Radical Life Support

Rick is a non-traditionalist, rock-n-roll, evangelist who likes to stir things up. And Robin is a traditional, choir member, encourager who does not like to rock the boat. They come together to challenge and discuss how to live a radical life for Jesus.

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Radical Life Support

ABCs of Jesus New Year Special

January 01, 2021 • Rick and Robin Moe • Episode 75

A new year always seems to present possibilities. New beginnings. A hope for better days ahead. This is especially true for this coming year after all we have been through in 2020. Let me ask you a question? How did you face the challenges of last year? On a scale of 1 to 10, what was your level of anxiety and stress? If you rated low, let’s ask how we can better face 2021? I tell you plainly that you need to face it with Jesus.

Imagine this next year is like taking a journey across America. Compare the journey to your life going into this new year. You are going to have to navigate through a wide variety of environments and situations. The journey or a year can present so many different scenarios you cannot predict or control. The key to going through any year is to keep Jesus at the center. Then, there is one constant in your journey and that is Him. No matter what hits you, you will not be moved internally despite your circumstances because you know Jesus is in you and with you wherever you go and whatever you face.

And the second part of making the journey as successful as possible is to let Jesus drive the vehicle. Give Him control and trust Him to take the best route. He will be your constant companion to guide you and comfort you when the journey seems to be so long. He is there and you are not doing the journey alone.

Psalm 22:5 says when you put your trust in the Lord, you will not be disappointed. I can promise you with all certainty that if you keep your eyes on Jesus, you can face anything. Jesus is the answer in walking through life’s storms. He will either take the storm away or He will help you get through the storm. Either way as you have found out from last year, trying to handle life in your own strength or by relying on others to lead you, just doesn’t work. So many of us try to figure life out on our own, barely giving Jesus the time of day. You continue to do that, you will end up hobbling through another year and I don’t want that for you. Jesus doesn’t want that for you. He says there is a better way by putting your trust in Him and relying on Him. Let Him take the wheel and give the directions. He already knows what is ahead so let Him get you to your destination smoothly and safely.

New implies change. Jesus says to stop doing things the old ways. It is time to do things a new way, to do things Jesus’ way, the way you were created to be, filled with Him and following Him. You have to get rid of your old ways of thinking. It will weigh you down, restrict you and you get stuck and you can’t move forward. Jesus has a better and new way for you to live and that is to face the new year with Him. Surrender and implement all His new ways and you will find is that heaviness is gone and you now can live out your days with joy, excitement, praise, and thanksgiving.

[Eph 4:22-24] “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Joel Osteen says, “Inside each of us there are two people: One says, ‘I will become everything God has created me to be. I can do all things through Christ. I’m surrounded by God’s favor.’ The other says, ‘I’ll never get out of debt. I’ll never lose the weight. I’ll never break that addiction. I’ll just learn to live with it.’ One wants to stretch. The other wants to settle. You choose which person you will be.”

My prayer is that you choose to make Jesus the center of your life for the coming new year and embrace all His ways. Let Him drive the car on your journey and don’t look back. Forge ahead, be not afraid because you have the King of the universe at the wheel.

Happy New Year!!

Welcome listeners to our New Year’s Day Special on the series of the ABC’s of the attributes of Jesus Christ. We are so glad you are with us today. Happy New Years everyone!

A new year always seems to present possibilities. New beginnings. A hope for better days ahead. And I think this is especially true for this coming year after all we have been through together in 2020. Many long for changes and others would love to go back to the way things were. How soon can we get back to normal is still our moto as the lingering effects of 2020 seem to be spilling over into 2021.

Let me ask you a question? How did you face the challenges of last year? Did you spend a lot of time being afraid? Were you frustrated over what officials were telling you to do or not to do? Were you confused over conflicting information being presented? Were you worried about paying bills? Were you angry over injustices? Did you feel out of control and helpless? Maybe you never felt so alone and isolated. Many had weddings and vacations postponed or cancelled. Others had to say good-by to loved ones from a distance. On a scale of 1 to 10, what was your level of anxiety and stress? How would you evaluate how you handled the unexpected events that presented themselves last year? There were a lot of them.

