Walk Into The New Year With Assurance And Peace

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Share it. But most of all, thank you for listening to the Truth Podcast Network. And now, here's James. So this is our first episode of Encouraging Prayer for the New Year, and today we're going to talk about a way you can walk into the New Year with both assurance and peace.

James? Well, Robbie, I'm excited about today's episode because it is so basic, so vital for every part of the Christian life. What we're going to talk about is how we can be assured that Jesus is really with us, just as he promised he would be. Oh yeah, and I'm glad we're going there, because even though it may seem like such a simple topic or even basic, it really isn't. I mean, we tend to let a lot of things get in the way of the thought that Jesus is with us, right? And after a while, we can really start to doubt that. Yeah, that's true, and that's the very thing we must not do. And to believe that Jesus is with us, we really have to have the faith of a child, and that involves two things, simple belief and also obedience. Wow, okay. Sounds simple, but maybe not okay. Let's talk about each one of those.

All right, well, let's deal with the second one first. Obedience has to do with the realization that Jesus being with me means that he really does see everything I do, he hears everything I say. You know, of course, he looks at me with love, but I can also grieve his spirit. So, if I keep walking in disobedience, I'm going to cause a distance in our relationship in such a way that I will not be able to just sense his presence with me, and that's just not a happy place to be. And that disobedience may not be anything overt, you know, willfully committing a particular sin, for example, but the question is, what am I filling my heart and my mind with? Is it a continual diet of sitcoms and news shows and things that entertain but don't really satisfy? Yeah, I guess that's why binge watching is a thing. I mean, it's like trying to squeeze every drop of soul satisfaction from something that just isn't there.

Yeah, that's it. And, you know, so the question is, am I being obedient by taking the time to let him in, you know, to fill myself with him and his truth and goodness and not the steady junk food diet for my soul that the world offers but, you know, never really satisfies? It's not that you, you know, can't enjoy a movie or listen to a podcast like Encouraging Prayer, for example.

But ask yourself, am I taking as much time to enjoy my relationship with him? So the other thing that gets in the way of our being aware of Jesus' presence is not having the faith of a child, so go there. Well, obedience and simple faith are kind of tied together. We have to choose to have simple faith, a faith that places itself under God every day, even though difficult things may happen that cause us to question that. And I, you know, found out as a pastor that oftentimes when people were pushing back against the Christian faith, it was because they wanted to continue in a particular way that they were living, not because there was an intellectual, you know, difficulty, but they just, you know, would stay on one particular point that they kind of liked. So, you know, simple faith is a form of obedience. And think about what Jesus said about having the faith of a child to enter the kingdom of God.

It's absolutely necessary. And this is where we're finally coming to the prayer part. Prayer is how we stay close, but to be able to pray, we have to believe in him in a simple down to earth way.

I like what Andrew Murray wrote about this. He pointed out that Jesus' promise to be with us is as trustworthy as any other promise he made. So it's true that he is with us.

But then he added, only you do not know it. You do not enjoy it because you do not believe it. But as soon as you learn to rely not upon your own feelings or your own experience, but on what he has promised and to direct your expectations according to faith in that which he has said, it will become your blessedness. Wow. That's an awesome quote because honestly so much comes down to that simple act of faith, doesn't it?

It really does. And just think about what that faith opens the door to. You mentioned it at the very beginning. There's new assurance, blessed assurance. Jesus is mine, right? Yeah. And don't leave out the part about, oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.

Yeah, that's it. There's peace that no matter what happens in this world, something good is coming and he's going to get you through. He'll never abandon you. He'll be with you every day because he promised I am with you always. And when we take that promise to heart with the simple faith of a child, we just decide I'm going to believe that.

I'm going to live that way. Oh, what a difference it makes. Oh, yeah. And this is because he's with us, right? Through his spirit really closer than we know.

Yeah, that's it. And I find it really helpful to just camp out there, you know, to think about him being with you and so to do whatever it takes to assure yourself that you're with him. You know, you might put little post-its that say with me in your car or kitchen or office.

No one else may know what they mean, but you do. Or make a new practice of thanking him for being with you and do it several times a day. And that really helps, you know, helps you stay in that place of simple faith. Or by just praying his name, Jesus, or by telling him, I love you, Lord. This is where we need to live. And the more we live there, the better it is. Oh, yeah. Because the more we walk by simple faith, the more God shows himself to us and affirms his love and even the littlest things, right?

But you're so right. It starts for that simple act of saying, I believe, and then acting on it and little things as we go through the day. James, I really think our listeners will find this helpful.

And by the way, if you do find it helpful and you're a podcast listener, would you share today's episode with a friend? Thanks, Robbie. That's a great idea. And yes, please do. And I'll close with a prayer. Jesus, thank you that you promised to be with us. And we received that. We believe that.

We believe you, but we need your help with this. And we ask, Lord, that you would just help us to live there, to go there more and more in this year to come, because you are so good. And we don't want to miss a moment of your goodness.

Thank you for your perfect love. Thank you for the promises to us. In your name we pray. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.