Last week I told you that your best year yet is in you. I truly believe it is. The power to make 2015 your best year yet, the power to see your family saved, your health restored, you career blossom, it is in you. But please understand that this power is not of us, but it comes from knowing who Jesus is. When your understanding of Jesus grows and becomes clearer, then several principles begin to take action in your life, and THAT is the power for a great year, and truly it’s the power for an extraordinary life!
Over the next few weeks I want to share some powerful principles that are available to all of us when we begin to really know Jesus. Now, what I’m about to say may be harsh, but I love you enough to be honest with you. The key really is to truly know Jesus, not just do things that look like we know Jesus or getting so busy doing things for Jesus that we forget to do things with him.
Unfortunately it is possible to be around Jesus, but not truly know him. Look at the dialogue between Jesus and his disciple Philip:
“Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?” John 14:8-9 (NLT)
This is such a powerful truth, the bridge to know who God is, is Jesus! When I know who Jesus is, I know who God is. But you know, this understanding doesn’t end with simply knowing who God is, but when I know who God is, I begin to discover who I am. See Jesus is not only the bridge to know who God is, but he is also the bridge to know who we are!
Paul said it like this,
“For in him [God], we live and move and have our being…” Acts 17:28 (NIV)
In Him, we live, and we move and we have our being. Every facet of our life, our purpose and our identity is discovered in God through Jesus, and it is this revelation, the revelation that in God our lives are held, in God our lives are great, in God our identity is secure, it is this understanding that gives us confidence!
This is the first key for having an extraordinary year:
Key #1: When I know Jesus, I am confident in who I am.
- When I know that Jesus is my redeemer, I can live confidently and boldly embracing every promise of God.
- When I know that Jesus is my healer, I can live confidently that I am healthy and whole.
- When I know that Jesus is my provider, I can live confidently that my future is secure.
I know that there are so many uncertainties in life, we all have them. But I want to encourage you today that the way over our uncertainty, the way to get over our fear and doubt, the way to get over our past mistakes, is found in Jesus. As you get to know the heart of God, revealed through Jesus, your confidence will grow.
So I challenge you this week, get to know God! Spend time reading and meditating on his word, get to church and celebrate the love of our Heavenly Father with other believers! Stand in the confidence that we have in Him and live extraordinarily this year!
Jared
