How are we entering this new year? Are we hopeful? Do we know that God is doing a new thing?  God is doing a new thing in Joshua and the Israelites are entering the Promise Land. God tells Joshua, their new leader, 3 times to be strong and courageous. He also tells him to not afraid and that He is with him. As we enter this year are we being strong and courageous? Do we have faith that God is with us? Rahab does have faith, and risks her life to protect the spies Joshua sends to Jericho. Rahab knew God's power and knew that God does what He says He is going to do. In Luke, Mary has faith like this too. As we enter this new year, we can hold onto faith tight just like Joshua, Rahab and Mary. 

It is almost 2025! As we start this new year, we get the gift to change our heart and lives. We can have a fresh start. We can let go of any bitterness or unforgiveness we are carrying. We can connect to the deep hope we have in God's love for us. And with this hope and faith, we can then have action. This year we can have the confidence to follow where God is leading us. 

The third week advent is here! We talk about joy today, a deep lasting joy. We talk about how joy is a lasting emotion that comes from trusting God. Mary has this joy in her words in Luke 1:46-55- Mary Praises God. Here are some of the things we went through, that we learn from Mary Praises God. 

- Mary Praises God first- we need to Praise Him first. We learn in James 5:13, to sing song of praises and if we are struggling pray! 

- We learn in Luke 1:49 Holy is His name. We need to know God's amazingness and that there is no one like him. 

- We learn He shows mercy to everyone who honors Him. We need to know His mercy and love! 

- He has shown strength with His arm- we need to know His power. 

- He has filled the hungry with good things- He provides for us! And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus- Philippians 4:19

- Luke 1:54- He has come to the aid of Israel. He sees us, and is faithful. What a gift and deep joy that He is our God!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never comes to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness- Lamenations 3:22-23

I hope this reminder of Mary's amazing words brings you joy- this season and all year! 

There is so much stress during the holiday season. We get so focused on all of the things we have to do, that we lose our focus. We lose peace. How would things look different, this holiday season and every day, if we had peace? Not just the absence of conflict, but feeling complete. This deep peace is Shalom in Hebrew. It is something we all long for, and only Jesus can provide it. We can be on this path of peace, when we take in that God is our place of safety.  Take a listen is I talk about Moses, his amazing life, John the Baptist's father- Zachariah, and deep peace .

The first week of advent is about hope. The deep hope that no matter what many, many years ago God brought us Jesus. Are we living with this hope? We have control over whether we live in hope or not. The Israelites were told by Moses that they have a choice in Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Read these amazing verses! Will they chose life and love God and obey Him? Or choice death? We that choice too. Will we live with hope and light or choice darkness? God tells us how, we cling to Him! We can not do it ourselves. In Luke 10 in the story of Jesus visits Martha and Mary, Mary knew the answer. She knew she needed to focus on Jesus, be in awe of Him at His feet. This holiday season and every day let's focus on the one thing- Jesus. Even with the chaos around us, let's be in the best place of all at His feet. 

The book I referenced is Attachments- why you think feel and act the way you do. By Tim Clinton and Gary Sibcy

Living in Thanksgiving, in gratitude changes our lives. It lowers anxiety and gives us hope. In Deuteronomy 26 and 27, Moses is telling the Israelites what to do when they enter the land of milk and honey. From this there are 7 tips to live in Thanksgiving. First of all, we need to acknowledge God. When we do that we are focusing on the good. Secondly, We need to take in that God sees us. He saw the Israelites when they were suffering. He rescued them, just like He rescued us. We just need to cry out to Him. So thankful that we can live, focusing on the good every day. 

The Bible is filled with examples of God working and blessing people, even in dark, hard times. I talk about Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and Naomi and Ruth. These people all went through hard times, but God never stops working! Through their hard times, blessings came and the story of redemption was told. All of these people had faith and hearts after God. We all can have hearts after God, even in hard times. Because He loves us and He can turn curses into blessings. This reminds us of God's power and might and gives us hope, no matter what we are facing. 

Moses, with God working through him, is telling the Israelites about battles they will face and rules for warfare. We all faces battles. Mountains that seem impossible. How am I ever going to get through this? We can't on our own! But God shows us the truth through out the bible, that with Him we can face the impossible. The Israelites can face these battles. David can beat Goliath. Faith can move mountains. I talk about these battles,  and about how we can focus on God no matter what we are going through. 

The Israelites are waiting to enter the promise land, and Moses is reminding them of who they are. He says- you are the Lord's children. Something we all need to take in! This lead me to go over other verses about how God is our Father, and what kind of a father He is. He is compassionate, tender, forgiving. Our rebellious hearts just need to return to Him. Then our faith grows, and we know who we are. Just like it says in Galatians 3:26- we are children of God through our faith. I pray our faith grows and we know deeply how loved we are. 

So many of us live stuck. Stuck in negativity. We feel like things can't change. Reading through Deuteronomy this week led me to 7 tips to help us live more free. The Israelites are no longer enslaved, but are they living free? As they wait to enter the promise land Moses is going through what the Israelites have been through. He is also encouraging them- something we all need!  Listen to hear the tips, and really take in the hope and freedom there is in Jesus.