Preparing for the new year | Pr.Yvonne Chong

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From Isaiah chapter forty three. And I will scheme through

mainly based on this chapter. But I'll bring us back

and forth, all right. I will see how time goes,

and I have until I can't remember eleven fifteen, all right, cool,

I've not been through X many for sometimes so last

year all the time. Because in the live we start

at eleven. So yeah, the timing is different, okay.

Isaiah chapter forty three.

We'll read from from verse eighteen and nineteen first, all right,

and if you're there you can say, oh yeah, yeah,

follow band, and then yeah everyone else there. Yeah, so

you're there already. We shall read this verse together, okay,

and one till entry do not remember the former things,

not consider the things of oh verse nineteen. Behold, I

will do a new thing now it shall spring forth,

shall you not know it? I will even make a

road in the wilderness and reverse in the desert?

Wow? Amen, So you.

Know the verse of these two verses. Here it allows

us to be reminded of God's heart for us, all right,

God's heart for his people and different ones of us

here if you are a follower and a believer of Christ,

he sees us as his own people. And you know,

Verse nineteen says it all forget the former things, all right,

and do not dwell in the past. See what I'm doing,

the new thing that I'm doing, you know, as human beings, right,

it is a very habitual thing for us to ruminate.

And that's the bigger word that people usually use. Psychologists

used as well, to ruminate, But the basic word that

the Bible used is to do well, to think of

it over and over and over again. And what rumination does?

You know? Something can be as small as a mustard seed,

as small as you know, like, hey, God, this is

a slight pain here, and you like thinking and thinking thanking,

you keep ruminating and dirty, and it becomes bigger, right,

and it becomes something that you're like, oh, no, you know,

from master pain or the I a sorry from a pain?

Is it a master pain or a master tire? That

is brain? Or is there a growth there? Is it cancerous?

Or no? Am I at a fourth stage of cancer?

You know, that's how our brain works as human beings.

Uh.

And it tricks us to think, you know, way beyond

what things are supposed to be.

That's what you know, God tells us.

And maybe you know, for us twenty twenty five as

you think bad, as you're done, it's like, oh man,

it's a horrible Yeah, I think twenty twenty sies it

is going to be even worse. Or you know, yeah,

twenty twenty five was really really amazing, and twenty twenty

six it's going to be better. You know.

I like that.

It's faith declaration as well. But you know, God says,

you know, do not just look back at our past,

but look forward and and something which you know, I

want to just encourage us as well. Sometimes we look

back at twenty or twenty five for some you know,

we may not be too happy or too proud of it.

We feel a shame of ourselves, or we feel a

shame and all of the different things that has been happening.

But you know, it's just like encourageous and all God

is here to readeem us, all right, and God will

not just give us a new calendar and every time

we just passed by, every year just passed by, keep

changing a new calendar. Uh now, so it's not so obvious,

but remember, you know, growing up, my grandma, grandpa, my

mom also we have this, okay, my grandma likes to

use the you know every day tear one sheep at

a time one Uh yeah, malayicious.

We call it.

Or my mom likes to use the monthly one. They

call it the horse racing calendar. So that that calendar

it used to come out based on the horse races

in Malaysias or you know, Malaysians can go bad their

money then but that also right, it comes out with

calendar than you know, different homes, usually Chinese homes, I'm

not sure Malay homes or in their normes will have it.

Usually Chinese homes will have that. We got a lot

of businesses. At the end of the year, they actually

give up free calendars.

Uh. So you just take that and hang.

So God does not just give us a new calendar,

but he wants to give us and you'll start as well.

And you know, no one drives a waste like this illustration.

No one drives a car looking backwards. Right, There's no

way you can reach your destination if you keep looking back,

whether you're looking back at the bad or looking back

at the good. There's no way that you know you

can go safely to where you need to be at

all right, So you know I just felt, you know,

even today, God wants to prepare us for a new

work of his in and through our life. I don't

know what that would mean for different ones of us,

but a new work means you know, He's gonna cause

you know, a lot of changes and transformation in our

lives and especially in our hearts. All right, So you

know He will turn every you know, regret you know,

to hope again, every grief you know to rejoicing, and

and every tegnancy you know in twenty twenty five for

you can be your own on life. It could be

your studies, your family, your business and relationships. You know,

God is going to cause a new growth as well. Amen,

all right, So forget the former things, forget the past,

and do not remember it, you know, do not dwell

on it.

