A Wonderful Way to Begin the New Year!

Can you think of anything more precious in this life than following in the steps of our dear Jesus? If you can, then I invite you to begin the coming year with a simple commitment.

If you are a born-again believer, but are struggling daily with spiritual defeat and sin, there are two things you may have neglected. What are the two primary responsibilities of a Christian? Listening to what God is saying to you, and speaking to Him. Communication with God is essential to our sanctification.

Read the Bible and pray every day.

Now, because of sin, God has withdrawn His full glory from us human beings. He does not speak with us face to face as He did with Adam and Eve in the beginning. So, how then can we enjoy a relationship with God today?

We easily and frequently take prayer for granted. We may think that speaking to God is something anyone can do. We think prayer is just like phoning or texting a friend, we think it's just like talking to another human being. But it's much more than that. Are we sometimes guilty of lowering God to our own level?

Prayer is speaking to a Being unlike anyone else. He deserves our utmost respect and reverence. How often have we come before Him in a shallow, lighthearted manner, untouched by His magnificent glory and impeccable holiness? It's easy to do. We read in the Bible of people who have seen but a glimpse of His glory and have fallen to the ground mortified. They understood that God was a being so awesomely unlike themselves, so glorious and holy, that they feared for their life.

Today, we stand in the same humble place as them. God is so holy we cannot grasp it. And yet, we can come to Him by faith and speak to Him in prayer. In prayer, we bring Him our worship, our praise, our petitions, and we say "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty".

Communication with God is essential to our sanctification.

In the past, God chose to speak to His children in through angels and prophets, and today, through His Son Jesus. Many claim to receive personal extra-biblical messages from Jesus Himself. Don't be deceived. Christ's teachings have been recorded for us in the Bible. He has already given us all we need for our spiritual life and our every-day walk of faith and obedience (2 Peter 1:3). Christ has signed this Testament with His own blood (Matthew 26:28). And we come under it by faith, and commit to believing it and obeying it until our dying breath.

God's words are beautiful. God's words are wonderful. They breathe life into our souls, they give strength to our spirits, and they sanctify us as we read them, believe them and apply them to our lives.

How do we maintain fellowship with God? By reading the Bible and speaking to Him in prayer. Communication with God is essential to our sanctification. God's grace will not flow into us as it should if we block or neglect our communication with Him.

God speaks to us through Scripture, and we speak to Him through prayer. Begin the coming year with this simple Biblical commitment: Read the Bible and pray every day. What a wonderful way to begin the New Year!

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Be inspired by this recording of Wonderful Words of LIfe from New Heights Quartet's latest album. And don't forget to subscribe to our email list for updates and new blog posts!

Scripture references:

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3).

"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28).