Lessons from 2023
This blog post will be a little different than the others because I felt compelled to share some of the lessons that the Lord has taught me this year so far. These are not necessarily new lessons, but everything we face in life has a purpose and God wants to use our experiences to grow us more, to strengthen our faith and lead us closer to Him.
God is good even when things don’t turn out how we imagine, and even when we face battles that are greater than what we could handle. The hope we hold on to is Jesus Christ our Savior. We look to the God who walks with us through the valleys, strengthens us when we are weak, fights our battles when we ask Him for help, gives us joy in the midst of pain, and fills our hearts with many blessings that the world cannot offer. And, we look to the God who has a way of turning even the hardest of situations for our good and display His glory.
This is not an exhaustive list, but just some of the main things that the Lord has showed me this year in a more prominent way and which I pray will be an encouragement in some way for you.
First off, God really has a time and season for every single thing in our lives. And I’m not specifically referring to the season of singleness or marriage, even though that is an important topic for some of us, but even when we are in a certain community/workplace, we are to seek to be faithful where we are at. To do all things as unto the Lord. And when God wants to move us, to reorient things and relationships in our lives, He will, in His time and in His way. We just need to seek to be faithful wherever He takes us. And at the end of our lives, may we all hear ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:23)
DO NOT GIVE UP on what God has called you to do when things seem to be too difficult to handle! No calling or ministry will be without hardships. And the enemy of our souls does not take a break. He will do everything he can to stop us from doing what God has called us to do. Do not believe his lies. Keep reading the Bible. Keep praying. Shift your focus on to the Lord when the storms look bigger than what you could take on, and ask Him for help when you get weary. And do not let the fear of man intimidate you. Fear God with reverence and awe, and obey His Word. And always remember that the fight we fight is not against actual flesh, but in the spiritual realm with spiritual weapons.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:10-13)
”Detours” and the “interruptions” of life have a specific purpose. Receive them with thankfulness and try to learn from them. God is sovereign and nothing that happens is without a reason. These might be little blessings in disguise that God has prepared specifically for you at that time.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.(Romans 8:28)
There truly is saving and freeing power in the Name of Jesus Christ! I know we hear this from the pulpit and it’s easy to just nod and say an “amen”, but freedom and salvation in Jesus Christ is something we can have today, no matter what we are facing or in what “dark hole” we might find ourselves. Nothing is too hard for the LORD. Jesus Christ has overcome all the powers of the enemy at the cross and in His Name we have victory and deliverance from every single stronghold or attack of the enemy!
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him. (Colossians 2:13-15)
This is a harder one, but choose to forgive others and also choose to forgive yourself. Unforgiveness and bitterness are a terrible master, and if we do not forgive we are ultimately in bondage. We have to choose to forgive when we are wronged. And this not because we are better christians, but because Jesus forgives us daily, many times of the same mistakes, and He wants us to do that for others as well. We are called to show the same grace we have received and to keep no record of wrongs. And if it’s too hard, then to ask the Lord for help and He will most surely come to our aid.
And then, forgive yourself. Our failures and mistakes are not greater than the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the same way Jesus forgave us we need to forgive ourselves and entrust our lives into the hands of our Savior who died for us to save us and set us free.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14)
Always and in every situation remember that the Lord is a strong rock. I know that a rock might not sound like a great and majestic object, but the Psalmist in Psalm 18 referred to God as his rock as being a strong place of refuge and strength. It symbolized stability and protection for him. It was the best “place” to run to when his enemies came against him. And it is the best “place” for us to run to when we don’t know what else to do. God remains immovable when everything else is shaky and unstable. And, He has proved His character time and time again. He does not change. He is who His Word says He is and as we trust in Him we get to see His majestic power at work in our lives. God has brought you through so far and He will finish what He started.
I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:1-3)
And lastly, God is FAITHFUL. If we look at all the prophetic words He has spoken throughout the Bible regarding the birth of Christ alone, all of them have come to pass. God is faithful to what He has said. Just because something does not happen when we want to, it does not mean that it will not happen. God has the perfect timing for every event and He is able to make it come to pass, even when, humanly speaking, it looks impossible. Hold on to God. And hold on to His Word. If He said it, He will do it.
God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19)
And a final thought. Let this be a challenge to reflect on your own experiences from this year, to look at the hard and good times and bring thanks to the Lord for what you have learned, for what He has done and to trust Him for what is to come. May the next year not just be a “happy new year”, but be a year when we learn to trust God more, when we understand all the blessings we have in Christ and live out the fullness of life that Jesus came to give us.
