New Hope Church Hilo Hawaii

We are all given the same amount of time in our day to accomplish all that needs to be done and to become all we're supposed to be. But if we're focused primarily on not having enough time to accomplish everything or become who we're supposed to be, then we will always struggle with not having enough time. It's not time that's that problem, the problem is how much energy I put into, what I use my time for. We're going to learn how much energy I pour into something is more impactful than how much time I spend on something.

When there are things in life that block my vision from seeing God's plan, purpose and perspective in my life, drawing closer to Jesus allows our faith to see what we cannot see physically. The key is walking closer to Jesus so our eyes can be opened.

We will all go through different seasons in our life. Good seasons, tough seasons, rough seasons, and great seasons. Seasons will come and go, but values will sustain us through them.

As I begin to set up my values, I will need to tenement the "why" behind applying the practical wisdom given to me by the Lord for the values to be lived out and perpetuated.

I will either live on my own, or live with others. When I am surrounded by others in the home, it changes the dynamics of living. It is now about how to live together, rather than on my own. This is why it is so important to understand teamwork in the home, lest there be friction, division, disunity, and no sense of moving forward towards a greater life together.

Setting up values for my life seems simple. The problem is, whose values will I follow? In order for me to develop the best values for my life, I’m going to have to determine who I want to be. "

There are many walls in our homes and families, at work and in relationships. God calls us to be people who break down the walls of the enemy that stops us from receiving His promises for us. We’re going to learn how a man of God named Joshua, was able to break down the walls of the enemy in order to receive the promises of God.

Jesus sent out His disciples two by two. This was so that when they would preach about the good news of Jesus, their words would be validated by their relationship. If they spoke about love and forgiveness, but they didn't love each other or were unforgiving, their words would have no power. In the Old Testament, there were men like David and Jonathan, women like Ruth and Naomi, who showed how we can do well in relationships.

Before Jesus have any of His disciples vision, direction, and encouragement, He simply told them to “Come Follow Me.” Before we can be effective in life to move forward, we’re going to have to first follow the author of life. The best resolution to make is to follow Jesus. And when you do, He takes care of everything else.

You can determine the success of a race by how a runner comes out of the starting blocks. So it is when we begin a new season.

In order to have anything new, preparation is required Jesus said, “You need new wineskins for new wine.” As we look forward to the new year, let God prepare your heart for a new life.

Sometimes we are one moment, one thought, and one decision away from seeing the greatness of God. Usually what happens right before seeing the move of God is the moment of doubt and fear. That’s what happened to those who encountered the birth of Jesus. On the eve of His birth, they were faced with a myriad of obstacles, but they were able to persevere because their sights were on the possibilities rather than how they felt. Belief is always preceded by opportunities of doubt.

When Jesus was born, it was God’s way of coming to is Himself. God let go of His Son so He could make a way for us to be together with Him. Then, when Jesus grew older, He let go of His life, so we could receive an eternal one. Sometimes you need to let go of something you want to receive what you really need.

When God makes a promise, He must keep it. At the same time, if I don’t believe that His promise will come to pass in my life, I’ll miss the opportunities to catch them when they show up. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was able to encourage Mary to seize the opportunities of God’s promises by living them out today.

There are moments when we may be greeted by God, but dismiss it as coincidence or circumstance. There was a woman named Mary who was greeted by God by sending an angel. God will use various and creative ways to greet us. We just need to believe that He will and that He always has a purpose in doing so.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB - "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."