I will be sharing with you a wonderful passage of scripture that should speak to everyone in this room as well as those that are watching via virtually or any of the cyber connections.
Psalms 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
(NIV) Blessed is the one (put your name) who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who (PYN) meditates on his law day and night. That person (PYN) is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they (PYN) do prospers.
I WANT TO REASON WITH some of YOU ON reconsidering the THOUGHT of NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS and allowing the REVELATION of a
It is the Lord who ALLOWED US TO SEE A NEW YEAR… not just another day… but another year.
ITS NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN SO Great or GOOD… BUT ITS BECAUSE God HAS BEEN SO GOOD.
The Lord has endured your APPEALS, ANSWERED YOUR
REDEEM YOU, RESTORED YOU, Delivered you, put expectation in you… HLLA!!!
Right now is a good time to say THANK YOU.
PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD MADE NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS on what they would like to do in 2023, but TRUTH BE TOLD, God wants to
EVERY YEAR WE HEAR ABOUT RESOLUTIONS BUT NOT REVOLUTIONS.
EVERY NEW YEAR:
- SPENDING MORE TIME WITH FAMILY
- STOPPING BAD HABITS
- MAKE MORE MONEY
- START doing this or that… START… Start whatever it is.
THE END RESULT OF MANY RESOLUTIONS IS FAILURE… OVER … AGAIN & AGAIN
RESOLUTIONS OFTEN FAIL BECAUSE RESOLUTIONS ARE USUALLY SELF-IMPOSED, SELF-WILLED, AND SELF-PROPELLED…
IT LACKS THE
BUT WHAT YOU REALLY NEED IS NOT ANOTHER NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
BUT A REVELATION of the REVOLUTION
TRUTH BE TOLD, THE BEST REVELATION COMES FROM GOD & HE DIVINELY INSPIRES US to go forward.
The REVELATION CONTAINS GODS PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
THE PSALMIST PROVIDES US WITH A SPIRIT-FILLED
NOTICE HOW HE STARTS BY SAYING “BLESSED IS THE MAN!”
- THE IDEA OF BLESSED IN GENERAL DENOTES SOMETHING THAT GOD DOES FOR US.
THE PSALMIST TELLS US THAT WE MUST DO CERTAIN THINGS FOR THE BLESSING OF GOD TO OVERTAKE/REVOLUTIONIZE OUR LIFE.
IN 2023WATCH THE COMPANY YOU KEEP …
HE IS SAYING, IF YOU WANT TO BE BLESSED YOU MUST
HE MENTIONS 3 GROUPS OF PEOPLE
1- THE UNGODLY
2- THE SINNER
3- THE SCORNFUL
THE UNGODLY ARE THOSE WHO SIN KNOWINGLY AND FEEL NO CONVICTION
THE SINNERS ARE THOSE WHO SIN OPENLY & DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS
AND THE SCORNFUL ARE THOSE WHO
IN 2023 YOU HAVE TO POSTURE YOURSELF BY TERMINATING PEOPLE WHO WOULD LOVE TO STOP THE FLOW OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE.
PAUL TELLS US IN 2 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV)
14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
IN OTHER WORDS, DO NOT WALK WITH, STAND WITH, OR SIT WITH PEOPLE WHO DON`T HAVE THE THINGS OF GOD
NOT ONLY DO YOU NEED TO TERMINATE SOME PEOPLE FROM YOUR CIRCLE, THE TEXT REVEALS, THAT YOU HAVE TO SATURATE YOURSELVES IN THE WORD OF GOD.
IN OTHER WORDS,
IF YOU WANT 23 TO BE BETTER THAN 22, GET GOD IN YOUR
DAVID SAYS, RUN AWAY FROM DOING WRONG & START DOING THINGS GOD`S WAY BY DELIGHTING IN THE LAW OF THE LORD.
YOUR FAITH WILL GO TO A NEW NEXT LEVEL (ATMOSPHERE)
THE PSALMIST SAYS – TO DELIGHT
TO
SATURATE YOURSELVES IN GOD DAY AND NIGHT
THE TEXT SUGGESTS WE STAY PLANTED & POSITIONED IN THE WORD OF GOD TO BE PRODUCTIVE AND PROSPEROUS.
