How Will You Use It?

Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. Everybody 2023 is just about up just about as it were to go into the annals of history whatever's been done is done can't do a thing about it believe it with God we'll learn how to do that in a moment but 2024 is right ahead of us what do we do stay tuned you'll find out you can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast today if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings to us that's like saying amen or yes then that rating will encourage others to listen now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you here is Jack Hibbs. Hey everybody we are just a days away from putting 2023 into the history books and wow a lot of mixed emotions if you think about it we all have mixed emotions every single one of us regarding the ending of a year and the turning of a new year number one it's biblical it is God who says that he has set the seasons in the years the very running down so to speak of the clock of the dropping of the ball you know in a few days in New York at famous moment in Times Square that is a very telling truth in reality that no matter what the technology is no matter what's happening in the world no matter who says what and does what the bottom line is every single one of us realize that the clock is not ticking up there's an overwhelming sense in the human nature that the clock is running out the clock is running down that time is fleeting no one has ever lived life and said wow you know this this life of mine this week this month things just seem to be just blossoming in the sense of time no in fact the better your time is the shorter it feels isn't amazing as you get older I think it's a it's a it's a result of the fall of man as you get older time goes by faster do you guys remember when you were in elementary school and it seemed like nine months at least back in the in the you know 1800s when I lived in elementary school it you know we everybody in America three months off at summertime so we went to school for nine months and it seemed like nine months was three years how could three years be put in nine months I don't know but isn't it funny that junior high kind of felt the same way a little bit and then high school freshmen sophomore year was like when's the year going to be over and then junior senior year first year college sophomore college time is going by so fast you're like your face is stretched from the G force and the next thing you know you blink and you're 35 and then you blink again and you're like 66 like me to I mean almost 66 it's like what hey man it's crazy but it's also an indicator that we are rushing headlong to an appointment with destiny with eternity it's no doubt about it you know what I thought about giving you a year-end verse you know what's cool for the year end I thought about Psalm 65 11 that's my go to year year-end verse not gonna do it I thought about Jeremiah 29 11 hmm nope not gonna happen you know what as we're on the brink of a new year this is what I am praying for the last verse of the Bible Revelation chapter 22 verse 21 listen to this the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all amen the grace the grace who's great grace grace GRACE grace how Lindsay the guy that wrote late great planet earth how Lindsay if you've never read that ancient book I think it's from the late 60s or early 70s you ought to read it it's crazy because it was written back then and it's like today how Lindsay wrote the book the best seller one of the best sellers of all time by the way the late great planet earth um how Lindsay's the guy that coined the phrase he made grace an acronym grace the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all amen grace God's riches at Christ expense how cool is that God's riches at Christ expense grace to you grace for you grace upon you the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all amen in the year to come in the year ending by by 2023 God's grace will fill in the gaps did you stumble this year did you mess up did you fall did you did you crash and burn you need God's grace did you persevere and march forward I want to believe I did check all the bases I know this that by God's grace we were able to accomplish more this year than we ever have in ministry and in life there's so many things that I could have done that I didn't do another words sins of omission where God gave me opportunity and I slept through it or God gave me the opportunity and I didn't act upon it I didn't move it up the list of priorities I kind of floundered and time expired yikes what do I do about not doing what I should have done God's grace is gonna cover that for me what about the things that I wasn't supposed to do and I did do God's grace and that's God's grace be upon you and the awesome truth is this my friend that as we look to this new year to begin the way that we end the this year is the way that we begin the new year God's grace it's got to be God's grace all the way through God's riches at Christ expense means whatever is before you whatever has been behind you God says I will take care of that you you just give it to me and I will manage that and so friends this year to come and I want to say this carefully and accurately with with what time we have is I guess I'm just gonna be I'm just gonna say honestly and bluntly and those who don't get it will not get it and those who know what I'm talking about they'll know what I'm dying out and that is that it's God's grace this year end and this year ahead it's God's grace that so develops you and envelops you and consumes you and possesses you that you delight in living your life every day for God and you seek to enjoy him at all times to know him in every situation and enjoy him in every situation that you're in that's an easy thing to say isn't it but I say it based upon what happened to you and I this last year what did happen to us what what happened what changed in your life more specifically what catastrophic thing took place that rocked you to the core if you've not yet found out that God was in it you're gonna be finding out soon that God was in it the thing that was the great crisis of faith in your life or still is at this moment is something that you're gonna find out that God