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Thoughts for the New Year from Metropolitan K.P. Yohannan

Thoughts for the New Year from Metropolitan K.P. Yohannan

Last updated on: January 1, 2021 at 5:00 am by KP Yohannan

Thoughts for the New Year from Metropolitan K.P. Yohannan 2020-12-30T17:07:57+00:00 KP Yohannan

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WILLS POINT, TX – KP Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia (GFA World), which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, and Metropolitan of Believers Eastern Church, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide — shares his thoughts on this coming new year, the memories of the past that can hold us captive and the encouragement of God’s goodness and mercy.

I was born and raised in the southern tip of India. Our home was situated by the bank of a flowing river, so flooding was a normal event for us during the monsoon season.

I vividly remember one evening when my mother called to me and said, “Son, go and tie the canoe to the tree so it will not float away during the night.” I think I was 7 or 8 at the time. I did what my mother had instructed, but the next morning our wooden canoe was gone!

I learned that I had tied up the canoe so close to the tree by the bank of the river, that when the water level rose that night, the canoe was unable to rise with the water because the rope that held it would not let it move. So in the end, the water rose up and drowned our little canoe.

His Thoughts Toward You Are Good

Our lives are often like this simple canoe. Just like the rope that held it down, the memories of our past can hold us captive and keep us from rising above the challenges of life as we move forward.

Failure. Setbacks. Disappointments. Struggles. Bad Choices. Hurts and griefs. All of these are part of our normal lives on earth. As people, we are bound by time, space and matter. But God is beyond all of that. He is outside of our present and is able to see all from the beginning until the end. The promise God gives to us is that His thoughts toward us are good (Psalm 40:5; Jeremiah 29:11). That means all that happened in our lives, including all that took place in 2020, will be used by God to be a blessing in our lives.

Cut the Rope and Walk Forward in Assurance

As you walk into this next season, cut the rope that is holding you down with self-pity and negative thoughts. Know that this new year will be a year of “goodness and mercy” (Psalm 23:6). And no matter what, be assured that God will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). He is your loving heavenly Father.

At the same time, we are meant to learn lessons from our past. I heard a statement once from someone who said, “Death is not an event, it is a process.” Another year has slipped behind us. Our lives are the living dead (Romans 6:2-13), and it is useless to live for the passing shadow of this world of materialism or to spend our time hungering after the honor and praise from others. He has created and redeemed us for something much bigger.

May this new year of 2021 find you choosing to embrace life by living for others. This is the path to experiencing life in its full and true meaning.

May the blessings of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you from the beginning of this new year of 2021 until the last day.

Need some more encouragement? K.P. Yohannan encourages us to Never Give Up.

About KP Yohannan

KP Yohannan, founder and director GFA World (Gospel for Asia) and Metropolitan of Believers Eastern Church (BEC), has written more than 250 books, including Revolution in World Missions, an international bestseller with more than 4 million copies in print. He and his wife, Gisela, have two grown children, Daniel and Sarah, who both serve the Lord with their families.

About Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia is a Christian-based charity serving the “least of these” in Asia since its beginning in 1979, often in places where no one else is serving. GFA World workers serve as the hands and feet of Christ by ministering to people’s needs so they can understand the love of God for them for the first time. GFA World is engaged in dozens of projects, such as caring for poor children, slum dwellers and widows and orphans; providing clean water by funding wells; supporting medical missions; and meeting the needs of those in leprosy colonies. Through GFA World’s Bridge of Hope Program, tens of thousands of children are being rescued from the generational curses of poverty and hopelessness.

Find out more about Gospel for Asia in the video “A Year in Review with K.P. Yohannan.”

Read what George Verwer, Francis Chan, Dr. David Mains and others have to say about GFA World.

Keep encouraged and get your regular dose of challenge through other articles on Patheos by KP Yohannan Metropolitan, or on his blog at kpyohannan.org.

Read more articles on Patheos by KP Yohannan Metropolitan on Christmas.

You can learn more about K.P. Yohannan Metropolitan by clicking here.

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December 23, 2020

This Christmas, Be Reassured That God is in Control, Says Metropolitan KP Yohannan

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January 14, 2021 Our Security and Sufficiency is Found in the Lord – Metropolitan K.P. Yohannan

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