New Year Resolutions And Reality

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Amen. Amen. Good morning and happy new year. If this is uh this is your first time here, extra special welcome. I'm Bar Kef O'Segan. I'm one of the pastors here. And you know, this is the time of the year that we all make those New Year's resolutions. Anybody ever make a New Year's resolution? Anybody ever fail at the New Year's resolution? Thank you very much. I think that would be most of us. The rest of you are lying. Thank you very much. Okay. You know, Benjamin Franklin was one who's uh prone to have New Year's resolutions as well. And in his autobiography, he talks about there are three of his resolutions that he had great difficulty keeping. He lists out a number two, silence, avoid trifling conversations. He said, I was just not good at that. Order, that is, uh, let all things have their place and be in their places. And he says, Well, I really was never good at that. Frugality, wasting nothing. And he had a little notebook and he would write down. Every day he would write down what his resolutions are and he had this list, and then he'd put, at the end of the day, he'd put an X if he failed at it. And he had so many X's that he was tearing through the pages. And so he decided to get a piece of ivory. And on that ivory with a marker, he would mark on that, and that way he could just erase it the next day and start fresh anew. I was checking out what uh the top five New Year's resolutions are for 2026. And here's what we find. Um exercise more. 25% of Americans say they're going to exercise more this year. Eat healthier, improve physical health is number two. Lose weight, I guess it all kind of goes together, doesn't it? Is number three. Save more money, spend less. Now there's an idea. Be happy, improve mental health. Now, at least three of these are all about physical discipline. The idea of exercising or eating less and et cetera. And of course, physical discipline is a big deal. I've I've been one of those guys I've worked out all my life. I'm still doing it. The bones creak a little more now, but I'm still doing it. But you know, physical exercise, taking care of your physical

From Willpower To Prayerful Dependence

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self, only has so much profit to it. In fact, this is what uh Paul says to Timothy in the New Living Translation in 1 Timothy 4.8. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. So, you know, I thought that this morning what we'd do is we would we'd just look at some prayers for the new year. Rather than writing out a list of, okay, here's what I'm gonna do, here are my resolutions. You know, I find that I'm more successful when operating in the strength that God provides than in my own strength. And so I thought we'd just look at some prayers that we might be praying for our new year, rather than resolutions. What about some prayer? In Jeremiah 29, 12, it says this, when you call out to me, says the Lord, and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. Is there something you want to change in this new year? And you realize that you you're probably gonna fail just like you do every other year? What about operating in a strength that God provides? Jesus put it this way in Matthew 7. Ask and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find knock, and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be open. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being relatively evil, certainly compared to Heavenly Father, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven

