Happy New Year! As 2014 begins, it is almost certain that people will feel a sense of restarting or a doing over for some areas in their lives. At the start of each new year, we come up with resolutions or goals for the year. We move forward with good intentions, but then we run out of steam and totally forget about them. Once I heard a minister say that “whatever we confess, the enemy will put that to test.” I realized that this was actually a truth that applies to everyone. When we first encounter God, we get a new lease on life, are full of faith, start confessing good things for our lives, and we feel a sense of newness.
Paul says in II Corinthians 5:17 that whoever is in Christ is a new creation. That is when the Devil starts casting doubts and discouragement saying things like “Nobody has done that; what makes you think you can do it?” or “You are doing fine; you don’t need to do that!”
Recently, I have been saying to my wife and to the Lord that I’m going to love my earthly father despite having no relationship with him most of my life. As a pastor, I keep looking for ways to improve myself, so I can cater to the needs of the people. For the last seven years, that’s what my wife and I have been trying to focus on. However, I realized that I needed to love my family first, especially my own father, who really did not do anything to help me when I was growing up or later in life. It dawned on me that it would be hypocrisy to love others but not love my own father, despite my “daddy issues”. Then, this decision was put to test right away. He got sick, and I needed to send him a large amount of money to cover medical expenses, for issues resulting from years of substance abuse and smoking. It was actually hard to swallow, but with the help and grace of God and my wife, I actually followed through with what I just confessed. He would never be able to repay me, but that is what the love of God is, loving those that are not lovable in their current state. I understood that my heart might not have been perfect yet in loving my father, but with my confession, it provided a direction.
Abraham said to his servants, “My boy and I are going up the mountain and worship God, and then we will come back”. He knew that Isaac was the worship offering for God, but it didn’t stop him from releasing a confession of faith. True enough they worshipped God, God provided a ram for the sacrifice, and Abraham and Isaac went back home together just as Abraham confessed. We need to know that whatever we confess, we are bound to possess.