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A Fresh Start in 2024

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January 01, 2024 | NATIONAL Pastor Fernando Villicana, Correspondent

I love the new year holiday. Like the other holidays it causes us to focus on the theme of the holiday. In this case - it’s a brand new year. If you had 2023 to live over again, would you do anything differently? Why would any of us like to re-do something we did this year? Maybe because we all make mistakes and things don’t always go our way. Sometimes you give life your best shot and you still come up short. Sometimes you do your very best in raising your children and they still make those bad decisions. Sometimes you work really hard on making a strong marriage and it just doesn't make any progress; it's going nowhere. We all make mistakes.  We all experience setbacks. You're going to have problems. You're going to make decisions that make things a little worse. But the good news is:  As we begin this New Year – 2024 – We can all get a fresh start. We call them new years resolutions. A chance to shore up our weaknesses and make new healthy commitments. A better future.


The Bible says that God is very interested in your future.  


Isaiah 43:18,19 “The Lord says, `Forget about what has happened before.  Do not think about the past. Instead, look at the new things I'm going to do.'"  


Forget about what's happened before, don’t dwell on the past. It's over. The book's closed on it.  Truth be told, God is far more interested in your future than He is in your past.  God says: “…look at the new things I’m going to do.” Some of you think God is fixated on your past.  We think that all He wants to do is remind you of the things you've done wrong in life. Not so! God is anxious to forgive you of past sins. He isn't interested in your past, He's interested in your future. That's where you're going to spend the rest of your life.  He says, “forget about what’s happened before..” Don't let anything that went wrong in 2023 mess up your 2024.  Instead, look at the “new thing” God’s going to do.


Happy NEW Year


Pastor Fernando Villicana


Fire Service Chaplain

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Pastor Fernando VillicanaCorrespondent

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