Prayer One: Draw Near To God Daily

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give what is good to those who ask him? So I just thought, hey, let's have some what are some thoughts, some ideas, maybe four things that you might want to be praying for as we get these next few days before we get into the new year? What are some things that I would want to pray for for myself? And so, because no temptation is overtaking me, that such is a common demand. I thought I might share what my prayers are. And maybe there's some that you might want to pray for yourself. Here's my first prayer. May I draw near to God daily. May I draw near to God daily. Here's uh what James says draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Now, I don't know if you have uh, maybe you don't even know what a quiet time is. You know. If you have small children, I know you don't know what a quiet time is. But the idea of getting alone, maybe early in the morning, maybe you can't do it till lunchtime, maybe it's during your lunch break, or maybe it's in the evening, where you get alone all by your lonesome, with a Bible in your hand, and you just start talking to God. And say, God, I I need to hear from you. And so you open your Bible. If you've never done this before, I would suggest that you uh go to either Psalms or Proverbs. Proverbs, you can have one chapter a day. You can go through it 12 times in a year, with the exception of an extra every now and then when you have less than 31 days. Maybe you do two on that last day of that month that's shorter. 30 days has September, April, June, and November. So on those, you're gonna have to do two on the last day, right? April, you're gonna have to do three, but you can do it. And and what you want to do when you're when you're reading and just asking God to speak to you, uh I have this little acronym I use called specs. You want to put on your spectacles. And so as you're reading, you're looking for a few things because you don't want to just read and just read out into the air and and uh, okay, well, that was interesting. Well, what do you want to do when you're reading the word of God when you're by yourself? Well, hopefully you have a little notepad with you and you're ready to take some notes. Hey, God, I want you to speak to me from your word. Now, I've just read your word. What in here would you like me to take to my heart? What what what in here speaks to me for the moment? And some of the things you want to do with a little acronym SPECS S-P-E-C-S. First thing is you look, is there is there some sin in here that I recognize that I'm keep falling into? And say, Lord, is there some sin in here for me to forsake and and to step away from? In fact, here's what Psalm 119, 11 says. So, Lord, as I'm looking through this, is there something that pops up? Hey, that that's something where I keep failing. God, I want to draw near to you, and I want your strength to no longer fall into this habit that's unpleasing to you. And I'm gonna be honest to you, God, I can't do this on my own. I need you to operate in me in this one. Perhaps there's some promise to claim. Here's what Psalm 119, 148 says. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night that I may meditate on your promises. Is there some promise that I've forgotten to hold on to? Something you've promised me, that you'll never leave me, nor will you ever forsake me? Lord, in the midst of my financial difficulties, you're here with me. You are my provider. God, I want to claim that. I want to hold on to that reality. And you write it down and say, Lord, I you promised me you'll never leave me nor forsake me. So I'm I'm checking this one off. Perhaps as an example to follow. Here's what 1 Peter 2.21 says. God, is there an example as I'm reading through this text? Is there some example you want me to follow? Lord, would you help me to follow this example? Perhaps there's a command that he's saying, hey, here, here's a here's I got an idea. This isn't just advice. This is something God says I probably ought to be doing. God, would you help me in your strength to do this thing? Here's what Jesus said in John 14, 15. If you love me, believer, you will keep my commandments. Did you know that not every believer loves God? Did you know that not everybody who's on their way to heaven through simple faith in Jesus Christ at all times loves Jesus? Did you know that? That's what he's writing to believers when he writes this. This is this is instructions that he's given to the 11 disciples. The lone, unbelieving disciple Judas, has left the room. Now Jesus is talking to the 11, who he's already point-blank stated, you are all clean because of the word I have spoken. In other words, you are all believers. Judas is gone. I'm not saying that about him. All of you are clean except for the son of perdition. Meaning Judas. Now Judas has left the room. Now I'm talking to all you believers. If you, believer, love me, you'll keep my commandments. God, when I'm reading your word and I see a command of yours, and I realize I haven't, I haven't really been keeping that one. What I realize I'm not acting in love toward you. And I need your strength to start acting in love toward you. I know you love me, and I know you keep your promises. Lord, would you give me the strength to walk in your truth that I might represent you well? And finally, the S is this they might be a subject of study. Here's what Jesus says in Matthew 9, 13, but go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. He's saying, hey, listen, uh, there's some things you still need to learn. Sometimes we read a text and we go, wow, I'm not sure what that's all about. God, I'm gonna dig in because I want to know your word that I might live it. May I draw near to God daily. You know, the the word of God is basically our instruction manual. In Psalm 119, 97 and following the New Living Translation says this, Oh, how I love your instructions. I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant God. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments. I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word. I don't know if PBS used to have the uh new Yankee workshop. I don't know if any of y'all ever watched that. And this guy would make all these beautiful things, and he'd bring every time he'd bring out a new tool, he'd say this. When using power tools, be sure to read, understand, and follow the manufacturer's instructions. He'd probably do it five times a show. You are power tooled. And this is the manufacturer's instructions.

