Happy New Year!
Finally, we come to the start of another new year! Transitioning into a New Year is always followed by many people making what we have come to call ‘New Year resolutions’. I do not think that New Year’s resolutions are bad. I actually think that they are very helpful in helping us accomplish what God has called us to achieve.
However, I am of the opinion that the first thing that we need to do (when we transition into a New Year), is to take the time to commit the New Year to the Lord. By committing the year to the Lord, we are acknowledging our total dependence on Him and His ability. We are acknowledging that we are unable to accomplish anything without His strength and empowerment. We all need God’s strength and power in our lives in order for us to have a successful 2019.
The next thing that we need to do is to start working on setting goals that we want to achieve (that are in God’s will) for 2019. Most people recognize the importance of setting goals and objectives when we transition to a new year. Even though goal setting is not a bad thing, we need to make sure that we include the Lord both in the act of setting goals and trusting Him to guide us to achieve them.I encourage everyone to spend time praying and wait upon the Lord while setting life goals for 2019. Nothing can replace prayer and waiting on God. The scriptures in Proverbs 13:2 say
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
If you are one of those people who are not into setting goals, I encourage you to start setting your own life goals. As someone once said, 'if you do not know where you are going, how will you know when you get there'? Goal setting is vital and important to every believer. Life goals don't have to be 'big things'. They can be little things like
- Increasing your prayer life
- Studying your Bible more
- Excercising
- Eating healthy etc
Obviously you can also set 'big' goals. These goals can include
- Ministry oriented goals
- Debt payoff goals
- Educational goals etc
The key thing to know when setting up goals is to make sure that they are achievable. There is nothing that is as frustrating as when you set goals that you are unable to achieve. They can become more of discouragement in your life.
Prayer is also vital in helping us accomplish that goals that we have set. The scriptures in Proverbs 16:9 says
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Ultimately, it is only God who can help us and guide us to accomplish the goals that we set. When we seek the Lord and commit our ways to Him, He is faithful to help us accomplish the goals that we set that are in accordance to His will.
