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.
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