WEBVTT 0 00:00:04.890 --> 00:00:07.354 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. 1 00:00:07.482 --> 00:00:11.150 This is where you can find audio from Sunday morning, messages and more. 2 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:14.442 Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss future episodes. 3 00:00:14.506 --> 00:00:16.030 And thanks for listening. 4 00:00:21.890 --> 00:00:22.474 Amen. 5 00:00:22.522 --> 00:00:29.000 Thank you, Joanne and Jacob, for leading us in a time of worship as we get started this morning. 6 00:00:29.370 --> 00:00:35.766 First off, I just want to tell everybody, I know we're a day early, but it just feels right that we need to go ahead and say a little early. 7 00:00:35.868 --> 00:00:36.886 Happy new year. 8 00:00:36.988 --> 00:00:39.410 We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. 9 00:00:39.490 --> 00:00:47.366 And I can't tell you how excited I am that you all chose to gather here with us today so that we can start this day off in prayer. 10 00:00:47.478 --> 00:00:49.894 And we're going to talk about that here in just a minute. 11 00:00:50.022 --> 00:00:58.814 First off, if there are any first time guests who are here this morning, I just want to say thank you for being here and for worshiping on a little bit different Sunday than what it's normally like around here. 12 00:00:58.852 --> 00:01:04.798 We normally, unfortunately, do not have catered lizards thick at breakfast every Sunday morning. 13 00:01:04.964 --> 00:01:07.530 But it is just a blessing to have you here with us. 14 00:01:07.620 --> 00:01:13.682 There is a guest registration card here, a welcome card here if you wouldn't mind, if you're a first time guest filling this out. 15 00:01:13.736 --> 00:01:17.122 And then after the service, me and my wife will be back here to the left. 16 00:01:17.176 --> 00:01:18.614 You can drop this off with us. 17 00:01:18.732 --> 00:01:23.510 If there's any questions that you have about our church, we would love to be able to answer those. 18 00:01:23.660 --> 00:01:31.514 Also, I want to say this to the families in here this morning that are brave with their young children. 19 00:01:31.632 --> 00:01:35.194 All right, number one, I want to say thank you. 20 00:01:35.392 --> 00:01:39.018 Thank you for doing this and for bringing your kids here today. 21 00:01:39.104 --> 00:01:41.434 Here's what I want to tell everybody that's going to happen. 22 00:01:41.552 --> 00:01:42.966 These kids are going to be a little loud. 23 00:01:42.998 --> 00:01:43.980 And that's okay. 24 00:01:44.510 --> 00:01:51.870 We're going to be quiet for prayer, and they're going to ask a question or say they need to go to the bathroom or drop something or spill something, and that's okay. 25 00:01:52.020 --> 00:01:54.238 And here's why this is so okay. 26 00:01:54.404 --> 00:02:00.882 It's because what these kids get to watch and experience this morning is the church family that they're a part of. 27 00:02:01.016 --> 00:02:03.710 Their church family as well, is gathered together to pray. 28 00:02:03.870 --> 00:02:06.494 They get to see their moms and dads worship. 29 00:02:06.622 --> 00:02:08.718 They get to see their moms and dads pray. 30 00:02:08.814 --> 00:02:12.838 And for me, this is the essence of what family discipleship is all about. 31 00:02:13.004 --> 00:02:22.086 So if you're here today and your child or your grandchild, if they get a little loud, don't feel the need to apologize don't feel the need to be embarrassed. 32 00:02:22.198 --> 00:02:23.882 We're just glad that they're here. 33 00:02:23.936 --> 00:02:31.754 And it's a reminder every time they make a loud noise that we all can hear, it's a reminder from God about the precious gift that they are. 34 00:02:31.872 --> 00:02:38.430 Before we get into our time of prayer, we got a lot of things as the new year gets ready to get started here, right? 35 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:40.286 How many of you, quick show of hands. 36 00:02:40.388 --> 00:02:43.962 How many of you have already made a New Year's resolution? 