Embracing God's Blessings and Faith in 2025

Summary

As we stand on the threshold of a new year, I am reminded of the battles and victories of the past. Last year, I faced a significant spiritual attack that kept me from joining the New Year's Eve service. It was a time of intense struggle, but through it, I learned the power of God's deliverance and the importance of standing firm in faith. This year, as we enter 2025, I am filled with hope and trust in God's promises. We are called to build our lives on the firm foundation of God's love, as stated in Psalm 11: "If the foundations are broken, what will the righteous do?"

Reflecting on the story of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, we see a man who, despite his challenging family history and the negative connotations of his name, chose to call upon God for blessing. Jabez's prayer was not just a request for material prosperity but a plea for God's presence, protection, and guidance. He understood that God's blessings are often conditional, requiring our obedience and faithfulness. As we move into this new year, we are encouraged to seek God's blessings with a heart of obedience, recognizing that true prosperity comes from aligning our lives with His will.

In 2025, let us pray for God's blessings in every area of our lives—our families, our finances, and our spiritual growth. Let us be like Jabez, who, despite the odds, sought God's favor and was granted his request. As we embark on this journey, may we be reminded that God's blessings are not always what we expect, but they are always good. Let us look for His hand in every situation, trusting that He is working all things for our good.

Key Takeaways:

- Spiritual Warfare and Victory: Last year's spiritual battle taught me the importance of standing firm in faith and trusting God's deliverance. As we enter 2025, let us remember that God is our firm foundation, and He will see us through any challenges we face. [49:33]

- The Conditional Nature of God's Blessings: God's blessings often require our obedience and faithfulness. Like Jabez, we must be willing to align our lives with God's will to experience His favor. This year, let us commit to walking in obedience and seeking His guidance. [56:03]

- The Power of Prayer: Jabez's prayer for blessing, protection, and guidance reminds us of the power of prayer. As we pray for God's blessings in 2025, let us do so with faith, believing that He hears and answers our prayers. [01:07:03]

- Redefining Blessings: God's blessings may not always look like what we expect, but they are always good. Let us seek His hand in every situation, trusting that He is working all things for our good, even when they don't seem like blessings at first. [01:17:31]

- Faith and Expectation: As we pray for God's blessings in 2025, let us do so with expectation and faith. Like Jabez, we must believe that God can and will bless us, and we must be willing to walk in His ways to receive His favor. [01:41:00]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:02:00] - Reflecting on Last Year's Battle
[00:05:00] - The Power of God's Deliverance
[00:10:00] - Building on a Firm Foundation
[00:15:00] - The Story of Jabez
[00:20:00] - Understanding God's Conditional Blessings
[00:25:00] - The Prayer of Jabez
[00:30:00] - Seeking God's Presence and Protection
[00:35:00] - Redefining What Blessings Look Like
[00:40:00] - Faith and Expectation in 2025
[00:45:00] - Praying for Our Families and Finances
[00:50:00] - Trusting God's Plan for the New Year
[00:55:00] - Communion and Anointing
[01:00:00] - Closing Prayer and Blessing
[01:05:00] - Dismissal and New Year Wishes

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Psalm 11:3
2. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
3. Romans 8:28

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Observation Questions:

1. What was the significant spiritual battle the pastor faced last year, and how did it impact his faith journey? [49:33]

2. How does the story of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 illustrate the concept of seeking God's blessings despite challenging circumstances?

3. What does Psalm 11:3 suggest about the importance of a firm foundation in faith?

4. How does the pastor describe the nature of God's blessings and the conditions attached to them? [56:03]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the pastor's experience of spiritual warfare and victory relate to the broader theme of standing firm in faith? [49:33]

2. How does Jabez's prayer reflect a deeper understanding of God's blessings beyond material prosperity?

3. What does the pastor mean when he says that God's blessings are not always what we expect, but they are always good? [01:17:31]

4. How can the concept of aligning our lives with God's will, as seen in Jabez's story, be applied to our own spiritual journeys?

