It is hard to believe that another year has gone by, and another one has begun. After returning from our meetings in the Midwest in December, I am now preparing for our meetings in the South. In a couple of weeks I will start off by preaching in Maryland. The second week of March, I will be in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and then finishing up in Florida. The third week of March, I start a revival in Bangor, New York. Now that I have told you how God is using us to serve him. I want to talk to you about…
A RIGHT START FOR THE NEW YEAR:
Traditionally, as many folks look back over the past year and see things in their lives they do not like, they make New Year’s Resolutions. They want to change and have a New Beginning. But the problem with “turning over a new leaf” is that the winds of adversity blow them back over again in a chaotic pile. If you are tired of making yourself promises and failing, then listen carefully to what God has to say to you. You need to realize that you cannot overcome any bad habit or past failure by your own determined resolution. As a matter of fact, the harder you try, the worse it becomes. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as the leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6 ). You also need to realize that you cannot change your past simply by having a positive attitude or by changing your environment. The problem is fixed within your own heart. Self reformation is always doomed for failure. “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). A drowning man cannot save himself by trying to pull himself up by his own shirt. There must be somebody who is stronger than himself to save him, and this is where Jesus Christ steps in (Romans 8:3).
You cannot have a new life apart from Jesus Christ, who gives life. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). And, once we possess spiritual life, we become a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We can only change as we yield to the God who can change us. Are you yielded today?
FIRST, A RIGHT START FOR THE NEW YEAR-STUDY GOD’S WORD: (Psalms 1:1-6).
The Bible is our spiritual food (1 Peter 2:2). It is our light (Psalm 119:105). It is our joy (Jeremiah 15:16). (Psalm 1:1) plainly tells the believer, how to have a Happy New Year, because the word “Blessed” in verse one, means happy. The Happy Believer is somebody who delights in the Word of God and meditates therein day and night. (v.2) As a result, the blessed, happy person will not follow the counsel of the ungodly, nor will his circle of friends be among the sinful and or scornful (v.1). “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” (Psalm 119:165). HOW WE NEED SUCH PEACE THIS NEW YEAR. Do you want Peace, Joy and Direction for the coming year? Study God’s word.
SECOND, A RIGHT START FOR THE NEW YEAR-TESTIFY OF CHRIST: (Acts 1:8).
Believers who long for a Happy New Year cannot afford to miss this special joy promised to those who “draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). In these days of so many false witnesses and the preaching of a false gospel, those who preach the true Gospel are many times vilified, maligned and even persecuted. But, that should make no difference to the Bible-Taught Believer who has been promised that, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, “and those who go forth, even with weeping, bearing precious seed of God’s word will doubtless come again with rejoicing” (Psalms 126:5,6). It is more important than ever to proclaim the existence of truth and the content of truth. God promised that his word will never return void (Isaiah 55:11). Keep giving out the word. Do not miss this special Joy that comes only to faithful witnesses!
THIRD, A RIGHT START FOR THE NEW YEAR-SEPARATION: (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
No true believer can experience genuine happiness by trying to live with and justify any unequal yoke -any ministry endeavor that either those who do not know Christ as Savior or who disregard the truth of God’s word. Satan’s program of “Unity” at any price and especially the present attempt to yoke believers with unbelievers in evangelism is very popular but wrong! A genuine believer may sometimes find himself yoked with unbelievers without knowing it at first, but he will never be satisfied to remain in any forbidden relationship once he becomes aware of his unscriptural position. The Bible is very clear, we cannot be unequally yoked with false teachers (2John 7-11), with the world (first John 2:15-17) or with brethren who are following a course of disobedience (2Thessalonians 3:6,14). The Word of God does not get any more clear! We must obey the Lord in this regard if we are to truly have a Happy New Year.
FOURTH, A RIGHT START FOR THE NEW YEAR-FORGIVENESS: (Ephesians 4:29-32).
The way in which believers use their tongues makes a big difference in their own happiness and determines whether they are a blessing to others. The Lord says that we must “Let No corrupt communication come forth out of our mouths but that which is good” (v.29). Only in this way can we edify [build up] and minister God’s grace to others. (v.31) commands us to put away [all] “bitterness” [not just some] as well as all “wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking” [and malice]. Failure to obey this important instruction grieves the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us (v.30), something that no believer should deliberately do. Furthermore, (Titus 3:2) commands us to “speak evil of no man,” a reference of this same kind of fleshly, unkind speech. We must never speak in a malicious way; willingly intend to harm others through our words spoken to them or about them.
At the very heart of this matter is God’s pleading in (v. 32) “for His children to be kind, tender hearted and forgiving one to another.” That is not always easy to do, and many times it is impossible to do apart from the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts. As children we might have been taught that words cannot hurt us. But as adults we realize that this is only partly true. Some of the deepest hurts come from unkind words and unjustified criticism. May we never be guilty of saying, or even thinking, “I can never forgive you for this.” Thank God he has never dealt with us according to these terms! Though it is sometimes hard and difficult, let us have a forgiving heart like that of our merciful God.
So as we begin a New Year a right start for all of us would be to begin by…Studying God’s word, Testifying and Witnessing for Christ, Guard our separation and start Forgiving others, like Christ has forgiven us.
May God Bless you and your ministries during this challenging and fruitful New Year.
God Bless You Is Our Prayer
Bro. Randy Davis
