Sometime when we come to the end of the year, as we are now, we tend to want to look back over our lives.  What was it we did right, what was it we did wrong.  While this may seem like a good idea, the Bible tells us a different story.

See what happens when we look back is we tend to dwell on all the negative things we did.  We tend to rehash old conversations in our head.  Someone said something that hurt us.  Maybe we made a mistake that everyone was talking about for a while.  We look at the choices we made and wish we would have made different ones.

The Bible tells us in Philippians chapter 3 that we should forget those things behind us and press forward toward the things in front of us.  We are called to finish this “race” strong.  We are called to press on toward the mark.  What does that mean?  Look at it like this.

Think about a person who competes in a race.  They compete to win a prize.  The goal is to finish the race.  The prize we are looking to attain is eternal access to the Father.  Our goal is to finish this life strongly.  What about a soldier?  The Bible calls us soldiers in God army.  Soldiers are there to fight a good fight and to win the battle. 

In both of these instances, the athlete and the soldier will hinder their objective if they are dwelling on the past.  Why bog us down focusing on our past mistakes?  Even focusing on past wins is not a good idea.  Focusing on past mistakes will keep us bound to the mistake.  Replaying the image over and over in our heads will cause us to make the same mistakes over and over again. 

Focusing on past wins can cause us to be overconfident.  When we become overconfident, we tend to let our guard down.  Maybe we do not feel the need to prepare or keep ourselves ready.  This is one reason the Bible tells us to stop looking back and start pressing forward.  Make new goals for this next year.  Focus on what you will do to attain the objectives you have set for yourself.  Maybe we pray a little more, fast a little more, read our bibles a little more. 

Maybe we ask God to show us the direction he has for us this upcoming year.  Maybe we ask Him to lead and guide us.  If we must look back, maybe we repent for any area where we were disobedient.  May we all focus strong this upcoming year.  Let’s make it our best year ever.  No resolutions, just a plan to keep moving forward.

This time of year is a good time of reflection.  All during the year we get caught up in our daily activities and we sometimes fail to pay attention to what is in fact worth paying attention to.  We spend our time shuffling with appointments for the kids, appointments for our work, appointments for ourselves.  We exhaust ourselves with work of one kind or another.

Whether you work for yourself, work at home, or go to a building; work takes our time away from spending time with Jesus.  Before Jesus came to the earth there was no way for people to spend time with the Lord.  There was no access to the Throne Room for the everyday person.  Only the High Priest could access the Presence of the Lord, and then only on certain days.  Before Jesus came we were on the outside of the veil and not allowed in.

Now of course most of us know that we have access because Jesus Christ Died and rose again so that we might have access.  So that we could be called children of God.  So that we could have a personal relationship with the Lord.  This ladies and gentleman, is the greatest gift ever.

Though we were flawed, though we are a stiff-necked people, though we gave Jesus no thought, He paid the price for us. He gave us the opportunity to have access to the Throne Room.  He gave us the opportunity to have communication with Him. 

Before Jesus came to the earth, we had no hope of spending eternity with the Lord.  We were doomed to spending eternity absent from the presence of the Lord.  There is no hope in absence of the Lord.  The gift Jesus gave us is the gift of a life eternally in the presence of the Lord.

Besides an eternal life with the Lord, we can spend time with Him here and now.  Anytime we say a prayer, anytime we whisper a need for help, anytime we are feeling lost or alone, anytime we need the Lord to intervene in our lives.  We can run straight to the Lord because Jesus made a way.

The bible says in Matthew 27:51 that the veil was torn from the top to the bottom.  This tells us that we can all have access to the presence of God not just the High Priests.  What a great gift!  The gift of access to the Father!  This is what Christmas is all about.  Once we have asked Jesus into our hearts, He gives us the gift of access.  This is the greatest gift ever.

I have been thinking about how divided our nation has become.  Seems to me that lines have been drawn.  Where once we used to be “One Nation Under God”, we have become a divided nation with many gods. 

I am reminded about Soloman in 1 Kings 3:13, where God grants Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, along with riches and honor.  He was the wisest and most prosperous King for a while.  Slowly Solomon began to compromise and let his guard down. Instead of following the ways of his father, David; Solomon began to give way to false gods and idols.  He began to allow his nation to be influenced by outside ungodly forces.

America in the past was a nation fully blessed by the Lord.  There is a reason we were named the superpower of the world.  There is a reason we lived in peace and prosperity for a long time.  We had one God!  Most of the nation believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.  At one time we had a reputation for sending missionaries around the world to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.  A few years ago, we held the record for having the most missionaries sent to us to speak to us about the good news of Jesus Christ.

Now, as I said, we seem to have become the divided states of America.  Lines have been drawn, and we dare not cross them.  We no longer hold the same values we once did.  The good news though is that our leadership, our government has publicly spoken about the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our government has declared that we are a Christian nation.  Different groups have repented and prayed for our nation over the course of a few years.

There is a scripture in Joshua 24 that says, “But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

My prayer today is that we as a nation would choose to serve the Lord! But not only our nation in general, but that each of us would choose to serve the Lord in our homes!  That we would speak and teach others about the Lord Jesus Christ!

When I was a child, I could not wait for my birthday, even though I had to share it with my sister. We were born 2 years and one month apart. So, each year we had a day where we celebrated our birthdays together. There was usually a party, we always had at least one present each, there were usually two cakes (one for each of us) and always our friends were invited to celebrate with us.

As I grew older my excitement grew less and less. Eventually I did not see the necessity of celebrating at all. It was another year, not so big of a deal when you are older.