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you faced a spiritual battle. How did you stand firm in faith, and what was the outcome? [49:33]

2. Jabez prayed for God's presence, protection, and guidance. What specific area of your life do you need to seek God's guidance in this year?

3. The pastor mentioned that God's blessings often require obedience and faithfulness. What steps can you take to align your life more closely with God's will? [56:03]

4. How can you redefine your understanding of blessings to recognize God's hand in unexpected situations? [01:17:31]

5. As we enter 2025, what are some specific prayers you have for your family, finances, and spiritual growth?

6. The pastor emphasized the power of prayer. How can you incorporate more intentional prayer into your daily routine this year? [01:07:03]

7. Think of a challenging situation you are currently facing. How can you trust that God is working all things for your good, as stated in Romans 8:28?

Devotional

Day 1: Standing Firm in Faith
In the face of spiritual warfare, it is crucial to stand firm in faith and trust in God's deliverance. Reflecting on past battles, one can see how God has been a steadfast foundation, guiding through challenges and leading to victory. As we enter 2025, this unwavering faith becomes even more essential. By anchoring ourselves in God's promises, we can navigate any trials that come our way, knowing that He is our refuge and strength. This year, let us remember that God is our firm foundation, and He will see us through any challenges we face. [49:33]

Psalm 62:6-8 (ESV): "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."

Reflection: What specific challenge are you facing right now that requires you to stand firm in faith? How can you actively trust God to be your refuge and strength in this situation today?

Day 2: Aligning with God's Will
God's blessings often come with the condition of our obedience and faithfulness. The story of Jabez illustrates the importance of aligning our lives with God's will to experience His favor. Jabez, despite his challenging circumstances, sought God's blessing with a heart of obedience. This year, we are encouraged to commit to walking in obedience and seeking His guidance, understanding that true prosperity comes from living in accordance with His will. [56:03]

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (ESV): "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you feel God is calling you to greater obedience? What steps can you take today to align more closely with His will?

Day 3: The Transformative Power of Prayer
Prayer is a powerful tool for seeking God's blessing, protection, and guidance. Jabez's prayer serves as a reminder of the transformative power of prayer when approached with faith. As we pray for God's blessings in 2025, we are encouraged to do so with the belief that He hears and answers our prayers. This year, let us approach God with confidence, knowing that our prayers can lead to profound changes in our lives. [01:07:03]

James 5:16 (ESV): "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Reflection: What specific area of your life do you need to bring before God in prayer today? How can you cultivate a more consistent and faith-filled prayer life?

Day 4: Embracing Unexpected Blessings
God's blessings may not always align with our expectations, but they are always good. As we seek His hand in every situation, we are reminded that He is working all things for our good, even when they don't seem like blessings at first. This perspective encourages us to trust in God's plan and embrace the unexpected ways He chooses to bless us. [01:17:31]

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: Can you think of a time when something you initially saw as a setback turned out to be a blessing? How can you apply this perspective to current challenges in your life?

Day 5: Expectant Faith in God's Promises
As we pray for God's blessings in 2025, we are called to do so with expectation and faith. Like Jabez, we must believe that God can and will bless us, and we must be willing to walk in His ways to receive His favor. This year, let us approach God with a heart full of expectation, trusting in His promises and being open to the ways He chooses to fulfill them. [01:41:00]

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV): "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

Reflection: What promise from God are you holding onto with expectant faith this year? How can you actively demonstrate your trust in His promise through your actions today?

