This year, the Lord surprised me in many ways. He opened the doors for several new ministry opportunities. He provided for me through dear friends. He worked new gifts within me and through me.
I’ve shared about my church going out into our city to share the Gospel. That has had ripple effects over the last several months. Many people have come into relationship with Jesus. Many were healed. Many were set free from addictions and destructive mindsets. Many returned to the faith they had walked away from. God has been so good and so faithful.
Then, I’ve shared about a new professional business women’s social group in my city. That has been one of the biggest gifts in my life. I’ve met new women who are talented, passionate, ambitious, encouraging, and bold.
I knew the Lord was calling me to expand my tent pegs like Isaiah 54 describes. But I wasn’t exactly sure what that would look like. At one of the gatherings, I met two young adult women in line for a photo booth. We did the small talk thing. We talked about our passions. We joked and laughed. It was a good time. At the end of the night, they wanted to stay connected with me.
It honestly shocked me. It’s not normal for me to have women who are 20 years younger than me wanting to hang out with me. I started a group text and we began to chat and figure out when we could all meet. We recently had a two-hour brunch. It was a sweet time.
My prayer was for them to feel the love of the Father, to feel seen, heard, and valued. I asked a ton of questions. I listened intentionally. I spoke into situations they are facing with biblical wisdom and insight. We laughed and dreamed together.
I believe the Lord answered my prayer and the prayers of those interceding for our time together. He gave me a vision for discipleship that I hadn’t really walked out before. Most of the people I have discipled were already believers, usually young in their faith, and often youth or college students. I have loved every moment of that ministry for the last 25 years.
But, I feel like the Lord is doing a new thing in me and through me.
I don’t know every detail or what the full plan will be. I am trusting in the perfect leadership of the Holy Spirit. I am trusting in Him to give me His words to speak at the right time. I pray that I see these young women the way He sees them and love them the way He loves them. I pray for a heart of compassion and grace towards them. I pray that their hearts are softened to His love and the gospel. I pray that I am faithful to plant and water seeds.
At the beginning of this year, I wrote about our God being the same. I think going into 2025, He has me still camped out there. 2024 held many hard things for me, as I’m sure it did for many of you. There was doubt and fear and worry that came for me. There were situations where I needed only the provision that the Lord could bring. There were friendship struggles. There were questions about my future and my calling. I shed tears in prayer. Friends spoke life and hope into circumstances that I thought might crush me.
Despite every hard thing, the Lord remained faithful.
I love Hebrews 10:23 (CSB): “ Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.” That is my desire for every day of 2025. I want to hold fast to the confession of Jesus being my hope — not money or titles or circumstances or the cares of this world. When I stumble, His steadfast love is there to steady me.
The Lord is faithful to keep me and you. He is faithful to save the lost. He is faithful to heal the sick and deliver those in torment. He loves us with an unconditional, unchanging, and never-ending love.
He is faithful at all times, in every way. I’m in awe of His faithfulness towards us.
If you need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness to you, I’d love to pray for you!
Karen God is faithful as you say. It is that are not as faithful at times. We may say next year I going to be more faithful to God. Reading his word the Bible more and saying my prayers. Then there are days we are so busy we get we don’t seem to have the time to spend with God reading his word and saying our prayers. Or we to tired with all the businesses of the day. We can say God understands I was so busy now I am too tired to spend the time with God. God I do better tomorrow. I make time for you. Then tomorrow comes and it the same thing. We are that busy we get tired so tired we are too tired to spend time with God reading his word and saying our prayers. Satan the Devil know how to make us so busy then tired that we don’t have energy to spend time with God. God is always there for us. God never gets tired. So we have to not get as busy we get tired that we don’t have the energy to spend time with God reading our Bible and saying our prayers. We have to make time for God. I am guilty of this. I have said God understands I been busy now to tired to read his word the Bible and say my prayers. Then I hear myself saying God I will do better tomorrow I make time for you and not get so busy I get to tired. Then the same thing happens. Satan knows how to make me so busy and tried that I don’t have energy to spend time alone with God. God is always there for me. So I have to be there for him and make time for him everyday. Like the song that tells us God is there for us. It is “Faithful Once so unchanging” How true that song is. If we be a good Disciple make time with God every day not let Satan the Devil try and stop us worshipping God. God will then hear us when we pray and help us live his word out in our lives. That our lives chance for the better and we will be glad we didn’t let the Satan the Devil make us so busy we had no time for God. We see spending time with God has inriched our lives and God opens door for us that we never new possible. People see Jesus in us. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland
Thank you so much for this encouragement. 2024 was a very hard year. I am leaning into Jesus for strength, hope and love. He eill never leave me or forsake me. ❤️
Karina,
Thank you for sharing… I’m also excited to see what God has in store for “extending his tent pegs” in my life in 2025! I shared your devotion times two!
