Good morning, Lord Jesus. In Your abiding Presence, I want to start my day embraced by my heavenly Father, centered in Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...
"And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before Him -- provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven" (Colossians 1:21-23).
"Continue securely established and steadfast in the faith." ... As I read these words and let them settle into my spirit this morning, I hear Your Spirit emphasizing the word "Continue." ...
As I ponder this word, I believe I hear You saying, "Ask Me what is to continue on and what is to remain behind. As you leave behind the past year and enter into the new, ask Me what you are to carry with you and what you are to let go of."
Yes, Lord. You're bringing to mind Your Word proclaimed through the Apostle Paul in his spiritual journey: "Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).
As I prepare for the new year, I want to take time to let Your Spirit search my heart and show me what is to continue and what is to remain behind, what to hold on to and what to let go of. Show me the habits that need to be broken, the hurts that need to be healed, the heart condition that needs to be changed. Uproot and remove everything in me and lift up and break off everything from me that would keep me from fully embracing You and Your plan for my life this coming year. Reveal and remove all that's less than Your best so You can replace it with all that truly is Your best, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart to show you what is to continue into 2024 and what is to remain behind in 2023. What you're to hold on to and what you're to let go as you prepare to move into the new year, continuing your journey into spiritual maturity in Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.
Partner with us Before the year ends!
As we close out the year, if you have the ability to be generous, I invite you tp partner with me, my wife, and One Direction Community to support our ministries of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over our ministries and outreaches into our community. We would be so grateful for your one time gift or monthly support. Thank you!
