We are almost half-way through the month of January in this new year 2015, and I couldn’t allow the month to slip by without reconnecting with the blog and its faithful followers. As I reflected on the passed year, I was overwhelmed by the hand of God that rested on my life which favored me in unimaginable ways, and opened closed doors even to the last hours of 2014.
As the Lord continuously professes His love for me daily through sweet circumstances and occurrences, I am more and more desirous of serving Him with an increased passion, zeal, and commitment.
How about you? If you are reading this now, the goodness of the Lord is upon you for having kept you alive to see this new year. I may not know your personal plans for this new year, but I invite you to join us here at the blog as a we show our gratitude to the Lord for His manifold benefits upon our lives in the past year, and in our quest to serve Him deeper this year.
I pray 2015 will be a year of…
1. Closer walk with Jesus (Acts 2: 42, 46): getting to know who Jesus Christ truly is by being faithful to our daily morning devotions, and attending fellowships with other followers of Christ. I pray nothing or no one will come in between our walk with Jesus this year. I pray for spiritual consistency, and a fixed focus on Christ throughout this year in the name of Jesus.
2. Holiness and righteousness (1 Peter 1:16): many believe that it is impossible for human beings to be holy and righteous. However, we are assured in scripture that “with God all things are possible.” Holiness and righteousness are the divine nature of God, and because nothing is impossible with God, He gives His divine nature to those who seek Him diligently without any shadow of doubt. To be holy is to be set apart from the world through our mindset, dressing, speech, way of doing things etc and unto God and Him alone. Righteousness on the other hand is to consistently do good according to God’s principles and by His divine grace after having been transformed by the saving power of God. This year, permit the Lord to wholly sanctify you, make us holy and righteous on a daily basis so as to be used greatly of Him.
3. Genuine inward and outward modesty (Matthew 23:26): as Christians, our identification with Christ has a lot to do with not just our regenerate hearts, but certainly our external appearance. Can people easily associate you with Christ by your outward appearance? As we have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash us clean on the inside, I pray we will allow that same blood to rid us of any property of Satan that remains on our physical bodies in Jesus’ name. If you have not given your life to Christ, no worries because the efficacious blood of Christ has not, and will never run out on you! Please visit HERE to get connected to Jesus Christ this new year!
4. Serving the Lord with a selfless heart and hands (Mark 8:34; Mat 20:26-28): As we walk through this year, we must be sure that our ‘self’ has been fully crucified with Christ on the Cross at Calvary. ‘Self’ and the Savior cannot both be citizens in the temple of God (our bodies). One must go, and I pray that we will prayerfully uproot self from our bodies, minds and spirits in Jesus’ name. I pray this year will be a year of putting others before us, serving them as Christ Jesus laid a perfect example of service. I pray we will walk in His footsteps of service this year in Jesus’ name.
5. Love (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8*): Love is a powerful force. It was because of love that the sinless Son of God suffered and died an humiliating death for you and I. This year, I pray the love of God will reign in our hearts and be manifested through us in Jesus’ name. I pray the Lord will rid our hearts of bitterness, anger, an unforgiving spirit, and replace it all with His unfailing love for Him and for others this year in Jesus’ name.
6. Personal reading and studying of the WORD with prayer (2 Timothy 2:15; Eph 6:18): As Christians, the word of God is food for our soul. If we abandon the Word, that means we starve the soul and eventually the soul will die of deprivation of its necessary nutrients- essentially spiritual separation from God! I pray that will not be our portion in Jesus’ name. I pray God will create in us a new burning desire, love, and commitment to read and study His word throughout this year in Jesus’ name. I ask that He will give us wisdom, the methodology, creativity, discipline to read and study His word which is Life. I pray that the study of the Word of God will make us mighty teachers of His word, rightly dividing the word of truth in Jesus’ name! I pray the Lord will help us to repair our altars of prayer that His fire will fall in our lives and consume every spiritual chaff in Jesus’ name.
7. Active evangelists and ambassadors of Christ (Eph 6:19,20; Mat 16:15): What good is it for us to have the totality of the Word of God – the word that saves, the word that changes our eternal destiny, and that gives us abundant life if we are selfish with it? The bible is replete with commands by our commander in Chief Jesus Christ, to preach His Saving Word unto a dying world. I pray the Lord will find us faithful ambassadors of His word in our schools, work environment, neighborhoods, etc in Jesus’ name. I pray He will give us the love, compassion, wisdom to minister His word to the dying sinners around us, and make His word fruitful in our mouth in populating His Kingdom in Jesus’ name.
As we remain faithful to the above mentioned collective goals for the year, I pray that any blessing, breakthrough, success we need this year the Lord will surprise us with abundant supply in Jesus’ name! Amen to a deeper walk with the Lord this year!
Have a very blessed year, and may the goodness of the Lord never cease in your life this year in Jesus mighty name! Amen.
-Charity