Intentional 21 Devotional: Day 6 - Pastor Erick Aguilar

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength 

Nehemiah 8:10 NLT 

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” 

Have you lived through enough New Years to know that making actual, lasting changes is quite difficult? Maybe you’ve tried and failed over a long enough span of time to where all the New Year’s enthusiasm has run out. No? Never? Just me? …Okay. I’m starting to realize “New Years” ages just about as well as birthdays do. Early on in life you’d wake up excited for mom’s special birthday breakfast and you’d jump ecstatically thinking about how you’ll celebrate with your loved ones. Fast forward twenty years and that picture looks a bit different. Some of us only remember it’s our birthday when an old high school friend writes a very thoughtful and profound “HBD” on our Facebook wall. Something once so full of expectation and excitement and hope has now become mundane and uninspired. Perhaps you find yourself wondering if you even have the will to try this year. You’re looking at the past year, and the years before that, and you notice that the plans you hoped and prayed for back then have not yet come to fruition. Here’s the thing about delayed results: it becomes increasingly harder to believe change is coming when there is a mountain of failed attempts between you and your breakthrough. It’s the difference between me attempting a second three pointer after I missed the first one, versus summoning the confidence to try again after I’ve missed fifteen in a row. It’s a dumb and simple analogy I know, but the idea translates very well. You need something to change, and it needs to change sooner rather than later. 

This is where God comes in my friend. We have been extended an invitation to rest in Him, abide in Him, and place our hope in Him. In the wake of a new year, don’t let a pessimistic perspective ring louder than the optimism our Lord desires to fill you with! It’s as true right this second as it's ever been, the Lord’s plans for your life are GOOD. 

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT 

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

Step into this new year, whether it’s your 20th or 50th, with the correct frame of mind! A beautiful red carpet has been rolled out before you, inviting you into a God-dependent lifestyle. Lifestyle as in the way you live daily, and God-dependent as in you no longer have to search elsewhere for peace, hope, or strength— it’s all found in Jesus! Friend, I urge you, do not succumb to the lies of the enemy. Remember the word the Lord has been speaking over our entire church family over the last couple months— ABUNDANTLY. Say it with me, ABUNDANTLY. 

John 10:10 NKJV 

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

To conclude, I’d like to reference the very first verse I included in this devotional, the one found in the book of Nehemiah. In this part of scripture, you find a newly settled-in people of Israel stepping into a brand new season. Through hard-work, faith in God, and the leadership the Lord graced Nehemiah with, Jerusalem's walls have been rebuilt! Hooray! Then, in chapter eight, you find Ezra reading the Law of Moses (given to Israel by God himself), and droves of people overcome with emotion crying at the words they are hearing only for Nehemiah to speak up and challenge their perspective. He reminds them that God’s words shouldn’t invoke fear or sadness, rather hope and joy and strength. It's a powerful reminder for the Israelites: God’s plan for them isn’t disheartening, it’s life-giving! They then shift from mourning into joy, from crying into feasts of celebration. Friends, that is my prayer for each and every one of you. Allow the Lord to renew your strength today, to refine your mind this year, and to launch you into a season of celebration. 

Engagement: 

Take some time right now to think about an unanswered prayer you might have and bring it to the Lord. Don’t bring it to Him with a “how dare you not take care of this yet” kind of heart posture. Instead, submit it unto the Lord, and ask Him for renewed strength despite any unfulfilled prayers. Allow God to work in your life and truly be your source of hope, joy, and strength this year! 

Love you all, Erick!