37 00:02:44.026 --> 00:02:45.040 Raise your hand. 38 00:02:46.530 --> 00:02:48.866 How many of you weave your hands in the air? 39 00:02:48.968 --> 00:02:55.954 If you have the belief in yourself that you're going to carry that all the way through the year, some hands are still up. 40 00:02:55.992 --> 00:03:01.560 All right, so here's what I want to do for all of you who didn't raise your hand. 41 00:03:01.930 --> 00:03:06.120 I want to help you with some New Year's resolutions that you can do. 42 00:03:06.730 --> 00:03:09.740 Joel van Ham and I were talking about this this morning. 43 00:03:10.190 --> 00:03:13.718 It's great to say I'm going to eat healthy. 44 00:03:13.894 --> 00:03:20.922 It's great to say that I'm going to commit to go to the gym or exercise every day. 45 00:03:21.056 --> 00:03:26.174 It's great to set all of these things that we're going to do, and I want to encourage you to follow through with those. 46 00:03:26.212 --> 00:03:36.330 But we want to help you in setting some goals for 2024 to help you grow and mature and get healthier spiritually. 47 00:03:36.490 --> 00:03:38.198 And the first one with three areas. 48 00:03:38.234 --> 00:03:40.318 First one is with discipleship. 49 00:03:40.414 --> 00:03:46.942 We've got small groups, we got cards back here for connection to all our small groups, but we've also got all of our discipleship. 50 00:03:47.006 --> 00:03:51.874 Studies that happen on Sunday mornings are going to be starting on January 14. 51 00:03:51.922 --> 00:03:53.654 And so here's what I want to press out there. 52 00:03:53.692 --> 00:03:54.038 Okay? 53 00:03:54.124 --> 00:04:05.530 This is a wonderful time not only for adults with all that's here, but our students who meet upstairs, our 6th through twelveth graders that meet upstairs, and then our young kids who meet over in building two. 54 00:04:05.600 --> 00:04:10.362 It's a wonderful time for the whole family to go through discipleship and what that means together. 55 00:04:10.496 --> 00:04:22.654 And Dave and I were just commenting on how so many of the studies that we're providing starting on January 14 really fit for facing a new year and all that the new year has in store for us. 56 00:04:22.692 --> 00:04:26.718 So just quick, these are around here in the auditorium as well. 57 00:04:26.804 --> 00:04:29.618 There's a scan where you can scan to register for these. 58 00:04:29.704 --> 00:04:45.974 We've got a class that's going to be led by Nancy, a study that's led by Nancy Yates to talk to the journey of grief, loss, and how to have hope and recovery through that Tim Scholl and Kevin Adams are going to be leading a men's study of disciplines of a godly man. 59 00:04:46.172 --> 00:04:51.930 I'm going to be leading a theological study on the doctrine of Christ, of Christiology. 60 00:04:52.830 --> 00:04:54.982 Jennifer Brewer and Robin fraud. 61 00:04:55.046 --> 00:04:59.334 Definitely one for the first of the year, as you feel the who from Christmas. 62 00:04:59.382 --> 00:04:59.898 All right. 63 00:04:59.984 --> 00:05:03.826 Freedom in your finances and how to maybe approach Christmas 2024. 64 00:05:03.828 --> 00:05:07.440 A little better than Christmas of 23, right? 65 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:08.714 Relentless. 66 00:05:08.762 --> 00:05:11.866 A women's study led by Tricia Allen and Christina Morgan. 67 00:05:11.978 --> 00:05:16.026 And then Mike Vaught is going to be talking about the master plan of evangelism. 68 00:05:16.058 --> 00:05:20.174 So just wonderful opportunities that cover all different areas of growth. 69 00:05:20.222 --> 00:05:23.890 And we want to encourage you to do that and to be a part of that. 70 00:05:23.960 --> 00:05:30.758 You do not have to be a member of our church to partake in these studies, and so we would love to have you for those. 