You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16, AMPC
Happy New Year! I am so excited for 2021, and I know you are too. While 2020 was an unimaginable and crazy year, I want to encourage you to take this opportunity to go deeper with the Lord and with godly community than ever before. I believe this year will be full of new and unique challenges, and I feel deeply in my spirit that the Body of Christ must take serious and intentional action now in order to prepare for what is coming this year.
I don’t believe the Holy Spirit intends to scare us, but to prepare us (thanks Rick Renner!) with what He prophesied would come to pass in the last of the last days–the days I believe we find ourselves in at this very moment!
Jesus taught His disciples that they were “the light of the world.” As believers in Jesus, we are the light of the world in this present age, just as the early Apostles were “lights” during their time. As lights in the darkness, it is our natural position in Christ that gives us the ability to shine brightly in a world of pain, suffering, and sickness–a world full of precious people that “have no hope, and [are] without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12)
This year is a year for you and I, friend, to let our light shine with more luminosity and from a higher place than we ever have before. I am personally committed to accomplishing new goals, dreams, and desires that I have had on my heart for several years past, but have never finished them. No more waiting! The time is now!
As we pursue intimacy with Jesus and an experiential knowledge of God through His Holy Spirit and His Word, with obedience and action, I am certain that you and I will fulfill every plan that God has purposed for us in 2021. I hope this podcast helps fan into flame your zeal and passion for the things of God more than ever before as we set sail into 2021.
How Do I Start?
New Year’s Day is my favorite day of the year, because I love to live with a plan and a purpose. Setting goals and pressing on towards the higher things that God has for me keeps me going through the year and helps me stay focused on my assignments from the Lord.
But before setting off on any assignments from God, I first make sure my relationship with Him holds first place in my life. I maintain my relationship with God through setting aside time with Him every day in the mornings to pray, connect, and read the Word. I make time for Him throughout the day (I use an app on my phone to remind me to acknowledge Him) and do my best to include Him in everything I do, just as if Jesus was physically present with me.
Second, I prioritize my family and close relationships. It is vital that we don’t get so wrapped up with “doing God’s will” that we neglect our family, which the Bible says is acting “worse than an infidel.” (1 Timothy 5:8)
This includes my work and other responsibilities.
Finally, I prioritize the desires that God has placed in my heart to accomplish throughout each year. It is very important that we put our God-given tasks, dreams, and desires into their proper context: and they are never to come before our family or our relationship with God–otherwise you can expect burnout, all the while thinking you are “doing a work for God.” I cannot overemphasize this point. I want to be in this for the long haul. I want to run a life-long marathon, not just a hot and fast sprint for a few short years. God wants our lives to be ablaze for Him from the very first encounter with Jesus until our dying breath–and living a sustainable, responsible, prioritized life will make the grade!
So then, how do we approach 2021? If you have already committed to prioritizing your relationship with God and your family, I want to speak to the desires of your heart (since these come up often and tend to take center stage).
What are some desires of your heart that you have thought about year after year, but have never really accomplished to your full satisfaction? This is the year to let our lights shine like never before, and I am convinced that God will be faithful to complete in you the work He started. If you have a dream in your heart that you feel is from God, why not take some extra time at the beginning of this new year to solidify your goals? Why not take the time to hear from God about your desires and see what He wants to accomplish in and through you this year?
But first, you must make absolutely certain that you have prioritized your relationship with God as the most important and very first priority this year, and second, that you are providing for and cultivating a godly relationship with your family and close friends. Without these two first priorities, your light will not shine as brightly in the darkness as God intends it to.
You and I have so many people around us who need Jesus, and the glowing light of a life lived on fire for Jesus will attract attention to the Lord. Why not let your life be a burning flame for Him? As you spend time with Him, allow Him to fill you with the oil of the Holy Spirit that refreshes you, builds you up, and causes others to wonder at the glory that comes only from a relationship with Jesus and a healthy relationship with those around you.
Friend, I wish you the happiest New Year, and I am looking forward to being on this journey together with you and the rest of the Unstoppable community.
Enjoy this “Intro to 2021” podcast!
Photo by Daniel von Appen on Unsplash