Welcome to week 10 of Monday Messages! Yes, I am in week 10! Thank you to everyone who read this each and every week. You are truly loved and I thank you. With each new year brings new problems, new relationships, new stresses, new problems. In this new 4-week series I'm gonna highlight each one of those and how to approach them in a godly manner.
Like many people (including me), you have probably made a new year's resolution. Let's be honest, you will not do it and you will make the same one(s) in a year. I am the same way. I think it makes people feel better about themselves in the moment but in the end it just leaves them feeling stressed on making a decision whether to keep at it or give up. That leads us right into the Bible passage for today which comes from Leviticus 26:1-17.
‘You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God. 2 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord. 3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. 9 ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new. 11 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright. 14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.
Sorry that was so long but every word of those verses is going to go along with today's message but before I relate the verse to the message, there is a song I would like to also use as an example for the message today. The song is called "Stressed Out" and it is by the experimental indie band twenty one pilots. The song talks about going back to the good old days when our mama sang us to sleep. Now that many of us are adults, we find it stressful, especially us 20-somethings who are going to college, getting jobs, moving out, etc. We all have regrets and stuff we would like to take back. The song is from the album "Blurryface." Its a concept album where Blurryface is a character that wants you to hate yourself, to the point of death. He wants you to regret everything. He wants you to be stressed out. He wants you dead. So simply, Blurryface is a version of Satan. He doesn't want you to have a good 2016. But God does.
The verse that I would like to focus on today is verse 10. It's saying that God provides you a new harvest. In this case, let's pretend the new harvest is actually the new year. 2015 is in the past. God provided you with yet another year. Isn't it crazy to think 2012 was supposed to be the end? Boy, did God ever prove them wrong. Not even Jesus knows when He is coming. So neither do we. So until then, we will keep having new years. So, my main point here is don't let Blurryface rule your 2016. Let God take it over and it will be an amazing year.
Until Next Time, Alex
PS, here is the video for the song if you want to listen :)
Like many people (including me), you have probably made a new year's resolution. Let's be honest, you will not do it and you will make the same one(s) in a year. I am the same way. I think it makes people feel better about themselves in the moment but in the end it just leaves them feeling stressed on making a decision whether to keep at it or give up. That leads us right into the Bible passage for today which comes from Leviticus 26:1-17.
‘You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God. 2 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord. 3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. 9 ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new. 11 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright. 14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.
Sorry that was so long but every word of those verses is going to go along with today's message but before I relate the verse to the message, there is a song I would like to also use as an example for the message today. The song is called "Stressed Out" and it is by the experimental indie band twenty one pilots. The song talks about going back to the good old days when our mama sang us to sleep. Now that many of us are adults, we find it stressful, especially us 20-somethings who are going to college, getting jobs, moving out, etc. We all have regrets and stuff we would like to take back. The song is from the album "Blurryface." Its a concept album where Blurryface is a character that wants you to hate yourself, to the point of death. He wants you to regret everything. He wants you to be stressed out. He wants you dead. So simply, Blurryface is a version of Satan. He doesn't want you to have a good 2016. But God does.
The verse that I would like to focus on today is verse 10. It's saying that God provides you a new harvest. In this case, let's pretend the new harvest is actually the new year. 2015 is in the past. God provided you with yet another year. Isn't it crazy to think 2012 was supposed to be the end? Boy, did God ever prove them wrong. Not even Jesus knows when He is coming. So neither do we. So until then, we will keep having new years. So, my main point here is don't let Blurryface rule your 2016. Let God take it over and it will be an amazing year.
Until Next Time, Alex
PS, here is the video for the song if you want to listen :)
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