71 00:05:30.844 --> 00:05:40.310 The second thing, so probably the one that I hear the most common from people is, hey, I want to commit, as I start off the new year, of committing to reading my Bible every day. 72 00:05:40.380 --> 00:05:43.706 And so we want to walk alongside of you and encourage you to do that. 73 00:05:43.728 --> 00:05:44.858 And here's how we're going to do that. 74 00:05:44.944 --> 00:05:51.878 Starting next Sunday, I'm going to start a sermon series over the month of January in the book of proverbs. 75 00:05:51.974 --> 00:05:55.646 And I want to challenge you to study through proverbs with me. 76 00:05:55.668 --> 00:05:57.086 So here's how we're going to do this. 77 00:05:57.188 --> 00:05:58.782 On January 1. 78 00:05:58.916 --> 00:06:05.650 We're going to commit to reading proverbs 1, January 2, proverbs two, all the way through January 31. 79 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:06.898 Proverbs 31. 80 00:06:06.984 --> 00:06:18.210 A proverb a day, a chapter a day to dive into God's word, to read the wisdom that God has for us, and then seeing the areas of our lives that we can apply these to. 81 00:06:18.280 --> 00:06:18.514 Right? 82 00:06:18.552 --> 00:06:24.354 So people think that James is the most practical book of the Bible, and I think it is in the New Testament. 83 00:06:24.402 --> 00:06:33.450 But I think what proverbs gives us in the Old Testament these rich nuggets of wisdom that we can build the foundation of our life in Christ on. 84 00:06:33.520 --> 00:06:39.658 And so I want to challenge you not only to be here for Sunday mornings, but to commit to reading through these with me. 85 00:06:39.744 --> 00:06:40.874 And then last. 86 00:06:40.992 --> 00:06:48.458 And what we are starting off today is in prayer, to spend a year of focused, intentional prayer. 87 00:06:48.554 --> 00:06:54.430 We started this last year with doing this gathering together, and God has grown that, and God has built that. 88 00:06:54.500 --> 00:07:07.410 And as I look back over the last year, I think a lot of the things that we were able to go and do is because we decided as a church the foundation for the year that we were going to build on was the foundation of prayer in all that we do. 89 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:08.930 And so we're starting that today. 90 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:10.402 But you've got these prayer cards. 91 00:07:10.466 --> 00:07:12.150 They're on the tables around you. 92 00:07:12.220 --> 00:07:14.598 They're in the rows of chairs that are here. 93 00:07:14.684 --> 00:07:16.214 We've got extras in the back. 94 00:07:16.252 --> 00:07:20.694 And so if you want to take multiple ones with you, I encourage you to do that. 95 00:07:20.732 --> 00:07:22.678 I encourage you to put this in your Bible. 96 00:07:22.774 --> 00:07:27.446 Maybe you have a prayer strategy of what you like to pray about on any given basis. 97 00:07:27.478 --> 00:07:33.450 But I know sometimes if you're like me, God, I want something new, something fresh to pray with, to pray for. 98 00:07:33.520 --> 00:07:35.774 You can pray for all of these things that we're going to cover today. 99 00:07:35.812 --> 00:07:42.970 But if you turn over to the back, there's additional, there's all of our missionaries that we partner with and missional organizations. 100 00:07:43.050 --> 00:07:52.258 There's things of how we can pray for first responders and police officers and firefighters, for our military, for our schools, all the different things that we can pray for. 101 00:07:52.344 --> 00:07:55.446 And so I want to encourage you to do that. 102 00:07:55.548 --> 00:08:08.730 Well, maybe as we get going this morning, I want to speak generationally a little bit back before, there was something called streaming, there was something called the radio. 103 00:08:09.870 --> 00:08:17.290 And I remember as a teenager what I would do every single New Year's Eve. 104 00:08:17.950 --> 00:08:19.610 I would go up into my room. 105 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:27.680 I would have, where my stocking had some things called blank cassette tapes were put in there. 106 00:08:28.290 --> 00:08:38.340 And I would get on my dual deck stereo system in my room on New Year's Eve, and I would turn on the Rick D's weekly top 40. 