Peace: New Year, New Portion

Announcements

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - beginning Sunday 12 January.

2 Feb - “Break the Fast” Potluck

2 Feb - Restarting Small Groups - “Home Groups” -

We need people to facilitate and lead.

If God has something on your heart, or a topic you’re passionate about - See Bro Manfred, or myself.

Knowing Jesus 101

2024 Year of Thanksgiving

7 Launched into first steps of Ministry

As part of the Mission: Connect, Equip, Empower, Send

As part of the Great Commission - Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the Name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit

MISSIONS Goal for 2024 - $20,000 & EUR 5,000

$27,624.12 & EUR 793.90

Freedom Outreach Intl: Operation Care Force

Freedom Kids’ Ministries

Jacob’s Generation

Poland Christian Center - church plant

Europe’s Child

Missions Goal for 2025 - Stays the same - $20,000 & EUR 5,000

Holy Spirit Baptisms - 5

Acts 1:8 CSB

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:17–18 CSB

17 And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy.

Goal - for every believer to receive the Father’s Promise and be equipped and empowered for service in His Kingdom

Water baptisms - 31

Following in the steps of Jesus - baptized in water unto repentance, publically testifying of the work God did for them on the Cross.

Goal - for every new believer to take this big step of faith, and accountability.

Our Testimony is how we overcome Satan and this world!

Revelation 12:11 CSB

11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death.

Decisions for Jesus - 55

New decision to repent from a life of sin, choose to follow Jesus and make Him Lord of their life

Those returning to the Lord, having stepped away for a time, but like the Prodigal Son have returned to the Father’s house to receive reconciliation with God once more.

PRAISE GOD!!!

This group, I want you to sign up for Knowing Jesus 101.

Men - you need to get equipped with the knowledge of how to run your race - effectively and victoriously

Ladies - you need to get connected in with a group of believers that will keep you accountable and challenged

Goal for 2025 - 100

New Year, New Portion

The very first temptation you’ll face this year is to idolize the past - maybe even last year.

2025 is a new season. Its a new chapter in your life. Its a fresh path in your faith walk.

There may be some wonderful things you experienced in 2024.

But in that list, what were the Kingdom of Heaven things you completed?

What were the glory moments you gave to God - where His righteousness was made fresh in your life?

The things eternal are exceedingly far more valuable than the temporal things of this earth - and you only have so much time to do them!

So where do you start in the New Year?

You start with a New Portion - where the Lord is your portion.

FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN 2025

1. Wake up early to pray.

4 hours 37 minutes. That’s the average people spend looking at their phone every day. 19% of every day. 1 full day in every week. 6 full days, every month. 70 days out of every year.

Hang up the phone. Talk with your Father.

Jesus modeled this.

JESUS IS THE TEMPLATE FOR LIFE.

Mark 1:35 CSB

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.

2. Read your Bible through - start today. Invest in a Bible if you on’t already have one.

“BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH” (Burlap to Cashmere)

HOW TO:

Adult

Married Live Professionally

Parent

Live Victoriously

It is THE weapon to be waged in all warfare

It is THE way to live righteously

It is THE way to know the Truth - about who you are, and whose you are

It is THE life-giving, breath of God…as every letter was inspired penned to paper by the very breath of God, every time you read and meditate, you’re receiving a dose of

3. Decide to prioritize God in your finances - beginning with the Tithe.

First of all, its obedience. “Where your heart is, that’s where your treasure lies.”

Second, its investing in the eternal

Third, its living a blessed life!

4. Join a Small Group

Where two or three are gathered - there Jesus is also

Not forsaking the gathering of the Saints, but meeting together even more so as the Day draws near

Confession is where healing comes from - and prayer from the group for the Saints of God around you

5. Plan for and attend at least 2 Spiritually-investing Conferences.

Freedom Outreach - Spring and Fall Retreat

PCSing? FOI Conference near you - OR - attend Passion Conference like what’s happening now in Atlanta

First Things First

It’s a matter of First things first…prioritizing God as preeminent in your life.

Pray. Fast. Give.

We have seasons in our life, we understand seasons. 2025 is a season of seasons for your life.

New chapter, fresh starts, new experiences - and so I ask - where on y our list is God and His glory?

In declaration of Christ being first in our lives - I proclaim 21 days of Prayer and Fasting

We do this as a Church

We do this as a Family

Even in our own families and households

Fasting is a commandment - a spiritual discipline… Jesus said, “When you fast…”

Fasting is a spiritual discipline - it is spiritual and aids in conquering the flesh. It places the flesh back into a dependency on spiritual things and spiritual matters.

Fasting is faith-driven, and faith-oriented.

It proclaims to your self, that God is greater than your circumstances.

It reminds your self, that God has positioned you for spiritual success.

It reminds your self, that God is Who He says He is and wants for you, as His son or daughter, to have what He has in store for you.

There are many reasons to fast, and we are going to dive deep into these this coming Wednesday night.

Consecration - consecrating the New Year, consecrating a year of dependency on God

Spiritual discipline - as a Disciple of Christ, we must be disciplined in order to hear from Him clearly

Intercession - to intercede is to place yourself in between

Repentance - fasting as a means of repentance, in turning away from (4.5 hrs per day of wasted time)

When needing a Word from God

For Refuge Aviano - f. All of the above!

Matthew 17:14–20 CSB

14 When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before him. 15 “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” 17 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed. 19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 20 “Because of your little faith,” he told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

There are some areas of your life that you need God to intervene. There are some things maybe you’ve deemed impossible to deal with.

Jesus tells us here that nothing is impossible! There is no such thing. They just were not prepared because they had not been in prayer and fasting, which is what it would take to handle this depth of problem. Some things, deep things, can only be resolved when fasting is coupled with praying.

So, what are the “some things” in your life that need fasting to move them? Name them.

Make list of the mountains.

Name the giants that are going to fall this month and throughout the year.

What do you need God to do in your life? Marriage? Family? Career?

What do you need God to do with past hurts and failures?

What do you need God to do in health, finances, children, ministry - whatever it is, God wants to be invited into it.

Allow Him to speak into your life, and get into a place where you can hear Him.

Every year, we witness dozens of people implement this spiritual discipline in their life and they become astounded at the fact that they see God answering their prayer and fasting.

God is not out of reach to you - He is near to you!

Step into a new season of faith…step into a new faith flex.

Maybe the next miracle is dependent on your partnership with God -and is sought out in prayer and fasting.

Whatever it is..God is bringing you a message of Peace in 2025.