Uh you know?

Uh No, I think the only we you know, human beings,

we don't go back to a vomit. Right. I have

I have a pet dog, but sometimes I foster dogs.

Sometimes I help my friends take care of their dogs. So, uh,

as of this weekend, I have four dogs in the house.

I help. So so you know dogs know that the.

Expression I didn't know fully fully understand until the expression

of you know, the dog returning to his own vomit

vomit uh. And and recently my dog had seen some

I guess strike this problem. I believe I didn't bring

her to the vet, but she will warming out her food.

Sometimes they'll eat the wrong thing that they'll vomite it out. Uh.

I remember one morning I was rushing to work. I'm like, okay,

she vomed that. Fine, I gotta leave it there and

come home and clean it up because it's messy and

have no time already. So I went out when not

work and came back and I'm like, hey, where's a

woman totally magically clean up? Then I asked my sister,

do you clean up the warming?

And it's like no.

I realized, okay, my dog could have ate it back.

So I did an assumption that she ate it back,

like all right.

Then uh.

End the night when I was there, she vomited again,

black everything all out. I left it for a while,

so I wanted to see whether my assumption was correct,

so I watched her. Then after that she was feeling

better that she just walked back and everything up. I

was like, oh my goodness, okay, Sophie, you better not

lick my face after this already it's very disgusting. Uh.

And sometimes human beings we do that. We like to

really visit our vomits. I like to consuming, but it's

not nice. But somehow, yeah, naturally we will do that.

But you know what does it mean then? In God's eyes?

You know, when it says forget the former things, do

not do on it. You know what God is saying.

You know, it's not for us to forget the lessons.

You all that God had allowed different situations to happen

in life. You know, thrue every situations we learn, all right,

we learn something aboutselves, we learn about how to handle

things better, but we learn more about God's nature as well.

So it does not mean to forget former things, like okay,

I forget every single lesson, uh, and then I repeat

the same mistake again, you know, TTY six.

No, it's not that God as to forget as well.

It's not to deny every pain that we went through

because through pain we learn, all right.

Uh.

And and you know I think gen I don't know,

I think it's gen z, you know, denying pain in

a gen Z term. They call it the lulu, right, Uh,

de lulu is not the slulu. So delusions it's not

the solution, Okay, being delusional about your situation. It's not

the solution for you to get out of it. And

then you have to face it as well.

All right.

Some people are like, okay, God, since you forget already,

just be really delusional about it, and I just bury

whever that is there under the carpet, and I just

move on in life. You know, there are things that

God allows to happen in our life that we have

to face it. We have to deal deal with it, uh,

and then move on. And when we deal with it,

you know, it's not by our own strength as well. Right,

it's true the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Also, and

forgetting does not mean that memories to be erased. Uh,

you know, I hope let me go back, like yay,

you know, God, it's gonna remove everything just from a memory,

perhaps possible maybe if you're in a cometos condition in

common condition, then you know you don't have any memory.

So well, then you know't you losing your memory?

Which none of us wi't want that, right, Memories are

there as different milestone and checkpoints for us, you know.

As now now I'm yeah, in my forties, as I

look back, and I'm like God, thank God for the

different milestones, good ones, bad ones, But thank God for

it because then you know, I have memories of it.

And when I start telling people about my life, I

have a lot of many things to recall, lessons that

I could learn, all right.

Uh.

And and that is what forgetting the former things in

is uh?

And not to do that in the past. Uh.

And what does that mean, you know, is for us

to release what no longer has authority over us, all right? Uh?

And and to release surrendering to God. And we need

to stop allowing yesterday. Yesterday is to define our tomorrows.

Only what can only define our tomorrows is God, right,

and he is is this word, Okay, And only God

and his word has authority over our life. Because what

has authority over us buys us.

All right.

