Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone. Today is Monday, January the 2nd. Then how's it the Happy New Year? You say it on January the 1st. We didn't have an episode on January the 1st.

This is the first episode of the New Year. Say your name. Just say your name. Don't gatekeep how I do the intros. I'm Ryan Hill. And I'm Jon Galantis. No, I'm not. This was very silly. Go ahead, man. We didn't start the New Year off good.

We did not start it off on a good foot. And you're listening to Clear View Today with Dr. Abbadan Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can find us online at ClearViewTodayShow.com, or if you have a question for Dr. Shah or a suggestion for a future episode, send us a text at 252-582-5028.

You can also email us at contact at ClearViewTodayShow.com. That's right, and you guys can help us keep this conversation going by supporting the podcast. You can share it online, and you can leave us a good review on iTunes, Spotify, also Audible. Just found out this week, this podcast is available on Audible. And this is not even, Audible is not sponsoring us in any way.

I think they should, but we'll talk about that another time. Audible, if you'd like to sponsor us, you can write in at contact at ClearViewTodayShow.com. Absolutely give me money, because I already use your product every day, and I will talk about it nonstop. Yeah, it's not only also Audible, it's also Amazon Music. Amazon Music as well. Anyway, you can listen to this podcast all over the place.

So we're going to leave a link in the description so you can go and give us a good review. That really helps us out. Ryan, let's hit them with the verse of the day. The vert of the day.

The vert of the day, starting the new year off strong. The verse of the day at the beginning of the new year actually comes from the end, or toward the end of the Bible. It comes from Revelation 21, verse 5. Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. We're going to talk about this later this week, but I think every person should have a life verse, like a one verse that you choose that your life is sort of, not centered around, but that's like your verse.

That's kind of your go-to. This is my verse. Is it really? I didn't know that.

Always has been. Loved, loved. If you actually look in 30 days through a crisis, the very last verse is Revelation 21, 5. Because I went to Pesteshah, and I cried, cried, cried, and I said, Can we make this the last verse? And he said, You know what?

For you, kid, I'll do it. Wow. So, Revelation 21, 5. Amazing life verse.

Behold, I make all things new. Love it. I could talk about that all day.

I love it. I heard, you went to the gym this morning. I did. Speaking of New Year's, this is all what a lot of people were going to be doing. You were talking to David a little earlier about, you were having some fun in the gym, but then you noticed there were some people in there just not working out.

There was a person in the gym today. Sure. And I was there for about, I would say, probably an hour and 10 minutes. Okay.

Total. Okay. I planned for an hour, a little bit longer than that, probably about an hour and 10, hour and 15, maybe. This person was there when I got there, so they were already there. And because I know this person, I promise you, what time did you get there?

Oh, gosh. Right at seven. Had been there, I guarantee it, since six. Yeah. At least 6.30. So, they were already there at seven o'clock. When I left, still there. Still there.

No signs of wrapping up anytime soon. Nope. I don't think I saw them lift a single weight or move a single machine while I was there. No cardio, nothing.

Not one rep. Right. That's the thing about going to the gym habitually, especially in the mornings. People who typically go to the gym in the morning, they are regimented. That is their time. So, you notice those people all the time, and you start to pick up on their mannerisms.

And so, you start to notice those patterns, and I think you're 100% right, because I know exactly who you're talking about, because they hang out. But they're buff. That's the thing. Yeah.

This person is buff. They can afford it, I guess. They can afford it, because sometimes they come to the gym, and I've seen them do weights, and it's scary impressive. Yeah. So, I don't want to poke fun at them too much, but at the same time, I never see them do it. Right.

It's always going around, talking, eating food, bringing snack out of the bags. Yep. Very nice guy.

Really enjoyed being in the gym with him. But it struck me as funny today, because I was trying to bust it to get stuff done. Oh, yeah. And he didn't.

I didn't see him do it. Yeah. There's just some dudes like that that are just absolutely yoked up, and they just come to the gym to hang out. Yeah. That might have even been an off day for him.