How To Read Scripture With SPECS

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God's desire is that we would draw near to him daily. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Now I know because it's been my experience, I know what it is to be a believer for a very long time and suddenly wake up and realize, wait a minute, I've drifted. You ever drift? In Revelation uh 3.20, Jesus is speaking. He's speaking to believers. He says, Look, I'm standing at the door and I knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal together as friends. Hey, believer, God is through Jesus Christ constantly knocking on our hearts. I'm waiting on you. If you just open that door, we can have fellowship together again. We're looking at not New Year's resolutions, but prayers for a new year. Not New Year's resolutions that we know we're going to fail at, but prayers that we can pray and ask God for his strength to accomplish what he would want to accomplish in and through us for his kingdom purposes. We're looking at, may I draw near to God daily? There's a prayer. Here's one. May I let go of yesterday. Anybody got any yesterdays tugging on your yesterdays that are tugging on your conscience? Got any yesterdays that are disrupting your today? Here's what the apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3. One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. You know, sometimes the reason we're failing today is because we didn't let it go of yesterday. I don't think there's anybody in the sound of my voice that doesn't have a yesterday tugging at them. But we're not going to fully enjoy today until we let go of yesterday. In Galatians, we read this. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Preachers know lots of believers. Did you know that? And do you know that there's a good number of those believers that decide they don't like you? Did you know that? Did you know that preachers sometimes have to make decisions that other people are looking to them to make an opposite decision? And you end up having making hard calls every now and then? And then they're believers, people who are belong to Jesus forevermore through simple faith, who no longer want anything to do with you. In fact, when they run into you in the grocery store, they run the other way. Did you know that? You know what that means? That means that you need to forgive others who think they need you to be forgiven. Did you know that? Sometimes you have to let go of yesterday. Sometimes you say, Lord, I I by the grace of God, I know I've done the right thing, and yet I know there are other people who don't think I've done the right thing, and they don't like me, and they can't let it go. But Lord, I need to let it go. I can't let yesterday destroy my today. Speaking to believers, Chuck Schwindal once said this forgiveness is a required course. When you forgive, you in no way change the past, but you sure do change your future. Sometimes you just need to let it go. You know, if you can see me, that means I can see you. And I know just now something I said spoke to a number of you. And it wasn't me. That was God talking to you. Would you stop and pray with me for a minute? Heavenly Father, um, I know that in the sound of my voice, that I'm not the only one who needs to let go of yesterday from time to time. That yesterday walks in the room. Yesterday passes by me in the grocery store. Yesterday I might even see driving on the road. Father, I pray for all of us who have some yesterdays that we need to let go of, some forgiveness that we need to embrace. Father, I pray that you'd help us to do that. That even now. Let's not even wait until the new year. Let's do it now before the new year shows up. Father, would you bring true healing to hearts that are hurting today because of broken relationships or confusion or disagreements of some kind? Father, we love you and we want to walk in integrity. We want to walk with a clear conscience. And we ask you to allow us to do that. Father, we want to draw near to you daily. And Father, we know that also means we need to let go of yesterday. And we choose to do that even now. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen. We're looking at prayers for the new year 2026. Here we go. May I draw near to God daily. May I go, let go of yesterday. May I embrace each day as a gift. Here's what Psalm 118, 24 says. This is a day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. The beauty of having a new year is we have to start fresh, but you know what? You can start fresh every day. In fact, that's God's intent that we should start fresh every day. That's why we want to draw near daily. That's why we want to let go of yesterday, because we want to start fresh today. It's a beautiful cycle that God has set up for you and for me. We go to sleep, our bodies begin to rest. Hopefully, you're trying to rest. And you embrace the new day because it is a gift from God. Every new day is a gift from God. Lamentations puts it this way. The Lord's loving kindness indeed never ceases. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Every morning is a new start. Every morning is an opportunity to wake up and say, Good morning, Lord. Here I am. What do you have in store for me today? Thank you for a fresh new start today. By the way, as you well know, we're we're not guaranteed tomorrow, are we? That's why we rejoice in today. We're not guaranteed that uh this day is gonna go perfectly well. But we can say as God, I know this is a gift from you. And whatever it you have in store for me today, may I rejoice in you? You never leave me, nor will you ever forsake me. Would you use me for your kingdom purposes? I wonder, have you ever thought about the fact of the moment you place your faith, your trust in Christ? You belong to him forevermore, he belongs to you forevermore. You ever wonder why he leave you here? Let's just go up. Beam me up, Scotty. Let's go. New body. Well, he has something for you and I to do today. This is our opportunity to serve him in a way that we will not have when we're with him. We'll serve him when we're with him, but not the way we can serve him today. This is unique opportunity that we have in the here and the now. Here's what Jesus said in John 9, 4. We must work the

