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Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

David Wright

Keys for an Exceptional New Year

Believe it or not, 2012 is almost history.

However, it's not all over quite the way that the Mayan calendar watchers predicted.

Yes, 2012 was the year that $4.2 billion was spent re-electing our president.

It was this year that we watched the Summer Olympics in London, as Usain Bolt became the first man to secure gold in the Olympic 100 and 200 sprint double in consecutive games, both last time and this time.

We watched as Michael Phelps added 6 more medals to his collection of now 22 Olympic medals from 3 different Olympics.

This year, Felix Baumgardner set the record for the highest skydive at 24 miles up, as well as being the first to break the sound barrier, reaching speeds of 834 miles an hour.

It was this year that the space shuttle retired, and as the Endeavor squeezed through the streets in LA, we watched, some of us.

It was also the year that the Mars rover successfully landed.

It's also the year that Neil Armstrong passed away along with Andy Griffith and Norman Schwarzkopf among others.

It was this past year that a Wisconsin TV anchor fought back against criticism for her weight.

2012 has been the year of the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini.

It's the 100 year anniversary of the Titanic sinking as well as Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane in diameter on record.

It was the year that 28 lost their lives in Newtown, Connecticut.

So how has this year been for you and your family?

What challenges has the Lord brought you through?

As we go online and see the news, everybody has their recap of the year.

Have you sat down in your devotional time early in the morning and said, this is what has taken place this past year and remembered how good God is?

But as we look back, of course, we look forward as well.

What will 2013 hold for us, or our nation, our families?

What will God do in 2013 in our church, in each of our lives?

1 year from today, how will things be different for you?

You ever find yourself asking those questions, wondering about the unknown?

Well, this Sabbath, I want to give cause for thought as we look forward to this new year.

I want to give you 5 keys to unlocking, if you will, the new year.

5 keys that by the grace of God can literally change your physical life, but your spiritual perspective as well.

And I believe that if you use these 5 keys, you will find that your life and spiritual experience will be greatly transformed and enhanced.

And if you use these 5 keys you will literally make 2013 an exceptional year.

But really I believe these 5 are foundational.

And you may come up with 1 or 2 more beyond this and that's fine.

Each of the 5 will have a text that goes along with it.

It will be simple to write down, but I would challenge you this week to spend some time going over these 5, thoughtfully and prayerfully, going over these texts.

But the core of it all, I believe, is the text that Cameron read for us this morning, our springboard text, really.

Matthew 6, 33, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

That should be at the core, to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

That should be at the core to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Because I want this morning's sermon to be very practical to your daily life.

So let's jump in and get started with the first key.

When life comes down on us, There's family problems, financial problems, interpersonal problems, job problems, emotional problems.

What do you do with all this stuff of life when it comes crashing on you?

Studies tell us 1 of the greatest reasons people get involved in destructive behaviors is because they don't properly deal with the stuff of life.

They have insecurities or problems internally, and because they don't know how to deal with these things, they turn to vices.

Drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, even just peripheral, unguided watching of television or DVD because the pressure has gotten to them and they don't know how to deal with the stress.

So they just put things out of their mind by 1 of these ways.

The text that goes with this key is Ephesians.

I'd invite you to open your Bibles with me to Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians chapter 6, and this is part of the whole armor of God, but 1 that we don't typically bring out.

I'll be reading from the New King James Version.

Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18, Paul encourages us, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance, supplication and supplication for all the saints.

Now if you look at the original, there's no period.

He's going all the way through the armor of God, and he continues on with prayer.

So I think we can say that prayer is certainly part of the armor.

You may be thinking, well, what's new about prayer?

There's nothing new about prayer, but it is if you're not using it.

Let me ask you, is prayer central and significant in your life?

Or do you only pray in church and certain situations?

Because if you are only praying in church, you're not experiencing the power of prayer.

I don't believe Paul here is talking about an occasional prayer, but a life of prayer where you literally love to talk to God and you really believe your prayers go beyond the ceiling.

It's a connection, a cord between you and heaven.

It connects you with the powers of the universe.

And when White says it's the air to the life of the Christian, think about that.

If you can answer yes to those questions, yes, I do enjoy prayer, yes, I'm involved in prayer, I do pray on a regular basis when I rise up, as I drive to work, when I go to bed at night, then you're doing well with this key.

But if you cannot say that, If honestly in your heart, you know that you do not have a vibrant prayer life, then that is a key you need for 2013.

Because if I gave you the other things on the list without first dealing with prayer, you wouldn't have the power to implement it.

Some of the heavy things I'm gonna tell you, you've gotta pray.

It's the opening of the heart to God as to a friend.

And at the core, prayer is giving permission to allow God to come into your heart and your life and to do what He wants to do with you.

He needs your permission and without that permission the devil can accuse Him of forcing you to follow Him.

And if we go back here to Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 There are 7 points that the text outlines for us on how to pray.

Or your version might say, on all occasions.

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Keys for an Exceptional New Year

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