Happy New Year!

Good bye 2009 and welcome 2010!

So, what am I going to do different in 2010?

Let’s be real clear here. I am not talking about New Year’s resolutions. What I am talking about is planning. I’m talking about laying out a workable plan so that at the end of 2010 I will have accomplished a goal that is important enough for me to focus on it all year long. I’m talking about doing something that will make me a better person at the end of this year.

Here’s what I’ve been thinking about: When some Sadducees asked Jesus about marriage relationships in heaven, Jesus told them that they were mistaken because they neither understood the Scriptures nor the Power of God (Matthew 22:29).

A lot of us have that same problem today; we don’t understand the Scriptures nor do we understand the Power of God.

If we truly understood the Scriptures, and if we truly understood the Power of God, we would not mess around and tolerate a lot of things we do. We would say “No” to a lot of the things in our lives that cause us to miss out on God’s greater plans for us. We’d stop messing around in sin like children playing around in mud.

Our problem is that we buy into the devils lie that we can have fun messing around with sin, and then still enjoy a meaningful relationship with God. That’s the same lie the devil told Eve to get her to eat the fruit. Won’t we ever learn? Until we are willing to turn away from our sinful behavior we will never fully enjoy a relationship with a holy, pure, and perfect God.

In Matthew 17 we read the story of how Jesus’ disciples were unable to cast out a demon. This must have been terribly embarrassing for them, to fail in front of a whole crowd. Jesus saves the day when He comes to the scene and casts out the demon. Later the disciples asked Jesus why they had failed, and Jesus tells them that this kind of demon only goes out with prayer and fasting. What Jesus was saying is that if we want more of God’s power in our life we must first spend time with God and we must get rid of those things that become distractions to our growing and becoming mature children of God.

So, how about it? Do you want more of God’s power in your life? Do you want to become a person of faith who doesn’t settle for a measly life of mediocrity? Are you willing to let go of anything that is holding you back from stepping out and attempting huge things for God’s kingdom?

We will never live life to the fullest and be truly satisfied and fulfilled until we say yes to those questions.

And where does it all start? It starts by coming to grips with understanding the Scriptures and understanding the Power of God. If we miss these two points we will never begin to grasp the wonderful plan God has for our lives.