And I sure none of us will want our pains

to buying us, to our for our regrets to buying us,

our fears to buy us.

Right. We want to be bound by the Lord by

his word. Right.

So I'm gonna move on to the second point. All right,

uh sorry before to move on a second point and

encourage us as we move on to the new year.

Let's not carry it, oh and heavy baggages with us. Okay,

Let's travel light even in this new season. Isaya for

the treat verse nineteen. Let's see here. It's as c

I am doing a new thing. Right, behold, I will

do a new thing. This is the n KJV version.

Now it shall spring forth? Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness and

reverse in the desert. And if you read, you know

the whole of Isai your folly tree. You can see

you know sas says the Lord, And I will not.

I will read from verse one it says, sas says

the Lord. Fear not, I have redeemed you. I've caught

you by your name. You are mine, all right. When

you pass through the waters, I will be with you,

And through the rivers they shall not overflow you. When

you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

or even the flame it shall not Scott shill.

Right.

So God, when he says something, he holds to his word,

all right, And he says, I am doing a new

thing all right. If you see here I am those

of you who are you know, English experts, I am

means I am doing it means it's a present tense.

Okay.

Uh, you know God did not say, you know, maybe

one day I will do something, uh, you know, or

just hope not wait, I may I may do something.

You know. That speaks of uncertainty.

But when God says I Am doing a new thing,

it speaks of a certainty, right of a promise. And

when God's you know, when you read this verse right,

it means God has already begun his new work even

before we noticed it. And sometimes why do we not

notice a new thing that God is doing in our life?

Why because a lot of times we still expect God

to move the same way. Like God, you did it yesterday,

like this, you do it again the same like this

today and tomorrow. Uh.

That's why you know, God had to ask us.

To forget you know, stop comparing, Stop looking backwards while

you drive, Stop comparing. Because every time God wants to

do a new thing in our life, it can be different,

or it could be different, or it could be still

the same. But sometimes you are just so blinded and distracted,

and we thought that you know, God, why are you

so silent? It is because we box him up?

Right?

Okay, God, you just worked within how it's like here

we limit him and and there's no room for forgot

to work if we just put him in a box. Right.

And the next thing, you know, sometimes we have what

makes us miss what God is trying to allow us

to see and experience. The new thing is because you

are just too distracted. Were just to distract. We are

just too busy surviving, going through our daily lives that

we do not spend time to discern what God is doing,

to reflect on what God is doing. And in these

days and society, everything is just quickly available at a

click of a thumb, a point of a finger, even

for you know, with whole AI generation. Now, if you

need information, it just has to give the right problem

and you get the right answer. Everything is very instant

that we don't just pause, discern, reflect, allow our brains

and newer transmitters to create new pathways. All right, Uh,

if you know it doesn't have brain study. The more

wrinkled your brain is the better because the brain keeps

making new pathways and that's where you grow and learn.

But if you goes s get your brain. One day

you say it's very smooth, It's actually not good. Okay,

all right, so allowed you know ourselves to keep learning,

to observe and learn. You know, I've been in in

one social setting with us, so I don't hang out

with campus students quite a bit.

Uh, And and I remember.

We were having like just caxual conversation like how things

are and what you know. I can't remember what were

the questions, okay, but I just remember I asked a question.

Then uh, it was just awkward silence on the table.

Then like I saw like different ones, I pick up

their phone. I'm like, a y, I so so boring

or conversation hang out? Then I just picked next door.

Then they actually took out their chat gibt and key

in what I asked and try to get a prom

Then the person reply me based on what the chachibut.

Because after that, I'm like, yeah, chat gibt, right, try

to find out how to answer me. Right, I'm like, hello,

this is a casual conversation and it's very very concerning

it in a social setting. And you you know, I

did tell them, like you can't even have a proper

conversation and engagement with everyone.

Uh, and you need chat gipty to help you. It

is I don't know. I don't know what word to

put to that.

But I hope, I hope let me come to God

as all Ah and and the reading of his word

is not that the waiting on him is not you know,

pulling out your chat gipty and ask, okay, what does

Isaiah for the eighth for the tree verse eighteen? Men?