is either a going to redeem you out of that temptation that Satan threw your way or you threw your way or it could have been a trial by fire sent to you by God it doesn't matter to the believer he's gonna redeem it for the very very good and so I want to have you in this year knowing what Romans 828 says all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are the called according to his purposes so the year ahead of us is surrounded by his grace so what do we do I'm gonna ask you to join me wherever you are in the world as for God's wisdom watch God's wisdom God's favor God's power so that listen God's wisdom is to have God's word in your life God's favor is to have his affection upon you his affection the fact that he can't keep his eyes off of you that's a fact third thing is the power of the Holy Spirit the Spirit of God active in your life moving in your life the Spirit of God you're dependent upon him and then this that if we get up on January 1st and determine you know scout's honor whatever Lord I'm gonna go full bore for you I'm gonna go full throttle for you this year I'm gonna be reckless imagine if somebody were to say to you you've got six months to live now if you're stupid or if you're lost lost people are not stupid but if you're a Christian and you do what I'm about to say you're stupid lost people are not necessarily stupid they're lost but we're to say to you right now give six months to live the world is going to go get drunk what what a dumb thing to do if you only got six months to live what are you gonna get drunk for long I'm gonna go do this I'm gonna do that I'm gonna well just know this you're wasting time it's running out that would be very silly if you're Christian and you think like that then you're really dumb because what you should be doing as a Christian and what you should be doing as a non-Christian is drawing closer to God the answer is still the same if you're not a Christian you should draw close to God if you have six months to live if you're a Christian you should draw close to God and the result should be this that we should live our lives this year as though listen it will be the only 2024 that we'll ever have because you want to know what it is the only 2024 that you will ever have whatever have whatever time you have remaining what do you do that true story I just found out in the news yesterday that a guy who was visited our church a few times he lives at a state Christian involved in a lot of things blessed by God wealthy man really good Bible teacher though he's not a pastor he's a businessman I just read in the news yesterday that his company was just bought by a company and it was a cash it was a cash deal and his company was bought by a company who handed him 12 billion dollars and when I read that I told Lisa wow I would not want to be him unless I'm possessed by the Holy Spirit don't get me wrong yeah he had a couple of billion dollars to begin with but to be handed 12 billion cash if the believer doesn't look at that is 12 billion tools that could go to your heart or your head and goof you up but if the believer looks at that is wow God what am I gonna do a 12 billion tools to use for your kingdom in 2024 think about the time how do you spend 12 how do you use 12 billion tools in 365 days you might say well I wish I had that problem yeah guess what you do but you don't have it in billions because you don't even know what you do with your hundreds if you have a couple hundred bucks that you don't need to stay alive God is saying to you what are you gonna do with your couple hundred tools are you gonna use it for the kingdom of God or you're gonna buy a new buy a new flat screen I don't know the world goes out and does dumb things that's the world but for the believer this year 2024 what have God prosperous you with time or with money or with influence as a believer all of those things in God's economy or tools Christian dedicate yourself this year to being a steward and God's toolbox to let him use you and the things that he's brought into your life and who knows if God grants us the year of 2024 don't you want to end it this way the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all amen and amen to you Father I pray Lord for my brothers and sisters and friends and haters and believers and unbelievers is a lot of different people that watch this podcast and we know that I'm asking you Lord that as your Bible says may the goodness of God lead a man to repentance so for those of you who are non believers or whatever you whatever you are but you're far from the kingdom it's my prayer that you look around and you see how many good things you have in life and that that goodness of God that's he's given to you that it would lead you to repentance that you'd come to Christ and for the believers in the house Lord that you would cause their lives my life our lives to be tools of love wisdom power righteousness holiness faith mercy grace the fruit of the spirit to one another to the church to the world around us so Lord we officially in Jesus name we give you 2023 we put it in envelope we seal it we send it off into your trust for 2024 it's a blank sheet and I'm sure I can hear you saying with the grace that I am giving you what are you going to do with it with the 200 tools or the 12 billion tools what are you going to do with it and Lord at the end of the year we're at the end of our lives this year to come whatever comes first may we found may we be found faithful in Jesus name amen God bless you guys have an awesome year end have an awesome new year in Christ Jesus so listen friends share this please share share that's the best thing you can do for us is to share this podcast that bumps our numbers up and the algorithm of the tech world out there on you know apple or google play and all that stuff and it works just just just give us a thumbs up give us the five star whatever it is okay that can help us we need that and so you guys you know our jingle right it's time for us to live out what we believe in it's time for us or it's time for real life as always God bless you guys we'll see you next year this jack hips podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported will you consider partnering with us through 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