Why am I telling you this?? Because I am positive I’m not alone in this and I’m also positive that, just because we’re in a new year, Satan won’t stop trying to pull us from the Father. I want to arm you. I want to remind you of the graces He has given us to fight in the invisible war.

So why should we toss out an old year instead of bringing it into the new year with us? Yes there is stuff we should and may leave behind, but we shouldn’t leave everything behind. 

As a tiny baby, God came down in human form to give us a new start. To give us freedom. This baby that was born in the manager was the incarnate word of God. The remarkable thought is a baby held all the kingdom and power on his shoulders. Could you imagine that as a baby? Holding all the power and weight of the world on your shoulders?

That’s it. That is the eternal perspective. The story of the Gospel is the story of eternity, and we as Christians are to live a life in light of these truths. We know where it started, and we know where it’s going.

What if Jesus looked at me, at my mess, and asked that question of himself? Is she worth it? He did ask if there was any other way (can you blame him?!) but he never asked if I was worth it.

So often I find myself wanting to skip the process and just arrive at the outcome in life, but it’s in the process that we grow and develop a deeper relationship with God.

God calls us to take leaps of faith, sometimes in seemingly trivial ways, and other times in ways that change our lives. How do we respond when God calls us? Do we trust that He will be with us through it all?

That moment will look different for each of us. For some, it may be singing your favorite worship song. For others, it’s taking five minutes to stop what you’re doing and have time in prayer with Him. That’s the beautiful thing.

Once we understand that His gift comes from love and not for love, we can begin to live our lives from love and not for love.

Talk about a God moment, right? I never in my wildest dreams expected my ride home at 7:30 PM to call me on to remember why I have the life I do. The path we walk in this life is not our own.

The real question was, why here, and why now?

What’s the point of prayer, does God hear our prayers and when is the right time to pray? 

God doesn’t want us to have to choose between our short-term and long-term happiness. He doesn’t ask us to always make the most responsible, most practical choice. He wants what’s best for us.

The longer I went without God, the harder it was to run to Him. I felt guilt in my heart and felt undeserving to even have a relationship with Him. Then God reminded me of a story in the Bible “The Parable of the Lost Son.”

Who are you? Isn’t that just the weirdest question? Most of us would respond with our name and maybe a few fun facts. If I asked you if you know yourself, you’d probably say “yes” with no hesitation. What would you say if I asked you if you felt like your most authentic self in all that you do?

I hope you take a moment to let Jesus love the fear out of you. That you take a moment to think of whatever it is you feel disqualifies you from perfect love and surrender it to the full mercy of God. He really is a safe place. You don’t have to beg for what you already have. But, you can let what you already have inform the way you see God, yourself, and others. My friend, if you are in Christ, you have been totally forgiven already. The old is gone, the new has come. Don’t let mistakes of your past, present, or future displace the awareness of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. He did not halfway purchase your freedom!

Even though we do not see God we still love him and believe in him. When you place your faith and trust in God the inexpressible joy becomes a result of your faith. Why? Because you see God in every point of your life. God wants to overwhelm you with his joy and love because his love for us is indescribable.

Yet faith, the bold types of faith that seeks to walk with Jesus as a reality and not just wear him as an accessory, learns how to live within the unresolved spaces. 

Would you pick up the Bible?

Would you pick up the only eternal thing we have or would you end up sitting there longing for the world to go back as it was, normal?

Have you ever felt like you had no purpose? No sense of direction in life? Feeling empty and stuck in one place? Living your same old routines? That’s exactly how I felt before Christ. My life is like the Bible itself! The Old Testament, life before Jesus and the New Testament, life with Jesus.