I'm so excited to announce Level 2023 as SWAGG's first devotional series of 2023! This is going to be SWAGG's second year! With the first year, I'm just so blown away with how God used and grown SWAGG Devotions. And I can't wait to see what He has in store for this second year, and what God has in store for all of our lives.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year's day this past Sunday. I don't know about you though, but I'm ready to get back to a regular routine. I do love, though, the refreshment of a new year. It can kind of serve as a sort of restart that can propel you forward. And that's what Level 2023 is all about! Getting refocused and realigned, whatever life season we might be in. Especially, as we face the rest of 2023 or whatever situation might be challenging us.
Maybe, you've seen in a video game before where someone's preparing - they're getting ready to face a really hard level or challenge - and they have to beat this boss that they know is going to be really hard. So, they have to do all this stuff to get ready to face them.
I'm going to give you 4 step-tips, throughout this month, that'll help direct you and prepare you for a potential successful battle. And, you can think of the boss as 2023 or some other situation.
These 4 step-tips are:
Start with Hope - 1/6
Know and Pursue Your Mission - 1/13
Understand Your Connections - 1/20
Pause Often - 1/27
I hope that this series will encourage you and help you! Don't forget that you can also follow me on Instagram @swagg_devotions or contact me to get devotions sent directly to your email. I hope that this year will be a blessing to you! Praying for you all!
The first week of 2023 is almost over. Maybe your goals are already needing adjustments. Or, you might have known beforehand that this year was going to be challenging. On the other hand, your plans could be going great and your excited for a new year of adventures. No matter what, let’s end this week out with starting the year with hope.
When we think about hope, we first need to realize that our God is one of hope. Not only is He full of hope and gives it to us, Jesus IS our hope. In Hebrews, faith is described as confident hope. Therefore, hope isn’t something we can just take or leave as a Christian. Truly having hope that God is who He says He is, that Jesus is His Son, and that because of His sacrifice we can be cleansed of our sins – this is how we start a relationship with God. Furthermore, hope can be developed through the hardships we endure. As we push through loss, setback, and other challenges, we grow in our character and identity, which strengthens our grasp on hope. However, we’re reminded in 1 Corinthians, that hope isn’t better than love. This means that in our lives and relationships, developing hope shouldn’t be prioritized above growing in our love.
Three steps to start with hope are: First, invite hope in. God desires to give us hope through His plans and His Spirit, but we must want it. Second, grasp onto it with all our heart. To get to the point where we’re overflowing with hope, we have to, through the Holy Spirit’s power, consistently choose to have hope over living in despair. Third, believe that it can change the situation. We need to continue to acknowledge and remind ourselves that putting our hope in God has power – that it renews and encourages.
Here’s how not to start with hope: Put our hope in something other than God – Everything else will fail you at some point, but God is trustworthy. Think that having consistent hope is easy – This mindset will make you feel bad as soon as it gets hard; instead, understand that, with God’s help, you’re going to have to fight for it. Hope without patience – Your hope must be expectant, not demanding. Hope for certain things may not be fulfilled until we’re united with Jesus in Heaven.
God’s Guidance:
Romans 15:13 (NIV) – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Romans 5:3-5 (NIRV) – “And that’s not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never bring us shame. That’s because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. This happened through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) – “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV) – “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Psalm 42:11 (NIV) – “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 31:24 (NIV) – “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”
Romans 8:24-25 (NIV) – “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
Romans 8:18 (NIV) – “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Application:
1. Create an atmosphere for hope before starting the day or entering a situation by asking God to give you hope and praising Him
2. Commit that this year you’ll focus on seeking your hope only from Jesus
3. Journal throughout the year about how putting your hope in God has changed you
Strength Point:
Living with a spirit filled with hope in Jesus can change your life, but you must choose to fight for it.
Prayer Prompt:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for always giving me hope. You are the living hope that will never fail me. I’m sorry for wanting to give up and to stop fighting – for wanting to quit trying to grow closer to You. I pray that I’d never be cautious of the hope You’ve revealed to us, but grasp onto it as it saves me from sinking into the world’s despair. Remind me to start everyday and enter every situation with hope. Please give me hope specifically to make it through __, because without it I feel __. Help me to share Your joyful hope with those around me by reminding them of who You are and what You promise. Teach me to battle the devil’s schemes and lies with Your hope that lives in my heart. Thank You for Your Spirit that stirs up Your hope inside us. You are beyond praiseworthy! I love You, Lord! In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.
A Prayer to Pray over Others:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for always giving us hope. You are the living hope that will never fail us. Help my friend to not want to give up or to stop trying to grow closer to You. I pray that they’d never be cautious of the hope You’ve revealed to us, but grasp onto it as it saves them from sinking into the world’s despair. Remind my friend to start everyday and enter every situation with hope. Please give them hope specifically to make it through hard times and challenges, because without it, it’s hard to find courage and joy. Help my friend to share Your joyful hope with those around them by talking about who You are and what You promise. Teach them to battle the devil’s schemes and lies with Your hope. Thank You for Your Spirit that stirs up Your hope inside us. You are beyond praiseworthy! I love You, Lord! In Your Name, Jesus, I pray, amen.
Song of the week:
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month:
Visit Her Song to learn more about what you can do and their mission.
Comments