107 00:08:39.590 --> 00:08:41.090 That's my generation. 108 00:08:41.910 --> 00:08:50.486 Now there's another generation that's here that would remember Casey Caseum before he was shaggy, right in the weekly top 40. 109 00:08:50.668 --> 00:08:53.494 But I had Rick D's in the weekly top 40. 110 00:08:53.692 --> 00:09:02.310 And on New Year's Eve every year, he would go through and go through the top 100 songs of that year. 111 00:09:02.460 --> 00:09:05.574 And I would sit there with all of those blank cassettes. 112 00:09:05.622 --> 00:09:08.314 And if it was a song that I like, I would hit record. 113 00:09:08.432 --> 00:09:11.386 If it was a song that I didn't like, I would just skip it. 114 00:09:11.408 --> 00:09:15.886 And so I would miss, like, the first 3 seconds of every song as I recorded these. 115 00:09:16.068 --> 00:09:34.100 But what was also neat, as he worked through this, he would look back over events that had happened over the course of the last year, and he would speak to things that would have impacted culturally of what had happened during that time. 116 00:09:34.970 --> 00:09:38.200 And I love the song that we began with. 117 00:09:38.810 --> 00:09:49.050 And Joanne, I love how you led into that, because as we look back over the last year, we see grief and loss. 118 00:09:49.790 --> 00:09:51.850 We see freedom and victory. 119 00:09:52.670 --> 00:09:54.810 We see joy and happiness. 120 00:09:55.630 --> 00:09:57.530 We see pain and suffering. 121 00:09:58.270 --> 00:10:04.140 But through it all, we can look and see the hand of God at work. 122 00:10:05.150 --> 00:10:18.594 And so this morning, as we're going to go into our time of prayer, what we're going to do is we're going to just go over the front of this card together, and I'm going to lead us through times where we're going to pray silently right where you're at. 123 00:10:18.792 --> 00:10:21.282 Maybe you want to pray together as a family. 124 00:10:21.416 --> 00:10:23.438 Maybe you want to pray individually. 125 00:10:23.614 --> 00:10:30.710 And then I'm going to close us in each section as we pray through and lead us through each section of how we're going to pray. 126 00:10:31.050 --> 00:10:42.970 But the first thing that we're going to do, regardless of how you felt 2023 was, is we want to begin by offering up this morning a prayer of thanksgiving. 127 00:10:44.030 --> 00:10:56.430 Psalm 171 says, oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 128 00:10:57.650 --> 00:11:08.050 So there's three little prayer prompts here, and so all I ask that you do is bow your heads, close your eyes as we begin in our time in prayer. 129 00:11:08.790 --> 00:11:20.070 And would you begin by thanking the Lord for his love for you, his grace, his mercy, his faithfulness and his salvation? 130 00:11:50.690 --> 00:11:53.040 Thank the Lord for this past year. 131 00:11:54.450 --> 00:12:00.894 Thank him for all of the challenges and all of the blessings that were. 132 00:12:00.932 --> 00:12:05.640 Used to grow you it. 133 00:12:24.990 --> 00:12:26.940 Thank him for this coming year. 134 00:12:30.050 --> 00:12:38.640 Thank him for the opportunities he will provide you to serve him, to worship him, and to grow in a relationship with him. 135 00:12:55.370 --> 00:12:57.014 God, we come to you, thanking you. 136 00:12:57.052 --> 00:13:02.822 Lord, for who you are, Lord, for what you have done this past year. 137 00:13:02.876 --> 00:13:10.950 In our lives, Lord, we've had moments of difficulty and frustration, moments of joy and happiness. 138 00:13:11.110 --> 00:13:17.180 And in every instance, Lord, you are working in them and using those moments to grow us. 139 00:13:17.790 --> 00:13:22.890 We thank you for your unfailing love, for your grace, for your mercy, for your faithfulness. 