Luke 5:37-38 NLT
37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins.
January 2025 has come to an end. The year’s first month is routinely a time of reflection and resolutions for many. Something about the beginning of a new year makes us review life even more than we do for our own birthdays. Reflection usually involves deep thinking about past experiences, and resolutions predict a potential future outcome based on a decision regarding your current behavior.
Our behavior is directly linked to our thinking, and the way we think drives our actions. This idea leads us to the following question: what kind of thoughts transitioned with you from 2024 to 2025?
If our thoughts shape our actions and reactions, our spiritual growth is directly associated with our thinking. Perhaps the only resolution needed for this year is a thinking rehabilitation program.
Luke 5:37-38 NLT
37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins.
How do we improve our thinking?
How do we improve our thinking if we want to fulfill our divine purpose? Remembrance is one of GOD’s ways of developing our thoughts by building our spiritual confidence in HIM. HE has equipped us with the weapon of remembrance to remind us that we are not living life alone.
For example, in Exodus 20, we’re reminded to keep the Sabbath holy.
Exodus 20:8 KJV
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
On our individual journeys toward the goals we aim to achieve in life, we should never forget that GOD is the GRANTOR of all days. We must consistently and intentionally pause from life’s activities and ambitions to rest, reset, and reflect on our CREATOR’s role in navigating us to our expected end.
While we are not currently under a Mosaic law, we should not forget the significance of rest. In Hebrews chapter 4, we are reminded that rest is a promise from GOD. On the seventh day of creation, GOD rested from HIS labor because the work was complete. Whatever your plans are in life, the blueprints remain in HIS hands, and acknowledgment of HIS sovereignty and provisions will grant you access to them.
Think about it, our physical bodies illustrate how we can malfunction when deprived of sleep. Regardless of how strong someone believes they are, or how affluent or influential they may be, everyone is subject to the need for rest. This serves as a divine reminder of our dependency on GOD. Just as our bodies are designed for rest, our spiritual growth relies on proper remembrance of HIM. This perspective will benefit you greatly in 2025.
Did you build any altars in 2024?
In the bible, GOD instructed man to build alters so that future generations would never forget the significance of HIM and HIS involvement in their lives.
Exodus 20:24 ESV
[24] An altar of earth you shall make for ME and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause MY name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
Building an altar is GOD’s way of developing your thinking and reminding you that, ultimately, our lives should be lived in a way that causes others to think about HIM.
There is a blessing connected to every remembrance of GOD because it empowers us to conquer the future when we think about WHO HE is in any circumstance.
Let’s place our thinking on a diet this year and allow GOD to reshape and rehab our future.
Bless the LORD Affirmation
FATHER,
Bless the LORD, oh our souls and all that is within us. Thank YOU for allowing us to enter into a new year. Whether 2024 was a significant or complex year, help us work on our thinking for greater access to our divine purpose and callings. We commit our thinking to YOUR training program and trust the outcomes that are yielded from it. In JESUS Name, we pray, amen.