NOTICE VERSE 3
WE SHALL BE LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF WATER
- THE RIVER REPRESENTS GOD`S DIVINE
NOT JUST ANY TREE
o BUT A TREE THAT HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY
o PLANTED IN A CAREFULLY CHOSEN SPOT
o POSITIONED TO RECEIVE
o WHERE IT CAN BECOME FRUITFUL
GOD HAS PLACED YOUR LIFE IN HIS CARE
WHEN YOU STAY PLANTED AND POSITIONED IN THE WORD OF GOD THINGS CHANGE…
NOTHING CAN STOP OR HINDER THE
REMAIN POSITIONED & YOU WILL BE PRODUCTIVE
2023 The REVOLUTION
The 1st day of the New year is a SUNDAY… Can you imagine the
You would set a new tone for everyone and everything both spiritually and naturally.
- Does the Bible give any instruction on starting a New Year right? As a matter of fact, it does! God gave Israel some very clear instructions on some things they were to do at the start of every New Year. Each of these things they were to do at the start of the New Year was designed to have a spiritual impact on them.
As we look at these instructions, we’re getting to see at least three clear
- Remember When You Became a Believer
In Exodus 12:2. The first set of instructions God gave Israel concerned the Passover. At the beginning of the New Year, Israel was always to observe the Passover.
You remember the story behind the Passover. Israel was in bondage in Egypt. Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go, so God sent a series of plagues. Finally, God said, “I am going to send one last plague. The death angel is coming, and he will take the firstborn of every household.” There was only one way to escape the death angel. An innocent lamb was slaughtered and his blood was applied to the doorpost of each household. When the death Angel saw the blood he would, “pass over” them.
Please note: They weren’t saved by looking at the lamb, admiring the lamb, or loving the lamb. They were only saved if the lamb was
- Principle: There is a lesson here for us as well. This lamb pictures Jesus Christ. In first Corinthians 5:7, the Bible says “for even Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us.” Just as Israel started every New Year by remembering their deliverance, we should start our new year by remembering our deliverance.
Note: 1st Corinthians 11:23-25. This is so important for us as Christians, that Christ built it into our
Remember when you became a believer?
Unleavened Bread: Dig out the Sin That Has Taken Root
Exodus 12:15-20. The second important date on the Israelite calendar was the observance of the feast of unleavened bread. From the 15th-21st of the month, the Jews ate only unleavened bread, and they very carefully cleansed all the yeast out of their homes. The purpose of this feast was to remind them that when they left Egypt, they were in such a hurry that they could not wait for their bread to rise.
There is a spiritual reminder for us in this feast of unleavened bread. In many places in the Bible, leaven is used as a picture of sin. For example, Paul tells us, “to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness.” In the Gospels, the leaven of Herod represented an attitude of pride and worldliness, and the leaven of the Sadducees was unbelief.
- Principle: Just like their New Year meant they were to search out and get rid of the leaven in their house, so the New Year is a time for us to root out and
I think that is what God would have us do today.
Take off self-righteousness and become aware again. Look at every part of your life for anything that needs to be rooted out!
That my friend is REVOLUTIONARY!
In Leviticus 23:6-9. This feast of unleavened bread began and ended with a holy convocation. The holy convocation was a time of silence and introspection before the Lord. We need that if we are really going to deal with the sin in our lives. It’s going to require quietness before the Lord, prayer, seeking his face in earnest. Let me suggest that you start by prayerfully meditating on Galatians 5 and the sins listed there. Ask God to speak to you as you look at these verses and do a little study on them!
Root out the sin in your life!
First Fruits: Dedicate Ourselves to God
- Principle: As we begin this New Year, we need to dedicate and for some… rededicate every part of our life to God!
New Year is a time to look at our lives, and see if there is something that you held back from God.
Does your (home, work, thought, financial) life honor God? I’m not asking if it is perfect, but if it is dedicated to God.
Conclusion:
I want to challenge you to start this New Year off right. Take time to remember your salvation experience, root out anything that has taken hold of you, and dedicate yourself again… new to God.
Leviticus 26:10