The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - The Secret to 2023

Episode Date: December 30, 2022

As we come to the end of 2022, Jeff shares some words of encouragement for the beginning of 2023. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit ascensionpress.com/thejeffcavinsshow for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together in living as activated disciples. This is show 303, The Secret to 2023. Again this week, thank you for joining me. We're spending just a few minutes together here. I mentioned last week that our entire. team is taking a couple weeks off and really pressing into Christmas, getting ready and geared up for catechism in a year, which is, what is it, 48 hours away or so. If you're listening beyond that, it was a while ago, but we're getting ready for that, and they're working very, very hard. And I asked them, I said, please let me just share a little bit with my friends. I don't want to

be away too long. So they said, absolutely. So thank you to the team at Ascension Presents. At the end of the year now, I just wanted to share something with you. And then next week, we'll be back to our half hour shows or so and sharing a little bit more in depth with you on topics that hopefully are practical and useful in your life, dealing with discipleship, the Bible, persevering, and so forth. But today, I just want to encourage you as we end this year and you're getting ready for 2003. I mentioned a few weeks ago to do the examine prayer. That was show 300. and do the examine prayer on 2022. Go back and look at it and see what you need to change going forward

and prepare yourself for this next year. Hopefully, you make resolutions that are beyond weight and learning a new language and all those things are good. Don't get me wrong. But I hope that our resolutions, New Year's resolutions, are deep and they have to do with the kingdom of God, with Jesus, and persevering and growing in Christ. And so the word I have for you, just a word of encouragement as we go into

2003 is this, stand firm in the faith. Stand firm in the faith, my friend, persevere, demonstrate tenacity. You're going to need it in 2023. I think that things have started to get kind of rough in 2022 for people, politically and socially and in their family lives, are still coming off the whole COVID thing. and my word for you is stand firm in the faith do not waver do not get involved in all kinds of other arguments and trivial things that sometimes can numb us and medicate us from the real issues

don't do this stand firm in the faith persevere stay on task is what i would really encourage you to do to stay on task this year and ask jesus what do you want to do this year in my life what areas do you really want to work on in my heart this life? And then you've got to make the decisions that you're not going to spend your time watching endless TikTok videos. As funny as that little monkey is, you know, the one that we're all are skating. But, you know, say no to a lot of these things that are taking your time away and stand firm, stay on task. I love what Paul said in Ephesians chapter 6, verses 13 through 18, he said, therefore, take the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, stand therefore, having girded your

loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace, besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation in the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the spirit. With all prayer and supplication, to that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. I really think that's a word from God for us going forward is to put on the full armor of God and stay alert with all perseverance, make supplication. pray for each other. Certainly pray for your family. One of the things that I have been sharing

with my dear friends lately is to try to avoid getting caught up in social and political issues that don't seem to ever end in conversations. The only way we're going to make progress in our culture is when the people of God rise up and they walk in holiness and they share Christ in this beautiful life that we've been given with other people. That's it. Sitting back here in Minneapolis or Omaha or San Jose or Baltimore, wherever, and just discussing politics isn't moving the dial a whole lot. I'm not saying that we shouldn't pray. I'm not saying we shouldn't be aware. How much time are we going to give to that? Being political is not the call. Being Christ in the world is the call. Don't spend your energy trying to get people to agree with certain

people in Washington, spend your time getting people to agree with Jesus. Isn't that what hope is really all about? Isn't that really what we're all about? Is we're disciples of the Lord? And let me just close with this. I love this, Philippians 4, 12, and 13, and I'm going to give this to you as you prepare for 2003. You might want to write it down. You might want to put it on an index card. You might want to create a note on your smartphone. Paul said this. He said, I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and want. You want to know what the secret is? Here it is. Paul says, here's the secret. I can do all things in him who strengthens.

me. That's the answer. Going into 2023, stand firm, stay on task, put the full armor of God on. Don't be taken off trail on all these conversations that are going on. Pray for your politicians, pray for the government. But beyond all that, abound in Christ, you know you can do all things through him who strengthens you. A friend, I love you. This is the end of 2023. Looking forward to talking next week. It's going to be a new year. Is there going to be difficulties? Yes, but you know what Jesus said? He said, in this world, you're going to have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Amen. Victory. God bless you. I look forward to talking to you next week.

Thank you.