We now know from first-hand experience that you never know what a year will bring. None of us had any idea last year at this time what we would face. And we have no idea what is ahead for the new year.

If you didn’t rate yourself very high on how you handled last year, let’s ask, how we can better face this new year? Well, let me tell you plainly. You need to face it with Jesus. I want to challenge you to make Jesus the center of your life for the coming year.

I want you to imagine that this next year is going to be like taking a journey across America from Washington State to Florida or take another route, it doesn’t matter. Select any vehicle in your mind as you compare this journey to your life going into this new year.

On this journey, you are going to have to navigate through a wide variety of environments and situations. For example, you will travel through different terrain: shaded forests, productive farm land, deserts, mountain tops, rivers, muggy swamp lands, and sunny beaches. You will go through villages, suburbs, and large cities. You will pass shops, factories, small businesses, restaurants, gas stations, schools, airports, stadiums, churches, homes, apartments, and high rises. And there will be people in all these places. You will meet friends and relatives, people with different accents, different skin colors, different nationalities, people with cowboy hats or tatoos or folks with rainbow bumper stickers, people in wheelchairs, the elderly in nursing homes, people begging on street corners or barefoot children in the ghetto. On your journey, you might run into traffic or road construction, you might have to take a detour or change routes, maybe you will have an accident and have to stop and stay in one place for a while to repair your vehicle. At times you will speed on wide highways but other times you will have to go slower on dirt roads. It is even possible that someone traveling with you has to get out of the vehicle and won’t be continuing on the journey with you any more.

My point is that a journey or a year can present so many different scenarios that you cannot predict or control. The key to going through any year is to keep Jesus at the center of your life. Then, there is one constant in your journey and that is Him. No matter what hits you, you will not be moved internally despite your circumstances because you know Jesus is in you and with you wherever you go and whatever you face.

And the second part of making the journey as successful as possible is to let Jesus drive the vehicle. To trust Him to take the best route as you trust your GPS to lead you there. You can even sit back, close your eyes and relax because you are giving Him control. He will fill your vehicle with gas, wash your windshield so you can see clearly, and put air in your tires so it feels like you are riding on air. He will be your constant companion to guide you and comfort you when the journey seems to be so long. He’ll know when you need to stop and eat or stretch your legs for a while. He can navigate around potholes, drunken drivers, imposing semi-trucks, narrow byways next to a cliff, torrential storms. He is there and you are not doing the journey alone.

Jesus says to stop doing things the old ways. Your old ways of thinking, processing, and acting. The old ways might seem comfortable because you have been doing them for so long; but you know they have not been successful in taking you to a fulfilled purposeful life. It is time to do things a new way, to do things Jesus’ way, the way you were created to be, filled with Him and following Him.

[Mark 2:22] “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” NIV commentary says, Jesus brings a newness that cannot be confined within the old forms. Which means you cannot combine your old ways, take your old wineskins and pour Jesus new ways, or new wine, into them. That also doesn’t work.

You have to get rid of your old ways of thinking. Stop comparing yourself to others and having a negative attitude about your life, your looks, your talents. Stop thinking you can never do anything right. Stop doubting that you will never get out of debt. Stop believing that you are a failure and that nothing good is ever going to happen for you. Stop condemning yourself that your sinful past or addiction brings you to a dead end in moving forward. Stop fearing sickness and disease. Stop worrying about the economy and the government. Stop complaining about every little detail. And most importantly, stop any thoughts of giving up. All of these things weigh you down, restrict you and you get stuck and you can’t move forward.

Jesus wants to pour into you new wine, new thoughts, new ways, new habits, new dreams, and new blessings. New implies change. Jesus has a better and new way for you to live and that is to face the new year with Him. Jesus will help you break any chains or curses that have kept you in bondage. He can free you from old habits. He can help you resist temptation. Ask Him to forgive you for living in your old ways. Pour out the old wine and then you will realize that you are now free from your past and can now move forward. Then ask Him to come into your life and give you His new wine, a new vision and a new purpose. Surrender and implement all His new ways. What you will find is that heaviness is gone and you now can live out your days with joy, excitement, praise, and thanksgiving.

Happy New Year!!