Today’s message will be a little different. As we seek to close out 2023 strong and head into 2024 strong, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for journeying with me through 2023. This year has been a tremendous blessing for me and many. We studied the miracles and the parables, and I know lives were changed as a result of it. I have heard so many testimonies. THANK YOU! Thank you for allowing me to pour into your life daily. I don’t take it for granted.
That said, I am about to take a break and return to you during the first week of January. So, for today, I want to provide a brief recap.
So, what does this mean to you today? Here are some things you should have learned from the miracles and parables series’.
Reflections from the Miracles of Jesus:
1. Nothing Is Impossible for God: Every miracle reminds us that God’s power has no limits.
2. God’s Timing is Always Perfect: Even when it seems late, looking back, we realize that God showed up right when He was supposed to.
3. God is Looking for your Faith: God does all He does for us by grace, but He is looking for faith from us. Our faith taps into God’s grace.
4. We Must Choose Faith Over Fear: Faith is a choice. Fear is a choice. In challenging circumstances, Jesus encouraged choosing faith over fear.
5. God is a God of Compassion: Jesus’ miracles reveal the depth of God’s love and care for us. Empathy means He feels for us, but compassion causes Him to do something about it.
6. God has Supreme Authority: Jesus’ command over nature and the supernatural realm shows His supreme authority. Everything (natural and spiritual) is subject to His power!
7. Healing is the Children’s Bread: Physical and spiritual healings are a testament to the wholeness that comes from God. Sickness is not of God.
8. Obedience Unlocks God’s Blessings: Following God’s directions leads to miraculous outcomes and blessings.
9. God has Divine Power for Human Needs: Jesus used His divine power to meet real, tangible human needs.
10. Prayer Connects Us to God’s Power: Jesus’ example teaches us that prayer is vital in accessing God’s miraculous strength.
11. Intercession is Powerful: Praying on behalf of others can lead to miraculous interventions. God is looking for faith on the earth.
12. Our Testimony Can Lead Others to Faith: Miracles serve as powerful testimonies that draw others to God. They are signs for the unbelievers.
13. God’s Glory is the End Goal: Each miracle points back to glorifying God. It’s All About HIM!
14. Expect God to Work in Unexpected Ways: Miracles teach us to be open to God’s unexpected workings.
15. God’s Mercy Extends to All: The reach of Jesus’ miracles shows the inclusiveness of God’s mercy. God’s power is available to everyone everywhere.
Reflections from the Parables of Jesus:
1. We are Called to Love Like God Loves: The call to love others as God loves us is a central message of the parables.
2. Character is Key to God’s Assignment: Developing the right character is essential to handling what God entrusts to us. You must be developed to carry the weight of the anointing connected to your assignment.
3. God Trusts Us According to Our Capacity: We are given responsibilities based on our ability to manage them.
4. Faithful Stewardship is Rewarded: Being a good steward of what God has given us leads to greater responsibilities and blessings.
5. Significant Growth from Small Beginnings: Spiritual and natural growth often starts small but has the potential for great impact.
6. Be Spiritually Prepared at All Times: Living in a state of spiritual readiness is vital for believers. No one knows the day nor the hour of Jesus’ return.
7. God’s Forgiveness is Limitless: We are taught about the boundless nature of God’s grace and forgiveness.
8. Mercy Transcends Boundaries: We are called to show mercy to everyone, irrespective of their background.
9. Accountability Before God: The parables stress the importance of being accountable for our actions and choices.
10. The Heart’s Condition Determines Reception: The state of our heart affects how we receive and respond to God’s Word.
11. True Riches are in God: Earthly wealth is temporary, but true riches are found in a relationship with God.
12. The Value of Humility: Jesus emphasized the importance of humility over pride. God resists the proud but gives more grace to the humble.
13. The Cost of Following Jesus: True discipleship comes with a cost and requires total commitment. God has never required any less than ALL of us!
14. Acting on God’s Word is Essential: Hearing God’s Word should be accompanied by obedient action, and delayed obedience is disobedience.
15. God’s Pursuit of the Lost: The parables highlight God’s relentless pursuit of those who are lost or have strayed. It is not God’s will that any man should perish and go to hell.
As we close this chapter and look forward to 2024, I want to thank each of you again for your faithful participation in this spiritual journey. Your dedication to growing in the Lord and applying His Word has been a genuine blessing to me. I love walking with God and walking with you. We are all on our way home (to heaven), and as they say in the country, “You are walking a piece of the way home with me.” Thank you!”
Remember, the lessons we’ve gained are not just for a season but for a lifetime of walking faithfully with God. Let’s continue to seek God with all our hearts and watch as He unfolds His plans for us in the coming year. I pray that 2023 was the greatest year of your life and that 2024 may surpass it!
Instead of leading you in a declaration of faith, I feel led to pray for you this morning. This is my prayer for you as we close out 2023 and get ready for 2024.
Prayer of Blessing to Close Out 2023 (from RIPMinistries to you):
Father, I come to You in the precious name of Jesus, Your Son, my Lord. My heart is full of expectation and gratitude. As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I pause to speak blessings over each person connected to this ministry.
Father, I ask that You would pour out Your abundant blessings upon every listener and reader. May Your favor surround them like a shield, may it go before them daily, and may Your joy be their strength. Bless their homes with peace, their work with prosperity, and their families with unity and love.
In the coming year, I pray for doors of opportunity to open, for dreams to be realized, and for visions to be clarified. May each step they take be ordered by You, filled with divine appointments and Kingdom connections.
I speak health over their bodies, wisdom over their decisions, and clarity over their minds. May they experience Your protection and provision in every aspect of their lives. Let Your love overflow in and through them, touching the lives of those they encounter.
Father, as they walk in obedience to Your Word and are led by Your Spirit, I declare that they will be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. May they be lenders and not borrowers, winners and not losers, victors and never victims.
Bless them with a deeper understanding of Your Word and a closer walk with You. May their faith grow stronger, their love grow deeper, and their influence grow wider as they embrace Your grace to impact this world for Your glory.
Father, I speak blessings over their 2024! May it be a year of supernatural growth, tremendous breakthroughs, life-changing experiences, overwhelming manifestations of Your glory, and powerful testimonies of Your goodness.
Father, I believe I just prayed Your will. All Your promises are, in You, “YES,” and You are looking for an “AMEN,” from us. So, as I close, I put an “AMEN” on this prayer. May You best manifest in their lives and my own. I pray this by faith. In Jesus’ name. AMEN!!!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
