“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
Lamentations 3:21-26
Dear Friends:
This New Year, and every New Year, will hold a mixture of good and bad. In the area of tribulation, it is not what we face that will determine the outcome of any trial, but rather Who we face it with, and how we deal with it. This means as long as we are walking in the spirit with the Lord Jesus Christ, He will direct us as to how we are to deal with our trials. There is not one problem that we cannot overcome if we apply the Word of God to it and walk in the wisdom of God, directed by the Holy Spirit, as to how to solve it. We must also remember that no matter how many mistakes we have made and how many times we miss Him, we can start anew every day, not just the first day of a New Year, because of our Lord’s love and faithfulness toward us.
Walking in Victory and Overcoming in Our Trials
Our prayer for each of you is that you may find peace and victory in all that you experience in the coming year of 2015. When the world we live in is in chaos and trauma, we must learn how to walk more closely with Jesus so that we will be able to rise above every challenge and obtain our needed strength and wisdom to overcome. Jesus spoke these words to His followers:
John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 34:19: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
Remaining Humble When God Prospers Us
Paul spoke these words in the New Testament:
Philippians 4:11-12: “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
With this in mind, we must also learn to be content in whatever state we are in as things can change at any moment in any life. We especially need to hold our worldly goods very loosely as the Lord may want us to let them go for a greater cause. He may want us to give away much of what we have in order to follow Him. There is nothing evil about having material things and enjoying them, as long as our heart is not set on them, but is set on doing the will of God above all things. The Lord loves to bless us and reward us with good things, but He is also a jealous God and if our things become more important than doing the will of God, then those things can become an idol in our lives. He gives us things to enjoy and it blesses Him when we are thankful and grateful for those things. He also wants us to be generous and give to others to bless them as well. We can take some of our blessings and bless others. This pleases God.
1 Timothy 6:17: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”
Hebrews 11:26: “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”
Many Christians in the world today have had to flee their homes and businesses because of extreme persecution. I read a book about the church in World War II. It recounted that during that time the Lord, through prophecy, spoke to the church. He warned many Christians what was coming in Germany and told them they would need to flee to be safe. Many of them did flee. However, many more did not heed the warnings and their lives, homes, and businesses were destroyed along with the destruction of the Jewish people. They had plenty of time to get out with their goods, but did not heed the Lord’s warnings. It is so important to be able to hear the Lord at this time in history, as we are in the shadow of the great tribulation. Even in times of great trouble, we are promised protection if we will follow the Lord and do His will. Psalm 91 tells us that if we abide in Him, we will remain under the shadow of the Almighty. That means if we are walking under the shadow of God, we are close to Him and will have His protection.
How to Walk in the Spirit and Hear God’s Voice
Jeremiah 29:11-13: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
The key to hearing God is to make a total commitment to God and seek Him with your whole heart, and then He will hear and answer your prayers.
Our prayer is that you will make that commitment which involves an attitude of submission to anything the Lord would require of you. Our prayer to reach that place should be a prayer such as,
“Lord, I surrender my life totally to you to go anywhere, give up anything and do anything that you ask of me. Lord, I cannot do this on my own so I am asking that you empower me with your grace and strength to do whatever you are asking me to do. Lord, I will trust you to show me your plan and strategy and timing for accomplishing whatever You call me to do. Amen.”
Our prayer for you this coming year is that you hear the voice of God and that you have His grace and mercy to do all that He calls you to do. May you find happiness in this New Year in the Lord.
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