lives, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (see Rom 1:16). If you’re born again, you’re a new creation and there should be an instinct in you that the power of the gospel has created a new motivation in your heart, mind, and life. You should have a new motivation, where you say, ‘I want to know God, his word, and what’s just happened to me. I’ve received the Lord; I prayed a prayer with someone or read a book or something happened where I put my trust in the Lord Jesus’. Whether you know it or not, you were translated from the power of darkness into the power of the kingdom of God. The gospel message is the power of God to salvation. What does that mean to you? The Bible says don’t be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In other words, it’s time to renew your mind with the word of God. Get rid of your old way of thinking and think of God’s love and faith and all the good things of God. Christ revealed what He came to give us. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus is speaking about the thief. The thief is referring to the power of darkness and the things of the devil. When we get born again, Jesus comes to live in us. The purpose of this reborn new creation is that you would have life. That means you didn’t really have it before. You were biologically alive, but you were spiritually cut off from God. But when you got born again, the power of the gospel came alive in you and translated you out of the power of darkness into God’s Kingdom of light. The purpose of the gospel message, which has power to salvation, is to give you life and that you may have it more abundantly. This is what we should be expecting and pursuing in our lives and our walk with God. We should be desiring to know him and what’s available to us as his children. So many people are paying too much attention to the thief and not to God, and many times religion even has made God to be the thief. God is not the thief. He is not harassing your life. God is not stealing from you. He is not making you sick. God is not putting you through trauma, that’s the enemy. God came that you might have abundant life. Anything evil is from the devil. If it’s good, it’s from God, because every good thing comes from God. “16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18). There’s a vast difference between the power of darkness and the kingdom of God. It’s only the power of the gospel that can put you in God’s kingdom. Only believing this Word of Life and having faith in the resurrection of Jesus on your behalf can put you there. Believe that he died for your sin and rose again and defeated death. He defeated sin and Satan, and he did it because he loves you. That should create something new within us. That should enliven us to pursue and want to know who this God is, who loves us so much and gave himself for us. And yet, so often we spend more time listening to the thief than listening to God or pursuing the things of God. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were confronted by the enemy in the form of a serpent who came to deceive them. The first words out of the enemy’s mouth was: Has God said, did God really say? Satan was sowing doubt and even today it’s still a huge weapon of the enemy against Christians. Many times, it even happens in Christian environments, and in many churches. Sadly, they’re sowing more doubt than faith in the believers. They’ll question whether healing is for today, the baptism of the holy spirit is for today, and if the gifts of the Spirit are for today. It’s just doubt after doubt after doubt: sowing doubt all the time. That’s the work of the serpent, the devil. That’s not the work of God. The power of the Gospel is going to bring you from faith to faith and not from unbelief to unbelief. Therefore, if you’re in an environment that’s only sowing doubt into your life, you’re not hearing the gospel. The gospel should be building you up in faith and setting you free. The gospel should be increasing your joy, peace, love and faith to believe God. Any message that’s stealing your faith is from the thief, it’s the serpent. Don’t spend your time listening to the serpent. Spend your time getting into the word of God and finding out what he has for you. Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”. This verse says that the Holy Spirit will quicken our mortal bodies. The word of God is powerful. It’s not just limited to your spiritual regeneration. The power of God’s word should touch your mind, emotions, your will, and body. That’s when you know that you’re truly encountering the real power of the gospel. That’s when you can begin to believe and walk in health and healing. If the
Faith To Step Into New things
Make a quality decision to step out into the new things God has for you. Never assume that where you’ve been or where you are is as good as it can get. When your goal or your situation seems impossible, keep in mind that nothing is impossible for God. Even as bad news and negative reports become the ‘new normal,’ you can still expect your best days to be ahead of you. It’s easy to be worn down by hopelessness, but regardless of who you are or what condition your life is in, you can’t function successfully without faith in God. Whether you’re anxious about the future or going through a personal storm right now, let your mind stay on God and have faith that the best is yet to come. Break free from wrong believing that holds you back from your blessed future in Christ. Having faith in the all-powerful God is always vital. It has been vital throughout the ages and it’s just as vital today. A new year calls us to reflect on where we’ve been, and to look to where we’re going. Everyone knows 2022 was a painful year. There were so many distractions and every one of you reading this has a different story to tell. A lot has happened within your life, family, marriage, finances, work situations and even where we are in the world at such a time as this. You may just have worry and fear and even anger at different things that have happened. After such a difficult year, full of change and uncertainty, we’re all holding out for a fresh start in the new year, even though there is still so much uncertainty. The situation around the globe has changed a lot since Russia invaded Ukraine. This has led to an economic crisis. People are losing their jobs, prices at the markets and shops are rising sharply. Many families struggle to afford food. Across some countries, the Ukraine war and subsequent cost-of-living crisis means that the poorest children are even less likely to access essential services and are more at risk of child marriage, violence, exploitation, and abuse. You need to have faith when situations or circumstances seem hopeless and believe that it will be well because we serve a God of new things. Let me refer you to a text of scripture which reminds us that our God is a God of new things. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). These verses from the book of Isaiah promise something brand new and God encourages us to keep our eyes open to see it. We all need newness in our lives. We yearn for it and we must continually seek out the new to replace and refresh the old. No matter what happened last year or even last night, God is faithful to His word. God is in the business of providing “new things.” As He says, “behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?” (Isaiah 43:19). It’s hard to put things behind us, especially things that have troubled or upset us deeply. If you read this text of scripture in context, the prophet Isaiah was writing to God’s people who had been taken away to another land as slaves. He was encouraging them to look to the future because it was time for new things, new ways to go; there was a new hope. In a wilderness, there is no path to see, and you can’t be sure which way to go. Do you return to the start or find a new destination? The landscape all looks the same. If you are in a place that feels dark and confusing like the wilderness, He is the God who makes way in the wilderness. Have faith in God. He is a God of new things. If you are in a place that feels hopeless and barren, He is the God who causes streams to flow in wastelands. A wasteland bears no fruit and doesn’t seem to sustain much life, but when a stream flows, life returns with an abundance of animals, flowers, and fruit. Have faith in God. He is a God of new things. Don’t let anybody tell you that the future is bleak. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). What does a “new thing” look like for you? Did you know that God longs to do a new thing in and through you, not just once but every single day? Today, or this week, or this mouth, not only presents us with the gift of a new year. It presents us with a gift of a new day, a new week, a new month and God is about to do a new thing, so have faith in Him. Neither you nor I know what this year will hold, but we do know that God is calling us to look ahead of us and forget the former things. Don’t dwell on what you can’t change. Simply receive the new thing God is going to do in your life this year. It is through Jesus that we can build our faith and confidence and seek a fresh start. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). There are new ways, new opportunities, and new hope. A future that is rooted in Jesus provides a clear pathway in the wilderness and life to the wasteland to enable us to flourish, bear fruit, see new opportunities, and make a difference. “Jesus said to him, “I am the