1 Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV “He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.”

God has brought us into this new year peacefully. The year is new, fresh, and full of potential. But It is also full of uncertainty. In the midst of uncertainty, our faith can struggle, our walk with God becomes labored, and our heart heavy. There is something about the unknown which seems to weaken us. It drains our patience and blurs our focus. Yet, in the middle of everything stands a faithful God. A God who is not manipulated by the struggle and is not moved by the winds of chaos and adversity. A God who remains faithful even when our faith is fragile. It seems more difficult nowadays than ever to not worry about tomorrow, yet that is exactly what God has asked us to do (Matthew 6:34). For when we cast our burdens on Him (1 Perter 5:7), the troubles of the moment begin to fade. When we trust the plans He has for us, our fear begins to diminish. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), our focus becomes consumed by clarity. Trusting God is the only way. We can trust in His plan and in His eternally capable hands to uphold us. Yes, we may be in the midst of uncertainty, but we can be certain of one thing: God is faithful, and that is more than enough for our tomorrow. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

 

Psalm 1:2 NKJ “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law, he meditates day and night.“

We make numerous choices every day, from what is simple to what is complex and life changing. One choice we make every day is whether to start the day with the Word of God or with social media or something else. Are we going to start the day with prayer, or are we going to start it with worry (Philippians 4:6)? Are we going to make time in our schedules to meet with other believers or make other activities a priority instead? The Bible tells us, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1–2 NKJ). The words “blessed” and “happy” are interchangeable. Basically, the Bible is saying that if we want to be happy, there are some things that we should not do, and there are other things that we should do instead. Do not walk in ungodly counsel, Psalm 1 tells us, and instead walk in godly counsel. In other words, meditate on (or think about or ponder) the Word of God. This is not referring to the meditation of Eastern mysticism. Rather, to meditate on the Word of God means to ponder or contemplate what the Bible has to say. God instructed Joshua to meditate on the book of the law day and night for prosperity and good success (Joshua 1:8). What you need this year is not resolution but solution, which comes by a closer walk with God through His word. You make your choices, and your choices make you!

Isaiah 9:6 “And His name will be called . . . Mighty God, Everlasting Father.”

It sounds incredible that a beautiful little baby, born in a manger in Bethlehem, was God Almighty. Jesus was fully God and fully man. God came to this earth and walked among us. Jesus became one of us without ceasing to be Himself. He became human without ceasing to be God. And Isaiah 9:6 tells us that He is the Mighty God. He has all the power that you need to take care of the demands of life. Whatever you are facing, whatever challenge or difficulty you are going through, the Almighty God has taken residence in your heart if you have given your life to Jesus Christ. In addition, Isaiah calls him Everlasting Father. This brings hope and encouragement to those who grew up without a father or who maybe had a harsh, abusive father. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can now call God our Father if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ. Not only is God our Father, but He is our Everlasting Father. That means He is not only our Father on Earth, but He also will receive us into Heaven one day. All these started with the birth of Jesus Christ, God with us (Emmanuel)!

Psalm 55:22 NIV “Cast your cares on the Lord.”

The prevailing conditions in the world today coupled with unfulfilled expectations as the year is endiung, can cause us stress and anxiety. When we are stressed, the surge of negative emotions can be overwhelming. And if we do not unburden our emotions before God, it is easy to make wrong decisions, succumb to wrong impulses, move in the wrong direction, and get angry at the wrong people. The Psalmist addresses this: “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” The extent to which you consciously lean on God, drawing strength from Him, is the extent to which you will lower your anxiety level. It is no coincidence that many of the Psalms start with David crying out to God for help and end with him rejoicing because he vented his frustrations to the right person, God! Understand the fact that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it. Your job, your finances, your marriage, your children, your health, and your future are all sources of anxiety, so you will never be totally free from the temptation to worry. But you can lower your anxiety level by following Paul’s instruction (Philippians 4:6 NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” The more you pray, the less you will panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. Worry about nothing but pray about everything!

 

PSALM 107:1 NKJV “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

God has done so much for us that we should be full of gratitude to Him. Today is seems complaints are abundant, but thankfulness is few. Being thankful is not optional for a Christian (Colossians 3:15). So, why are Christians not thankful or grateful? Gratitude is a mark of maturity. Ingratitude is a mark of immaturity. Babies are never thankful. Proud people are never thankful. Why? Because their mindset is that they deserve not just everything they have, but even better and more. Their thinking is like”why be thankful for something less than what I deserve?” They have entitlement mentality. They are never happy. The cure for unhappiness is being thankful. In fact, the more thankful people are, the happier they are. To overcome your habit of ingratitude, you have to change your belief. As long as you believe you are getting less than you deserve, you will never become a thankful person. But if you realize that you deserved punishment and eternal separation from God, yet in His mercy God instead gave you eternal life, and that everything you have including every breath you breathe is a gift from God, then you will become a thankful person. You should be thankful for all God does for you, on a daily basis!