Quotes

"you may have your seats you know today is december 31st right and we're getting into january 1st and i remember last year the reason why i wasn't in church last year that was one probably one of the first new year's eve service i've missed in a long long long long time a very long time years years scores of years and and the reason why i couldn't come to church last week last last year is because i was battling for my life and i was struggling with my life and i was struggling with the enemy amen and i'll tell you something that happened today i didn't tell us this pastor bonnie this but you know what i went home today i said i'm going to take a rest i'm going to take a sleep but i started to feel some of the symptoms that i was feeling last year you didn't know that right i didn't tell you that i started to feel some of the symptoms i came home and i walked home and i and my feet started to feel slightly numb my like i started to feel a little bit numb my throat i started to cough a little bit and i said i'm saying what is this i'm saying myself this is not going to happen tonight i remember last year when i i couldn't come to church i was getting dressed to get get ready to come to service that night and i had my sermon all prepared and ready to preach on that night and i didn't come to church this sunday morning i said i'm going to rest during the day and i'm going to make it for uh new year's eve service and i got up i took a shower and i sat down at the table and i said let me just sit down for a little while and i just couldn't get up i just could not get up from the the table and i started to drift and i said you know what i really can't make it tonight so i asked her to go on and of course some of you were here last year you know how service went how everything played out that night but while i was home i was on the sofa and i was actually battling with the enemy i was battling with the enemy i started to see floating all around in the house all around me i said these demonic faces started to float all around starting to float around and i realized that this was a very a spiritual attack that was coming upon me at that time now for weeks i've been feeling this way and i've been having these issues in fact from december 28th after when the allergies kicked in at that time it started happening and the rash had come out over my body i have a picture of it and uh i'm not going to show it to you but all over my body i was just rash like i had chicken pox something like that that came out my head was scratching itching i thought i couldn't i couldn't get rid of the cold all of these things were happening on that night and i saw all these faces floating around the room and i started to repeat it one two three after" [00:14:44] (146 seconds)

"trust and our faith in god as we go into 2025 this year we want to just go with hope and trust in god and our savior let us pray gracious and eternal father we give you thanks and praise this evening we thank you for your goodness we thank you for your love we thank you for bringing us through to 2025 oh god just a few short minutes away from the new year oh god when you brought us this far god we know that you will take us all away you who have begun a good work will complete it until the day of jesus christ so god we thank you for that and i thank you for all that we received this past year oh god the healings the blessings the financial provisions that you've made for us we want to give you thanks and praise oh god as we close this year we want to go out in the high note of praise we want to go out thanking you god for your goodness to say that we would have lost hope had we not believed that we would see the goodness of god in the land of the living so we thank you father and we give you praise let's give god a praise offering this evening you hallelujah come on just lift your hands and all over this place just give him praise give him honor today hallelujah god deserves our praises he deserves our worship he deserves all that we can give to him oh god the little that we could offer him today he deserves it today let's bow before him and give him praise today hallelujah lord thank you jesus thank you god father we give you thanks and praise oh god and lord we lift up those who are with us here those who are online as well we lift them up before you oh god father we speak healing we speak the name of jesus we send your name oh god we declare your word oh god to your people oh god father in the name of jesus that healings will come salvation will come blessings will come in jesus name so we thank you father and we bless your name and all god's people say amen praise god you may have your seats at this time amen we will we have a couple of things to do tonight before we go home before we send you home and it's probably going to take us into the new year and we are going to have communion afterwards and we have some anointing while here we'd like to pray with everybody and bless you because the the reason for tonight's service and tonight's sermon is oh that you will bless me how many of you want to say god bless me this year in 2025 amen can we just lift our hand and say oh that you will bless me bless me indeed we want god to bless us amen in in fact on sunday i spoke on on the subject the lord wants to bless you but there's something that we need to understand is if god wants to bless us we must want to receive the blessing we must want to receive the blessing i don't know how many of you with your children or your grandchildren you bought something for them for christmas and they looked at it and they just threw it aside maybe they played with the box whatever it is whatever it is and but they didn't appreciate the gift that you you gave to them or maybe you were given a gift and you didn't really appreciate that gift maybe it was something that you didn't want maybe somebody just went to the 99 cent store and picked up something for you and you didn't you just tossed it aside right you see the the there's a there's an intent in the giving we give a gift and we hope that people will receive it but on the other side of it there is the reception of that gift and we must have the heart to receive that gift now you could smile and say oh i love this i've always wanted something from the 99 cent store just to make people feel good that's all right too amen but at the end of the day you must want to receive something so if god wants to" [00:55:00] (0 seconds)

