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In life we seem to put more focus on things we didn’t get accomplished while giving no regards for the things we did achieve, leaving us feeling downhearted especially as we draw closer to crossing over into a New Year 2024. No matter the setbacks we should know what God plans for us are; it is to prosper us, to give us hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plan to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Trust God, His divine presence encompasses the entire universe! We are not disqualified because we didn’t get to accomplish what we set out to do or failed at something we did! If anything beloved He, Our GOD qualifies the disqualified! BELOVED, SIMPLE HEART WISHES YOU A HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

When life situation have you feeling alone, and God comes in or interrupt your thought process to remind you that you don't face these situations by yourself. God is with you and He is with you always. Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.

Hebrews 2:6 — New Century Version (NCV)- It is written in the Scriptures, “Why are people even important to you? Why do you take care of human beings? Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Life is a gift from God. Adam became a living being by the breath of God (Gen.2:7), and if God were to withdraw his breath from humans, they would perish (Job 34:14-15). Since life belongs to God, humans do not have absolute autonomy over their own lives but are stewards of the life given to them by God. The lives of all humans, both their own and others’, are to be cherished and guarded. The value of human life is intrinsic, for it derives from God, who made human beings in his own image In the mind and heart of God, people are His foremost concern. Job makes the same observation, but with a different emphasis. “What is man that you are mindful of him?” celebrates the dignity and esteem of humans in the eyes of God despite their seeming insignificance. Even in our lowly state, God honors us greatly, so much so that He gave us authority over creation. What’s more, we learn that we are the center of His attention, the apple of God’s eye (Psalm 17:8).

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 New Living TranslationThree different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

God's ability to do, should never be in question. For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for His glory. He keeps His commandments to a thousand generations. In Genesis 1:3. God said, "let there be light," and there was light. The promises of God are always true. God will do what He said He will do. His promises are rock solid. As people we sometimes fall short on what say, but God never fall short. HE IS NO PINOCCHIO. His promises are guaranteed.

Distraction according to the dictionary is a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else. Pay attention to the signs in order to identify when you're been distracted. There will be a lack of interest in these areas (1) Prayer life (2) Reading the word (3) Studying the word. They are no longer our priority because we allow something else to take it's place. We don't have to stay with the distractions, that wants to stop us from fulfilling God's calling. But remember there is hope. 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".

John 15:26- You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Why is Easter Celebrated There is no celebration of the resurrection in the NT. Easter is celebrated by Christians as a joyous holiday because it represents the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament and the revelation of God’s salvific plan for all of humankind. In commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus, Easter also celebrates the defeat of death and the hope of salvation. Christian tradition holds that the sins of humanity were paid for by the death of Jesus and that his Resurrection represents the anticipation believers can have in their own resurrection. The Date of Easter And Its Controversies Fixing the date on which the Resurrection of Jesus was to be observed and celebrated triggered a major controversy in early Christianity in which an Eastern and a Western position can be distinguished. The dispute, known as the Paschal controversies, was not definitively resolved until the 8th century. In Asia Minor, Christians observed the day of the Crucifixion on the same day that Jews celebrated the Passover offering—that is, on the 14th day of the first full moon of spring, 14 Nisan (see Jewish calendar). The Resurrection, then, was observed two days later, on 16 Nisan, regardless of the day of the week. In the West the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week, Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead. Consequently, Easter was always celebrated on the first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Increasingly, the churches opted for the Sunday celebration, and the Quartodeciman (“14th day” proponents) remained a minority. The Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. In 325 the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Orthodox churches use a slightly different calculation based on the Julian calendar. As a result, the Orthodox Easter celebration usually occurs later than that of Catholics and Protestants.

Psalm 73:26 (NASB) My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the [strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 34:18 (NASB) The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 18:2 (NASB) The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. John 14:27 (NASB) Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.

He did it again, He kept me Psalms 103: 1-3 Bless the lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgives all my iniquities, who heals all my diseases, who redeems my life from the pits, who crowns me with steadfast love and mercy. who satisfies me with good so that's my youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalm 144: 1 Praise be the lord, my rock, who trained my hands for war, my fingers for battle. She is my loving God and my Fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield in whom I take refuge.

Bring People Together Bridging the generational gap at church is possible through rather straightforward ways. And anyone can help bring people together. Whether you’re a church member or leader, you can play a role in proposing, volunteering for, or developing one of the following avenues for multi-generational church activities. • Small Groups: There’s a time and place for age-based groups, but small groups organized in other ways can bring together people of all generations and backgrounds. Teaching and fellowship are the focus here. Small groups are a great way to develop relationships within the church.   • Mentoring: A formal ministry for mentoring can connect younger and older Christians. Older believers can disciple and guide younger believers, as Paul exhorted in Titus 2. Reverse mentoring can be valuable as well, helping to challenge the older generation. After all, younger and older Christians can learn a lot from each other.  • Outreach: Projects spanning service, missions and evangelism work should be a focus for any church. They’re the perfect opportunity to bring people of all ages together. Working alongside each other — whether it’s building a church across the world or beautifying a local school playground — creates bonding opportunities.  • Prayer: A prayer ministry is a tangible way to join people in an essential spiritual practice. It can be incredibly simple, too. People can pray at specified times whether they’re in the same place or not. By establishing a formal prayer ministry, churches can help people cherish the power of prayer and experience the joy of praying for each other. Extracted from: online.betheluniversity.edu 

a. Some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists: At that time, there were Jewish exorcists who practiced their trade with a lot of superstition and ceremony. Here, a group of itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to imitate what they though was Paul’s formula for success. b. We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches: The Jewish exorcists failed because they had no personal relationship with Jesus. They only knew that Jesus was the God of Paul, not their own God. ii. We could say that the sons of Sceva did not have the right to use the name of Jesus, because they had no real personal connection to Him Names were very significant in biblical times; even prophetic, like in this case. The baby inside of Mary's womb would someday die on the cross to save mankind from their sins. He would be the personification of what this name meant. There are many times in the bible where his name is written as Jesus Christ. One might think when we say Jesus Christ that Christ is his last name but that's not the case. The proper phrase would be Jesus who is the Christ. That's why you will also find it written as Christ Jesus. Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah or Anointed One. The one the Jews had been waiting centuries for was here. Jesus is the one who was to come into the world. He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Redeemer, the great deliverer, the Savior. This is the name of Jesus.