Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Matthew 6:34 AMP

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. Psalm 143:10 NLT

One thing you can be certain about in the coming year is that you can’t be certain about what is ahead. This is a great blessing, because you do not need to know. To know what is ahead and the details of what will happen would be too great a burden to carry and too great a responsibility to bear.

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What you do need to know about the future is not what is ahead of you, but Who is ahead of you. It is the Lord who goes before you, is ahead of you, and is preparing the way for you. Your future is in His sure, strong, caring hands.

I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you. Genesis 28:15 NLT

As you pass through the door of 2011 and enter the door of 2012, here are six of the needs you are certain to have…

1.     There will be the need for prayer:

Until you get to heaven, there will always be the need for prayer. In every prayer as a believer, you will be speaking to the living God, your loving Father—the One who invites you to come, the One who hears your cries, the One who answers your prayers, and the One who will work all things together for the good according to His will and purpose.

2.     There will be the need to trust:

God does not want you to be fearful or worried about what is ahead. He will give what you need when you need it; He will tell what you need to know when it is time to know it; He will show what you need to see when it is time to see it. When He is silent about any matter, be at peace about it and do not become anxious.

3.     There will be the need to obey:

You will never outgrow your need for obedience. To obey the Lord is to please the Lord. He will always give you the provision, the time, and the opportunity to do what He has asked you to do. If He is not asking you to do anything new or different at the present time, continue to do the last thing He asked of you.

4.     There will be the need to forgive:

No one will ever act perfectly or speak perfectly to you. Even those who love you will not perform perfectly. Forgiveness is an attitude of the heart and a choice of the will that you must walk in each day. Some people carry hurt, bitterness, or resentment in their hearts for years, never wanting to let go of the past. As you go through the door of 2012, drop at the entryway, all the hurts of yesterday and carry them no more.

5.     There will be the need to be faithful:

In 2012 you will need to press on in the will of God for your life; you will need to walk on through the valleys and over the mountain tops that you will face; you will need to carry on in your service of love to others; you will need to live on in the will of God with a thankful heart, with praise upon your lips, and with zeal in your spirit.

6.     There will be the need for Jesus:

Every day, in every moment, through every circumstance of 2012, you will need Jesus. You will need Him fully and you will need to trust Him completely. You will need His grace to enable you, His Spirit to empower you, His strength to support you, and His counsel to instruct you in all the will of God.

The best place is wherever He puts us, and any other would be undesirable, all the worse because it would please our fancy, and would be of our own choice. Do not think about distant events. This uneasiness about the future is unwholesome for you. We must leave to God all that depends on Him, and think only of being faithful in all that depends upon ourselves. When God takes away that which He has given you, He knows well how to replace it either through other means or by Himself.  –Fenelon

Strive to carry yourself with total resignation to the Divine will that God may do with you and all according to His heavenly pleasure, relying on Him as on a kind and loving Father. –M. Molinos

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 It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit—depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]. Deuteronomy 31:8 AMP

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We know not what the path may be
As yet by us untrod;
But we can trust our all to Him,
Our Father and our God.
-Wm. J. Irons

You had faith in the creature, and it disappointed you; in earthly good, and it faded away; in your own heart, and it deceived you. Now, have faith in God! Call upon him in your trouble, try Him in your trial, trust Him in your need, and see if He will not honor the faith that honors Him. “Have faith in God”—oh, what sweet words of Jesus, spoken to allure your weary spirit to its divine and blessed rest.
-Octavius Winslow

The praying spirit breathe,
The watching power impart,
From all entanglements beneath
Call off my anxious heart.
My feeble mind sustain,
By worldly thoughts oppressed;
Appear, and bid me turn again
To my eternal rest.
-C. Wesley

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“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. Isaiah 43:1 NKJV

 “I belong to You, Christ Jesus.

Your light surrounds me…

Your love enfolds me…

Your power protects me…

Your presence guides me…

Wherever I am; You are there.”

Adapted from Catherine Marshall’s book, Something More

Proclamation

How wonderful to know

that because you are His

He assumes full responsibility

for keeping you in all your ways.

-Catherine Marshall

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So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14 NLT

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Jesus, God with us—in human flesh, touchable, seeable, knowable. Walking where we walk, crying our tears, knowing our pain, feeling our grief, bearing our sorrows.

Jesus, God with us—to believe in, to follow, to proclaim, to seek, to worship, to love, to cherish forever!

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 NKJV

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Jesus, God with us—a man filled with truth. He had no deceit, spoke no lies, and carried no deception. Jesus, a man filled with grace—He had no meanness, and demonstrated no cruelty. Jesus, a man tempted in every point as we are, but yet without sin.

Jesus, God with us—dwelling among us, breaking bread with us, carrying our burdens, knowing our grief, feeling our sorrow, bearing our pain, healing our diseases, forgiving our sin.

Jesus, God with us—in a form that was never seen before; with a glory that was never revealed before; with a mission that was never fulfilled before; with a life that was never lived before; with a sacrifice that was never made before; with a victory that was never won before.

Jesus, God with us—with hands to touch; with a voice to teach; with ears to listen; with feet to guide; with eyes to shed tears of compassion; with a heart that could be broken, know sorrow and be acquainted with grief.

Jesus, God with us—here for you, here to heal, here to cleanse, here to forgive, here to renew, here to restore, here to draw near, here to fellowship, here to be your Lord, your King, and your God.

