SOME 2007 NEW YEAR THOUGHTS
Isaiah 52:11-12 (NLT) 11Go now, leave your bonds and slavery. Put Babylon behind you, with everything it represents, for it is unclean to you. You are the LORD'S holy people. Purify yourselves, you who carry home the vessels of the LORD. 12You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the LORD will go ahead of you, and the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
Just some thoughts for the New Year. This morning my lovely wife had me stop by the local food market to get a roast for her to put in the old crock-pot for our Sunday afternoon dinner. As I was waiting in the checkout, the gentleman in front of me read the Newsweek cover. It read, "What can you do to improve your life in 2007?" His answer was to get rid of the congress. I told him and his wife I had the perfect thing to improve anyone's life in 2007. Accept Jesus into your life and I guarantee it will change for the better. From his look, I must guess that was not the way he wanted it.
I cannot know what your 2006 was like. It may have been great or it may have been a bad year for you. I can only speak for Mary and I. 2006 has been a very blessed year both for God's ministry and for us. We are now out of debt, only by the grace of God and His answering our prayers. At the beginning of the year we asked the Lord to forgive us for our getting into debt and to help us get out of debt so we could be free to serve Him only and not our debt. 2006 has been a great year for the Lord's ministry. We have seen growth we could have never expected or dreamed of. 2006 again taught me to praise the Lord in all things good and bad. Why? Because when we do even the bad things will turn out for good. All to Glory of our Savior Jesus.
Re-read the verses above. What do they say to you personally. This is a promise to all of God's chosen people ---you! But, do you let the Lord go ahead of you and behind you to protect you? Or do you do like the old 60's rock song, "FOOLS RUSH IN"? The Hebrew here says that we should not rush and you should not run away in fear. Be honest with yourself! If 2006 did not go as you planned, why? The first hint is in the wording of my question. Did you see the problem here, if not, then read the following from James the 1/2 brother of Jesus. James 4:13-16 (NLT) 13Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." 14How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while, then it's gone. 15What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." 16Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.
Let me bring this to where the "Rubber meets the Road" Mary and I did not make a plan to get out of debt, we did not "sow a seed to meet our need", we did not lay our hands on a bunch of money and tell it to multiply in Jesus' name, we didn't even mail in our prayer requests to a "great" man of God to be burned on the altar. Nope, Nada, Zip, not a bit!!! What we did was to ask the Lord to forgive us for creating a debt we had to serve; I.E. payments, interest, etc. and asked our Lord to get us out of debt so we could serve Him better. Remember, the Bible tells us we cannot have two masters.
Back to my original question how was your 2006? Now again, be truthful! Who's plans were they for 2006? Yours or the Lords? I guess I can speak from experience, because a few years ago the ministry and our lives seemed to be stalled. I planned, I worked, I strived, and nothing happened. Did you get the I, I, I? Finally I started a 10 day fasting and prayer time. The Lord took me on the carpet and told me that basically I was getting in the way with my will. If I wanted things to change I had to get out of the way and let it be totally His way and will. He brought me a book to read where the pastor gave a great illustration. This man of God was in the same situation in his life, and the Lord showed him that he was running the show. The Lord showed him a vision of how he had put on the Holy Spirit like a overcoat and was taking the Spirit where he wanted to. The Lord showed him that it should be the other way around. The Holy Spirit should wear us like an overcoat and take us where He wants to. The way I like to look at it now is The Holy Spirit should wear a Pastor A. J. suit and take it where He wants not the other way around.
So my friends for 2007 ask yourself who is in control of your lives. If 2006 did not go the way you wanted then maybe just maybe you need to get out of the driver's seat and let Jesus and the will of the Father in Heaven take control. As someone once said if Jesus is your co-pilot you're in the wrong seat. Move over and let Him take control.
God Bless and happy New year.
Pastor A. J. and the staff at His Will Ministry.
