#18 - New Cheer, Who Dis?
Happy New Year with New Cheer, Friends!!!
Welcome to 2026!!!
It’s an honor and a pleasure to exist at the same time with you and my hopes and prayers for this year can be found in Isaiah 11:2 and Galatians 5:22-23:
May we have The Spirit of The Lord, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, (Strength), Knowledge, and the Fear of the Lord upon us. May we bear the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control with authentic hearts for The Lord.
Each year my home church does a New Year service where a special piece of paper is placed on our seats and we can write down a word for the year that is divinely given to us to focus on and to be a consistent reminder throughout the year. Sometimes these words don’t come right away and we have to pray about them like, “Lord, please give me a word to be mindful of this year so I can know how to serve you better and love others more.” Last year, my word was perspective and it really was an eye opener for me. Once I got the word “perspective” from Holy Spirit last year, I can attest that nearly every situation I was in…I RECEIVED different perspectives…it truly has been a gift. I received perspectives that were not my own, perspectives I didn’t agree with, and even perspectives I didn’t particularly WANT to see….but I got so much out of having that word that I was able to give grace more than I did the year before and the year before that and so on. God’s love for us is so beautiful and his ways are remarkable which is why I try to give you perspective on this blog…God is very real and He loves us in unparalleled ways…and He never leaves us. This year I wasn’t able to make it to church for our New Year “Word of the Year” service and I didn’t get cool slip to write it down on so I am writing it here: “Intentional”. This was actually MGST’s word last year and I swear the first time he said it I heard Holy Spirit say, “Get ready to lean into that word.” And here I am: Intentional - on purpose, deliberate, planned, intended, done by intention or design. I am going to elaborate on this a bit further, I believe to be intentional your whole mind, heart, soul and spirit need to relentlessly be in it. So the tradition for the God given New Year Word has been fruitful for me and for Abba’s kingdom.
There is another tradition that we recognize around this time of year. Now is the time some of us make “New Year Resolutions” with renewed cheer, hopes, prayers, anticipation, and devotion. I have had many years in my life (when I wasn’t doing my best to live a biblical lifestyle) where I jumped on the bandwagon of New Year beginnings where I made New Years resolutions…and to be quite honest…I don’t remember a single one of them being successful…let alone what they were in the first place-LOL! The time and season came to make the resolutions and they disappeared into thin air like The Spirit of The Lord carrying Philip away in Acts 8:39. All jokes aside…falling off from our New Year resolution plans happens to many of us frequently; it’s even culturally joked about (I literally the displays at Meijer filled with sweets around Christmas and now they’re filled with protein supplements as of the New Year-that is not a coincidence as weight loss is a frequent New Year resolution.) We fall of our own plans because it is easy to get distracted, we lose consistency, we lack dedication, maybe we don’t take them seriously. Truth of it all is…we can make all the plans we want…but it is not our plans that matter…it is GOD’S plans that matter. Am I saying we shouldn’t make New Year resolutions? If you are CALLED to do it, be OBEDIENT…but God loves you regardless if you make New Year resolutions or not. I really love God’s Truth because I can always lean on it for understanding and to get to know Him more. I haven’t read much of New Living Translation of The Bible but I adore that version of Ephesians 2:1, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Yes friends, the words “ANEW IN CHRIST JESUS” and “PLANNED” really hit home with this message (which I have a whole side story about this blog at the end). We are already created new because we are God’s children with His only son Jesus in our hearts! Each day is also new with YHWH inscribed into the very breath draw in and out of our lungs…this means each day should be another chance to deep dive into your faith by getting to know Abba by reading His Truth, by walking closer with Jesus, and to be in continuous awe of Holy Spirit…and loving others more…all of that…despite if it is in “your plans”. Your faithfulness matters. Your prayers matter. Your cries matter. Your walk matters. The way you extraordinarily love…matters. So what about your plans versus God’s plans then? Do we matter if our plans don’t matter? I believe God wants what we want for us…most of the time.
Allow me get humorously relatable for a moment before I dive back in…
Ladies I know you’re going to feel me on this…sometimes…we don’t know where we want to go out to eat or what we want to wear! Dudes…sometimes you don’t know what video game you want to focus on and this is now why we have ADHD games like Fortnite blazing the charts for top video games. LOL! Relax, I am not knocking on Fortnite, I get down on it wearing my sparkly gold Converse shoes from time to time when I have my buff meat shield with me that owns the rounds we enter into (thanks MGST for carrying us to victory LOL). But think about it…from this “OG” gamer’s perspective…it IS a form of ADHD gaming; you go in with no gear…you leave with no gear…you don’t truly build for longevity in that particular game…and the rounds are typically forgotten by day’s end (or should be-it is just a game afterall)-ADHD gaming where…more “SQUIRREL!” and longevity is not focused on (hmm sounds like New Years resolutions). Another brief example of confusion is with children we experience: Child: “I want the red pop rocks!” 2 seconds later, “No I want the blue pop rocks!” Annnd before we know it…*insert Two Hours Later | SpongeBob Time Card #38* and they still don’t know which pop rocks they want!!!