"give you something to receive his blessings but here's the thing in between that in between god wanting to bless and we us receiving the blessings of god there are certain things that god requires how many of you understand that god's blessings are not unconditional they're always conditional god blesses you conditionally in other words he says that there are certain things that we need to do and it's not necessarily transactional right god is not necessarily a transactional god but there are things that god has established that he wants to do and he wants to do and he wants to do in his word for us so that the blessings will flow for example in malachi chapter 3 he says bring the tithes and offerings into the stars so that i will open the windows of heaven and pour the blessing onto you in deuteronomy chapter 20 he said these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you are diligent to obey the commandments so don't think that we're just gonna get the blessings of god simply you see he has blessed us with enough things without without us having to do anything for it we got rain tonight how many of you think the rain is a blessing i think rain is a blessing maybe maybe when it falls when you have to go out you probably would say you know what i'd rather the rain not fall now but you know at the end of the day intrinsically rain is a blessing you don't have to do anything for that right a few months ago i remember we had a drought here in new york city and the mayor was saying that you should be careful how you use water because we had a drought but the drought is over because god sends the rain right so that is a blessing that you have without having to do anything for it you don't have to do anything for it you anything for it how many of you breathe God's fresh air right that's a blessing that you receive you don't have to do anything for that you woke up this morning you didn't have to do anything for that so there's some blessing that God gives you he makes it to rain upon the rich and the poor it says right righteous and unrighteous so there's something that God blesses us just for so but then there's some things that we we see that we must go a step further and he wants us to do something in order to open the windows of heaven so the blessings can come so today we're looking at we're saying that oh that you will bless me God I want you to bless me God I'm standing here today I want you to just pour showers of blessing upon my life before my family in my situation whatever I do as I go into 2025 I want to go and I want to walk in the blessing and the fullness of God I proposed to you today that many Christian people and many people call themselves believers are not really walking in the blessings of God we say we are Christian" [00:59:32] (151 seconds)

"Bruce Wilkinson he released his international bestseller the prayer of Jabez how many of you read that book prayer of Jabez it was a huge hit 2000 -2000 and people were buying that it was flying off the shelf people just buying that book and according to the description on Amazon it says Dr. Bruce Wilkinson president of walk through the Bible ministries takes readers the first chronicles 410 to discover how they can release God's miraculous power and experience of blessings of God the blessings God longs to give to each of us the life of Jabez one of the Bible's most overlooked heroes of faith burst from unbroken pages of genealogies in an audacious four -part prayer that brings him on an extraordinary measure of divine favor anointing and protection readers who commit to offering the same prayer on a regular basis will find themselves extravagantly blessed by God and agents of his miraculous power in everyday life according to Wilkinson if someone commits to praying that prayer that particular prayer from 1st Chronicles chapter 4 verse 10 which we can read in a short while he said that he or she will receive the blessings they're seeking and I have a feeling that one of the reason why this book was selling so popularly in flying off the shelves is because people are looking for shortcuts everybody wants shortcuts we want a mantra that says everything is going to happen in our lives we're not willing to make a sacrifice we're not willing to be obedient we're not willing to do what commands us to do, but we want to get something that we can quote over and over again and we can find it coming. There's a term that we hear the young people, the millennial use, it's called manifesting. Have any of you ever heard about that? I'm not sure exactly what manifesting is all about, but it's this idea of just believing that something is gonna happen good to you and it's gonna happen. You know, we want these mantras, we want these shortcuts, we want these things that happen, you know, we want to say something, we want to say a certain verse of Scripture over and over and over again and hope that something is gonna happen in our lives, Amen? We want it almost, we use Scripture as if it's an implantation." [01:02:20] (131 seconds)