He might have just been like, I'm just going to come hang out. I'm just going to chill. I think the more you see people trying to get in the gym for New Year's, you're going to see stuff like that. I've always noticed at the beginning of January, you see a lot of newbies.

Yeah. It's very crowded in January, and then mid-February to March, you tend to get the regulars back in there. The regulars come on back in, and you always notice that the machines are taken up by people who don't know what they're doing. They're trying to figure it out, so you're just kind of watching and stuff. But they're insecure, and they're shy, and they're like, I'm just going to try to do that. And they're doing it so incorrectly, and you're like, I don't know.

Should I just let this peter out, or should I step in? Does it look like they're going to hurt anything? Yeah. Show them your bicep, man. You were flexing your bicep. Oh, my golly.

Uh-oh. Looking good, man. How's my chest looking? Looks good. I'm wearing this thick pullover, but... Looks good. Yeah. Definition.

Yeah. It's good stuff. How many times a week are you going? I try to go three.

I try to do weights three days a week, and then cardio the other two, and then take the weekend off. I went six times last week, and I was like, this was a mistake. I'm so exhausted.

I can't even... That's a lot. Yeah, I don't think I did a piece of work yesterday. I was so tired. Good gracious. I looked at a blank Word document for like 30 minutes, and I was like, I got to get some coffee.

So I will not be doing that again. Well, we are in the New Year. Speaking of New Year's goals and resolutions and things like that, that's on everybody's mind right now. We've got a great topic that we're excited about for you guys today.

But if you have any questions or suggestions for new topics, send us a text at 252-582-5028, or visit us online at ClearviewTodayShow.com. We're going to get Dr. Shah, and we'll be right back. Hey there, listeners. My name is Jon.

And I'm David. And we just want to take a second and talk to you about Dr. Shah and Nicole's new book, 30 Days to a New Beginning Daily Devotionals to Help You Move Forward. No matter who you are or where you are in life, you're going to get stuck.

You're going to have goals that you just can't seem to reach, and you're going to be looking for some new way to start over. Unfortunately, life does not have a restart button. But here's the good news. God's mercy is new every day, right? And so that means every day is a new chance for you to start over. Now, Dr. Shah and his wife Nicole have written a new 30-day devotional in their 30-day series designed to give you practical tools for starting over.

No matter where you are in life's journey or what pitfalls you've encountered, this devotional is going to help you move forward, refocus your mind on God's truth, and meditate on his word. And you guys can pick up a copy right this second on Amazon.com. Unless you're driving. Yeah, don't shop and drive.

Unless you're driving, in which case, wait till you get home. But we're going to leave a link for you right here in the description of this podcast so it'll be waiting for you when you get home. That's 30 Days to a New Beginning Daily Devotionals to help you move forward. And for the remainder of November and all through December, we'll be sending a free copy to anyone who supports the podcast by visiting us online and donating to the show at ClearViewTodayShow.com.

That is a very, very good incentive, gang. That's 30 Days to a New Beginning Daily Devotions to help you move forward by Abaddon and Nicole Shah. Thank you guys so much for listening. David, you want to jump back into the show? Let's go. All right. Welcome back to Clear View Today with Dr. Abaddon Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can visit us online at ClearViewTodayShow.com, or if you have any questions or suggestions for future episodes, send us a text at 252-582-5028. Dr. Shah, Happy New Year. Happy New Year to you guys. 2023. 2023 now.

That's crazy. This is the first episode of the new year. I mean, it seems like this year just zipped past us. You know, I just feel like this is the beginning of 2022. But on the other hand, it's been a long year.

That's true. You know, in our home and our own personal lives, we've had two weddings, one graduation, one going to college, one going back to do masters, one book, conferences, general articles, book submission. I mean, it's been a while. It's been a lot.

