As born again believers we must all come to realize that God has given us the ability to be champions in life. With God, we can reign over difficulties and be more than a conqueror. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The Jerusalem Bible says it like this...“There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.” There is a Champion's Creed that we can confess everyday and accomplish our God given goals. 1. I can believe. 2. I can change. 3. I can be loved by God and love others. 4. I can forgive and be forgiven. 5. I can rule my thought life. 6. I can make a difference. 7. I can accomplish great things. 8. I can stand in the midst of adverse circumstances. 9. I can defeat the enemy. 10. I can finish what God started in me. God is looking for champions! He is not looking for wimps, He is looking for warriors. Will you be a champion for God? Let us persevere with patience and run the race that is before us with God’s strength and integrity. We are champions through Jesus Christ!

Fishing is an enjoyable sport to most fishermen who are patient in their pursuit of the BIG ONE that got away! One of the frustrations of fishing is not catching anything at all. Hours of waiting and nothing to show for it. In Luke 5:1-11, we read where Peter, James and John had gone fishing all night with no results. They were washing their nets and packing it in. Jesus came along and challenged them to try fishing again on the other side of the boat. These men had felt like quitting because their nets were empty, but Christ encouraged them not to give up. They did what Jesus said, and caught more fish than the nets could hold! Have you ever felt empty after trying and trying? Jesus is saying to you what He said to those fishermen...Try again! The empty nets had now become the filling place for a multitude of fish. If you are empty and feel as though there is no need to try again, launch out into the waters where God directs. Allow God to make your empty place a filling place of His multitude of blessings. When you are at the end of your ability, that’s a good place for God to begin.

The New Year is always a time of starting over again with resolutions and things to get done that didn’t get done last year. The beginning of a New Year gives us the inspiration of a new beginning in some areas of our lives. One of those areas is in the letting go of our past and starting again in areas we may have failed in. Isaiah 42:9 says, “Behold the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” God is saying to let go of former things and allow Him to speak new things into your life this New Year. Start the year off right by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He guides you. Let a fresh revelation of who God is become real in your life. This kind of fresh start only comes when we hunger and thirst for it. Matthew 5:6 promises that if we hunger and thirst after righteousness we shall be filled! Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help you. Build on past successes and learn from past failures. Set new goals and expect God to bring forth great things in this New Year! If we start off right we will end right. Have a Happy New Year!!!

All of us know what it’s like to be late for something. Most of us know about working under the constraint of deadlines, we all have timetables. But have you ever considered that God also has a timetable in which He accomplishes things? Galatians 4:4 says, “...when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son...” There was a RIGHT time when Jesus was born to save the world from their sins. According to ancient prophecies, there had to be a virgin who would bare the Son of God from the lineage of David, who was from Bethlehem. There had to be a reason to come to Bethlehem from Nazareth, so God in His perfect timing caused Caesar Augustus to call for a census in the city of each person’s birth. Mary traveled to her ancestral Bethlehem and there Jesus was born. God’s timing is always perfect. He is never too early, never too late, but He is always right on time! The fullness of time had come when Jesus was born 2000 years ago. But He will also come again in the fullness of time and receive us unto Himself. Jesus is coming again. Are you ready for His perfect timing?

In Matthew 1:18-21 we read of the reason for Christmas. It was the love of a Heavenly Father that wanted to save people from sin that sent His Son into the world on that Bethlehem night. Isaiah 9:6 tells of Christ's calling into the world. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” His purpose became our promise. With all the trappings of Christmas shopping, presents, lights and trees, do we really know why there is a Christmas? Well, first of all we must know our greatest need. Our greatest need is not more information. If so, God would have sent us an educator. Our greatest need is not more money. If so, God would have sent us an economist. The greatest need of humanity is forgiveness of sin. So, God sent us a Savior! In this Christmas season, let us remind ourselves why there is a Christmas. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, so we could be saved from sin. Thank You God for the Reason of the Season!