Looking Ahead to 2021

This year has been one for the books.

One that has truly been layered with difficulties.

As the year ends it’s time to shift our focused on towards the next chapter.

But as we look ahead it’s important to have realistic expectations.

How can we be real with ourselves as to how we enter into the new year.

But we need to look at what happened this year.

Did we walk with God in step or did we wander?

This week we will be looking at the latter. The wandering away.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (NIV):

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Enemy wants you to look at how the world solves problem

Focus on your feelings

Focus on discouragement

Focus on being helplessness

Turn to the world 🌎 system

How the unbelievers respond

We take the advice of man rather than looking at the word of God

2. We put our focus on the problems not God

We listen to what the world says then we think God can’t help our problems

We begin to adopt the culture of the world.

We look for shortcuts

There are no shortcuts in the kingdom

When we focus on the:

Hurt

Misery

Pain

Our focus is wrong and we start to doubt God

We doubt his love We doubt his power

We doubt that he can help us

When we doubt that we want to walk away from Him and walk toward the enemy

We allow bitterness to enter in and we begin to blame others

3. when our focus is not on God we spiral downward

When we move away from God we move away from His will

We move away from His Grace We move away from His protection

God’s Grace is sufficient: Abundant Enough Overflows

When we move away from God and our focus on Him we move away from His shelter

We don’t wait to see how God is going to respond

We are an impatient people Wanting everything now

Gods timing is different and can take longer

Paul knew that being under God was better than being away from God.

We need the shelter of GodWe also need to be patient and see how GOD will respond and not celebrate a tiny step of man.

God acts on behalf of those that wait for Him. Is 64:4

Sometimes His timing is longer

God is always faithful