I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:2, NIV)
As the year draws to an end, you’re probably reflecting on the past 12 months.
It’s the perfect time of year for reminiscing and reflecting, and those activities are okay as long as they don’t lead you down the paths of regret and guilt.
Hey, we’ve all made mistakes this year, but don’t let those mistakes haunt your holidays.
You see, even when we majorly mess up, God is merciful. I am so thankful that He is full of mercy and that His mercies are new every morning. (If we only received mercy at the time we were born again, we’d be in big trouble.)
But, God is so good to us. Whenever we do wrong, all we have to do is run to Him, repent and ask for His mercy.
If you haven’t already repented for your misdeeds, pray this with me:
Lord, please forgive me for what I have done. I was wrong, and I know it. I repent of that sin. Please show me Your mercy, Father. Thank You, Lord, for forgiving me. In the Mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.
That’s it! That’s all there is to receiving forgiveness and mercy from Almighty God.
And, here’s more good news. Not only does He forgive your sins, He also forgets about them. God says in His Word that He has removed your sins as far as the east is from the west–now, that’s a long way.
So, instead of feeling guilty or regretful over past mistakes, take this time to think about the good things that God did through you and in you this past year.
Think about all of the miracles He performed on behalf of you and your family. Rejoice over the goals that He helped you accomplish in both your personal and professional life.
In fact, if you keep a prayer/praise journal, take a few minutes to read through it, and like the worship song says, “Look what the Lord has done!” Praise God for the victories–both big and small. It’s so amazing to look back on the many miracles and breakthroughs that God has performed.
After reading through only a few pages of my journal, I can’t help but rejoice because I can see the faithfulness of God on every page. (If you don’t keep a prayer/praise journal, consider beginning one in 2015.)
So, let me ask you this–are you believing God for even greater victories in 2015? Are you anticipating breakthroughs? If not, you should be!
Begin to praise God today for all that He has done and all that He is going to do next year. Don’t dread 2015; go into this New Year with great expectation.
But some of you are saying, “Michelle, you just don’t understand. Nothing ever works out for me. I struggled this year and the year before. I don’t see how 2015 will be any different. I’m just one of the unlucky ones, I guess…”
First off, luck has nothing to do with any of this. You don’t need luck–you’ve got Jesus. And, you have His promises. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a good plan a plan for prosperity and not harm, to give hope and a future.
So, praise Him for that good plan today. (And let me tell you–God’s “good” is really good. It’s not just “it’ll do” good. No, it’s the very best kind of good.)
Let’s not waste these last few days of 2014 simply reminiscing about the past; let’s spend it praising God. That’s the way to close out one year and begin another.
Now, let me be the first to wish you a “Happy New Year!”
It’s going to be a good one!
