LISTEN TO EP.64

Realize True Transformation Through Reflection And Resolutions That Last

Do you make New Year’s resolutions that stick? Co-hosts, Dave and Scott, reflect on the previous year and discuss the hope and possibilities for the new one ahead. They challenge us to speak words that bring encouragement, comfort, and blessing. To find and nurture the best in others, even as we show gratitude for the people who have influenced our lives. Be reminded that everything we do has a ripple effect that touches the lives of others, and has the power to move them closer to Jesus.

We are at the beginning of a brand New Year filled with the promise and the potential. There’s something about this time of year when the calendar turns over and there’s a blank page. It’s a time that people make resolutions, whether they keep them or not. It’s an exciting time it’s filled with new potential and we’re together, Dave Donaldson, and I saying Happy New Year blessing you really praying that it is gonna be an awesome year in our nation and in your personal life. And Dave, Happy New Year,
Happy New Year. And what a joy it’s been, Scott to really partner with you for the influencers podcasts. I couldn’t be more blessed to be able to do this with Mr. Inspiration himself.

Well, that is because you inspire me. This is like a, I don’t hate to say it, but a mutual admiration society, because what has happened in your life in this last year, 2021 has been miraculous. And as, as we’re on the cusp of a beginning, a brand new year, just what kind of things do you think people should be focusing on as we turn the page from 2021 into 2022?

Looking Forward Instead of Back: Bringing the Change

Yeah, I think of it as a car where we have a windshield and then a rear view mirror. And that rear view mirror is to look back on this year with gratitude, for all that God has blessed us with, his protection, his provision, things that he has taught us. but as we look forward, we can’t dwell too much on the past. And that’s why the windshield, you know, is much bigger. Yeah. And, there’s so much to see. I think of my grandmother, as I mentioned on a previous show during the, this time of, of the year, cuz she was such an inspiration to my brothers and sisters, especially after, our father and mother were in that terrible accident. You know, our dad was killed mother survived, but was, pretty much debilitated most of our life. But my grandmothers, just one of the most positive people I ever met.

I remember when we had to take her to a nursing home because we longer could care for her. And I wheeled her into the, the dining hall and, and I looked around and people were really, it seemed depressed. They weren’t talking to each other. they weren’t happy. And she looked up at, at me and she said, honey, I got my work out for me here. and I remember visiting like a month later and I could hear all this noise and chatter coming from the same dining hall. And I walk in and it looked like a teenage slumber party. I mean, they were ing, having fun, talking with each other and it showed me that one person can make a difference if they will focus not on what is, but what can be so good. And so as we peer into this new year, let’s go on a daily treasure hunt and find the best in people affirm that and nurture that up. And let’s be generous.

Expecting the Best

You know, Scott, one of the times I spoke at your great church. I’ll never forget this couple. that came up to me afterwards and they handed me a check to give to convoy of hope. And they said that was gonna go to pay for an attorney. They were gonna get a divorce. Do you remember
That? Yeah, I know that guys. Great.
And instead of they said, we realize it’s it’s about, it’s been about us. Yeah. And now really, as a declaration, we want it to be about God and about serving others. And I believe many that are listening and watching right now that today can be a day of declaration. It’s not about us, us because we know if God can get it through us, he’ll give it to us. And you know, I, I remember talking with one very successful business leader and he started being more and more generous and he said, I made a decision. “I didn’t want to be the richest person in the cemetery”. I wanted to make my life count. And we just need really, as we look out on this this year, to use, what God has invested in us to move people closer to Jesus each and every day and to meet practical needs.

So I think that you, you inherited that gene from your grandmother because you are a constant optimist. You are a visionary, it’s led you into some exciting organizations. And I think people feel that when, when they’re around you and that’s what we would like our friends that are listening to kind of catch when you listen to someone to catch their spirit, to catch your spirit. So as they look into this year, they are filled with that godly optimism or really hope. I, I just think people need more hope in their lives that that always having a positive expectation hope have on only a positive expectation. And I think you got that from your grandmother. I think she passed that on to you, bro.

Well, we are grateful, for the people that have influenced her lives. but you know, many of us, will have watched it’s a wonderful life. You know, what a great, great film. And one of the lines in that film, Scott that always moves me is when, George and the angel they’re sitting together. And the angel says to George each person’s life touch as so many others. If they are not around or involved, they leave a hole. And I would just say to the people listening, watching you have so much to offer people need you, your community needs you. Your church needs you, your coworkers need you. As long as you’re breathing, you can help others, you know, enjoy, this great gift of life.

