It is a New Year
Yep…a new year. A lot has happened in the past year. Most of it good, some of it not so good but all in all I can’t complain. When 2012 was all said and done, God favored this fool. If 2013 keeps going the way 2012 ended, then I will end 2013 with an even bigger smile on my face than when I started.
So what is on tap for 2013?
Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
That Scripture is the favorite of many of my friends. I like it, but I fear we use it as a cliché too many times. When things don’t go our way, we throw that Scripture out there and say to ourselves, “God is control and He will work this to my benefit.”
Seriously, though, God does have a plan. And God never plans to hurt us. God wants us to succeed. Now, I am not going to sink into some sort of prosperity gospel, but I do want you to know that God plans for you to have a future and to have hope for that future.
So here is what I hope for 2013.
I hope that God will use me in even more ministry opportunities than He has in 2012. My ministry life exploded in 2012. I became a trustee of my home church, went on a mission trip to Peru, started the coffee bar ministry at my home church, and taught a small group in discipleship.
I also hope to graduate seminary. God willing, by the late fall, I should be graduating from Liberty University with a degree in church planting.
Proverbs 29:18. “Where there is no vision the people will perish.”
God has given me a vision. There is a clear goal that He wants me to accomplish here in Annapolis. God wants me to reach the city of Annapolis for His kingdom. In Annapolis MD there are almost 39,000 people who live in the city and almost 4.5 million visitors every year. There are also 102 churches in the city. The average church in the USA has 75 people in weekly attendance. If we assume that Annapolis is average that means only 7,650 people are being churched every week.
So here is my vision for 2013.
I want to bring together the Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, God-focused churches of Annapolis and take back the streets in the name of Jesus. There are 615 streets in Annapolis. It is time to take Satan out of the picture. It is time to bind up Satan and cast him out in the name of Jesus Christ.
If you are a pastor in the Annapolis MD area, be prepared to get a phone call or email from me in the next 6-9 months. I would love to see each and every church in Annapolis have boots on the ground by the start of 2014.
Matthew 6:33. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Ultimately this is what it is all about. If I don’t keep Christ first in my life, then all of this will be for naught. How many pastors have started out with a passion for winning souls to Christ only to stumble and not be able to recover, thus allowing Satan to win.
Satan cannot win!
Christ must increase so I may decrease in my ego and increase in my ability to serve Him.
So here is my request.
Pray for me.
Pray for those I love.
Pray for my family.
That we may be able to see the challenge that is ahead and go at it full steam with Christ as our banner.
This has to succeed.
It has to.
I cannot fail.
Christ died for me. I must live for Him.
Are you trying to find your direction in this life? Do you want to know your purpose for the upcoming year and beyond? God gives you purpose. He gives you a reason to exist. He created you and gave us the infallible words in His Holy Bible. Simply reach out and call on the name of Christ.
If you are reaching out for the first time to Christ, or if you are looking for prayer for your upcoming year, leave me a comment or email me at frednoble11@comcast.net.
Amen.