You can get an answer right within a minute. Uh,

And okay, God, I'm done listening to you. I know

what this wors mean by bye.

Uh. And then you move on with your quiet time. Uh.

It can get to that, It can get to that.

But spending time and we know that our relationship.

We've got right.

Uh, it's a two way relationship. Because God is a

life and living he can speak to us, not to

chat gipt, but to his word. Right. And I want

to encourage us, you know, to continue to discern.

And something we do.

I think how many of you are at our Christmas

production on the twenty fifth, and I think a few

times there were instances they talk about revel right the daughter,

you know, I was talking about revel with the dad

and if rebel was brought up, our students are continuously

taught how to pray, listen to the voice of the

Holy Spirit, and obeying his voice as well. Many times

as believers, right, we forget that to leave out the

word of God. We forget lot to be obedient to

what God wants to do wants us to do. All right,

So I want to ask you know, us here today,

what has God been stirring in your heart for in

twenty twenty five that you know that He has been stirring,

but he has just been putting it aside under the carpet.

Something that he wants you to do, something you've been

seeking him. You know, sometimes it's funny, you know, as

human beings to ask God, you know, what should I do?

What jos should I take? You know, what's the next step? Uh?

And a lot of times it started asking because after

that you're like, huh, I think we start making our

own plans. We start planning our own paths, right uh.

And the world, God says, the man may plan, but

it is God that directs our path. And a lot

of times we just stop at the planning and there's

no room Forgot to direct us. So my.

You know, encouragement for us, you know, to stay back. God.

What have you been stirring my heart that I've put aside?

You know?

God, I am sorry. I repent.

There were different instances I was like that as any

twenty five I repent, But God in twenty twenty six

helped me to obey your voice. Help me to obey

your word of what you want to do in and

through my life.

All right.

So first point is the let go of the past.

That's from verse eighteen. Second point is to discern the

new thing that God is already at work in our life.

So this part is where you have to ask God

what was the new thing that You're doing in my life?

And allow him to speak to you. Cha jipt cannot

answer you, okay, so sorry about that. But yes you

can play pay your premium plan. I don't know what

other different plans in j but you can pray like

super expensive. It can't answer you as well. Come back

to the word of God, all right, And now the

third point is aligning ourselves with God's purpose Joshua chapter three,

verse five. Let's turn to that and we will read

it together. Okay, if you're there, good, Thank you. God,

so good to hear your voice. All right, so let's

read it in one two and she and Josha said

to the people, sanctify yourselves for tomorrow. The Lord will

do wonders among you. All right, sanctify yourself. Another version

will say, consecrete yourself for tomorrow, God will do amazing

things among you.

Amen. Amen. So before the issue lights right cross over

the Promised Land. If you read in the.

Chapters before this as well and after as well, you'll

see they actually didn't really have.

A strategy. Firs h.

If you look at numbers, right, there were a lot

some to others. When we read numbers, you may see like, hey,

you know there's a share a lot a lot of rituals.

Uh they did uh?

And and they the rituals to us, you know, like okay,

you know they have to slaughter, how many lamps sacrifice?

How many bulls build the tabernacle? Where does they have

to face the size of the tabernacles? Which tried is

you know, it's part of the different taberneckles. If you

read that right, that actually just didn't tell us like okay,

everything is just so administrative, so logistics, uh so methodological,

but it is not if you read in between the lines,

it is a form of them consecrating themselves. You know,

before they enter the Promised Land. They did not just

you know, enter with Okay, strategy is what do we

need to do? But as time goes, God let them

what they need to do. And they consecrated themselves, all right,

So to set that, uh, to align themselves. They set

themselves apart. What does consecration means? Okay, to set a

set aside themselves, set apart themselves for God. They realign

the priorities and then you know, they they just have

to say, God, you are first. You know how many

of us are you know, are able to do that?

This year?

Maybe you know, like I say, business took over. Ah,

But I want to encourage us as we prepare for

the new year. Let's be intentional and tell God, Okay, God,

I want to set myself apart for you and you

can actually you know it does It's not limited only

alright to the young people here. But I don't know,

encourage us, you know for every single age group here,

you know, lest down, like God, what the areas that

I want to set apart for you that is fully yours? Uh?

