Ten Faith-Building Promises for 2010
Be assured as you step into the New Year of 2010, you won’t be walking alone!
God is forever alive and more than able to touch your life afresh during this New Year. Best of all? He calls you friend. With that helpful knowledge, you have the assurance to approach Him in prayer with the self-confidence that you are welcome and accepted. You are wanted and endeared. How cool is that? The God of all ages believes in you, pledges His friendship to you and awaits your call.
Psalm 90:14 encourages, "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days" (NIV).
As you raise your voice to lift up God's name, He will lift you up.
Biblical Promises to Build Your Faith This Year
Promise 1: A Fresh Horizon
Romans 6:4 reminds us to walk in the newness of life. As you walk in step with Jesus, He will reveal exciting new ways that you can serve Him. Romans 7:6 says, "Serve in newness of spirit." Another word for new is novel. Imagine! Together with the Lord you have the opportunity to write an original novel this year. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can turn the page at your school, job, or home to fresh possibilities in January, February, March, and all year long.
Promise 2: A New Sunrise
God makes all things new. No matter what you have experienced in the past, be encouraged to press on in Him. Keep trusting in Jesus; only He truly satisfies our thirsty souls. Psalm 143:8 says, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (NIV).
Promise 3: A New Day
Not only will the Lord bring a word of encouragement to sustain you, but He will also uphold you with strength all day long. I like what Max Lucado said in Every Day Deserves a Chance, “You don’t have the wisdom for tomorrow’s problems. But you will tomorrow. You don’t have the resources for tomorrow’s needs. But you will tomorrow. You don’t have the courage for tomorrow’s challenges. But you will when tomorrow comes. What you do have is manna for the morning and quail for the evening: bread and meat for the day. God meets daily needs daily and miraculously. He did then, he does still, and he will for you.”
Promise 4: God Goes Before You
You have no need to fear the future. Walking with Jesus is like having a flashlight as you walk into a dark room. The light of His love reveals all you need to know to keep from stumbling. Psalm 119:165-166 declares, "Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands." I also am encouraged by Isaiah 30:20-21 which says, “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
Promise 5: Crooked Places Made Straight
The cool thing about God is that He is a master builder. And He’s able to construct a straight highway for you that runs directly through the mountains in your life. We are not promised a mountain-free life, but God will make a way through the treacherous passages. Luke 3:5-6 says, “Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation" (NIV). The key is salvation. As we give our lives to Jesus and prepare a way in our hearts for him, he causes the crooked places to become straight for us.
Promise 6: God is Faithful
Be reassured, God has a plan for you. Your life is important to Him. Jeremiah 29:11 declares, "‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’" (NIV). In order to know God’s faithfulness we must remain in daily fellowship with him. I like what Benny Hinn said in Good Morning Holy Spirit, “He will anoint you, help you, breathe on you, comfort you, give you rest, lead and guide you, help you pray, and so much more. He is waiting to begin a relationship with you that will change your life forever. But it’s up to you to extend the invitation. When the sun comes up tomorrow, He will be longing to hear you say, ‘Good morning, Holy Spirit.’”
Promise 7: Inner Peace
The same ocean that roars with deep swelling waves also calms when the Lord says, “Peace. Be still.” Have you ever experienced a storm so violent that the rain and thick darkness made it hard for you to see your own hand in front of your face? God can bring clarity of sight to your spirit regardless of the rain. When we focus on Jesus through the seasons in our lives, He brings inner peace that is not circumstantial. I like what Liz Curtis Higgs said in Embrace Grace, “A constant awareness of his superiority keeps things in perspective and, frankly, takes the pressure off. If God is in charge, I don’t have to be---and neither do you. What a relief! So let your fear turn to wonder. And let your wonder turn to faith, as you believe in the One who saves you from yourself.”
Promise 8: Success is at Hand
God's Word is established in Heaven and Earth. Nothing can deter the success He has ordained for you. Psalm 5:2-3 says, "Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation" (NIV). The key is to wait in expectation. Keep expecting for God to do something good. Stand on God’s Word and you will achieve great things from the Lord in 2010.
Promise 9: Lives will be Transformed
Mark 16:15 declares, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Lives are transformed as you and I share the love of Jesus with those around us. As we stand in the gap and pray for the salvation of our loved ones and friends, we are taking part in the Great Commission. Allow God to use your life this year to reach someone with His message of everlasting hope.
Promise 10: Eternal Rewards Await You
As we widen our view to take in the big perspective, we see that years come and go. Decades come and go. Lifetimes come and go. A well-known Christian hymn says, "Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there's something about that name." The name of Jesus will stand through 2010 and throughout all eternity. Jesus is our great, everlasting and eternal reward. John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (NIV). There is no condemnation in Christ. When we let go of the past to make room in our hearts for Heaven, we also open our arms to embrace a vivid new future with the Lord that is full of luminous and eternal blessing.
May the light of God’s love be with you and fill all your days. Happy New Year!
~ Jackie O.