10 Lessons God Taught Me This Year

I was not sure what to write especially with this Christmas season being such a bitter-sweet one with all that is going on in the news. But today, I decided to come out of the hiatus and write a blog post about what God has taught me this year. As 2012 winds down to a close, I think it is crucial to examine what my Master taught me this year. So in no particular order, here are 10 things God taught me this year.

1. Have an eternal mindset. When I look at my pictures from 10 years ago, there is no doubt, that even though I am less than 30 as of today, I have aged. This aging process is going to continue and one of these days I am going to be called home. A wise person is one who has eternity in mind and lives each day fully to the Glory of God as if it could be their very last. 
2. Whatever you can do for the Lord, do it now. Do it ASAP. Pleasing Him today is the most important thing because tomorrow is NEVER a guarantee.  
3. Every season of life has its own challenges, tests and trials. You HAVE to face them head-on and rise above those challenges with prayer and the Word of God. If you try to run away from them or solve them on your own, you WILL fail. It's as simple as that and I have found this to be very true.
4. Just obey God's Word. It's not always easy but it is worth it.
5. In 1 Samuel 17 (the account of David and Goliath), the Bible says that  the Israelite soldiers would sound the battle cry and yet when Goliath the Philistine champion would come out and threaten them they would run away and cower in fear. It took an unskilled and untrained boy called David to overcome this threat to Israel. One of the things the Lord taught me from this passage was that there are a lot of Christians in church "raising the battle cry" i.e singing about how we are over-comers in Christ and how much we love the Lord, etc; yet only a handful of us really believe what we sing about and claim we believe. David believed without a doubt that God would give him victory Goliath. He had no doubts about it. His brothers made fun of him and called him "proud" and "stubborn". God is looking for Christians who have stubborn enough faith to believe that He can do the things the world tells us is "impossible". He doesn't just want people who say "I love Jesus!". He wants people who will live it out BOLDLY.
6. Be humble. I am not talking about false humility either. You know, the kind that comes out when your pastor/priest is around and you are trying to impress. God taught me about humility that comes from the heart.  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble (James 4:6). This has been the hardest lesson of all for me. However, if I am going to please God in any way at all I must be humble because the Bible declares here that God resists the proud. Imagine that ! I certainly don't want God to resist me ; life is difficult enough! So like the Apostle Paul I say : I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (1 Corinthians 9:27). The greatest in God's sight is not the one with the largest ministry. It is the one with the most humble heart.
7. Becoming great at anything involves consistency usually over a VERY long period of time. I can't be lazy and inconsistent and expect to be successful at anything. 
8. God has deposited gifts in me (and in you). Just like in the Parable of the Talents, one day He will ask to see the fruit of those gifts. It is in my own interest to serve God with my gifts to the best of my ability.
9. Forgiveness is important ; no matter how "big" the offense. If I cannot forgive, God cannot forgive me. It is as simple as that.
10. God always prepares great people in the wilderness. Great examples include Joseph, David and even Jesus Christ Himself. If you are in a "wilderness" season, don't worry. Just continue serving the Lord faithfully where you are and in due time He will lift you up.

So these are my top 10 lessons for 2012. I am sure the Lord will continue to reiterate these in my life as I walk on this narrow road of faith. How about you ? What has God taught you this year ?