*** Special Note: It’s the end of the year and many of you may be looking to make a few final tax-deductible donations for 2016. Rick & Isabella Pina Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible in the United States. I want to give you a chance to get in on something. Tomorrow Isabella and I are traveling to the Dominican Republic and on Saturday RIPMinistries and Grace Destiny Church (our church in the Dominican Republic) will provide toys to the 150 Haitian children we provide an education to in the Dominican Republic. We did not take up an offering for this event and I feel led to give you a chance to participate. If you are led to give, please go to http://ripministries.org/donate and do so under the General Fund. The first $3,000 received between now and Saturday will go towards this event.
Now let’s get into the Word.
We’ve had an amazing year. This year we have learned to refine our focus, to strip away everything that is not taking us down the road to our purpose, and to tap into God’s grace with our faith every step of the way. Allow me to provide you one final recap of some of the things we learned in 2016.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s get into our recap and see.
- The Blessing of the Lord is bestowed upon believers in the earth by God’s amazing grace. His blessing empowers us to prosper. By His grace He empowers us to do what we could never do without Him!
- As God’s child, He wants to bless you richly. He wants to see you succeed. He wants to use you to make the impact you were born to make. However, His full operation in your life comes only with your cooperation.
- We live in a society today where everything is accepted and nothing is rejected. Anyone who takes a stand for God or His Word labeled as a hatemonger. But as believers, we cannot allow the fear of being labeled to keep us from standing for what is right. The Bible has standards for conduct and life. Although people today may not like it, the Bible has ‘rights and wrongs’, ‘do’s and don’ts’, and ‘good and evil’. You don’t have to succumb to the pressure to accept everything. God is still on the throne, the Bible is still right, and sin is still sin.
- The message of grace — that God loves us in spite of our sin and that we can never earn His love — is not a license to sin. God loves us and hates sin at the same time. You are saved by grace. This means you are free FROM sin, not free TO sin.
- If we want to walk in God’s best we must meditate and medicate on His Word day and night. Reading the Bible is not something you’ve GOT to do… it is something you GET to do! It’s a privilege to be able to learn from the God of the universe. You get to learn from the God who sits on the circle of the earth. So accept God’s teachings and apply them to every area of your life. When you do, your life will personify what you have and applied. People will look at your and call you BLESSED!
- The message of going to heaven is a “SOME DAY” message. The message of The Kingdom is an “EVERYDAY” message. Some day you will go from EARTH-TO-HEAVEN. But for now, everyday the Father expects you to bring HEAVEN to the EARTH!
*** My final message to you in 2016 is simple: ENJOY LIFE! Don’t just focus on heaven. Yes, God wants you to make it to heaven, but He also wants you to ENJOY THE RIDE! Enjoy the journey as you walk with God and He walks with you. Enjoy the journey as you become the man/woman you are called to be. Enjoy the journey as you leave a mark in this world that will not easily be erased!
Instead of a final declaration of faith, I feel led to pray for you. This is my prayer for you this morning:
My Prayer For You: Father, I thank you for the person reading this prayer. I thank You for connecting me to him/her in this moment. As they prepare to close out 2016 strong and head into 2017 strong, may You give them insight, wisdom, revelation, knowledge and understanding. May You flood their eyes with divine light, so they may clearly know Your purpose for their existence. You don’t have to explain Yourself, but I do ask You to reveal Yourself in their lives in this season. Give them dreams while they sleep. Give them open visions while they are awake. Help them to hear Your voice as they read Your Word. Give them peace internally, even when things externally are going haywire. Embolden them with Your love and Your grace, so they can overcome every challenge on the road to fulfilling their divine assignment. Lastly Father, I ask You to bless them and keep them, to cause Your face and Your favor to shine upon them, to answer their prayers, and to give them Your peace. I pray this prayer in faith, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your life.
From my family to yours — on behalf of Isabella, Ricardo Jr., Alyssa, Joshua and Ethan — may you and yours enjoy a blessed Christmas and a Supernatural New Year! See you in 2017!