"We want to say this over and over again, hoping that something is gonna happen in our life, but we're not willing to be obedient to God. We're not willing to walk in his footsteps. We're not willing to study the Word of God, but we want all the blessings of God that follow us. Well, it doesn't work that way. How many of you understand that? It doesn't work that way. We can pray the prayer, but we must also walk the walk as well. It is important for us to do that and as we look at this, we must recognize that the key reason to seeking the blessings of God and getting the blessings of God in your life is obedience to his will. There are no shortcuts again. We must understand that God wants us. He wants to bless us more than anything else. He's a good, good father. How many of you know that he's a good father? Jesus said, when you pray, pray like this, our father who art in heaven. In other words, understand and acknowledge the fatherhood of God." [01:05:19] (49 seconds)

"Paul tells us because God has spent his spirit in our hearts, we cry, Abba, father. We cry out to him because he's our dad. And which father here today, Jesus even said it, he said, which of you, he said, you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more the father in heaven wants to bless us. So God wants to bless us more than anything else. But I remember saying this sometime earlier this year, that God wants to capture your heart. And if he captures your heart, everything else is going to fall in line. If he captures your heart, everything else is going to fall in line. gives your heart. That's why the first commandment, the very first commandment, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. If God gets your heart, He will be able to work in your life in a way that you have never seen before. That's all God wants. He wants to get our heart. But you see, the thing is, we are so caught up with everything else that God takes second place in our lives, but we still want the blessings. We still want the benefit. We still want everything that God has for us, even though we are not willing to pay the price. So it's time for us to change that. And I'm hoping that through this series of the Lord bless you series that we're going to do in January, especially as we read through Pastor Terry's book, as we go through some of the concepts, as we go back to the Word, and as we walk in His way as well, we will really see the divine blessings of God flowing in our lives as well. So let's look at a text. It's taken from 1 Chronicles chapter 4. It's 9 to 10. And I'm pretty sure that some of you noticed, and you've read this before, and you've read it many times, and you must have read the book as well. But it says, now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers." [01:07:01] (102 seconds)

"And his mother called his name, saying, because I bore him in pain. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand will be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain. So God granted him what he requested. So God granted him what he requested." [01:07:03] (28 seconds)

"So first of all, let's look at this man, Jabez. Let's find out what we can tell about this man. Now, the book of Chronicles, as you know, and from chapter 1 all the way to chapter 9, and then a little bit further on, we see it goes through a list of names. And it's telling us some of these names all the way from Adam down to King Saul. It's telling us about their families, and it's giving a list of names. It's like, you know, somebody's writing a book, and all they're writing is all their family name. This one was the aunt, and uncle, grandpa." [01:07:30] (26 seconds)