Prayer Two: Let Go Of Yesterday

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works of him who sent me, Jesus, as long as it is day. Night is coming when no man can work. Well, this is the opportunity. This is the day. Lord, what would you have me do? How would you use me for your kingdom purposes? One of the reasons is many of you know, if you've been here very long, why I love to go on short-term missions is that we're undistracted, and we really do give him that day all day long. Throughout the week, we're giving him each day. But his intent is that we should do that here as well. The reason you go on a short-term mission on a on a repeat basis is to remind you, oh, yeah, that's what I get to do here as well. God, how would you use me today? In fact, uh Psalm 90, verse 12 says this teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom. I once saw a chart. You know, you can you can put a chart out where you can assume, let's say you're gonna you're really healthy, you can live to 95. That's really healthy. My mother is 97. So I've told Susie, buckle up. You know what I'm saying? Buckle up. She's 97, buckle up. But one of the bad things about looking at a chart with all your days laid out is you realize how many of them are gone. But you can also look at them and say, Lord, you bless me with that many. I'm I'm already above average. Lord, would you help me to number my days and recognize that my time on this earth is short? In fact, the Apostle Paul writes this, and he says, Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Uh I became a believer uh about the age of 19, and there was an older preacher who I am younger than today. There was an older preacher who was preaching, and I remember listening to him preach and and talking about how the days are evil, and I thought, actually, the days are pretty good. When I compare today's society to that day, he was right. The days are evil and they're not getting better. Anybody who thinks the days are going to get better needs to pick up their Bible and reread it. Because they're not getting better. We have an opportunity to be used today for God's kingdom purposes. And so we're reminded be careful how you walk, how you live your life. Not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time. Because the days are evil. We're looking at prayers for the new year. Rather than New Year's resolutions, which we all tend to fail. Why don't we pray and ask God? We want to operate in your strength. I'm not going to pull myself up by my own bootstraps here. I'm looking to you, God, to carry me through. I'm looking to you, God, to help me to live in a way that would bring you glory and honor. And so, God, may I draw near to you daily. Would you help me to get up? Spend some time in your word with you. May I let go of yesterday. Forgiveness is a required course. May I take the course. May I embrace each day as a gift, knowing that each day indeed is a gift from you. Finally, may I pursue true community. May I pursue true community. Proverbs thirteen twenty, the NIV says this: He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Now, anybody who's ever had a teenager knows exactly what this verse is talking about. Anybody who's ever been a teenager knows exactly what this verse is talking about. Listen, that old preacher used to say, you lay down with dogs and you wake up with fleas. Thank you very much. You wake up with fleas. Proverbs 13 20 in the New Living Translation says this walk with the wise and become wise. Associate with fools and get yourself in trouble. You want to be protected from this world system and what this world system is throwing at you. In fact, Proverbs 18:1 says this He who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom. If you guys have been here very long, you know that we have an elder board and we have nine lay elders that I meet with on a regular basis. Any preacher who separates himself from accountability is a fool. That's true for any individual. Here's what Proverbs 18.1 says as far as the New Living Translation. I love the way it phrases it. A recluse is self-indulgent, snarling at every sound principle of conduct. Most of us know Proverbs 27, 17, iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. We need each other. We need to be a sounding board for each other. So that somebody can point out, say, I hear what you're thinking, and you are way off base. You're letting the evil one whisper in your ear. What you just said is simply not accurate. For your own protection, may I pursue true community. For the purpose of pulling outsiders in. True community. Why? For the purpose of pulling outsiders in. Here's what Jesus said: a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you have love for one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. When we choose to stay in true community, others see it. And they one in.

Choosing Forgiveness And Healing

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God's desire is that we would be those who literally pray to Him and say, May I draw near to you, God, daily? Would you help me to do this? May I let go of yesterday? Lord, would you help me to do this? May I embrace each day as a gift. Lord, would you help me to do this? May I pursue true community, both for my own protection and for the purpose of pulling outsiders in. We have a deacon and a deaconess, by the way, of life groups. Ian and Abby David, if you'll just use that little barcode there, you can uh That's not a barcode. What do we call that? Thank you very much. I'm getting older. Did you know that? I'm getting older. That QR code, and you can find out how to sign up if you're not already in a life group. Would love for you to be in a life group. Here's what the writer of Hebrews says. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promises faithful. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as a habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day of his return drawing near. Some years ago there was a family who came to our church and they were here with us for probably about 15 years, and eventually the husband got a job that moved him out of town. And he moved out of town. But he stayed in touch with me, and one time he wrote me a letter, and here's what it said. There's a sweet letter. I think every preacher ought to get one of those, don't you? The warm, friendly people around every corner did that. I think the most amazing thing about Capel Bible is how it maintains a true sense of community. My desire for us is that we begin praying even now before the new year begins. May I draw near to God daily. May I let go of yesterday. May I embrace each day as a gift.

Prayer Three: Embrace Each Day As Gift

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And may I pursue true community. Would you stand and pray with me?