It was really awesome. Well, if you guys are brand new to the show, not familiar with Dr. Shah's work, Dr. Abaddon Shah is a PhD in New Testament textual criticism, a professor at Carolina University, author, full-time pastor, and the host of today's show. You can find his work on his website at AbaddonShah.com.

That's right. And you can follow us on social media if you're not doing so already. Make sure you follow Clearview Today, and make sure you follow Dr. Shah on social media as well. If you're not following us already, why? Why are you? Why are you not? You knew exactly where I was going.

Why are you not doing that? Make that your resolution as you start 2023 is to get better at social media. Amen. You are nailing these like segues.

I'm just, man, you know, sometimes it just hit right. Well, today we are talking about, with it being the new year, we're talking about resolutions. That's what's on everybody's mind. Dr. Shah, the people want to know, do you have any resolutions that are set so far this year? Yes, of course I do. I mean, there are several things I want to do, especially with regards to physical health. You know, I want to do better at working out.

Of course I do. As many of you know, I'm very diligent in doing that, but I want to do better. I want to eat better. So those kinds of things take good care of my health.

Very nice. Also relational health, emotional health, mental health, all these things are very important, especially spiritual side of things. I feel like there are resolutions I have to help me walk closer to Christ, to walk more holy or holier than I was before, and to truly let the Holy Spirit lead my life the way it needs to be led through the word of God and the power of Jesus Christ.

I think that's a dimension that gets neglected a lot in resolutions. Everybody thinks about physical health, like gym memberships surge in December or January. And I'm not going to lie, I don't want to take away from what you're saying, but in 2022, there were times where you were preaching on a Saturday night. Sometimes you would wear short sleeve shirts. I would look at your arms and I'd be like, I know good and well that's not a fake arm. I mean, that's for real.

That was for real. We're filling the sleeves out. We think about spiritual health. A lot of people are thinking about mental health and relational health, but spiritual health I feel like is at best forgotten, at worst neglected.

And it's the one that impacts everything else. You can divide people up. I'm trying to phrase this correctly, into lost and saved. The lost just have a way of coping with life. They cope with great ambitions, great accomplishments, hobbies, family, relationship. They find ways to cope with life. But believers are not called just to cope with life. We are called to live life in a way that pleases God, builds the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and prepares us for eternity.

That's really what it should be. But unfortunately, we as believers don't do that. We simply go through life just like everybody else.

Right. There's a tendency to view, and I know we've talked about this on the podcast before, but there's a tendency to view problems in life or trials and tribulations that we go through in life as, I just got to get through this. Once I get through this, then I'll see what God has planned for me. But we don't ever think that this thing that we're going through, God has planned for us. Is it?

Yeah. So, spiritual side should be not only the launching pad, but also the life, the road we walk on. And if we get that right, I hope our listeners are really tuned into this one. If we get the spiritual side right, it will definitely make an impact on your physical health, on your emotional health, on your relational health, on your financial health, you name it, mental health. Everything will be impacted if you get the spiritual thing right. That's true. And it's not just some old adage that I'm sharing with you. This really works. Let's begin with the spiritual, and everything else will fall into place.

Now, you do have to work towards the other things. You cannot just say, I'm just going to read the Bible more, and then just sit on the couch and eat Funyuns. We were bringing the Funyuns back. Well, Ellie showed me that picture of Funyuns. You guys were eating Funyuns. I wasn't eating them. I don't like them.

I'll eat one here. You can't again do that. Yeah, no. Can't just sit around and eat. You can do it, Ellie, because you're pregnant and everything. But most people cannot. Can't do that. Can't just sit around and eat Funyuns. So, there are things you have to do in all those areas. You cannot be blowing your money and saying, oh, I love Jesus.

It doesn't work like that. There are things you have to do. But once you have the spiritual part where it needs to be, it's amazing how the other things begin to fall into place. And God gives you the strength and the wisdom and the courage and all the things you need to help you accomplish the other things. Have you seen that in your life? When you feel like you are hitting the mark spiritually, do other things just sort of fall into place?

