This is the year of personal maturity and increase for those who are keeping the faith.

I Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) — The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV) — I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Believe God’s word:

This is a year of spiritual maturity. That means we must learn to live by the word of God and not our natural senses. We can no longer live by what we see, hear, taste, smell, touch. Truth is truth whether we believe it or not. What we believe does not change what is true. If we are going to mature in our faith, spiritually we must believe the truth of God’s word regardless of what we see or hear. I believe that is what God is saying to us today.

Build upon the Rock:

It’s all our choice how we will live. Build your house on a solid foundation — one so strong you can build a great life upon it — and when trouble comes it will stand, or build on a flimsy foundation that falls apart when any trouble comes. We are to grow so God can create increase in our lives: spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. It’s up to us.

Keep the faith:

The believers who will experience increase are those who are willing to keep the faith. That means we will keep watch, protecting our faith. We are to remain committed no matter what obstacles we face. Those committed Christians will be the ones who experience great maturity and increase.

My hope and prayer are that you choose God’s way over the world’s way and experience God’s blessings in your life.

Just a thought,

PSS

In 2020 I believe God was busy behind the scenes, digging our foundation, and we didn’t even know it.

2 Timothy 4:7 NLT

“I have fought the good fight of faith. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

For all who have kept the faith, I believe God was behind the scenes, digging your foundation. The deeper the foundation, the higher the building can be. So, for those who have kept the faith in 2020, I believe God is going to bless you.

He is going to mature your faith, your understanding of the word. He will bless what you put your hand to. God is waiting for us to reach out to Him. 

So many people make resolutions at this time, firmly deciding to do this or that. Yet so many people fail, almost immediately, because of a lack of maturity. It is because they have focused on the promise of the next shiny, new thing and have neglected the work it takes to walk consistently in maturity. You have to be ready to continue beyond the trendy quick fix and begin living a daily walk with Christ.

So, as we usher in 2021, don’t get fixated on the “new." Work at being consistent in your walk in your new life. It’s not the new that helps us grow; it’s the consistent growth to maturity. It is not very glamorous, but it’s the way we mature the best, the fastest, that gets our eyes fixed on Jesus. Serve Him; honor Him; and prepare to be more and more obedient to Him.

I believe this will be a year of maturing in our faith. Let’s strive to please Him in 2021. Stay faithful; never quit.

It’s going to be a great year!

Just a thought,

PSS

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

The Author:

Jesus is the author who finishes His work. His work is to perfect us — to perfect our faith, so we may endure through many trials, until finally glory comes. It’s through these trials that we grow, develop spiritually, and strive to be perfected.

The Finisher:

With all that’s going on in our world, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, on His word, in order to keep growing and developing into what God wants for us to become. In order to do that, we must endure whatever we encounter: good or bad, tough or easy. This is the time to really get serious about our walk, our relationship with God.

The Perfector:

As 2020 comes to an end, and we enter 2021, let it be a year where we allow God to perfect us, to build our faith in Him and His word, to allow our foundation to be built on a solid foundation, and develop our knowledge of Him and His ways. All one has to do is make a decision — God is first in my life, and whatever rough edges, the things that hold me back, will be purged and removed. That will come through a commitment — a decision of our will and a commitment to stay with it.

2021 can be a great year. Again, it’s your choice. Choose well!

Happy new year, and God bless.

Just a thought,

PSS

Luke 2:8–10 — That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9) Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10) but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring good news that will bring great joy to all people.”

Cultivate joy:

Dr. Pamela Ebstyne King — “Remember, joy is different from happiness. Although they are connected through positive feelings, keep in mind joy involves what holds ultimate significance in your life.” God wants us to enjoy our lives — whether they are easy or difficult. God never intended for anyone to merely exist: He wanted everyone to enjoy their life every day. He said in John 10:10 that His purpose for coming was to give us a rich and satisfying life. The only way to obtain that is to cultivate joy.

Believe joy:

Joy is internal; happiness is external. Joy is God-given, based on what you believe, not on your current circumstances. Too many people think they can be happy only when they go on vacations, when the kids get older, when they are a success at work, when they get what they want. This is not true.

Choose joy:

Happiness is based on circumstance; joy is based on a choice — that through the worst times, worst days, we can experience joy in our lives, and the emotions of peace and excitement, regardless of our outward circumstances. This is the joy God gives. What’s great is that it is our choice. We choose joy.

Jesus gives us the joy.  I hope you choose it.

Merry Christmas to all of you. God bless.

Just a thought,

PSS

One of the greatest (if not the greatest) revelations in the Bible is this: Matthew 1:23 — Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

Only believe:

Without Emmanuel there would be no salvation, no freedom from sin. Because of this we realize we aren’t just forgiven of sin: we are free from it. Big difference! What we must understand is that Jesus was fully man and fully God. If we don’t believe this, we cannot be born again a child of God.

Test the spirits:

1 John 4:1–3 — Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2) By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. 3) But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

Walk with God:

So, in order to walk with God, we must believe that Jesus is God come in the flesh. Jesus is all God and all man.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, let’s never forget who Jesus is — Emmanuel. God with us! He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Just a thought,

PSS