140 00:13:23.310 --> 00:13:34.400 Lord, we thank you that you save us, you hold us, and that you keep us, Lord, as we look forward to this coming year, Lord, you've called us into the game, onto the battlefield with you. 141 00:13:34.850 --> 00:13:46.280 Lord, we thank you for the opportunities that you're going to provide for us, that you're going to bless us with opportunities to serve you, opportunities to worship you and to grow in a relationship with you. 142 00:13:47.850 --> 00:13:55.574 Lord, may we see in our lives 2024 a new year, a new year. 143 00:13:55.612 --> 00:13:58.650 Of growth, a new year of strength. 144 00:13:58.990 --> 00:14:01.926 In Christ, in Christ alone. 145 00:14:02.118 --> 00:14:04.170 And it's in Jesus name we pray. 146 00:14:04.590 --> 00:14:05.610 Amen. 147 00:14:05.950 --> 00:14:06.890 Amen. 148 00:14:08.190 --> 00:14:09.386 Next we're going to pray for the. 149 00:14:09.408 --> 00:14:10.010 Lost. 150 00:14:11.710 --> 00:14:13.790 It'S not hard to whether it's. 151 00:14:14.850 --> 00:14:22.800 Looking at the news, whether it's going to work, whether it's driving in the chaos that is I 20, I 26, I 77. 152 00:14:24.550 --> 00:14:35.330 To know that the lostness that surrounds us, we all have someone close to us who we know doesn't know the Lord. 153 00:14:36.250 --> 00:14:37.640 In Matthew nine. 154 00:14:39.850 --> 00:14:52.490 Starting in verse 36, it says, when he saw the crowd, this being Jesus, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 155 00:14:53.070 --> 00:15:00.140 Then he said to the disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 156 00:15:00.590 --> 00:15:09.898 Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest. 157 00:15:10.074 --> 00:15:10.894 Here's what you do. 158 00:15:10.932 --> 00:15:20.050 As we go into this time, I want you to begin to think with all of the individuals who you know, who don't know the Lord. 159 00:15:20.950 --> 00:15:23.330 And let's begin this time in prayer. 160 00:15:23.910 --> 00:15:30.870 And pray for those who, of God has placed in your life who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus. 161 00:15:31.370 --> 00:15:33.206 Would you go to the Lord as we pray for them? 162 00:15:33.228 --> 00:15:33.800 Now. 163 00:16:10.630 --> 00:16:13.810 This next part that we're going to pray about, as we pray for the lost. 164 00:16:14.630 --> 00:16:19.560 So I think it's a point for many of us that we need to pray consistently in our lives. 165 00:16:20.890 --> 00:16:28.860 Jesus prayed that they would come to know him by the laborers going out. 166 00:16:29.470 --> 00:16:41.406 And so we're going to ask God to give you and I the opportunity, the words and the boldness to share the gospel, to share about our relationship. 167 00:16:41.508 --> 00:16:44.318 With Jesus, with those who don't know him. 168 00:16:44.484 --> 00:17:31.120 Would you pray that prayer finally, ask God, as you think about those individuals, ask God to provide them an opportunity to hear. 169 00:17:32.050 --> 00:17:41.918 This may come from you, another person, or an invitation to church, but that when the gospel is presented, that they. 170 00:17:41.924 --> 00:17:44.690 Would hear and that they would respond. 171 00:18:04.490 --> 00:18:13.354 I lift up all of those people we've thought about, Lord, I lift up all the people that we haven't even. 172 00:18:13.392 --> 00:18:16.490 Met yet that will cross our path. 173 00:18:17.470 --> 00:18:20.378 Lord, I pray that we would be a bold people of faith in the. 174 00:18:20.384 --> 00:18:23.110 Gospel of Jesus Christ, that we'd be. 175 00:18:23.120 --> 00:18:35.410 Willing to give a reason for the hope that lives in us, that we would share our story, that we would share your story, that we would share the gospel with those who are lost and broken and hurting. 176 00:18:35.910 --> 00:18:40.386 Lord, we pray that they would hear it, and that a spiritual work would. 177 00:18:40.408 --> 00:18:43.186 Begin to happen within them, and that. 178 00:18:43.208 --> 00:18:45.934 They would respond to the free gift. 179 00:18:45.982 --> 00:18:49.198 Of grace that you give and that. 180 00:18:49.224 --> 00:18:50.962 They would come to saving faith. 181 00:18:51.106 --> 00:18:52.280 Jesus Christ. 