Those instances above aren’t the particular confusion I am about to dive into, but if I wanted to dissect the ways they could be…grounds for deeper confusion…I easily could because if the patterns consistently grew it could look like Ladies: with Vanity, Dudes: Video Game Addiction, Kids: Letting kids take “2 hours” to decide on pop rocks: Enabling. They’re all forms of distraction or control which IMO would be derivatives within Confusion-Stage 1 & Chaos-Stage 2.. Those examples above aren’t particularly the dive I am going on today; instead I’ll be going into “stages” and focusing on plans.
We don’t always know what we want (we are God’s CHILDREN) and that is why we need God’s mercy, grace, love, and direction…without that relationship at the helm of our lives…it opens us up for the enemy to attack. A couple of the ways the enemy tries to attack in early stages is through chaos and confusion. Think of these “stages” as medical diagnosis and note that the enemy doesn’t care about fighting fair and nor does he attack in a linear fashion. When your plans deviate from God’s plans for you…we also open ourselves up to an enemy attack because it begins with Confusion-Stage 1; one example of this is: “God, I know better than you.” Which is a blatant lie the enemy tries to convince us “feels right”. If you’re not Holy Spirit guided…you’re not doing it right; God is good and God is love…not confusion…not chaos. The mindset of confusion is a doorway to walk into a deeper enemy attack called Chaos-Stage 2. I believe chaos is a visible or physical form/repercussion of confusion; one example of this could be: hoarding-trying to gain control but chaos ensues regardless because there’s a deeper issue. Add those stages to John 10:10 when the enemy’s plans of attack are splayed out, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”. So if the enemy’s attacks were staged like a medical diagnosis, I see them like this:
Stage 1: Confusion
Stage 2: Chaos
Stage 3: Theft
Stage 4: Destroy
Stage 5: Kill
I’ve been working hard this week at the clinic this week - LOL!
Do patients always get news in the beginning that they start with Stage 1 of a diagnosis? No. Sometimes patients get, “You have Stage 3-insert a random diagnosis here.” The enemy’s attacks don’t always begin at Stage 1 and go chronologically to Stage 5. I believe confusion and chaos are just early stages of attacks from the enemy…and not the kind of confusion where you can’t decide what you want to eat for dinner either. Think about drug use for instance: imagine a non-biblical community party where cocaine use is occurring and a person attending this party who has never used cocaine before experiences internal conflict in a moment of peer pressure (the enemy attacking through confusion). The party goer who has never done cocaine before makes the choice to do a line of cocaine they’re offered on a whim. There are several outcomes to making that choice to do that line of cocaine for the party goer; one consequence could be death (Kill-Stage 5) because…perhaps it was laced with fentanyl. Stage 1 straight to Stage 5. As opposed to our first time party goer, some other people have routine daily drug use that doesn’t kill them immediately, however Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 were breached…but the person is actively in Stage 4 because it is currently destroying their body and they don’t even realize it because it’s “normal” and “routine”. And some people stay that way their whole lives…some people change when Jesus is accepted into their hearts and they stop using drugs. Drug use is only one of many sins we as humans struggle with and sin in itself is gambling game we will always lose if we lean into it because the enemy’s attacks are very real. I am not using any of these elements of sin as a forms of judgment but rather scenarios to elaborate the “stages” of enemy attacks that could ensue from the choices we make and how when we lean into our own plans instead of putting God’s plans first…it will open us up for enemy attacks. The various combinations of stages are circumstantially vast and we have all been in stages of the enemy’s attacks because we all struggle with sin and I believe if we aren’t giving our struggles to God and actively leaning into our walks…it leaves the battleground open to make poor choices and for the enemy to attack harder. Here’s the amazing news friends…we were given hope; we literally just celebrated the birth of Our Savior Jesus a couple weeks ago and because of Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection…we are able to have a direct relationship with God. That relationship with God is important to rebuke enemy attacks because when we lean into that relationship, we are guided in love, we are prompted to live in purity, and we are called to share the grace we were given…which means what we say…and what we do are equal; they don’t deviate because God doesn’t deviate…our choices are “holy” set apart (What if that party goer in the example above didn’t give into confusion or peer pressure to do that line of cocaine and walked out with their heart still beating? They’d live another day to have the opportunity to accept Jesus into their hearts.). WE ALSO MUST HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD because we need God’s mercy AND grace for guidance and to help His plans advance for His kingdom and for the fullness of our lives!!!
