New Year Devotional
A new year is here. As we look back and remember the challenges and victories of the past year, we see the faithfulness of God in our lives. Although every problem and challenge has not been resolved, we know by the promises in His Word and through experience that He answers prayer and leads, guides, and protects His children.
In this new year, let’s look for an invasion of God into impossible situations. Let’s ask Him for faith for the impossible. We cannot create this faith ourselves. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that faith is a gift of God. So we can only humbly come to God and ask Him to increase our faith to believe and rejoice in Him when we face seemingly impossible situations.
In Psalm 84:5, we are told that we are blessed when our strength is in Him and we set our hearts on pilgrimage. Each new year is a pilgrimage – a journey that can lead us into a closer relationship with Jesus. In verse 7 of this Psalm, the person who finds strength in God is described as going from strength to strength. We do not have to slide backwards in our relationship with God. As we remain open to the Lord, choosing to rejoice in all circumstances and trust Him, we receive His strength to always move upward. This means our spiritual walk does not have to be up and down like a roller coaster. Instead it can be a journey in which we grow spiritually stronger day by day and year by year.
This morning at church my pastor, Dave Hess, said, “There is a better version of YOU on the way!” As you allow God to move you from strength to strength, you will increasingly discover more of Jesus. How do we do this? Some of our answer is in Isaiah 55:5, which tells us to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call upon Him. Seeking God in every circumstance enables us to receive from Him the strength, courage, wisdom, and provision we need.
Another aspect of receiving from Him is found in following the simple instructions found in 1 Thessalonians 5:
Rejoice all the time.
Pray without stopping.
Give thanks in everything.
Don’t quench the Holy Spirit.
Don’t despise prophecies.
Test everything and hold onto what is good.
Stay away from every form of evil.
The result of following these instructions (which only can be done while allowing the Holy Spirit to live them out through you) is found in verse 23: amazing peace. As we express our joy and thankfulness to God and stay in touch with Him continually, we will be transformed and will become the better person that He wants to change us into throughout this coming year.
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