Narrow Gate of 2023 by Mayada Naami
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)
Every new year we make resolutions to break free from old habits that do not serve us well. For many, the start of a new calendar year promotes a “can do” feeling of optimism. We look back on our prior year and reflect on what changes we can make in the upcoming year that will improve our lives. Some try to exercise more, lose weight, quit smoking, or simply get organized. Typically. by mid-February, New Year’s resolutions become faint memories as we continue to live our day-to-day lives. We fall into old habits and year-after-year fail to achieve our goals because we forget, get distracted, or just give up out of frustration. Let’s put an end to a tiresome tradition and find a new way. Follow only Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—and you will achieve things that you thought were impossible.
“Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
(John 10:7-9, NIV)
After I posted last week’s blog, I asked friends if they were a believer or a follower. Some confessed they were believers, but find it difficult to give up worldly things to follow Jesus. They were attached to people and things that they knew were not of God. They could not break free from old habits in their own strength. The only “way” to break free from any stronghold is making a commitment not to be of this world, and instead choose the narrow gate no matter how tough and lonely it seems at first.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
(Matthew 7:13-14, NIV)
In Matthew 7, the Bible tells us to enter through the narrow gate and choose the narrow road which leads to life. Scripture tells us that only a few find it. In our fallen world, many of us choose the wider, easier road which often leads to destruction. Fasting and praying is the best way to start the year. Ask for strength and wisdom for all areas of your life. Surround yourself with friends and family that will encourage you when you are faced with difficult choices. Do not dwell on the past, focus on the promise that He makes all things new. Give thanks for all the blessings in your life and praise Him for all the blessings that are yet to come. Leave the regrets and difficult situations behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. In 2023, commit to spending more time with the Lord. Ask Him to lead you through the narrow gate and to empower you to live your life as He intended.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
(Isaiah 43: 18-19, NIV)