Well, 2014 is winding down. What a year it has been! Death, destruction, and too many reports about what Kanye and Kim are doing! LOL! I had the privilege of seeing all my children this week. My youngest son, Timothy, and I talked about some of the hard things we experience in this life. I encouraged him to always remember, Life may be hard, but God is Good! The psalmist sang it years ago, "Many evils confront the [consistently] righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19 (Amplified)
So what can we take from this year? And what things will we leave behind? Awesome question!
The Apostle Paul experienced far more negativity than we have and he said, "I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back." Philippians 3:12-14 (Message) Another translation says, "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead". (New King James Version)
Let's forget the negative. No matter how hard it may be, let's move into the New Year with positive thoughts, hopes, dreams and goals!
Don't be hardhearted! I know, I know...you don't think it's possible for you to be hardhearted, you're a good person after all! But our hearts are hardened to the things of God by unbelief. If you are shocked, surprised, and amazed at a miracle of God your heart is hardened. If you relate more to the natural than the supernatural, your heart is hardened. Mark 6:50-52 says, "Jesus was quick to comfort them: “Courage! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” As soon as he climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on. They didn’t understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts." Did you get that? The disciples had just experienced the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and yet they were terrified by a storm. If they had considered the things that Jesus had already done and trusted him they would not have feared.
Andrew Wommack has several teachings about hardness of heart. I recommend them to you, they can be accessed via his ministry web site. He says, "Likewise, if we were not so dominated by considering the natural, we would not be surprised by the supernatural. We should expect to see the miraculous power of God manifest in our lives all the time. But the truth is, our hearts have become hardened toward God and His supernatural power because of our failure to stay focused on spiritual things."
Let's forget the negative! Let's embrace the positive! Let's spend more time meditating and studying the Word of God! Let's soften our hearts to the possibilities with God! Remember, "Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." Luke 1:37 (Message)
Love and prayers, Cynthia
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