182 00:18:53.290 --> 00:18:59.500 Lord, I pray for those so many who have professed and who have wandered away. 183 00:19:00.110 --> 00:19:03.740 May they come back to faith in you. 184 00:19:04.750 --> 00:19:14.000 May we be reminders, encouragers for them, holding them accountable while loving them where they are. 185 00:19:15.010 --> 00:19:16.750 It's in Jesus name we pray. 186 00:19:17.330 --> 00:19:18.270 Amen. 187 00:19:21.730 --> 00:19:25.630 Third, we're going to ask to pray for our church. 188 00:19:25.790 --> 00:19:27.330 I love this church. 189 00:19:28.070 --> 00:19:33.460 I love the uniqueness of this body of believers and what God has for us. 190 00:19:33.990 --> 00:19:45.240 And in the plan for the nations of what God did, God decided that he was going to form all these unique individual bodies to carry out the mission of God. 191 00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:54.646 And we want to do this not through our own work, not through our own might, not through our own abilities, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. 192 00:19:54.838 --> 00:19:56.982 Jesus in acts one eight, as he's. 193 00:19:57.046 --> 00:20:04.942 Getting ready to ascend into heaven, he tells the disciples, they know the mission of what they're going to go and do. 194 00:20:04.996 --> 00:20:07.054 And he says, here's how it's going to happen. 195 00:20:07.172 --> 00:20:21.694 And Jesus says, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, into the ends of the earth church. 196 00:20:21.742 --> 00:20:24.914 We're going to focus this year more. 197 00:20:24.952 --> 00:20:26.994 So than we've ever focused at the. 198 00:20:27.032 --> 00:20:33.910 Forefront of our minds that all that we do must be the work of God, powered by the work of the spirit. 199 00:20:34.330 --> 00:20:37.480 If not, it's the work of man, powered by the work of man. 200 00:20:38.490 --> 00:20:40.780 So the first thing is we go to pray together. 201 00:20:41.150 --> 00:20:53.082 Is pray that unified as a church, that we would seek not to work in our own ability, but that we would seek to work by the power of the Holy Spirit. 202 00:20:53.226 --> 00:20:54.206 Would you join me? 203 00:20:54.228 --> 00:21:31.020 As we, we have no desire to simply be a church in a community, but we desire to be a church for our community. 204 00:21:31.950 --> 00:21:34.406 Ask God to allow us to impact. 205 00:21:34.598 --> 00:21:41.230 Those in our own community who are broken, hurt, and need the hope of the gospel. 206 00:22:05.450 --> 00:22:14.360 You ask God that he would give us his wisdom as we plan and prepare for the work he has for us. 207 00:22:30.370 --> 00:22:31.120 God. 208 00:22:33.410 --> 00:22:45.710 As we look forward into this next year, God, I pray in my own life, in the life of our staff and our leadership, in our volunteers. 209 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:48.820 Lord, in all of us in our church family. 210 00:22:49.190 --> 00:22:53.220 Lord, I pray the work that we do would be the work that you have for us. 211 00:22:53.590 --> 00:23:00.306 I pray that we would not work in our own powers and our own abilities, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. 212 00:23:00.498 --> 00:23:05.880 I pray that we would work in our community to reach and to connect and bring hope. 213 00:23:06.490 --> 00:23:10.090 Lord, give us your wisdom, your plan as we prepare. 214 00:23:10.910 --> 00:23:14.380 And Lord, that we would do the work that you have for us. 215 00:23:15.150 --> 00:23:16.646 In your name we pray. 216 00:23:16.838 --> 00:23:17.850 Amen. 217 00:23:19.310 --> 00:23:27.470 Lastly, as we close out our time of prayer together one time of prayer for personal repentance and growth. 218 00:23:29.890 --> 00:23:34.594 Two peter 318 but grow in the. 219 00:23:34.632 --> 00:23:38.740 Grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. 220 00:23:39.590 --> 00:23:42.980 To him be the glory both now. 221 00:23:43.430 --> 00:23:45.490 Into the day of eternity. 222 00:23:47.930 --> 00:23:49.480 We all want to get better. 223 00:23:50.330 --> 00:23:51.798 We all want to be better. 