End 2023-2024 New Beginning

The End of Year 2023, WOW!

Living through the fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties I never even thought about the twenties, to me that was way to futuristic…when I was a kid, we certainly didn’t have all the technology we have today…and when I thought about the future, I pictured flying cars and being beamed from place to place like, well, like Star Trek…I guess to some degree the future has immerged into a place I never imagined…still some things remain the same…

We still have conflicts and problems that never seem to change. But all in all, as much as things have changed, many things remain the same.

Which brings me to the close of 2023, and the start of a brand-new year 2024, in just a few short hours…what will the New Year bring? That’s a question many contemplate as we watch the clock ticking.

That being said, for me, here’s what is on my heart at this time in history.

Starting around 2016, the Lord began to impress on me a Word, he had for me for the New Year. This year I thought about what that word would be but I didn’t really concentrate on it, it was more of a ponder. But I believe it was, day before yesterday, the Holy Spirit impressed a word to my spirit and confirmed it in several ways.

What was the word? The Word is HOPE!

When I’ve heard and thought about the word hope throughout the years, I had this image of a wish or a dream. I didn’t really understand what Hope was all about until a day ago. Holy Spirit began to reveal to me Hope.

Hope is an expectancy…something you long for but haven’t yet acquired. He reminded me of how when a mother is expecting a child to be born. It’s there, you can’t see it, but you can feel it and you know it’s alive because you can hear its heartbeat, through technology. You can even see an image and know the sex again because of technology. But the child is hidden. Therefore, the mom and family wait in anticipation, for what they are hoping for and when it is born her hope is realized and manifested.

Our Hope is in the expectancy of Jesus. We can’t see him, but we know by faith he is there. We can feel him by the power of the Holy Spirit by God’s Holy word, and we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt He is alive because of faith.

I know some are thinking, “We’ve been waiting forever…to see Jesus’ return.” We do not give up though, why? Because of Hope!

Hope is not a wish or a dream. When you truly grasp who that Hope is, your expectancy grows, it becomes a reality because, even though it has not manifested in the natural, in the supernatural by faith it’s already ours!

We don’t know what 2024, holds for the world, but we know who holds each and every day in the palm of His hand…brothers and sisters remain in Hope…be steadfast, immovable, knowing that our Hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and even though hope deferred makes the heart sick…when that hope is manifested it brings forth a tree of life! (Proverbs 13:12)

Maybe God has impressed a word for you, for 2024…Hold on to Him…Hold on to Jesus…Hold on to Hope by Faith knowing God keeps his promises. He does not lie!

When will He return? Only He knows that. But keep expecting…because even if it isn’t in our lifetime…He will come again! He is coming again! That is our Hope!

When he comes, will you be ready? If you go before that time, are you ready to meet Him? Only you can answer those questions…

I know I’m ready…

Faith, HOPE and Love…the greatest of these is Love! Think about this…if Love is the greatest of these three…imagine how great Faith and Hope must be!

God bless you and may you have a New Year filled with Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen! So be it!

Your sister in Christ Jesus, Marla Shaw O’Neill December 31, 2023

Psalm 42:11 King James Version – Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.