Have you had any of those like aha moments? Yes. And it's not, and I really want us to understand this. It's not hitting the mark in the sense of I am so good where I'm at now. I'm really walking with God. I'm really knowing more and more about the Bible. And I can see so many of God's promises. Hitting the mark to me is more of a understanding and seeing God move and work. And sometimes it's painful. You're going through a difficult time. You may be going through relationship breakdowns, but you see what God is doing. So I don't want any of us to walk away thinking, oh, the spiritual checklist is there and we've checked off everything. And man, it's great. You're spiritually all ready.

You're suited up and ready to go. It's not quite like that. Right. Because if it was like that, then it would be easy to check off all this checklist like you're saying, and then look at my practical life.

Look at where the success is coming from. And then if it's not where I want it to be, then I'm going to get discouraged and I'm going to say, well, either I did something wrong or God isn't faithful. Right. I mean, the Bible is very clear on this. Job said it in his book. One of the oldest books, or probably the oldest book in the Bible, you know, a man who is born of a woman is full of troubles. Right.

He's going to have a lot of troubles. And of course, Jesus said the same thing. In this life, you will have tribulations, you know.

So to think that I'm going to do all these spiritual things right and no tribulations will come, the whole thing breaks down. It doesn't work like that. Right. You're not building a shield. You're not building like a holy shield around yourself. Right. To prevent the trials of life from coming.

Right. So when we talk about spiritual life being where it needs to be, I'm talking about being able to see God, to see him work in your life, to see the plan and the purpose he has, to see how he's taking you to some very difficult times. But he's teaching you. He's teaching you what? He's teaching you about himself. The ultimate goal you and I have, folks, is to get to know God. And so that's what it's really about. Yeah.

I love that. To get to know God. If we operated with that, how different would our lives be?

How different would our priorities be? Yeah. That were our main purpose in life. Yeah.

If we treated that as like all these other things that I'm doing and the successes that I'm chasing are to get me to a place where I know God better. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And I really want to just encourage people. If you're going through a difficult time right now, don't lose heart. God is working. Look to him. Let him guide you. Let him work in your life. He may take you through a time where he may seem distant to you. Have you all been in situations where it seems like God is there, but yet it seems like there is a cloud. Yeah.

And it seems like you cannot see him. But those are also part of God's plan to grow you. And it's funny because in those moments, I know that I start thinking about all the things I did. Because in my mind, in the back of my mind, I'm like, what am I being punished for? I'm being punished for something that I've done. I messed up somewhere. But I love the way that you put it. It's not that God is punishing me because you did this and I don't like it, so I'm going to withdraw. It's that my understanding of the gospel and my understanding of who God is, is incomplete.

It is incomplete. You're absolutely right. I mean, think about with your little kids, right? Our kids now are grown. Your kids are still growing and your little one is two years old, John.

So think about it. When he began to stand up and start taking those steps, what do you do? What do you typically do? You back away. Why are you backing away?

You're backing away so he will start taking steps and walk. Sometimes God will back away from you. And it's not to watch you fall or to abandon you or to make you despair. No, he's actually getting you to trust him.

Now keep walking towards me, keep looking towards me. Sometimes God will leave certain things in your life, certain thorns in your life. Why is he leaving those thorns in your life?

Have you wondered that? You know, Paul talks about it so that when we're weak, then we're strong, his grace is sufficient for us. So here's the question. Why don't those thorns just disappear after the lesson is learned? No, because sometimes God will leave certain thorns for a very long time to remind us of this is how much it takes to remove the thorns that he has already removed.

So my whole point is this. I hope we're going a little deep and I hope people are keeping up with us. I'm sitting here trying to like process it all and trying to like... Yeah. It's crazy because right now I'm kind of in radio mode where it's like I got to think of something to say, but then I'm also in like this kind of just soak it in mode where like it's truth, it's truth.

