It’s A NEW Day! It’s A NEW YEAR!
The start of a New Year is an opportunity to come before the Lord and commit to a New Year to Him. Don’t be the cynic that talks down any good idea because it is a way never to be disappointed. Don’t be the passive person that walks through life in a fog and thus arrives at no goal because none were ever set. Where the cynic says nothing will change because there’s a new date on the calendar, the passive person doesn’t even acknowledge the calendar. Don’t be the superstitious person who gets excited just because it’s a New Year. Without plans and without calling upon the Lord to check the alignment in our life for His purpose, the excitement is just superstition.
It’s Friday, BUT Sunday is coming, and let’s prepare to gather to hear the Word of the Lord from out of the Scriptures. What does the Holy Spirit have to say to us?
This is a NEW YEAR, and OUR REDEEMER HAS COME!
Isaiah 63:1-4, “Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in his great strength? It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation! It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save! Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes? I have been treading the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger, I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury, I have trampled my foes. Their blood has stained my clothes. For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors.”
Many Bible commentators view this passage as Messianic. The picture is like Isaiah 59, where the Lord is seen as the intercessor that steps in to provide salvation. On the cross, Jesus bore the wrath of God against sin so that salvation can be provided for us. His garments are stained with the blood He shed to become our Savior.
For us to walk that way, it’s essential to acknowledge Him, Proverbs 3:6, “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” How do we do this? Shema (listen to) His Word. Respond to the wisdom of His Word and commit to trusting and obeying by turning from things we know aren’t His way for us. Here are three keys to unlocking the New Year.
Stop Living In The Past
Isaiah 43:18-19, “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”
The word remember in the Hebrew language conveys the idea of reenacting, not just recalling, as in the annual observance of Passover in which the reenactment of deliverance from Egypt took place. It says, “don’t remember the former things.” People tend to live in and reenact what they’ve been through in the past. That kind of remembering reinforces the past, injures our present and future, and brings the past into our present. The Spirit of God says, “I will make a road in the wilderness” (v. 19). The amazing promise of God is that by His Spirit, He will bring freshness into our lives like streams in the desert.
Awake To Our New Day
Ephesians 5:14, “Therefore, He says: Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
We are being lulled into a sleep that happens to believers (v. 8) that causes them to become acclimatized to the voices of the world’s view. We are becoming used to living in the middle of fear, trauma, and numbness. We are to arise from the dead. Please note that this is not isolation from the world but our priority to identify with Jesus FIRST and ALWAYS.
The wake-up call of the Lord to us as we start our New Year is to not let the world’s spirit cause us not to be aware that the enemy has sowed in our life the weeds that are choking out the fruitful wheat of Jesus Christ in our life. We need to wake up because of the invasion of the world into our homes, numbing us to things that would cause our life to count for God’s purpose(s). What are we reading, watching, and listening to in your house? What music, ideas, and thoughts resonate in our minds? What games do we play instead of living our life in Christ? Might we wake up fifteen to thirty minutes earlier every day and begin setting our life in order before the Lord in prayer? It’s not that we don’t love Jesus, but there are things in the Lord that will never happen until prayer happens. There is a world crying out. They are empty because they don’t have a relationship with THE LORD, who can make a difference.
Live With Expectation
Luke 21:28, “Now, when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near.”
Remember, we are to live as people who expect the second return of Jesus. When we walk in the excitement of expectancy, with wisdom and balance, we become ALIVE as our redemption draws near. Living with an expectation of the Lord’s redemptive power starts to change our present from sadness, anger, and overwhelmingness to looking up. We hike through life and only see the dirt and rocks on our path, or we can LOOK UP and see the amazing, beautiful scenery of His mountains, hills, trees, and fields.
Please understand that this is not a suggestion to try to make the best of a bad situation, but it is grabbing onto the promise of His power in our situations. When Jesus gives us His Word that the year of His redemption has come, His power enters. Can you see how this type of expectancy will change the view and the walk of our life? Living with our eyes on Jesus, our Redeemer changes our life and prioritizes our life’s investments. His amazing promises will then become the dominant truth for all our living.
It’s Friday, BUT Sunday is coming!
Pastor Steve