Christmas is over and we are looking at the New Year and 2024. But how has Christ’s birth changed your life? If it hasn’t, here is a devotion that can transform how you live in the coming year:

IN WORD The pattern was set long ago. A child born of God and woman entered this world as an overcomer. He looked as vulnerable as any other infant, and He soon became the target of a cosmic enemy’s rampage. But no enemy could defeat, distract, or divert this overcomer’s mission. Temptations were rebuffed. Opponents were refuted. And physical threats missed their mark . . . until, that is, the time of fulfillment came. Only then did He enter extreme shame and pain, suffer death, and disappear into the cold earth.
To most of us, that would appear to be the opposite of overcoming. But the well-known story didn’t end there. Death was defeated in His resurrection, and He was exalted above every authority in heaven and earth. No power could—or ever will—defeat Him. In every sense, He has overcome. We’re thankful for the Incarnation as a unique act of God. But Jesus is more than our high and holy Savior. In many respects, He’s also the prototype of what we are to become.
Just as He was born into this world as an invincible child, we are born by His Spirit as invincible children. We won’t live sinless lives as He did, but we will overcome in spite of our stumbling. Those who truly believe, who have truly been born from above, will end up beyond its corrupting and threatening reach. We are members of the family of God, and nothing that close to God’s heart can be ultimately defeated.
IN DEED Remember that on this unusual day. We are born of imperishable seed (1 Corinthians 15:42). No matter how vulnerable we look or feel, our future is as secure as that of the infant in the manger. We can be attacked, hurt, tempted, bruised, discouraged, and beaten down, but we cannot be defeated. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). We can live with complete confidence. Why? Because, like a special baby long ago, everyone born of God overcomes the world. God is never defeated. “Though He may be opposed, attacked, and resisted, the ultimate outcome can never be in doubt.” —Brother Andrew (“God with Us” by Chris Tiegreen)

For many people, Christmas is just a celebration of the past. But if we understand the true meaning of Jesus’ birth, then it is much more than that. God has now come to dwell with us in the Holy Spirit through Jesus. This means that we now live in Christ’s power daily and live as overcomers.
Do you feel constrained and overwhelmed by your circumstances? Then reflect on Romans 7 and 8 and be reminded that in Jesus, you are an overcomer. As Jesus has overcome the world, so have you. May the Lord bless your New Year and His Presence go with you in 2024! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam