LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEW YEAR

The current year is coming to a close; a new one is dawning! How has the current one been; were your expectations met? Were you so disappointed that you can’t wait to see the New Year? What are your expectations and hopes for the coming year? It is natural to expect improvement in areas of life where things have been difficult, rough, or painful.

Looking back on the past twelve months, what didn’t go well, and what were some of your frustrations and challenges, and how do you plan to turn things around? If you expect things to turn around, you need to know what went wrong and why. Only then can you start to look for the right solutions.

Before you think about what to put on your list, I’ll like to remind you that some of the issues you might consider problems are actually the standard to the Christian life. For example, Jesus told His disciples, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33 NLT). Trials and sorrows are therefore to be expected, except that we don’t know how or when they’ll show up. This doesn’t mean we should be constantly worrying and looking over our shoulder to see what is coming down the pike.  With that said, we need to remember the Lord’s admonition, “Take heart, because I have overcome to the world” (John 16:33).

The following will help us cope effectively with the challenges of the coming year.

BE ON THE ALERT:

The children of God should be watchful, not living carelessly. We should be on the defensive! Peter, the apostle, explains why, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith” (1 Peter 5:9 NLT).   

While being watchful, we should also be ready 24/7 to engage the devil on a moment’s notice, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm” (Ephesians 6:11, 13 NLT). For the list of the complete armor, see verses 14-18. For example, if you were faced with a gossip situation, the Word of God about gossip that you’ve already hidden in your heart should jog your memory, to excuse yourself from the situation, and not get caught up in it.

Jesus told Peter, James, and John in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41 NLT). Why? Because if we stay asleep (not knowing what’s going on around us), and neglect to pray for strength and courage, we become very vulnerable to the devil’s attack. Again, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus told the disciples, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation” (Luke 22:40 NLT). When we pray, we demonstrate faith, which intercepts the devil’s fiery arrows. As we face a new year, let’s prepare to stay on the defensive, always ready to engage the enemy of our souls.

THANKFULNESS

Trials will come; it’s only a matter of when and how. We need to be prepared to give thanks for them, no matter how painful, because they serve a good purpose. First, we learn that we should give thanks in all things, because it is the will of God for us (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Second, we should give thanks because none of our experiences are ever wasted; God uses each single one of them in the process of developing our character to line up with His own. Through our experiences, He gets our attention, rebukes, disciplines, encourages, teaches us (or others), or tests (not tempt) us. Third, the end results (godliness) of our experiences bring Him glory (see Romans 8:28).

REPENTANCE

Sometimes, our sufferings are the result of our sins. When we’re not sure of the cause of our sufferings, we should start with a soul search, and repent as needed (see 1 John 1:9).  Even if our suffering is the result of sin, God still teaches us valuable lessons through it. Like I said before, no experience is wasted.

TRUST GOD

There is no trial we can overcome on our own, Jesus clearly said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NLT). We need Him, and we need to rely on His promises; He never goes back on His Word. When He says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:29 NLT), He means exactly that. If we really believe and claim that promise, nothing in the coming year should frighten us. That assurance should enable us to completely lean on Him. And if we wonder why we should trust Him, He says, all power in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, and He has overcome the world. What beautiful promises!

The New Year is only a few days away. Have you learned anything from your failures from last year? Don’t lose heart; the Lord Himself will be your strength, and carry you through the next one. Trust His Word, put on the whole armor of God, and watch and pray. Wishing you a happy, and victorious New Year.

FOLLOWING IN THE ANGEL’S FOOTSTEPS

The night Jesus the Savior was born, I imagine there was great excitement in heaven, and for a good reason; God had become Man in the person of His Son Jesus. The angel (the assigned-announcer) was so elated, he could not contain himself; he was down to earth in a flash, and where did he go? He visited some shepherds watching over their flocks in the field that night. “And the angel said unto them: ‘Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people’” (Luke 2:10 KJV).

Needless to say, this announcement was followed by the instant heavenly choir, praising God: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV). The shepherds, being overjoyed, wasted no time; they made haste to go and search for the Baby that would bring new life to many, including you, me, and all who would believe.

After they verified the announcement (saw Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus), the shepherds “… made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child” (Luke 2:17 KJV). In other words, they shared this news with all who would listen, freely, with joy and excitement!

Do we Christians have a message to share? You bet we do! Our message is the continuation of the shepherds’ message. See, the shepherds shared that the Savior had been born, but now, we have the privilege to share that not only was Jesus born, but He lived a sin-free life among men, died, and rose from the dead, and is alive forevermore!!!

