Newness is found in Him!

Read:

Philippians 3:13 (NIV): “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”.

Act:

Let us be determined this week to:

Go deeper! We all long to know God, and to have a close and intimate relationship with Him. Sometimes we need to shake things up, in order to dive deeper into His Word. Doing things in NEW ways unlocks the power to access NEW truths about God’s character. The more we learn about His character, the more we understand about who He created us to be. So, let us step out of our comfort zones and ask God to give us fresh revelation about Himself this year!
Be open to receiving from God. God longs to teach us amazing things we did not know or understand about Him. We may not be able to see Him with our physical eyes, BUT that doesn’t mean that He is hidden from us! With God it’s actually the complete opposite! He longs to reveal Himself to us in new and fresh ways – even in unexpected ways. May we be desperate enough to be found on our knees, in God’s Word, in His truth, clinging to His promises, and steadfast in our faith… May we be open to revelation from God, no matter its form. May we learn to embrace everything life has to offer us. As James so profoundly encourages us: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Pray:

Lord, as I come before You in prayer, there is fresh snow here: a blanket of white, a quietness, a stillness, a fresh start for the land, a pause in our lives to stop wherever we are. Oh Lord, it is such a reminder of Selah, the word we see sprinkled through the Psalms. Selah: pause and consider. Whether fresh snow, or the newness of the year, may we pause and consider Your faithfulness to us Lord… and Your trustworthy plans for our future. This week as I called and talked to an old friend who is a new widow, I knew, Lord, even in her grieving, she would bring You glory. She had already done so in the loss of her daughter and granddaughter to death. As I called to comfort her, she encouraged me: “I have a history with Jesus,” she said, “He has never failed me”. Lord may the testimony of my precious friend be ours as well; may we realise we have a history with You Lord Jesus. You have and will continue to give us everything we need if we would ask. And Lord, thank You again for the snow. The fresh surroundings are a reminder of Your forgiveness as written in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”. Lord may we pause and consider Your love anew in our lives. In Jesus’ precious Name. (Mary Lynn)

Our Father God, thank You for the new year, please bless 2021 and please take COVID away. Please bless all the teachers and children this school year. Please help all the people who need food and water. Please look after all of us every day. We love You. Amen. (Tyler)

Father God, we just thank You for a new year. We thank You and praise You for new beginnings, new opportunities Lord. We thank You that You are our God who wants to do a new thing for us and in us always. I thank You for the year that was 2020. I pray that everything we went through, everything we endured, everything we persevered through, can be used to keep us strong, to keep our eyes fixed and focused on you. The storms around us may be raging – they may seem big – but You Lord are bigger. We thank You Lord that You make a path. We thank You that You walk alongside us each and every day. Thank You that You never leave us nor forsake us. Thank You Father God that in You we find strength, we find perseverance and we find the courage to do what You have called us to do. Father God, we honor You, we glorify You and we pray that You will unblock our ears this year. Lord, let us hear You. Let us hear that quiet whisper in the depths of our hearts. May we be courageous in our obedience this year. May we step out in faith, in bold and beautiful ways Lord, bringing honor, glory and truth to You and to Your Word. We love You, we love Your Son Jesus. Holy Spirit come and do a good work in us this year. In Jesus name we pray. (Nicole)

Thank You Lord that we can walk into 2021, hand in hand with You. Thank you for a new opportunity, a new day to see You at work – amongst our people, our families, our nation, and even in our own hearts. We thank You God that we can leave the sighing and groaning and moaning of a year that has gone by… yes it was a hard year, and yes we can mourn it… but we can leave it behind. You say, “Leave the former things behind, can you not see I am doing a new thing?” You would even make a way in the desert, for those of us who are there. In the wilderness, in this dry place that we may find ourselves in, in a circumstance that doesn’t seem great. And yet in that, we will see the freshness and newness that comes only from You. We will see the river of life that flows from You Lord. It will invigorate us, bring life, and bring fruitfulness and plenty, as it flows through and past us, and downstream from us. We thank You God that You go ahead of us into 2021; and that we can therefore look forward in expectation to see You. Thank You Father that this is the year that we will learn that Your face has a smile on it when You look at us – that Your gaze is accepting, and has enjoyment written all over it – that You enjoy us. Thank You that we would have that vision in our minds of who You are, Father. Thank You Jesus that we can continue this year walking forward with our hand in Yours… chasing after the next adventure in You, the next experience with You, and the next journey alongside You. May each moment bring Your Name glory, expand Your Kingdom, serve Your purpose, and fulfill what was written thousands of years ago in Your Word. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. (Michael)

Amen.

(This WRAP is with great appreciation to Mary Lynn, Tyler, Nicole and Michael )

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