The promise to us from the Lord for the year 2023 is taken from 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” (KJV)
Let us meditate on God’s word to understand that God is able to do everything for us. When we comprehend this truth, we will be able to overcome various challenges that come across our path. On the threshold of a New Year many are filled with anxiety, and apprehension as to what the year has in store for them. There are questions about the future, about situations that are hard to handle, and we may wonder as to how we will handle all these complex situations that come our way. God’s assurance to us is that ‘He is able’.
1. God is able to keep us from falling
God is our keeper
We read in Jude 1:24, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,” (KJV)
As we read this verse we understand that up until the day when we can be presented before the presence of God without fault, God is able to lead us. God is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before glorious presence of God.
All of us falter in many ways. The other word for ‘falter’ is to ‘stumble’. We all falter in many ways. For some it is their inability to control their anger, for others it could be their words or their thoughts, and for some others it could be that they are unable to manage their finances. God wants to remind everyone of us that He is able to keep us from stumbling.
We don’t know what a year holds for us. None of us know what the future holds for us as individuals or for the world at large. Instead of running to people who prophesy as to what’s in store for us, we as believers in the Lord Jesus must simply believe that God is able to carry us through every situation that comes our way, and that He will uphold us so that we do not stumble. There is therefore no need for anxiety because we have a God who can keep us, lead us, guide us, and prevent us from faltering in any way. Even when we fail to live up to God’s expectations we realize that God is able to present us faultless before His glorious presence.
This does not mean that we will not have difficulties or struggles or temptations. However, it means that God will make a way for His people in the midst of it all. More than ever before we need to focus on God’s word, listen to what God is saying, memorize it and store it in our hearts if we want to live a victorious life here on earth.
God is faithful
We read in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (KJV)
Oftentimes when we go through some trials and hardships we tend to believe that these come to us exclusively, but the truth is that every temptation, and trial that comes our way is common to everyone. We read that God is faithful, and He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to bear it. Whenever, we are tempted to say this is too much for me to bear, just claim God’s word as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:13, and ask God to give you the strength to overcome the temptation and struggle. God also makes a way for escape, and hence we must keep on believing, and keep on trusting in our God who is faithful and able to carry us through. The more we understand and comprehend the greatness of our God the more we will be able to face the challenges that come our way with ease. The temptations as we realize are common to all men, but only in accordance to our faith can we overcome them. Let us therefore hold on to the word of God, the promises of God and claim them for ourselves.
God is unchanging
Situations are prone to constant change, but here’s God word for us from Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (KJV)
The bible records for us the fact that God is unchanging, and this is established firmly from Genesis to Revelation. I wondered as to why the second part of the verse referred to Jacob and his sons, instead of saying sons of Abraham as is usually mentioned in many places. The reason I believe is that when God speaks about His unchanging nature, it is in total contrast to Jacob whose name literally meant ‘deceiver’. If we study the life of Jacob from the day he deceived his father, he continued this practice for many long years. God reminds us that He is so unlike Jacob who was constantly changed and cheated people. Jacob’s behavior was never consistent, but we see his relationship with his father, mother, brother, father in law or even his wives had different shades. The Lord reminds us that He is the unchanging God, and that He does not change even when we change. If we feel that we are unworthy to receive God’s blessings, the Lord reminds us through the life of Jacob that He blesses us in spite of who we are. We are not consumed, and have entered into another new year only because of the grace of God, His faithfulness, and His unchanging nature.
Our life is subject to constant change, and sometimes even in a day we experience unexpected changes even before the day ends. However, we have a God on whom we can depend and who is unchanging.
2. God is able to deliver us
Not only is God able, He is also a God who delivers us from all troubles and hardships that come our way.
Let me give you an example from the bible.
King Nebuchadnezzar had taken into captivity many of the able men from the land of Israel to Babylon when he conquered Israel. The culture in Babylon was alien to these young Israelites who had been taken captives, as there was no temple to go to or priests to lead them in their worship. There were three of these young men from Israel Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were outstanding in their wisdom and competence who were made leaders in Babylon. After a while these men were confronted with a huge problem. The king made a huge golden statue and commanded that everyone in his province should bow down to that statue. Anyone who refused to do so were warned that they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. This was the king’s edict. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew and worshipped the living God, and they decided that they would not bow down to the golden statue.
When they refused to do so they were brought before the king, and this was their response as found in Daniel 3:17, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” (KJV)
The three young men were courageous enough to declare that the God they served was well able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, and also from the hands of the king.
It doesn’t really matter how great a peril comes our way, nothing can come near us when God is with us. No power can harm the children of God without His permission, and we have the assurance that He will also make a way of escape.
3. God is able to raise us up
Not only did God deliver Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace and the hands of the king, He also raised them up to greater heights.
We read in Daniel 3:30, “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”(KJV)
When the king threw the three men into the fiery furnace, God came down and walked with them in that furnace. This scene astounded the king, who brought the three young men out of the furnace, and gave them a promotion in his province of Babylon.
The God who walked with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, is the same God who will walk with us through every trial that we face. God is able to honor and raise us up too.
Let us hold firmly to these three truths in this New Year. Firstly, the fact that God is able to keep us from falling, secondly, that God is able to deliver us and finally, that God is able to promote us. Instead of worrying or being anxious about what is in store for us this year, let us hold on to God and His word and with confidence enter this New Year knowing that God is more than able to carry us through.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