And and set myself apart from the world worldly things, okay.

And as you do that, you know, ask God, Okay,

what are the areas?

Okay? God, you want to challenge me to do it?

Uh?

Second is realign priorities? Ah? All right?

Uh? And and and also, you know, preparing this message,

I was just asking myself, God, have I placed you

first in my life this year? Or the eye place

my comfort above you?

Uh?

The air place you know, my other concerts above you,

that plays my job above you, the air place my

family above you? Priorities? And what are the priorities that

we have to realign? And you know, the ability to

say God, you are first in my life.

It's really difficult to do that. It's really really difficult because.

You know, you know it's going to be out to

be slightly painful and say God, you are first. Uh?

And everything else is secondary? Okay?

And and what the areas you know that we can

actually say, you know, God, you are first in my life.

It can be our time, it can be our habit

of fine lenses, our relationships, our obedience. Uh.

And you know, maybe.

God is challenging us to consecrate ourselves in this area

so that a breakthrough can happen, right, different most of

us desire a breakthrough in our lives. And as Christians,

I always or as followers of Jesus, right, I always

encourage different ones. We should have fresh testimonies to share

every day. It will be the best if not at

this weekly, if not monthly, but if the you know,

if you're asked, okay, you know, share with us a

testing on what God has done your life. And you

can only think back like five years ago and five

years ago, then perhaps you know all we should ask

God again, God, help me to have a breakthrough, because

with every breakthrough there is going to be a fresh testimony, right,

So around encourage us to reflect on that. And I'm

going to move to the fourth point, and I hope

to finish early today so you can have your you

know here and maccans together with different ones, all right, Okay,

the fourth point is stepping forward in faith, all right?

As you can see here Joshua chapter three, verse thirteen,

is it Joshua tree thirteen, Yes, it says yer. And

it shall come to pass as soon as the source

of the feet of the priests who bears the art

of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth shall

rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters

of the Jordans shall be cut off, the waters that

come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.

All right, So what does this mean? The waters parted

after the priests stepped into the river. God often waits

for us to take that step of faith. We may

have all the fears and concerns, we may have all

the positive and doing inverted common, you know, because a

lot that's a lot of positive thinking now, but that's

not faith, right, God often waighs for us to take

that step of faith, like the priests, you know, they

took that step of faith to stand the river.

That's where it parted.

You know.

Stepping forward in faith will cause.

Us to unlock even a new way and a breakthrough

that God wants to do in our life. And so

I said that God often waits for us to take

a step of faith. He also waits for us for

the act of obedience. All right, we've got to take that.

Faith requires obedience as well. And then the act of

surrendering all right and saying yes, God, here am I

send me? You know, that's always like that sounds or

here might use me, you know, for the coming year.

You know, I believe you know, some doors may open

for us as we start moving. Only, all right, as

we take that stepe of faith as to act out

of obedience, and as we surrender and say yes to God,

that door will open and and miracles can happen also.

In our lives. All right.

For some of us, you are thinking, okay, what faith is? Okay,

faith is not knowing everything, but trusting God enough to

move anyway, and trusting God even though that you can't

see him, but his promises are real. Uh, And trusting

that you know, God is a God who fulfills his promise.

Okay.

So I'm going to close with this now, and I'm

gonna invite extreme forward the church. Uh. You know, friends

and family, brothers and sisters. What are the areas in

our life in the past that we have to release

and what are the areas that we need to allow

ourselves to recognize that God is doing a new work.

What are the areas in our life that we have

to actually consecrate ourselves to set apart so that God

can be first in our lives? And what is that

step of faith that you have to take to grow

all right, So this year is going to be amazing. Sorry,

twenty twenty six is going to be an amazing year

for each and every one of us, and I believe

He is going to cause us to grow to know

Him more. Yep, and different ones as well. I believe

if you have been waiting on God for an answer,

waiting on God for a breakthrough, he is gonna cause

that will happen.

But it requires us to say that step of faith. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you, God, bless