224 00:23:51.964 --> 00:23:57.270 We want to be better tomorrow than we were today, better the day after than we are tomorrow. 225 00:23:59.610 --> 00:24:01.514 And this is done through the work. 226 00:24:01.552 --> 00:24:05.578 Of God begins in repentance and the. 227 00:24:05.584 --> 00:24:07.580 Spiritual growth that God has for us. 228 00:24:08.350 --> 00:24:25.294 So of all the things that we want to see happen in 2024, all the goals that we want to accomplish ask primarily what you would seek is to use for God to use 2024 to grow you in your faith and in your relationship with him. 229 00:24:25.492 --> 00:24:27.230 Would you go to him in prayer? 230 00:24:56.430 --> 00:25:03.886 Ask God to show you the areas of sin in your life so that you may repent of them. 231 00:25:04.068 --> 00:25:24.670 And turn to Christmas. 232 00:25:25.450 --> 00:25:39.202 Dad. 233 00:25:39.266 --> 00:25:44.406 To show you his will and plan for your life and to give you. 234 00:25:44.428 --> 00:25:48.680 The strength to follow him wherever he may lead you. 235 00:26:24.970 --> 00:26:26.920 God, may you open up our eyes. 236 00:26:27.690 --> 00:26:30.220 And our hearts to see the sin that is there. 237 00:26:32.670 --> 00:26:35.754 Lord, may we not embrace it, but. 238 00:26:35.792 --> 00:26:45.200 Would we repent of it, turning to you, seeking you, desiring you, passionately, cling to you. 239 00:26:47.010 --> 00:26:59.730 Lord, as we go through this year, help us not to be complacent to the sin that wants to creep in and destroy us, destroy relationships. 240 00:27:00.470 --> 00:27:04.930 Destroy trust, destroy our joy. 241 00:27:05.850 --> 00:27:14.550 But may we understand, Lord, the joy that comes from brokenness, the joy that comes from repentance, the joy that comes from accountability. 242 00:27:16.890 --> 00:27:27.500 Lord, I pray the same prayer for my life and for everyone in here, that this year, Lord, that we would seek your plan and your will for our lives. 243 00:27:27.950 --> 00:27:32.640 Lord, that may be a change in what we've determined, but it's your plan. 244 00:27:33.490 --> 00:27:38.830 And so may we walk it in faith and trust that you've gone before. 245 00:27:38.900 --> 00:27:42.254 Us and that you know and that. 246 00:27:42.292 --> 00:27:46.340 Whatever lies ahead, we do not face it on our own, but we face it with you. 247 00:27:47.030 --> 00:27:49.166 And so we face it with confidence. 248 00:27:49.358 --> 00:27:53.540 And assurance that our savior is with us. 249 00:27:55.450 --> 00:27:59.160 God, I look forward to this year. 250 00:28:01.130 --> 00:28:18.410 I look forward, Lord, to see all that you're going to do, how you're going to grow us, how you're going to bless us, how you're going to use our sufferings that we encounter to grow us, and for your name and for your glory. 251 00:28:19.150 --> 00:28:25.870 Lord, I pray for all of our missionaries scattered all over the world, both locally and across the ocean. 252 00:28:28.050 --> 00:28:30.590 Lord, I pray for those who are at home sick. 253 00:28:31.970 --> 00:28:35.730 Lord, I pray for those who have lost loved ones and who are grieving. 254 00:28:37.110 --> 00:28:41.970 I pray for those who have uncertainty about their jobs, their marriages. 255 00:28:43.590 --> 00:28:47.670 I pray for those who have children who have wandered. 256 00:28:49.850 --> 00:28:53.334 Lord, may they feel your comfort and. 257 00:28:53.372 --> 00:28:56.550 Your peace in the midst of their storms. 258 00:28:59.630 --> 00:29:03.100 Jesus, thank you for loving us. 259 00:29:04.910 --> 00:29:11.390 Through the power of your spirit, may we seek after you and all that you have for us. 260 00:29:11.540 --> 00:29:13.242 And it's in your name we pray. 261 00:29:13.386 --> 00:29:14.350 Amen. 262 00:29:20.290 --> 00:29:24.794 Thanks again for listening, and be sure to check back next week for another episode. 263 00:29:24.922 --> 00:29:32.570 In the meantime, you can visit us@willowridgechurch.org or by searching for Willowridge Church on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.