If 2020 taught us anything, it is that we truly never know what another day may bring. However, as a child of God, we can rest in the blesse assurance that all of our tomorrows have already passed through the unfailing and unchanging hands of our Savior. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, more than 25% of Americans say that their faith grew during the pandemic that sent the world into chaos last year. If you’re looking for a way to get a true fresh start in 2021, there is no better tool available to you than the Word of God and a healthy prayer life.
Lamentations 3:22-24
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’
Lamentations is not a happy book. The prophet Jeremiah was heartbroken by the state of God’s chosen people and he spends most of the book crying out to the Lord on their behalf. However, in the midst of all the pain and suffering that Jeremiah and the rest of God’s people were experiencing, Jeremiah took the time to refocus himself on the goodness of God.
You and I can rest in the same promise that Jeremiah reminded himself of: the love of the Lord never ceases and his mercies never come to an end. In a culture that teaches us to look for hope in self-help books and motivational speakers, the child of God knows that our hope is found in an unshakable foundation.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Paul’s letter to the church at Rome was an epistle sent to a church that faced intense government persecution. Not only was the church at Rome under attack from the authorities, they also faced great harm from false prophets who sought the opportunity to take advantage of young Christians. Yet Paul took this opportunity to tell them that everything that came against them worked for their benefit as long as they loved God and walked in His purpose for their lives.
Pray and ask God to show you how the bad things in your life can work for your benefit. Take note that Paul did not tell the Roman church that there would not be bad days full of pain and sorrow. Instead, he told them that those moments of pain and weakness could work for their benefit.
2nd Timothy 1:7
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2020 was a scary time. With a global pandemic that brought total upheaval to every walk of life to civil unrest and an incredibly divisive Presidential election, there were times where it seemed like fear was winning in 2020. However, Paul told his young apprentice, Timothy that the spirit of fear that he was dealing with did not come from God.
The same Holy Spirit that lived in Paul and Timothy now resides in you. While it is sometimes hard to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit at work in your life, it is important that we do not stand on what we feel, but instead on what we know. We know that the Spirit of God that lives inside every believer is greater than the spirit of fear that comes from the enemy.
Isaiah 43:19
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah was another Old Testament-era prophet who lived through some of the darkest times in the history of Israel. However, God made him several promises regarding His faithfulness to His people in the face of adversity.
Pray this promise that God made to Isaiah over yourself, your family, your business and every area of your life as we enter a new year. God has promised to do a “new thing” in His people, but we can fail to perceive it if we are so caught up in everything else going on in the world around us. When we find ourselves in a spiritual desert, God has promised to put a river there to sustain us.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path
If you want to get a better understanding of who God is and what His promises are regarding your life, spend more time in His word. The promises contained in your Bible are a written plan of God’s truths for your life. While it’s easy to say that we don’t have time to read every day or that reading isn’t something that we enjoy, it’s just as easy to ask God give us a hunger for His word. An increased desire to study and apply the Word of God to your life gives you a proper perspective.
Matthew 5:16
“Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”
2020 seemed like a time of spiritual and emotional darkness. Even though it seemed like darkness was winning, the Light of God that lives inside the heart of each and every believer is stronger than the darkness that wreaked havoc over many of our lives last year.
As children of God, you and I carry the responsibility to share the Light of the World with everyone we come in contact with. If we truly want to see a change in our society, the children of God need to stand up and be the light that the world so desperately needs.
Like every new year, 2021 is the opportunity for a fresh start. Allow God to do something new in you so you can be empowered to be the light that those around you are searching for.