So what is the implication of all that, and why should we follow the angel’s example? This means GOOD NEWS: Jesus has become the bridge/mediator between us and God. Jesus is saving lives, and preparing them for heaven. His death was the death we sinners should have died as penalty for our sins, but God out of love for us substituted His Son, Jesus: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV).

If the angel was excited about the birth that really wasn’t for his benefit, shouldn’t we be equally, or more, excited? You see, angels have no idea how it feels to be forgiven; they’ve never experienced salvation, but we have. So let’s share this message, along with the testimony that salvation through Jesus brings changes that we Christians can attest to: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

The angel’s message is supposed to be for all people, but sadly, not everybody has heard this saving message: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:14-15 KJV). 

May God help us to understand the urgency of this need. People shouldn’t go to hell, which is the alternative to heaven, when they don’t have to. We are the sent ones referred to in the Romans passage; let’s be obedient and share the Word with enthusiasm and urgency. Merry Christmas; Jesus saves!     

YOU ARE NOT A ROBOT; DON’T ACT LIKE ONE

For some time now, requesting information online has become a bit difficult, because unfortunately, it is not always humans asking for information. These days when you request information, you are asked to perform some task that a robot couldn’t perform (like put a check mark in a box) to prove that you are really human.

Robots are machines programmed to do what they do; they don’t have a mind of their own, and that matches their description: machines resembling human beings and able to replicate certain human movements and functions automatically.

Unlike robots, God made us humans in His image, with the ability to think and make choices and decisions. He could have made us robot-like, where we’d just follow instructions and do what we’d been programmed to do, and there would have been no disobedience, back-talk, or sin. God, however, wants us to love and obey Him by choice, not because we have no choice.

This then brings us to this question: God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us, but do we or do we not want that relationship? It is a decision we each have to make on our own, and then take the needed steps to make happen. Although we are created by God, we don’t have a personal relationship with Him, because we are born sinners-the result of the sin nature we inherited from our ancestors, Adam and Eve. But thank God, that relationship can be restored, if we repent and trust Jesus for salvation. This is possible because God made His Son, Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. In other words, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. All we have to do is to accept Jesus’ death and resurrection as our own, and our relationship with God will be restored; we become His children, and He our Father. At the end of this life, He will take us home to heaven, to be with Him forever.

On the other hand, if you’d rather not trust Jesus for salvation, you have by default elected to be an enemy of God (see James 4:4). At the end of this life, you will find yourself in hell (this is not a joke, and I don’t say it lightly). Since you are not a robot, but a thinking being, capable of making choices, you will not be able to blame God or anybody else for your eternal destination.

If you’ve never made a decision to have a relationship with God, I would think it’s because you’ve never heard this before, or you’ve never understood it. Either way, I’m glad you are reading this piece, and I hope you understand it now, but if not, please ask questions, and don’t postpone finding answers; this is a matter of eternal life and death.

Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God. He says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). Call on Him today, and have the assurance of your sins being forgiven, and eternal life with Him in the near future in heaven (see Romans 8:1).

You might be thinking you're living a good life now, and that you have no needs. Please understand that whatever life you’re experiencing now, good or bad, is temporary. Eternity is forever; don’t choose the short-term here over the long-term there. If you’re content with the short-term here, the long-term you get later will be hell, and it will be irreversible. You are not a robot, and you do understand what you are reading; Jesus is waiting to answer your call. He will forgive your sins-He died for your past, present, and future sins. Wait no longer! In reference to when Jesus returns, the Scriptures tell us: “He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 NLT).   

God won’t choose for you, because you are not a robot, but He is waiting to honor  whichever choice you make.     

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PUTTING OUT THE FIRE BEFORE IT STARTS

The effort to put out a fire starts only after the fire has started, but by then, containing it could be unsuccessful, leading to possible lives lost If there were a way to stop a fire from starting in the first place, lives could be saved.

There’s an old saying, “Prevention is better than cure.” And by the way, it is a true saying, and makes a lot of sense. If you take your medicine the way your doctor prescribed it, you most likely won’t experience what could happen without it. For example, if you take your blood pressure medicine as prescribed, your blood pressure will stay under control, and you might not experience a stroke; it’s that simple!

Having said all that, it is good to understand that this idea works in the spiritual world as well. There’s fire waiting to consume all those who are not God’s children. But JESUS is rendering the fire powerless by His blood; He is washing away the sins of men, so they won’t have to face the fires of hell. It’s almost like dousing the fire with His blood for all those who will put their trust in Him.

What do you think? Would you like to escape the fires of hell? Would you like to have a personal relationship with God now, and later in heaven? I can’t imagine that you’d answer ‘No,’ to these questions. And if you would, then you probably have no idea what the fires of hell are like, or you don’t believe God would send anyone to hell.