Playing our Part

Yeah. Every life is a ripple. If you look at a, a pebble dropped in the middle of a calm stream, it’s sending out vibration. Um, I think everyone is communicating whether they’re saying something out of mouth or doing something with their hand there’s non-verbal communication, everyone that’s listening is sending out some kind of vibration and the good, the pure and the positive as we move into this new year has to be better than this last chair, many, trials oppositions valleys in 2021, we’re ready for something as we move into a new year. And, um, let’s just decide together that we’re gonna say words that are gonna encourage comfort. Bless we’re going to, um, do actions with our hands. And even in our non verbal communication, I, I love Psalm 100 and we thought about it as we go into this holiday season and we moved from, Thanksgiving into Christmas and now into new year Psalm 100.

And someone has said, if you wanna lead a hundred percent life read Psalm 100, it just says, enter in, enter in. And this is a season. This moment of turning the calendar is a moment of entering into something new. And how do we enter in with Thanksgiving, with praise? And we celebrate the presence of God. Someone hunter is talking about coming to the old Hebrew temple, and then Jesus came and said, Hey, I’m changing everything. Now God’s presence is gonna dwell in you. So everyone listening, the presence of God is not just with you. It wants to be in you. And he loved to lead God and direct you into this new year with blessings, new supply, new vision, new encouragement, and then he just wants that to ripple outta you. So really just wanna encourage people to be, I guess, tuned in; tuned into the podcast, but even more importantly, tune in to that work of the holy spirit in their hearts.

Provision is Coming

You know, as you know, I, I pray, you know, each and every morning, really declaring Ephesians three 20 that God will do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what you could possibly ask or think, and that he will send really his, his blessings from the east west, north, and south. And, we’ve talked to about it on this podcast that here we were in, in the midst of this pandemic, we are city serves getting bombarded with requests, for food, including from a great pastor of the church of hope and Sarasota who had been praying for food. Yeah. Is that,
Yeah. We had a food bank, but just with so many needs, we came out of a, a weekend and we’re in our Monday meeting and they said the food bank ran out of food and it broke my heart. And I said, let’s get down on our knees and pray right now because we need more provision about 20 minutes after that prayer, the fold rings and Todd LaPierre and city serve here in Florida. he just said, do do you need food? And we said, this is an answer to prayer. He said, I’m gonna send you a tractor trailer worth of food without that’s a lot of food. We’re gonna need some partners. And we partnered with 30 other churches to help cuz he didn’t just send one sent week after week after week, in 2021, a million dollars 20 this year, another million dollars of food that we gave out through these churches, making them the heroes of compassion in their neighborhoods. Wow.

It, it it’s like it came out of nowhere one. And so I’m praying that prayer one morning. And then I, I walk into where I, we do this podcast right now. I get a call from the white house, that Ivanka wanted to talk with me about this new food program called farmers to families. Wendell joined me on the call with her and she had this vision along with U S D a, to really help the farmers with their produce, the, the dairy products, the meat that was rotting because they couldn’t sell it to restaurants and cruise ships. And so together, we put it in these boxes and distributed to over, you know, 17 million boxes all through the local church. And, we did this, you know, and, and really collaboration with churches across the country and absolute miracle upon miracle this past year.

“If He Can Give it Through Us, He Will Give it to Us”

And, and folks, God will do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what you could possibly ask or think if you will pray with faith. And if he knows that he’s gonna receive the glory. Yeah. And I think that’s a key, you know, bill bright, the great bill bright would often say, God blesses those whom he trusts. And, and I pray that prayer each and every day, God, how can I be more trustworthy? With opportunities with resources, with your people. And he continues, to bless that and, and expand that. And, I’m believing, that 2022, it’s gonna be the greatest year I know of my life. but I believe, you know, in really ministry, good friend of ours, mutually, Barry McGuire said, this is the best of times. And the worst of times, it’s a worst of times cuz people are still, you know, struggling through this pandemic. We have new variants and there’s a fear of the unknown. but it’s the best of times for the church, you know, to really be that of hope, you know, to their communities, their coworkers, classmates, and, let’s never miss, this opportunity that is before us.

More Than We Can Imagine – Raising Our Expectations

It’s just amazing to think that whatever our friends that are listening now, whatever they could imagine, stretch their imagination as, as huge, as large as whatever big words you can think, bodacious, whatever large words you can think of, they just push your imagination that far and then know that God could do immeasurably more. You can’t measure what God wants to do as we move into this new year. And the beginning of the year is just a great time Dave, to be, praying and to be like saying, okay, God like you pray every morning. Let’s pray at the beginning of this year. What kind of things do you think we should be just praying about as we move into this year?