Sending you a new year joy,
Lisa Wilt
Dear Karina……….Your devotion was a great read today. I have had so many serious emotional problems the last 6 years that I have struggled with. My husband with violent dementia and he came close to killing me. Six years later, he is still in denial and I had to have him evicted from our home of 40 years for my own safety. Meanwhile, mt 1 child a 52 year son at the time kept calling me a liar, liar, liar and finally a couple of weeks later, he called me and said he no longer considered me his mother and I would never be able to see or talk to my 1 grandson. He hung up. Carter is 14 years old now and my son and his wife (who hates me and her own mother) intercept every card I send to Carter, rip it up and destroy them before he gets home from school. This has been heartbreaking to me. That boy is the love of my life. The only reason I married my husband was the fact that he raped me when I was 21 and even though I fought as hard as I could, he got what he wanted and 3 weeks later I knew I was pregnant. He was supposedly a devout Catholic and he wanted me to get an abortion, we could break up and go our separate ways. Well, I said I am as you said, NOT, “Getting rid of the kid”. If it were not for me, my son wouldn’t even be on this Earth nor my grandson. I have been praying to Jesus so many times every day and ALWAYS reading and commenting to your community’s devotions, who I will be honest and tell you if it were not for (in)courage, I may have done something not right to myself. I am so weary and I am 77 years old now. My Holy Spirit guides me every day and I love Him, the Lord and Jesus and have been a member of the same church for 70 years and this year we are about to celebrate our 300th Anniversary. I know He is faithful at all times, but lately, I haven’t felt any signs or words. Can God fix all things? I keep wondering if I did something to anger Him and didn’t ask for forgiveness. Six years is a long time to wait and who know when I will die? I just want to see or talk to Carter. I don’t even know what he looks like anymore. Believe me, I am not doubting the Lord or Jesus, but I cry a lot and I have forgiven my son, but my heart won’t. My minister told me to tell Jesus and ask him what I can do. I have not gotten an answer. So I am alone in a facility where I don’t belong. If you have any words for me Karina, please tell me. I must have 15 books and Bibles from the (in)courage community and I use them. I send my love and prayers to you as 2025 is here and who knows what terrible things will continue as we woke up on New Years Day to a mass killing and severe injuries that happened in New Orleans. Not a good way to start off and then we have a change in Presidents. There is so much more to my story, but I will not bore you…………………….Betsy Basile
Karina, thank you so much for your encouraging words! When I look back at my life I can see how the faithfulness of God has always been there for me. 2024 was a hard year. My brother and a very good friend of 70 years are with Jesus. I’m rejoicing for them and missing them.
Please pray for my grandson Jacob and his wife Sarah who are going through a difficult season in their marriage. Separation has happened. They are believers. I know that God is faithful yet my heart is hurting.
God bless you.
Karina, a new year has arrived and I’m happy to see what’s ahead this year especially to do at church and home. I like going to bible study every week. I really like what you did with younger ladies. God bless you in 2025 and beyond.
I loved this thank you! It’s nice to know I’m not alone in struggles.
Honestly, I am having a hard time with Hope for 2025. I am glad to see 2024 go and I know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him. So that is where I find myself, just repeating those words, and nothing more. I need some building blocks, that cornerstone of Jesus and I will go from there. If I learned nothing at all from last year except for the fact that God is in control, then so be it. My way doesn’t work. His way is better. My prayer is for help with letting go of dreams, plans, friendships, career, etc. I can’t take any more disappointment; it has to get better. John 10:10 says that he has come that they may have life and have it in abundance. I don’t know what that means exactly, but I’m standing on that promise.
Christine
My husband is thinking about walking away from our marriage. We have had a rough time of it and he’s afraid of being hurt and unhappy. I know that God is a God of unity and not division but I also know that Satan is working very hard on him to walk away. I’m trying hard to turn all of this over to God as I know He’s in control. I don’t want to lose my husband.
Karina,
A new year brings new beginnings and fresh hope. These last few years have been difficult with work stresses, minor health issues and other trials. Praying 2025 is a much better year for my family. It has already started out good with a huge prayer answered.. Can’t wait to see what God has in store for me this year.
Praying for you & the new ministries God has lined up
Blessings 🙂