“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Ahh, 2023… what can we say, crazy got even crazier, in a world that is absolutely upside down.

Hate spewing with a new level of vehemence as the worldly agents of hell have added sorrow upon sorrow to the agony already felt by all those of Jewish blood. The constant attack and tearing down of all decency and common sense have been felt in every possible area of human existence.

The latest nails hammering that proverbial coffin lid of mankind forever shut, being an idiotic new claim that Jesus was Palestinian, ABSOLUTELY NOT, Jesus was and still is Jewish.

I really wonder if these people think the entire world is so stupid or just those who follow them that will never bother fact checking for themself.

Then we have the absolutely blasphemous meme that is a supposed image of him dressed as a Hamas terrorist, all you can say to that is, the seventy-five pound hailstones foretold in the Book of Revelation aren’t going to be lacking targets.

And my personal favorite, take that with some serious sarcasm is the popes new order allowing the blessing of same-sex marriages.

You know when a priest blesses something that would lead one to believe that God’s divine blessing would be imparted but think again. God does not nor will he ever bless sin.

A human can speak a blessing over anything. it does not mean that there is power in the words that are spoken, they are merely that, they are words.

Words and actions that are giving people false hope instead of leading them to repentance.

When they stand as we all will, before God and give account of their lives, what will happen when they look at the Lord and say, “But the priest gave his blessing.”

This is especially hysterical to me, considering that my first marriage ended because I refused to convert to Catholicism, not due to infidelity, abuse, or any of the other things that are usually at fault. No, it was like a Tina Turner song gone wrong, “What’s Love got to do with it.”

Like I told him, Not Catholic, not going to ever be Catholic, have nothing against Catholics, but still not Catholic and being forced into a religion to stay married to someone I had already married was ridiculous, his argument was that yes, we were married so what was the big deal with doing another one their way, seriously, if he had to ask! I’d just need to go to for my good Catholic wife lessons, promise off any children that may ever be born and give eternal allegiance to their church.

So, he decided I was unreasonable, and I decided he was a crackpot.

Forced conversion, not because a person wants to be saved or that they are under conviction to do so, but simply to be what others demand that you become.

I tell you, my dear friends, the entire ordeal was like being something picked up beside the road and taken home, only to have the parents say it couldn’t be kept and then being set back out again.

And so reminiscent this time of year when one of my favorite Christmas movies is shown a half-dozen times, it’s about this lady who wishes for the perfect relationship, she falls and while unconscious dreams about the perfect guy, only he is a mannequin who came to life, and she realizes perfect is not quite perfect after all and she protests that she does not want perfect and that she is not perfect and he replies, “Yeah but we can fix you.”

I’m always thinking every time I see that scene, “Gosh, that’s familiar.”

So, with the downside of being absolutely wrong and useless spiritually, this did present an added upside, these priests now also have the authority to bless people like my ex, who were excommunicated for marrying outside the church, so even though it does not make them completely right in church opinion, they can have some sort of peace.

I know, as I argued for months and months… God does not send people to hell for getting married. This was years and years before I was saved, but still I was more concerned with getting a divorce without a valid reason.

But anything based on one person deceiving another is not valid and had I known the truth, I would have never consented to it in the first place.

But everything always works out for the best in the end and when we accept Jesus, everything is covered under His Blood, including all of our failed relationships.

And I am truly glad that so many people will have some relief from the torment of truly believing that they are eternally damned because they married outside of the church.

But it is also sad to know how many homosexuals will be given a false sense of eternal hope.

And worse is knowing that for everyone, all created human beings on earth, true repentance and a Godly lifestyle will lead them to true eternal life, but false hope will prevent them from seeking it.

God will not grant eternal life to anyone who will not accept Jesus as Savior and live according to His word.

Well, we definitely established all the craziness of the past year and discussed more about me than anyone should ever have to hear 🙂

Going into the New Year always gives us a renewed sense of hope and is always the catalyst for new dreams and new goals, that’s why so many make resolutions.

And even though we can choose any day to change anything that we desire, and to set new goals for ourselves and step out to walk new paths, the New Year gives us the permission to hit that reset button of life and think forward. We are more comfortable with it in knowing that so many others are also doing the same.

So, the thought for the upcoming year, it’s a mess, it will continue to be a mess and the messes will just become bigger messes.

As the world at large still doesn’t get or more like refuses to acknowledge the truth that the only hope is for the nations to turn to God, but instead they run to more ungodliness and no one should need proof of that, just watch the news and see all the wrong that is heralded as right, and savagery celebrated while the innocents are forgotten.

Nary a moment, I had to go all Old English on that, because sometimes I just dig Old English!

But in all absolute seriousness, every moment of every day, when you are in Christ, you are protected, you are loved, you are cherished, and you are never forgotten. Nary a moment, never a moment, that his children are not in his view.

In a world so hardened, so devoid of love and mercy we need every day to remember that moment by moment He has our soul in His hand.

That in no way means that we will not hurt, that we will not have trouble, heartache, or pain or even suffer a martyr’s death. It does mean that despite all these things our soul is safe and secure and will live forever resurrected with our glorious Lord.

Jesus never ever promised life here would be great, actually the opposite:

“These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

2024, one moment, one day, one day at a time. Enjoy your life, enjoy your family, enjoy your friends and sow mercy, sow kindness and sow joy into every life that you can.

While wars may wage all around and world trouble abound, He is the author of our faith, he created us, he drew us to him, and he and he alone will sustain us through it all and one day take us to our true home, as he is the finisher of our faith.

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for the sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solmon in all his glory was not arrayed like unto one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Suffiecnt unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:25-34

Basically, he is telling us that many in this world are consumed with thoughts of tomorrow and the what ifs.

But He in all things, takes care of His children and tomorrow is full of enough potential trouble all its own, he does not want us to borrow troubles that have not even happened yet and may never happen and be consumed by worry for tomorrows that may never be. We are only assured of the moment that we presently find ourselves in.

We need to remember this now more than ever as we see so many things come to pass.

Psalms 46:2: “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

Blessing and Peace to you and yours today and in the days ahead!

Φλογιζω NBJ 2023/ Rev. N. Brown Johnson