Making Better Decisions in 2023
By Steve Williams
Mitchell County
It’s a fact all of us took some wrong steps last year. For some believers, it is extremely hard to accept the truth that we made some bad choices or decisions. Many just tried to explain things away on why it happened to them. Folks, explanations are sometimes like crutches, they don’t take away the limp, but they do help us to walk with it. I hate to say it but the truth is, it’s easier for us to accept our problems if we think we know the reason for them.
Again, it’s safe to say that we all made some bad steps last year. If we were truthful, we would say we’d like to make some better steps in 2023. The way to do this is simple if we will follow God’s Word. Christians need to learn to be persistent in their Christian walk with God. As Christians, we need to understand that when we make a mistake it’s not over. We’re not to Give Up, Let Up or Back Up. We need to Look Up to our Lord and Savior and press on.
When you & I mess up we do not automatically become failures in the eyes of God. Christians need to learn the difference between being a failure and experiencing failure in life. Once we trust in Christ as our Savior, we are new creations, and our past failings are just that—in the past. If Peter would have allowed his past to follow him, he would have never accomplished anything for the Lord (denying Christ). Any future mistakes in our lives are to be regarded as temporary defeats; they do not define who we are. Peter learned this lesson well. No matter how many times he was reviled, chased out of town, or put in prison, he did not consider himself a failure. Rather, he looked to His Lord to determine the truth about who he was—a forgiven sinner.
Christians, we need to understand this important fact. It isn’t the load that weighs us down- it’s the way we carry the load. God’s Word promises us that He will make our burdens light, and also make a way for us to walk. Christians also need to learn something else as encountering difficulties and tests does not automatically mean changing direction. They may delay us in reaching our goals, but they are not necessarily a dead end. Look at trials not as reasons to quit, but as opportunities that can assist us in reaching our goals in 2023. During moments of defeat, God wants to teach us something that will help us succeed later on. Out steps will get tangled up, but we need to know what to do and what to avoid if we expect to experience a better 2023. Here are a few tips I believe will help all of us next year.
Don’t strut around, because remember what the Bible says. Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Many times we just get too big for our britches and leave God out of the equation of our life. We do as we please instead of what He desires us to do. Next, we don’t need to stray away from God. The Bible says. John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” We are His sheep, and we know sheep are quick to stray away. We battle day in and day out on what we want to do and what God wants us to do, and before we know it, we have strayed away from God. Next, don’t lower your Christian values. The Bible says in Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” When we are not careful, we allow the world to change us instead of us trying to change the World. The world is always tempting us to lower our values. The sad thing is many people are allowing themselves to fall into this trap. Lastly, we don’t need to stop. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” So many times, when we make a mistake, we just want to throw up our hands and quit, but that is not an option for Christians. Yes, Christians make mistakes, but we are not to be quitters. The reason is our example of Jesus Christ who never quit on His way to the cross, but he kept pressing on.
Pastor Steve Williams
Words Of Wisdom:
- Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
- With the new year comes a refueled motivation to improve on the past one. N/A
- So many times we think things will make us happy but things as I have seen in my life are short-lived. N/A
- Life’s tough and maybe you feel as if you are failing, but were going to have to learn how to Pass Life Tests. Study and Hard Work. N/A
Life Tuff Lessons:
- I heard of a young man who had taken his test at college and he’d made a zero. He went in to see the professor, and he argued with the professor. He said, “Professor, I don’t think I deserved this zero.” And the professor said, “Neither do I, son, but it was the lowest grade I had.”
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Steve Williams is the pastor of Berry Chapel Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. You can read more good Christian news from Steve HERE.
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