"you know child grandchild and so on and go and that's what we're seeing in the book of chronicles but suddenly in first chronicles chapter 4 verse 9 and 10 we see the author does a double take and he stops because he wants us to know a little bit more about this man whose name is Jabez and he gives us a little bit more information about this man who is called Jabez and first of all we see that he's from the tribe of Judah because first chronicles chapter 4 tells us at the beginning it's about the family of Judah we know and we understand that Judah was the line from where Jesus is going to come it's a messianic line but we recognize that the family of Judah there was some messed up people as well you'll see later on in the passage but Jesus was from that tribe so Jabez came from a good genealogy as a matter of fact he comes from good stock essentially he comes from a good place he comes from a good family that God will eventually bless and Jesus will come from that but the bible also tells us here in the passage that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers and secondly it tells us that his mother named him Jabez because I bore him in pain well I would like to think that many of you women who have had children here today and you've gone to a difficult child but you will understand what Jabez's mother was thinking at that time she had gone through maybe a very difficult pregnancy I would like to think and because of the pain and the suffering now we understand through the curse that was placed upon women in the book of Genesis we know that pain is a natural child of childbirth but I would imagine that Jabez's mother went through a little bit more than the normal pain that somebody would go through and because she went through the pain that she had to go through she named her son Jabez or Jabez or Jabez which means I bore him in pain his name itself means pain as a matter of fact going a little bit further his name means that I that you will be you will give pain to others you'll bring grief and sorrow to others as well but then the third thing that we learn about Jabez is that the Jabez called upon the God of Israel and he said oh that you would bless me oh that you would bless me you know it's an unfortunate fact of life now sometimes our family histories can be messed up I don't know how many of you have come from a really great family good family or how many of you have come from families that were a little bit messed up you know I'm pretty sure that many of us could identify with the idea of coming out of a family that has some issues you take shake the family tree and you know you don't know what's going to fall out right so so we understand that and sometimes because of our family tree we might be designed for some things that people will tell us that because your father was an alcoholic you're going to become an alcoholic too because there was abuse in your family you're going to become an abuser and we see these things and the psychologists and the psychologists will put those things upon us but it's worse when your parents put something on you when your father your mother look at you and say you will never amount to anything you're a good for nothing you look at you you're the black sheep of the family it's a bad thing when your parents are doing that to you and we see unfortunately and unwittingly Jabez's mother is essentially putting a curse on a son names are important in the Bible and names were given for a purpose very often the meaning of a name speaks into somebody's life I always like to think that your name whatever your name today we don't pay much attention to that but I think there's some value in the naming of our children as well we must give our children good names amen names that mean something and if you look at your name and you look at the history of your name and you look at the meaning of your name and you realize that it's bad or it's kind of crazy or it's weird or messed up maybe you should want to change that name it's okay to do that how many of you know you can change your name if you don't like it you can change your name some people say well that's the name I have but you know if you have a negative connotation your name you want to change that because names are important I'll tell you this right now names are important but Jabez was named Jabez with a negative connotation his mother named him Jabez because she said I bore him in pain and I'm putting this on him I'm giving him this name and and there's the sense that this name that has is going to cause him to be someone who will make others suffer as well. He will cause pain to them. But the scripture also tells us that Jabez was more honorable. Somebody say honorable." [01:07:50] (0 seconds)

"Was more honorable than his brothers. So there's something about Jabez that sets him apart from his brothers. There's something that makes him different from the others. It's kind of like Joseph with his brothers. There was something that set Joseph apart from his brothers, right? He had a dream one night and he had ambition and he wanted to become something in life. And he told his family about the dream that he was going to have. And the scripture says God was with him. So I believe that Joseph in a sense was kind of set apart from his brothers because God had designed him to be something better than he was. You see God wanted him to eventually come and bless his family in the years to come. So God was with Joseph. So we recognize that sometimes even though we might be the black sheep of the family, even though we may be given a name that is not an honorable name, we can still be honorable. Bible says that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. A little bit later on you'll find out why he was more honorable than his brothers. But the word that is used for honor or honorable in this passage is the word kabod. It's a Hebrew word and has a good and bad connotation. You see the difference is in how it's used. In other words, the context." [01:12:36] (76 seconds)

" bad. For example, when we read in Genesis chapter 13 verse 2, it says Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. The word kabad is used. So we look at the context of that verse and we see that Abraham was an honorable man in that sense. But we also see in Genesis 18 verse 20 it says, and the Lord said because of the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous. So the same word is used kabad, but we realize the context is different. Now we can see, so when we look at the context you realize whether the word is used in a good context or a bad context. When we look at this passage, first Chronicles chapter 4 verses 9 and 10, we can see the word kabad being used in a positive context. In other words, Jabez, even though he was a black sheep of the family, even though he had come with a name that had some negative connotation, he was a good sheep. And he was a good sheep. So when we look at the context, we it says he was more honorable than his brothers. But it's not about his status over his brothers, but I believe the author is writing the result of Jabez's prayer, as we'll see in a short while." [01:13:54] (75 seconds)

"So what made Jabez more honorable than his brothers? Was it his faith? Was it his relationship with God? Was it his willingness to call upon the God of Israel? And I think it's all of those. I think it's because of his faith. I think it's because he had a relationship with God. I think it was because of his willingness to call upon the God of Israel." [01:15:32] (23 seconds)

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