The main purpose is to help people realize that it's not some old adage of, oh, you know, you got to see God. What does that mean? It means you're getting to know him on a very personal, dear level and you cannot but love him more, really. I mean, you cannot help but love him. So the thing that will keep you from getting there is sin, is sin. Maybe that's what we need to talk about today.

Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of people as they're listening, like I want that. I want what you're talking about, but I feel like I'm just beating my head against the wall or I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

I feel like I'm not getting any traction. I mean, you gave the answer there. The answer is sin. It's going to keep you from that knowledge, that relationship with God. And a new year doesn't eliminate that sin. Like, yes, you have a chance to start over, but more often than not, I bring my sin from 2022 with me.

So that calendar changing is not going to change my heart. Right. Well, you know, it helps me kind of think about John the Baptist's message when he was by the banks of the Jordan River and he's talking to the people. You know, we often see him chastising the Pharisees and the scribes, the Sadducees, those bad guys, right? But if you listen carefully, and this is found in Luke chapter three and verse seven, then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him. Now look, Sunday morning, we have baptisms, right? Imagine if I were to talk like this to the one being baptized. Yeah. They just kind of walk backwards, walk backwards slowly. It's like Cindy Lou Who with the little pigtails.

No, no. Like we had Gracie, we baptized, or I had her dad baptize her. What if I were to say to her, Brood of Vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? The dad's like, hey, now he's like, no, who warned you to flee?

He's like, he starts crying too. But I mean, why did he say that? Because Brood of Vipers means sons of snakes. You know, because vipers throughout the Old Testament refer to God's enemies. Because embedded in that statement is a very powerful principle, which is sin puts us at enmity with God. And when you and I come to God, we are immediately confronted by God's holiness and our sinfulness. Yeah, that's true.

That's true. It's a weird thing because it's almost like he wants them to undergo that wrath. Just like in the way he's saying it. It's like, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Why the hostility, I guess? What is his hope for the Pharisees, or what is his goal for the Pharisees? And the multitudes. These are people who actually want to be baptized. He wants them to really take their sins seriously.

Oh, I see. You know, he says in verse 8, therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. Stop trusting in your lineage and start recognizing your utter sinfulness before God. So when I talked about seeing how God is working and trusting God and seeing his hand and how God will back away from us or how God will sometimes allow a thorn to stay.

That all sounds very nice and goose bumpy, right? But if you really think about it, it begins with sin. I have to hate the sin in my life, which means I have to look in the mirror and go, there are things in my life, this is who I am or who I was that are not right. And God hates them. My selfishness, my immaturity, my insecurity, all these things. And add to that lust and greed and pride and envy and all of that.

God hates those things. You and I have been talking a lot, Dr. Shah, about this first gospel project that we're putting together and how sin really is at the center of not only that project, not only that book, but just at the center of this story, like every single Bible story, at the root of it, is caused by either someone's sin or just the nature of sin itself and just how devastating it actually is and how easy it is for us to ignore it. You were talking about bearing fruits worthy of repentance. I can't think of any person whose New Year's resolution is actually to repent of sin.

It wasn't on my list. Yeah. I mean, that's something I feel like, especially if we've grown up in or around church, we sort of just take it for granted. Sin is something we struggle with, and we're always going to struggle with it, but we almost stop thinking about it at times. We think we're saved, so now we don't have to worry about that anymore.

Let's just kind of do a quick repentance and move on, which means hit the reset button so we can keep going. You have to really acknowledge the sin that is in you. In my devotional time, I'm reading from Deuteronomy, and some of the ways God talks about the sins of his people and what judgment waits for them when they do sin, that's when you realize, wow, this is how seriously God takes sin. Well, I like how you just said it just a moment ago. The instant we sin, we're confronted with God's holiness. It's not like he's right then and there. If the Holy Spirit's in us, it's an instant confrontation.