But I have a birthday coming up of when I was saved! That birthday is a big deal to me! It is the day I was welcomed into the family of God. It was the first day I was called a child of God and God’s daughter. It was the day I felt so clean and so alive. It was the day when the colors of the trees and the sky were so much more vivid. It was the day when it seemed the gray I had been living in was washed away.

It was the first day I realized there is more to life than what I could see and touch. The day Jesus came into my heart and filled me with joy and with love. It was the day I started to walk the way God wanted me to live.

I am now coming up on my twenty third birthday of being born again. I have lived twenty-three years as a child of God. During these past twenty-three years, God has never failed me. He has never abandoned me, has always provided what I needed. Sometimes that need was physical, sometimes the need was financial, somethings the need was spiritual. He picked me up when I felt down, he comforted me when I cried. He has walked me through life’s ups and downs.

My prayer for you today, is that you call on Jesus Christ. That you ask Him into your heart to be your Lord and your Savior. That you would develop a relationship with Him. If you do ask Him into your heart today. With sincerity of your heart, invite Him in. You will be surprised how many reasons you have to celebrate your first birthday as a Child of God next year.

We will be continuing our thought of being deceived.  In a time when so many are deceived and God tells us to not be deceived.  He is warning us to pay attention!  To keep our eyes open!  To not follow the way of those who do not know Jesus the Messiah.

Sometimes there is confusion as many Christians are focusing their attention on heaven. While that is a good thing, we should focus more of our attention on where we will be spending eternity. God also wants us to focus on living here on earth. The Word of God, The Holy Bible, gives us many principles for living a happy, healthy, productive live.

Galatians 6:7-9 says Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.

The principle of sowing and reaping is illustrated throughout the Bible. This concept teaches that the actions we take and the attitudes we display will ultimately return to us. For example, when we choose to sow generosity into the lives of those around us, we can expect to receive an abundance of generosity in return from others. This reflects a spiritual law established by God, emphasizing that our behavior and the seeds we plant—whether good or bad—have lasting consequences.

If we sow an unforgiving spirit, we can expect to receive unforgiveness, If we sow an unfriendly attitude we can expect to have few friends, if we are unhelpful to others we can expect little help from others in our time of need, if we sow a critical or judgmental attitude we can expect the same in return.

The same is true if we so kindness we will receive kindness, if we so unforgiveness we can expect others will show forgiveness to us, if we sow generosity, we know people will be generous toward us in return.

God established this principle, of sowing and reaping and it cannot be changed. If you believe in and follow Christ or if you do not, this principle will still follow your life.  God is not mocked.  What he established will be consistent for all.

We can have the ability to choose what our future will look like by the actions we take here today.

Last week I asked you to watch that you are not deceived.  I want to speak to you this week on a very important area where many are deceived.

Please hear me when I tell you there is only one way to Heaven.  There is only one way to access The Heavenly Father.  That is through Jesus Christ.

Jesus made a way for us to have access to the Throne Room of God.  Jesus made a way for us to bring our petitions before the Lord.  Jesus is the only way in!

I have heard more than one person over the course of the past few years say that there are many ways to heaven.  This is just not a true statement.  This is an area where deception has creeped in and will lead many a stray.

In John chapter 14 verse 6, says “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father but by me”.  Nobody has access to the Father except through Jesus. 

Jesus did what he did, so that you and I could have a way to access heaven.  He laid down his royalty.  He came in the form of a man.  He suffered.  He was beaten beyond comprehension.  He was hung on a cross and He died.  But that is not the end of the story, because He rose again!  He is even now seated at the right hand of the Father and He makes intersession for us. That means that he is praying for us!

Because He suffered, we have access. 

John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ask yourself this question.  If there are many ways to heaven, why did God give his only begotten Son?  If there are many ways to heaven, why did Jesus have to endure all that he endured? 

Remember it is the truth that will set you free.  My heart’s desire is that you all have a relationship with the Lord.  That each one of us would partake of the opportunity to access heaven.  That each of us would ask Jesus into our hearts.  That each one of us could be assured of where we will spend eternity.   

We do not have to guess or hope we are going to make it.  Jesus provided a way to know for sure.  Will you take him up on his offer.  Even now he is standing at the door of your heart and knocking. Will you let him in?

Deception is a very serious thing.  It can cause you to take actions that might lead you astray and into harm.  Deception can cause you to believe things about people that just are not true.  Deception may cause you to believe your friends are not your friends or your enemies are not your enemies.  Deception can lead you away from security and into danger.  Deception is such a dangerous thing that when the disciples asked Jesus a set of questions about future events in Matthew 24, the first thing He tells them is to not be deceived.

I find that interesting.  Do not be deceived.

We live in a time where Deception is running away with itself.  The line between real and make believe is blurred more and more each day.  There are people who make a living purposely causing us to question what is true.  We watch documentaries with “experts” peddling half-truths.  We have financial analysts who twist numbers to suit their own needs.  News stations peddle half-truths, and the internet is full of lies.

The most vulnerable in our society are told lies that are doing great harm to our young and our elderly, each in a different way.  The elderly are defrauded of their life long savings and the young are scammed of their happiness and contentment with who they are.

It is easy to get caught up in the trap of deception and once you are deceived it is hard to break free of its grip.  What we believe has powerful implications on our lives. I guess that is why it is so important to pay attention to what we believe.  Jesus tells us “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

In this time of deception, I am glad I can run to the one person who will never lie to me and always has my best interest at heart.  My Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ.  My prayer for you is that you would know him to.