Love One Another: Hearing God's Voice for the New Year

Entering a new year, the call is to make space for Jesus’ presence and let His voice reset what has been misdiagnosed by other voices. Jesus promises not to leave His people as orphans but to make His home in them, and love is the doorway to that abiding. The invitation is simple and personal: shut out the noise, draw near, ask questions, and listen. Communion is taken not as a ritual to get right, but as a remembrance that His body and blood have already done the work; worship becomes a conversation where burdens are named and exchanged.

Fasting is framed not as abstaining from food but as a reorientation of attention. It is an active choice to seek God’s heart, to loose bonds of wickedness, to feed the poor, to align with heaven’s priorities, and to tithe the year to Him. The question is not merely what to avoid, but how to engage: Is it meals, media, or the constant scroll that must give way so the soul can hear? Christianity’s distinctive is direct access—knock and He opens—so the fast becomes an intentional pursuit of His nearness and instruction.

A sober warning sounds: the enemy’s voice often masquerades as one’s own thoughts. The story of rebuking a tangible spiritual attack reveals a broader principle—do not negotiate with lies, especially when they present as self-talk (“I can’t,” “I’m just so tired”) that isolates and hardens the heart. Practice hearing God is essential; even on contested issues—global conflicts, political upheavals, the headlines that demand a stance—the invitation is to ask God for His perspective instead of reacting to the world’s framing. Two things can be true at once; God loves you and your enemy. He is not on “our” side or “their” side—He is on His side, and He calls all to it.

The governing principle for the year is Jesus’ “new command”: love one another as He has loved—when it’s hard, when betrayed, without quitting. Love is not passivity; sometimes love steps back and lets consequence teach, but it never disconnects the heart. When His guidance is silent, remain with the last word He gave rather than bow to circumstances. Locally, expect God to highlight hidden foundations and make communities like a guiding star—bright with hope, overhaul, and renewal—as His people invest love in neighbors. Pray as Jesus taught, and live as if what He says truly governs reality.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Abide as His dwelling place. Jesus promises not to leave His people as orphans but to come and make His home in them. Abiding isn’t a mood; it’s a decision to let love govern attention so His presence redefines identity and circumstance. When love is welcomed, fear’s narratives lose their authority and hope becomes practical. The heart that hosts Him becomes the place where guidance, courage, and tenderness emerge. [08:28]
• 2. Fast to engage, not escape. Biblical fasting is less about subtraction and more about holy attention. Withholding meals or media without turning to God only creates emptiness; withholding to meet Him creates space for justice, mercy, and alignment. Ask specifically how He wants you to engage these 21 days, and tithe the year by bringing its first weeks under His voice. The fruit is clarity, courage, and compassion that act. [48:54]
• 3. Discern voices; resist subtle lies. The enemy often speaks in first-person thoughts that sound like exhaustion, self-blame, or quiet resignation. Those whispers isolate, inflame anxiety, and close the heart to love. Expose them by asking, “Does this lead me toward Christlike love?” and by speaking truth in Jesus’ name over places of attack. Discernment is learned in His presence, where accusations are unmasked and authority is restored. [70:52]
• 4. Ask God about complex events. Headlines demand reactive loyalties, but the Spirit invites a third way—His perspective. Seeking God about global conflicts trains the heart to value truth over tribalism and love over being “right.” Often the surface drama hides deeper strings; prayer presses past propaganda to God’s purposes for justice, exposure, and mercy. Let His counsel, not outrage, shape intercession and action. [84:18]
• 5. Love as Jesus has loved. The new standard isn’t “love when it’s easy,” but “love as He loved”—toward enemies, betrayers, and the weary. Love pauses before reacting, asks, “What do You say?” and obeys even when silence means holding the last instruction. Sometimes love steps aside so reality can instruct; it never hardens the heart or abandons hope. Let love be the test of every “word” you follow. [111:32]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [06:08] - Make it about you and Jesus
• [07:10] - Not orphans: His indwelling promise
• [32:03] - Converse with God in worship
• [48:40] - Fasting is engagement with God
• [50:57] - Tithing the year: 21 days
• [51:36] - Find Him, not just skip meals
• [68:18] - Resisting spiritual attack
• [76:37] - Practice hearing God together
• [84:18] - Beyond headlines: seek His view
• [93:05] - God’s plans for our town
• [108:30] - Love as Jesus loved
• [114:02] - Pause before reacting
• [116:10] - When God is silent, stay steady
• [124:32] - Pray as Jesus taught

1. In John 14:18-23, what specific promises does Jesus make (about not leaving as orphans, coming to us, mutual indwelling, revealing Himself)? What responses from us are tied to those promises (love, obedience)?
2. How were we invited to practice communion together, and what was emphasized about who has “done all the work”? [33:13]
3. How was fasting defined for this season, and what practical ways to “engage” were named (tithing the year, seeking God’s heart, justice/mercy, attentive prayer)? [50:57]
4. What actual first‑person phrases were used as examples of how the enemy’s voice can sound like our own thoughts? [01:12:02]

1. If Jesus makes His home with those who love and obey Him (John 14:23), how should that shape a person’s identity and the way they face this year’s decisions and pressures?
2. If fasting is “less about subtraction and more about holy attention,” what does that imply about how someone should choose both what to lay down and what to pick up during a fast? [48:40]
3. If subtle lies often feel like normal self‑talk (“I can’t,” “I’m just so tired,” “I’ll just take care of me”), what tests could someone use to discern whether a thought is leading toward or away from Christlike love? [01:12:24]
4. When headlines demand a quick stance, what would it look like to ask for the Lord’s perspective first, and how might that change both prayer and conversation with others? [01:24:18]

1. Where will you create a quiet “shut out the noise” space this week to be with Jesus, and what will your back‑and‑forth conversation with Him look like (time, place, how you’ll ask and listen)? [32:03]
2. What exactly will you fast these 21 days to give your attention to God—meals, media, the scroll, something else—and what practices will you add in that space (Scripture, intercession, serving, generosity)? Be concrete. [51:36]
3. When you take communion this week (with a friend, family member, or group), what burden will you name before Jesus and exchange for His finished work at the table? [33:13]
4. Identify one repeating “first‑person” thought that tends to isolate you. How will you answer it with truth in Jesus’ name this week, and who will you invite to check in with you about it? [01:10:52]
5. Choose one current event that stirs you up. How will you pause and ask, “Lord, what do You think?” and then pray from His counsel rather than outrage? Name one boundary you’ll set with media to make room for listening. [01:26:14]
6. Who is the hardest person for you to love right now? What is one concrete, non‑dramatic act of love you will choose this week (a pause before reacting, a blessing, a text/call, or a boundary that keeps your heart open)? Also, name one way you can invest love in a neighbor or local need this week. [01:51:32]
7. Where does God seem silent for you? What was the last clear thing He told you, and what is one step you will keep doing in faith this week without bowing to circumstances? [01:56:10]