Right. But once you deal with that, once you acknowledge that, that sin is the problem, not just as a lost person, but also as a saved person, it's something you have to struggle with. Then the next question is, how damaging is it to my life? Well, if there is an area of your life that you struggle with more than anything else, you know, of course, physically we struggle with health and things like that. Yeah, I shouldn't eat like I eat.

I should do better. But I promise you, that's not the ultimate struggle. Finances, yeah, I need to be careful how I spend my money, or I need to be more frugal, on and on. Yeah, it's a big problem, but it's not the ultimate problem.

The ultimate problem is relationship problems. How do we get along with people? People close to us, people in our family, people in our church family.

How do we get along? So if you notice here, when John the Baptist confronts them about their sin, calls them brutal vipers, who warned you? You know, bear fruits worthy and stop trusting in somebody else's spirituality. The question people ask is, what shall we do then?

Listen to his answer. And this is Luke chapter 3 verse 11. John said and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none, and he who has food, let him do likewise. Then tax collectors said the same thing, because they also came to be baptized. What shall we do?

Collect no more than what is appointed for you. Soldiers said the same thing, what shall we do? And so he said, do not intimidate anyone or falsely accuse them and be content with your wages. So the point is this, when you recognize sin is the problem, the next step is to see where it is the problem. It is a problem in our relationship with people. Of course, it's a problem with relationship with God, but definitely in our relationship with people.

So realize in 2023, the place you're going to struggle the most is how do you get along with people? Right. That's exactly right. That's such a great point, because I mean, you're exactly right.

The majority, if not all of our problems are our relationships. Yeah. Yeah.

So, I mean, think about it this way. I'm getting ready to go to the gym to work out. But if I had a fight with my wife, right, what motivation do I have? Yeah.

How am I going to work out while I got that on my mind? Right. You have things going on with your children or with your parents and, you know, you're trying to save money, but it's like, you know what, heck with it. Let's just go.

Let's go out to eat. Let's just spend money. But what we're really doing is trying to soothe our hearts by throwing money at it. Yeah. Because that relationship is messed up. Right. So see how it's all connected. Yeah.

It starts to bleed into all those other aspects of life. That's true. But what is very, very, very interesting in this account in Luke chapter three is when all this was going on, it says in verse 15, now as the people were in expectation means they were kind of waiting to see and all, every one of them were reasoning in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not. And then an interesting, they were not saying like, oh, okay, so I need to go do that.

And I need to help people and send it. No, no. Their next step was about the savior. The next question was about the savior. John says, John the baptizer says in verse 16, I indeed baptize you with water. Remember they came to him to be baptized. He confirmed them with their sins. And then their question is, what should we do? Look at your relationships. They're a mess.

They're a mess. And then the next statement is I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I is coming whose sandal strap I am not worthy to lose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Wow. The only way we can deal with our sin nature lost or saved is through Jesus Christ.

Come to him, look to him and through him, the Holy Spirit cleanses us and, and, and prepares us to receive the holiness of God. Amen. Every single day. What a great start to the new year. If you guys enjoyed today's topic or you have suggestions for future topics, let us know by sending us a text at 252-582-5028. You can also visit us online at cleaviewtodayshow.com. And don't forget, you can support us financially on that same website. We are grateful for your gifts. We're grateful for this partnership that we've established, having you in the Clearview Today Show family, and grateful for your partnership, your teamwork as we seek to impact the nations with the gospel of Jesus. Dr. Shaw, I have a question for you as we close today's episode.

Sure. It comes from Andrew D. Okay. And Andrew wants to know, what did you have for breakfast this morning? A banana and a bagel. Ooh, that sounds good. They're nice. Cream cheese?

No, just butter. Okay. Cool.

Love it. Nice. Good, healthy breakfast to start the new year. Part of this balanced breakfast. You remember that from the old school commercials?

Yeah, I sure do. That's right. Part of this balanced breakfast. Yeah.

Balanced with what? All right. All right. Well, we love you guys. We'll see you next time.