new year devotions

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Dec 19, 2024
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WHICH WAY ARE YOU LOOKING?

2 Timothy 4

6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.


It's the end of another year, what have we done with the year just gone?



Millions have died, most to a lost eternity, so are time on earth is so short.


Paul reflecting on his life, penned these amazing words to hos protege, Timothy.

He looked at his life, he looked squarely into the eyes of the death shortly to happen to him and had the utmost confidence.

In 2025, which way will we look:

Backwards

In verse 7, Paul reflects on his life, he looks back and says that he has fought a good and finished the race. Can we say that? I wonder if I could, you know as you get older, you look back, I certainly look back and think about my past and I know that the words penned by Paul couldn't be mine. I Have failed the Lord so many time, but he has been so gracious and merciful to me.

There is good in looking back, but there is bad in looking back, remember that our focus mustn't be on the past, we can't change it, however much we want to, we can learn from it. If we are truly saved, we have to remember that God is merciful and has forgiven all our past failures.

Many of carry the past with us, it is like a ball and chain round our feet, but only the devil reminds us of our past, it is his aim, to kee us looking at our past, it is the Holy spirit's aim to help us learn from our past.

Are you continually looking at your past or learning from it?


Forwards

PHILIPPIANS 3
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul was a mature believer, but still he wanted to obey the call of God, the call of God to the Christian, is always to go FULLER, DEEPER AND HIGHER.

Standing still in the Christian life, is never an option, If a climber, wants to climb Mount Everest, he never stays at base camp, he moves onwards and upwards.

The Christian needs to constantly be going forward, to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, the christian should be always on an upward trajectory.

Are you moving fowards in your Christian life?
Are you spending quality time in your bible?
Are you spending more time in prayer?


UPWARDS

TITUS 2

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;


Jesus is coming soon, we see what's happening all around us, the last days are upon us, we need to be awake. Jesus makes it clear that we need to keep awake, as we do not know what time the son of Man, would come and blessed is that one who have their lamps trimmed and ready。Matthew 25.


Philippians 3


20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
20
citizens of heaven, our whole focus, should be heaven ward and not earthly.
LOOK AROUND US
JOHN 4
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
As I walk around every day, I see thousands of people, we must see every person as a divine opportunity to either share the gospel or stir another believer to faith and good works Hebrews 10:24

Colossians 4:2-6 and 2 Thessalonians 3;1-3 are great passage, these passages can be used to pray for opportunities to reach people, remember every person is an opportunity. Look around you and pray for God to bring people into your lived. He will.

DONT STAND STILL AND LOOK AT THE WORLD

1 JOHN 2
Do Not Love the World

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The pull of the world is very strong for the Christian, if we stand still and look at all the world offers, we will end up in trouble. We live in a world that offers so much to trap the believer, so we need to walk forward, clear headed and focused, like Paul was in Philippians ch 3.

Demas stood still and looked at the world, he was trapped by the pleasures of this world, the Christian world is littered with people, who have left the faith for the love of the world.

LOOK TO JESUS

HEBREWS 12

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

To move forward, to look upward, to look around, we have to look to Jesus.

God holds us and helps us, through his precious holy Spirit. What a saviour we have, one who cares and prays for us.

So to walk properly, we need the following things:
The right light Psalm 119:105 The word of God
The right mindset Romans 12:1-2
The right power source.. Prayer Example of Daniel in Chapter 6 of his book
The right clothing Spiritual armour Ephesians 6:10-20
So what direction are you going to be looking at in 2025?
God bless you

KK

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