WALKING INTO THE NEW YEAR

WITH THE RIGHT DEED – LOVE

INTRODUCTION

As we enter a new year, take a moment to think about your life and your walk with God. What are you carrying into the new year, and what do you need to leave behind? Is it Love?

Definition

Deeds – Actions you choose to do on purpose.

Faith is meant to be lived intentionally.

What is one word that describes how you want to live in 2026?

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…and you are not your own?

What does this teach me:

· That God lives in me

· My choices matter

· And I belong to God

Because God lives in me, I should live like: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

Jesus:

· Died for our sins

· Was buried

· And rose again

· Everything Jesus did was intentional

Why does what Jesus did affect how I live today? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Deeds that honor God

God desires that I:

· Walk in love (Gal. 5:6)

· Walk in obedience (John 14:15)

· Walk in boldness (2 Tim. 1:7)

· Be led by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14)

The area I need to grow in most:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My New Year Commitment

One deed I need to STOP:

One deed I need to START:

One deed I need to STRENGTHEN:

Final Truth

I don’t need a new year to live new.

I need a renewed mind and Spirit-led deeds.

The Nature of Darkness

The Bible identifies darkness in four different ways:

· Darkness is a person. Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 2:2; 6:12), so when the Bible speaks of darkness, it often refers to Satan, his minions, and his kingdom.

· Darkness is a power. Spiritual darkness has a power over non-Christians. It controls their thoughts, words, and actions, and they cannot break that control without Christ (Acts 26:18).

· Darkness is a preference. Ungodly people prefer darkness so they can do whatever they want without being exposed (John 3:19-21).

· Darkness is a place. Those who live in darkness – who practice the unfruitful works of darkness – are headed “into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (8:12).

Fortunately, darkness is a thing of the past for followers of Christ. Our present is in the light, and our future will be as well (5:14; 1 Pet. 2:9). Once believer have been set in this new direction, they should reflect it in their relationships with others, with God, and with themselves – pursuing the good of others (1 Thess. 5:5); seeking a relationship with God that is characterized by honesty, openness, and good deeds (1 Tim. 6:11); and desiring to show integrity in their words and deeds.