I purposefully put “...” at the end of John 10:10 above because there is a whole other part to it and a SEMICOLON is placed there! Anyone remember the mental semicolon movement around 2013-ish about how “your story isn’t over”? (Parenthesis Rabbit Hole: I love semicolons secondary to ellipses LOL!) It’s kind of like that! The story isn’t over in John 10:10’s message but there is a pivotal pause to be noted because the truth prevails: “; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” God’s plan for us is to have LIFE IN FULLNESS!!! If it’s not GOOD it’s NOT GOD because in 1 John 4:8 God’s truth says, “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”. To know love is to have a relationship with God and to trust in HIS PLANS FOR US; PLANS FOR A LIFE TO THE FULLEST!!! So how do we do this? Like a bad infomercial…but wait…there’s more!
Before the “how” I want to make an obvious, common sense, and scientifically evident statement (think of gravity, motion, domino effect):
There are always consequences for the choices we make; we were given free will after all. I know the word “consequence” is typically a negative word for many people but I am going to Merriam Webster for a deeper perspective to alleviate negative stigmas with this: Consequence: “Something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions.”. First of all, I find it no coincidence that the word “condition” is in that definition as well as the fact I am relating stages of enemy attacks to medical diagnoses. Second, the definition ANYWHERE does NOT say “something negative produced by…”. Hold onto this truth…Consequences can be positive OR negative because it is an outcome…a motion…a cause. What we do with our free will changes everything for us ecosystemically (body, mind, soul, spirit)…and even more so for God…and the relationship we willingly choose to have with Him (or for some deny to have with Him). Ultimately, the condition of our spirits is vital to God’s heart for us and His plan for so it should be a priority to maintain a healthy relationship with him and to make healthy choices that honor Him; He has done so much for us…you’re living here and now so rejoice in Him!!! We are set apart for a reason and I can reiterate God’s truth in Ephesians 2:1-“For we are God’s masterpiece…”!!! You are created rare, unique, and extraordinary…all things that emphasize “set apart”. My new favorite quote (thank you to my future sister in law for wearing this hoodie that said the following quote at Christmas) “Kingdom Over Culture”!!! We know we are to be set apart because we are created set apart masterpieces…we are not copies or clones!!! I also believe that all of God’s children have an extraordinary form of ministry based on their God given gifts to contribute to or help provide. Lean into that, friends; listen to Holy Spirit on what God wants for you, the fullness of your life, and His kingdom…you cannot go wrong with His plans!!! And please know that whatever your resolutions and plans are…I pray that you are cheerful knowing God’s plan for you and don’t let the enemy attack or distract you from GOD’S PLAN for you and your life!!!
The mini story I mentioned above is interesting. I was distracted and attacked before writing this very blog! I just had to get a new phone which made me super sad; my daughter and I got them together (a cute memory I have held) when she was in high school 6 years ago and I wanted to hold onto it as long as I could for sentimental reasons. My old phone started acting funky (not holding charge, slow, not updating, etc. - you know the drill) so I knew it was time to get a new one. All of my notes (plans) for this blog were on my old phone which I didn’t have access to when I began writing all of this. I had planned for WEEKS on this particular blog…here’s the kicker…only the first two paragraphs of this entire blog were my planning…the rest came to me as I felt defeated in front of this word document and Holy Spirit took me over (I am literally tearing up as I write this). Friends, I know this all may sound insignificant but the reality of my situation is as follows: my phone with my plans went down, I couldn’t contact anyone temporarily which was frustrating, I couldn’t log onto my work stuff because I had no authenticator on my phone to make it happen, I broke my left big toe on New Years Eve when I first got home from work as I went upstairs to change out of my scrubs (Parenthesis Rabbit Hole: I didn’t lift my foot high enough and my foot rammed into a hefty stick built step. AND I have seen open heart surgeries and autopsies…I handle personal pain well…but if it involves a hand or foot injury…I GET FREAKED OUT. I don’t deal well with seeing hand or foot injuries or related surgeries so dealing with a broken big toe that adds to throwing my balance off is personally awful for me! I didn’t even know the body could have so many "magnificent" colors of blues, blacks, and purples! LOL!), and I had a 24 hour tummy flu bug. It was rather an unpleasant week…because none of that was in my plans. I got to look back over my notes that I had prepared for weeks for this blog…and none of it compares to what Holy Spirit provided in this (it certainly wasn’t going to be this long either-I love the “consequences” of faithfulness and obedience to Abba because I do it without expecting and I am learning to “cry out” to Him.). Again, here come the tears of gratitude as I write. Thank you God, thank you family, thank you friends, for your continued grace, understanding, and love during difficult times.
I have two songs for you this week that are dear to my heart as they were brought to my ears as I praise and worship when I drive on my way to work:
Growing Pains (Official Audio) - ELEVATION RHYTHM & Mitch Wong
Mitch Wong - SEVEN SPIRITS (Official Audio)
I am inspired to do a series on “Seven Spirits” and to dive into those elements and how the stages of enemy attacks can affect them. Stay tuned because God is ALREADY blazing 2026 up with revival!!! Keep the cheer friends, God loves you and so do I.
For God’s plans and health free willed choices I am…
#Satisfied.