Yeah, I put on the armor of God and, and I, I believe that many people think of the armor of God as just defense or protection, but it’s actually protection so that we can move forward. in victory and even take back what the enemy is stolen. So you put on the, you know, your feet, with the peace of God, but also the readiness for the gospel, to be ready, to be prepared, to share the good news with every person that you come in contact with the belt of truth. And I pray Lord me, this year to speak truth 100% of the time and to not shade the truth in any way, the breast plate of righteousness to be pure, to have the helmet of salvation where ultimately everything comes down to how many people can I, I take with me to heaven, souls.

And then obviously the sore of the spirit, let me dwell upon the word and, and then have the shield of fate. I love the scripture that says, you know, those who trust in the Lord do not expect bad news. Yeah. It’s good news. And you gotta to move. We move forward with the shield of faith, not fear. Yeah. And we put on the full armor of God as we enter this new year and you will receive not only God’s, protection, but his provision and, he will do, as I mentioned beyond what you could possibly dream.

Yeah. And there have been a lot of fiery darts that had been launched in this last year. And that shield of faith is the weapon that God gives to us to extinguish every fiery dart of the enemy, the ancient Romans carried up a leather shield and to make sure it was ready, they would anointed it with oil. They’d soften up that or they’d get that leather ready for battle. And that anointing of the holy spirit that is with us now, I sense the anointing just, well, I’m talking with you that anointing wants to cover. Our friends wants to prepare them for this year. Yes. The enemy’s gonna fire some fiery darts at you, but you have been equipped by your father to be a Victor that’s the weapons are moving forward. As you said, Dave, all that weaponry, all that equipment is on the front of the warrior.

There’s nothing to protect your backside. Don’t turn around. Don’t back down the gates of hell, do not prevail. When we move forward against them, gates are stationary. We’re the ones that are moving. We’re moving against those gates and we’re seeing victories. And just in a few areas, I just wanna just take some time to, to just pray and believe God together. So let’s just ask God right now in the strong name of Jesus, people that are facing physical and mental fiery darts, it’s been coming against you. It’s been coming against your FA Emily. We pray right now, the anointing of the holy spirit to surround you, to soften up your heart, to soften up your spirit and to let you know that God has you in the Palm of his hands and he will never let you go. Even when you have to walk through the fellowship of suffering, you will do so with the grace of God and God will give to you just like you did to Paul enough grace, for what you’re facing.

Prayer of Encouragement

We pray for miraculous healings. This year. We pray for the family, God across America to awaken to the supernatural and for the supernatural power of God to flow in churches, ministries, and organizations. We pray against the pandemic, new variance, people that, that live in fear. We’re praying against the spirit of fear and we’re praying for a rise spirit of faith. Lord may that faith overcome every weapon. The enemy has anything. The weapon, any weapon that the, the enemy forges against us will not prosper. Cuz we are walking by faith. We pray for divisions in our nation. We pray for division and walls of division to break down. We pray for racial harmony, a unity of people coming together in our nation, in our nation, midterm elections, as they come up, Lord, we pray that the walls of politics would fall. That we just would be more United towards things that good and pure and positive towards helping one another.

With compassion, we pray that churches would walk together in their community in unity. We thank you for city serve because it draws local networks of churches together to become the heroes of compassion in their neighborhoods. Just use this ministry. We pray and we ask God, cuz we’re about influence. We pray that this year we would be very salty and full of light that we would influence the people around us, the culture around us and the world around us with the grace of God, the power of God and the life of God. We pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Hallelujah.
Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord.

Yeah. So good. You got any just concluding thoughts, Dave?

To Our Friends and Listeners

Uh, yes. you know, there, as you just prayed, there are so many people, that are entering this year and they’re carrying such a heavy burden. It could be a physical need. It could be even a fear of a sickness. maybe there’s discord in their family, their marriage, or perhaps, they’ve lost their job. I have a family member that lost their job. And, and I know that that that’s, that’s scary. And, and so there are a lot of things that we, we could be bringing into, this year. And I remember, King George, the sixth reading. I, I never met him, but I remember reading, uh, he was, over great Britain and he wrote these words as, he pondered the new year. And I would ask that that those that are listening, watching, listen to these words, he said, “I said to the man who stood at the gate of the new year, give me a light that I made treads safely and to be unknown. And he replied going to the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

And that’s what I would say, to all of us. You’re not alone. He’s with you. just simply reach out your hand because he’s reaching towards your hand and, he will lead, he will guide and you’re gonna be okay.
So good, Happy New Year,
Happy New Year and Happy New Year to our producers. Christianne Debysingh, Dan Ballard of Gold Pacific Studios. we’re so grateful, for both of you and your anointing and your talent and your servanthood. God bless both of you.