Are you ready for a great year? I am certain that every person reading this desires that the new year to be a good year and better than the last one. It’s interesting that even though the majority of us desire that the year ahead be better than the year that passed, many of us don’t do anything different to go in the direction of “better”. The new year isn’t going to be better because you hoped and a wished and a prayed for it – you have to do something different to get different results. The new year is not going to be better just because God loves you or because you’re hoping for a better year. The new year is going to be better when you start making better decisions and when you start deciding to respond positively to the challenges that will come. You may have had a difficult year with challenges and maybe even some tragedies and I am sorry to inform you that there are no guarantees that the new year will be different. There may be bigger challenges ahead for you but you have to know that it’s not about what happens to you this year but how you respond to it. You’ve got the power to make this year your best year yet.
John 16:33 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
“I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”
You may not want to hear this but Jesus said that we will experience trouble in this life. Things happen. The new year will have it’s fair share of troubles and challenges but this could also be your best year yet, even if it’s also the year with the greatest troubles that you’ve ever had. You may think that this sounds ludicrous but it’s Bible! Challenges and difficulties (circumstances) should not determine whether this is a good year or not – why? Because you are not of this world; you are of another Kingdom (Philippians 3:20) and you have the Greater One living in you (1 John 4:4) which makes you more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37); God is for you and never against you therefore who could ever stand against you (Romans 8:31)?! This is the point: you cannot choose your circumstances but you can choose your attitude towards them. You need to decide right now how you are going to approach this year and the challenges it will bring. When tragedy hits, you have the choice: Am I going to fall apart or am I going to rise up and overcome? — And that’s up to you!
Romans 8:37 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
The Bible says that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us, therefore no matter what comes our way, we should be overcoming, we should be conquering – we should never be conquered. At the start of a new year, you’ll hear many lies about how this year is going to be easy and all your dream can come true… I’ve read some crazy prophecies and things that people are saying about 2020, like “in 2020 all the things that you’ve been trusting God for are going to come true.” It’s rubbish! We’ve got to realize that it’s not a new year for God. This is the same day for God. Even though you may have a new theme, God doesn’t. God created time and seasons; He isn’t bound by them.
2 Corinthians 6:2 New Living Translation (NLT)
…Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His agenda is still the same. His theme is still the same. What’s on His heart? That all men be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth (1 Timothy 2:4). That’s His agenda and it should be ours, too. That should be our theme every day and every year. Now, God may be calling you to have a different focus or a different emphasis this year but it will always be in harmony with His main agenda to reach the world and impact eternity.
This year can be a good year for you. Just like last year could have been a good year for you. You can experience the goodness and blessing and favour of God this year, just as much as you could have last year. God didn’t wish that last year was terrible but this year is good for you. God didn’t will for you to suffer this year and last year was your good year to prepare you for a bad year. Beliefs like that paint a false picture of God – that’s not God, it’s just religious rubbish. God’s will is that in this year every promise that he has made in His word will manifest in your life – but He willed that for you last year! His desire for you is that every promise would be your reality, today. “Today is the day of salvation.” Not tomorrow or next year, but “today”. Salvation can be defined from the Greek word “Sozo” as healed, delivered, prospered and made whole. This is God’s will for you, today. Not tomorrow or next year. Healing is always His will. Provision is always His will. Freedom and wholeness are always His will! Hallelujah!
I want to encourage you to have the attitude of “today is the day of salvation: today is the day of my healing, freedom, provision and wholeness!” What is salvation? Salvation is the devil’s defeat and so today is the day of the devil’s defeat. When we adopt this as our default attitude we will live as victors and not victims.