Happy New Year!

31 Dec Happy New Year!

December 31, 2023

Keep it simple and keep it Holy.

“There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on.” 1 Corinthians 7:30-31 (MSG)

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 7:1(NIV)

We start a brand-new year in a matter of hours, and for most people, our thoughts and hearts are expecting something different and better. We grab new calendars and journals, make resolutions, and even look for a new book(s) or class(s).

It may or may not be in a book, but it is a place you must go to where the Holy Spirit is moving, like the Believers Convention in Anaheim, California, or Azusa in 1994 in Tulsa, OK, for me. Or a teaching like the “Renewing of the Mind” by Pastor Bill Winston or Bethel Church in Redding, CA, The School of the Prophets meeting I attended years ago. Or a Word from the Lord. Do you know it was this time of year that a stranger walked up to me in a Toco Bell in Colorado and said, “You need to go to Bethel,” Or digesting your journal entries of time with the Holy Spirit? The foundational and the simplicity of the Word being learned or refreshed in you.  These things can impact us to action and or change.

This year let’s look forward to the new and hold on to the foundational things, too—more love, more prayer, more faith…, extending and receiving God’s grace and mercy. More time spent with the Lord which can result in less time required on earthly needs and desires. “Don’t sweat or stress about anything. I hear the Lord Jesus saying rely and depend on Me from the start to the finish of this New Year. Many Opportunities are awaiting you, and you can achieve them all.”

Everything we do is a reflection of the light or the darkness in us, whichever is the dominating force, but know that God is there. King David said in Psalms 139:7-10 (NKJV), “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.”

Start fresh today and let go of any anger or bitterness hidden or known to you (Ask the Holy Spirit). Or any obstinance and disregard for His discipline, that behavior does not end well for anyone in the scriptures or life. Let’s seek to live a better life this upcoming year and move forward every day. Keep it Simple and keep it Holy. Happy New Year! 💕

Theresa Woodard