Let me disprove the second reason first: God will send non-penitent sinners to hell because He is holy and cannot have fellowship with them. Although God is loving and kind, He is also holy, just, and faithful, and because of those attributes, He has to punish sin; He will send people to hell. Once when Jesus was talking to His disciples about heaven, He said: “… Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons” (Matthew 25:41 NLT). Note where sinners will be sent—into eternal fire. On another occasion, Jesus counseled His listeners to fear God, and not men: “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear” (Luke 12:4-5 NLT). Again, did you notice the mention of hell? So that’s your answer—God will send people to hell if they choose to not repent.

And now, your other probable reason for answering ‘No’ could be that you have no idea what hell is like. The Bible makes it very clear that hell is a place of unending torment (see Revelation 20:10)and  weeping and gnashing of teeth (see Matthew 8:12). I’m sure it is a place you’d not want to be.

What steps do you need to take to not find yourself in hell? You need to be adopted into the family of God, and this is how—repent of your sins, and ask God for forgiveness through his Son Jesus, because: “God made Christ who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT). And when you take that step, God gives you the assurance that you’ve escaped hell: “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NLT). The solution to our sin problem is the blood of Christ. Please, don’t postpone doing this, because nobody is promised tomorrow.

If you made that decision, this is what the Bible says about you: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. Everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:1-3 NLT).

These verses explain who you are in Christ—you’re one of God’s many children (the Church); you have to love them, and be loved by them. Our proof of our love for God is obedience to his Word. The only way we can obey the Word is to know it—by reading, studying, and meditating on it, and even memorizing it. We will also need to hear it from faithful ministers of God. All this will help us grow in our relationship with God and with each other. You could confidently say your fire’s been put out—hell is no longer waiting for you!  

THE WORST OF ALL TRAGEDIES

A tragedy is defined by Webster's Concise Dictionary as a serious drama with an unhappy ending or a sad event. Some tragedies happen by accident, but some are foreseeable and avoidable and should be prevented at all costs.

One such tragedy is eternal separation from God. You might wonder what it means to be separated from God and why it is a tragedy. Understand that God is holy and, therefore, cannot coexist with sinners, but we are sinners, so sin has separated us from Him right there. And it is a tragedy because not having a relationship with God on a personal level in this life is a significant loss. Still, the Bible also teaches that not being in a personal relationship with God sends a person to hell after death, a tragedy that does not need to happen. Hell is not desirable; it is a place of never-ending torment.

But really, why does one need to have a relationship with God; what good would that do? God created humans for a loving, ongoing relationship, but that relationship was broken by sin: disobedience. So our sin is what caused the separation between God and us. We know from the Bible that sin must be forgiven or punished. The punishment for sin is eternal separation from God in hell. Although the other option is to be forgiven, one has to decide whether one wants to be forgiven or, by default, be punished by going to hell.

Anyone who would like to be forgiven would have to repent of their sins and ask God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ, who took God's prescribed punishment upon Himself in our place—death on the cross. Anyone who accepts Christ's offer is saved from hell, and their relationship with God is restored; the gap is closed, and one becomes a child of God.

Since a personal relationship with God in this life and eternity in heaven are both possible, don't you think it would be tragic to end up in hell? Hell can and should be avoided because of the Bible's frightening description of hell. See some of hell's descriptions below:

●       A place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (see Matthew 13:42).

●       A place of eternal fire (see Matthew 25:41; Jude 1:17).

●       A place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

●       A place where the fire does not go out (see Mark 9:43).

●       A place of everlasting destruction and being shut out from the Lord's presence and the glory of His might (2 Thessalonians 1: 9).

●       A place of a fiery lake of burning Sulphur (Revelation 19:20; 21:8).

●       As the second death (Revelation 20:14).

Now that you know what the Bible says about hell, would you agree that not having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the worst tragedy that could ever happen to anyone? I think so, and I encourage you to make the decision that will keep you out of that awful place called hell.

On the other hand, heaven is a desirable place and is described below:

●       A place of eternal life (see Matthew 25:46; John 5:24; Romans 3:23).

●       A place for the children of God (see John 1:12).

●       A place of no condemnation (see John 5:24).

●       A place with many mansions (see John 14:2).

●       A place with pearly gates and streets of gold (Revelation 21:21). 

●       A place where God reigns (see Revelation 19:6).

●       A place without death, sorrow, weeping, or pain (see Revelation 21:4).

●       A place of feasting (Revelation 19:7-8).

Now compare these two places! Please don't go to hell because you don't have to. Repent and turn your life over to Jesus; know that "Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27 NLT).

Think about it, call on Jesus, and do it soon!