“In Jesus, God looks on us through human eyes, beckons to us with human hands, calls to us through human lips, walks toward us with human feet over life’s troubled sea, sympathizes with us through human susceptibilities, and feels after us with a divine love which now beats through a human heart.” –J. Sidlow Baxter

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Deity became tangible
Spirit became visible
Love became personal
Peace became possible
Grace became feasible
Mercy became available
Truth became verifiable
Glory became undeniable
Sin became forgivable
Death became defeatable
Sorrow became replaceable
Victory became obtainable
Heaven became accessible
‘Life’ became livable
(Satan became miserable)
And all because of JESUS
The wonderful
The incredible
The indescribable
One!

–David Ravenhill

 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV

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I will not fail you. (Joshua 1:5)

God will not let you down. He will not disappoint you, bring you halfway through, come up short, promise more than He can deliver, draw back, faint, be feeble, be slothful, be weak, or release His hold upon you.

 I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)

God will not have a memory loss, lose interest in you, lose track of you, or lose sight of you. He will not be thinking about you one moment and forget about you the next. He will not lose track of you. He will not lead you somewhere and then forget where you are. He will always be paying attention, and He will never be oblivious to your needs or situation.

 I will not lie to you. (Psalm 89:35)

God will never make something up. He will not fool you or trick you in any way, at any time, or for any reason. He will never distort or deceive. He will never speak a false word in your ear, or whisper an uncaring word to your heart. He will never say anything that is “too good to be true.”

I will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25)

God will never say to you that the blood of Jesus is not enough to wash away your sins. He will never tell you that you must do more, try harder, or wait longer in order to be forgiven. Once your sins are repented of and confessed, they are cast into the depths of the deepest sea and are no longer held against you. His forgiveness frees you from all condemnation, and keeps you from having a cloud of uncertainty hanging over your spirit.

 [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down ( relax My hold on you)! (Hebrews 13:5 AMP)

God will never say to you, “I’m sorry, I would like to help you, but I can’t.” You will never hear Him say, “I’m sorry, I would like to help you, but this is not a good time for me.” You will never hear Him say, “I’m sorry, I would like to help you, but you’ll have to wait your turn.”

God will not fail you, so be confident; God will not forget you, so be assured; God will not lie to you, so be trusting; God will not remember your sins, so be free, cleansed, and forgiven; God will not forsake you, so be strong, bold, and fearless. God will be all these things to you and much, much more, so be courageous.

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No words are more powerful, penetrating, or life changing than the words of Jesus Christ. His words are truth and they go to the deepest part of our being. He said that He came to bear witness to the truth. The words of Jesus have life and authority in them. They cut and heal; convict and comfort; expose and cover; separate and unify; crucify and resurrect; break and make whole.

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Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 10:39 are an example of the authority in which He speaks. There is nothing vague, misleading, or compromising in what He says. If we want the life He wants for us (and what His death, resurrection, and ascension made possible for us to have), we must fully receive His words.

Jesus wants us to have the fullness of His life—filling us, empowering us, enabling us, strengthening us, ruling us, working through us. He calls this life “abundant life” (John 10:10). How can this abundant life be ours (not ours theoretically or positionally, but in us as a reality)? Jesus tells us that the life He came to give us can only be ours through loss. This is a truth we cannot ignore or skip over and expect to live in His abundance.

What does it mean to lose our life? Jesus is not speaking about our physical death, or saying that the abundant life can only be ours when we get to heaven. When He speaks about losing our lives He is referring to the ownership of our lives. He is saying that our lives, once given to Him, are no longer our possession, but His. We cannot live an abundant life if we want to control things, keep our rights, have our own way, or keep a tight grip on what we do and what we have.

The word “lose” that Jesus spoke in Matthew 10:39 is a strong word. It means something deeper than surrender, consecration, or the rededication of our lives. The word means “to die” or to “perish.” In the verse preceding Matthew 10:39 Jesus told us we must take up our cross and follow Him. The cross is God’s way for us to “lose our lives.”

To lose our lives means we must let go of everything and anything we have in our grip. Paul tells us we are “Crucified with Christ.” A crucified life is a life that is free of possessiveness and personal ownership.

If we are not living a crucified life we will want to be in control and hang onto things. We will attempt to keep a tight hold on our plans and future, our family and friends, our careers and jobs, our talents and gifts, our property and possessions, or our image and reputation. This “tight hold” tires us out, wears us down, and keeps us in anxiety, stress, and worry. In our attempts to have the joys of life, we lose the joy of life. Instead of living in freedom, we live in the fear of what will happen and what will be taken away.

Jesus wants us to lose our lives so we can find them. What do we find as we live a crucified life and let go of things we are tightly holding? We find a life of pleasing the Father; a life of knowing His heart; a life motivated by love; a life lived with an eternal purpose; a life that enjoys the things He freely gives us; a life controlled by peace; a life at rest in God’s control; a life that is secure in His hands, in His care, and in His keeping.

How blessed are those who live the life of the opened hand.

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 NLT

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 Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you. I PETER 5:7 The Message

 Recently, I was given the advice of a wise, elderly man. It was simply this: give it to God and go to sleep.

Through the years he’d learned that when his head hit the pillow, the cares of life seemed to bear down. The mind can be the hardest thing to put to bed at night—so he determined to get in the habit of saying what he believed and shutting it down. After all, God’s not going to sleep. He’s paying attention. He’s making provision. He’s keeping promises. He’s preparing the way.

It’s easy to let the recorder from the day, the week, the month, start running through our minds when we finally settle down from our busy days. For some reason, it’s much more difficult to hit the ‘stop’ button. But we need to get in the habit of these eight short words: give it to God and go to sleep.

There will always be things to think about, worry about, plan for, be sorry for…but unless all is put in God’s able hands, it soon becomes a weight for our hearts. We don’t get to keep an ounce of burden.

Everything must be let go to Him for anything to go right.

In the powerful words of Oswald Chambers…The child of God will never think of anything the Heavenly Father will forget.

Bonnie Jensen

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