A lot of folks get a little melancholy around Christmas time. Thinking about Christmas’ past makes them get a little whimsical. Nothing wrong with this as long as you don’t stay in that place.

Christmas always reminds me that a new year is coming. It is a fresh opportunity to start new… to get a fresh word from heaven… to get new revelation and relevant marching orders for the new year. I don’t want to be stuck in Christmas past. I want to live in Christmas present with hope in Christmas future.

Don’t get me wrong… I believe we should learn from the past. But when you hear believers constantly chirping about the past…”what God did” or “how the Lord used to move” …. It is easy to get stuck worshiping, talking, and focusing upon what God did yesteryear. We must remind ourselves that our God is the great “I Am“!

• I don’t want to only read about Noah, I want to be Noah in my generation.
• I don’t want to only study about Abraham, I want to be a “Father of Faith” to my generation.
• I don’t want to simply admire Kind David, I want to be a “Warrior of Worship” to my generation.
• I don’t want to just marvel the prophet Elijah, I want to walk in that same power in my generation.

When we get stuck in the past, we only examine “What God did.” We lose focus on “what God is doing right now.” I love hearing stories about evangelists, pastors, missionaries, and saints of old. They inspire me. But, what about today…isn’t God doing anything fresh and relevant now?

Yes! He is for those willing to get their head and spirit out of Christmas past. The hardcore faith of Noah, Abraham, and others is still available to each and every believer willing to seek the Lord for a fresh revelation. Stop saying, “I wish I had so-and-so’s faith.” Allow the Lord to speak into your “now”. The Lord will speak and move if you are looking for Him in your present.

All this reminds me of the young nun who was on a much desired mission assignment to the Apache Indians. She was so excited that she drove past the last gas station without noticing she needed gas. She ran out of gas just a mile down the road and had to walk back to the station. The attendant told her he would like to help her, but he had no container to hold the gasoline.

Sympathetic to her plight, he agreed to search through an old shed in the back for something that might suffice. The only container which would hold fuel was an old bedpan. Not to be detained any longer, the grateful nun told him the bedpan would work just fine. She carried the gasoline back to her car, taking care not to drop an ounce. When she got to her car, she carefully poured the contents of the bedpan into the tank.

A truck driver pulled alongside and noticed the care given as the nun was emptying the container into the tank. He rolled down his window and yelled to her, “I wish I had your faith, Sister!”

See, you don’t need someone else’s faith. I believe the Lord has a fresh word for you today. This word will change your life and those around you. Maybe you will be the one we all will be telling stories about next Christmas. Lets all strive to be “children of the burning heart.”

Blessings,

Pastor