January Faith Vision©

January Faith Vision©

There once was a vision cast for the year,

Write down what was seen to be clearly clear.

Hope endures,

Faith assures,

Things seen are not made of things that appear.

 

Is there anything left to our faith as we begin a new year?

I do hope the challenges of the previous year made your faith stronger.  Just going from December 31^st to January 1^st does not magically erase the entire previous year.  The Gregorian Calendar which is followed by almost the entire world sets this expectation: a New Year will bring new hope.  Is that true?  Where did we get this tradition of starting new?

The Hebrew Calendar begins in September, sometimes October, and can have different amounts of days from 354 days to 384 days, allowing for leap year.  Jewish faith has a beautiful tradition know as High Holy Days.  The people fast, repent, and reflect on the sins of the year.  Then in faith and offering step out into a New Year of redemption and hope.

Both calendars allow for a leap year.  Both calendars have traditions of holiday observances. Both imagine a New Year filled with hope and forgiveness of past transgressions.  People need hope.  Hope needs faith.  The bible says faith is the substance of things hoped for.  Faith is an invisible, tangible force. Faith is a heavenly substance.  Faith is a power.

If you are a follower of Jesus don’t believe the lie you have no faith to continue to believe God to rescue His beloved out of the mess we are in.  Faith is given to every person.  Scripture tells us so in Romans 12:3. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  Equally important is knowing you must exercise that measure.

How?

Open your heart to hear Romans 10:17.  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. That is done by reading the holy scriptures and asking Holy Spirit to hear TRUTH, God’s truth from what you are reading.  Contrary, if your faith has deepened becoming unshakeable from all that occurred before the New Year, let us Praise our Lord together.  More trials are coming.

Back to our Gregorian Calendar New Year and its traditions. We also reflect on the prior year. Many congregations, like mine, begin with fasting and prayer. Repentance and forgiveness are offered to the Lord in exchange for renewed hope and stronger faith.  We petition our Lord for the desires of our heart for the church, our nation, our families, and our lives.

I encourage you to write down what presses on you daily.  Pray over it and then read it back to yourself.  Get out your bible and find out what God says about it. Smartphones are amazing sources of research but back it up with the hard copy of your bible. Revelation will come, so write it down.  A clearer vision will give us great hope that God is on our side.  What is happening around us will pale in comparison to the plan God has.

If you have never believed God exists let this new year be your year to find out that you had faith all along.  You didn’t realize it because the world has become so dark and you were walking in the shadow of it.  God was still speaking to you.  It is time to listen and write the vision.

 

Pray this prayer with me.

Lord, forgive us for our failings of the previous year. We confess the world around us is so tumultuous it is easier to check out than stay in faith. Faith seems so difficult to obtain but You made it easier than we believe it to be. Romans 3 tells us faith is a law. How is it we never question the laws of nature that You ordained? Help us believe in the law of faith and how it works. (Mark 11:22-26.) Lord help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24.)  In Jesus Name we have asked.  Amen.

 

Hebrews 11:1-3 (KJV) 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.  3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Romans 12:3 (KJV) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Mark 9:15-24 (KJV) ⁵ And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. ¹⁶ And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? ¹⁷ And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; ¹⁸ And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. ¹⁹ He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. ²⁰ And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. ²¹ And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. ²² And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. ²³ Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. ²⁴ And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Mark 11:22-26 (KJV) 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.