New Year - New Opportunities!

 Just like Groundhog Day - it's a replay from the year before. The New Year and all the anticipation that it brings hangs in the balance...

But this past year was different. Our lives were turned upside down. We had to adjust to things that were not of our choosing or in our control...

We make resolutions, we start diets & exercise, we begin healthy habits and quit things that we've decided not to do anymore, all in an attempt to start afresh with a clean slate...

So - why do we feel like all the effort never pays off?  What can we do differently THIS YEAR to make our goals and dreams a reality?

Remember, you are in control of your own spiritual destiny with God.  It is a personal relationship between you and your Creator. Your mind, will, and emotions play an important part. Your volitional level involves your will (or willingness).  Your emotions and intellect carry out your desire. Make sure you aim for success by making the decision to follow through with your plans.  Here are a few tips to get you started...

First of all ---  Don't stress out!  God's Word declares His mercy and compassion are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).  When we fail (and we will) we know He is a God of fresh beginnings and second chances.  These are two of my favorites verses for encouragement:

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”  

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, go give you a future and a hope."

Secondly ---  Map out your overall strategy for the year ahead. Start out with small steps towards your goal. Keep reminding yourself that you're doing better than the previous year. Stay focused on the "big picture" and not on your failures. You will have setbacks and disappointments, so be ready for bumps in the road.  Thank God for your progress and ask Him to help you in your spiritual journey.

Thirdly ---  Keep on keeping on! Don't give up or let the enemy of your soul taunt you. Every day that you set your mind and affection on Jesus Christ is a winning day!  Bask in His Word, keep on praying, and stay in fellowship with other believers. Isolation is one of Satan's greatest weapons. Encourage yourself daily in the Lord.  Ask Him to help you succeed by producing good fruit in your spiritual life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

As we walk day by day through the year 2021, let us be comforted by this great hymn.

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms;

What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

   Leaning, leaning,

   Safe and secure from all alarms;

   Leaning, leaning,

   Leaning on the everlasting arms.

O, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,

Leaning on the everlasting arms;

O, how bright the path grows from day to day,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,

Leaning on the everlasting arms?

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

(Elisha Albright Hoffman)

In this New Year resolve to make forward progress with Christ:

As the Apostle Paul states in Philippians verse 13-14, “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  

Enjoy two more of my favorite New Year's Eve posts from years past:

3 Steps to a New Year's Resolution You Can Keep

A Sure Foundation for the New Year

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It was written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

New Year - New Opportunities!

Time for Change - New Year, New YOU

There’s a familiar saying we’ll hear over and over again in the next week: “I’m making a New Year’s resolution to …”

Some of the more popular Top 10 Resolutions that we make are:

   ~ Spend more time with family and friends
 ~ Commit to a new diet and eating choices

~ Give more to charity – time and money

~ Begin a new fitness routine

~ Learn something new

~ Get out of debt

~ Get organized

The best time to start a new habit is NOW!

I just love the New Year and what opportunities it brings. I say, “Time for a change - change is good!"

Isaiah 43:18-19 says this: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

It's never too late to start over...

The enemy wants to you think that where you've been and what you've done dictates where you're going. But that is "flawed thinking"! God's grace enables us to begin again. It dares us to take a chance on something new and exciting.

As Christians, we are new creatures in Christ. We have a new beginning. We can establish new habits that are godly and useful. We can find new inspiration and a fresh new revelation as we read and study God’s Word. Who doesn’t like a clean slate – a new chance to have a "do over"!

There are four steps to accomplishment: First, plan purposefully; second, prepare prayerfully; third, proceed positively; and fourth, pursue persistently.  (Anonymous)


The Apostle Paul instructs us to know Christ in a new intimate way. That kind of intimacy caused him to “press on and lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:10-12). Through God's Word we have a revelation that brings a fresh, spiritual comprehension, which in turn acts as the catalyst to enable us to live out our Christianity with boldness and faith.

Our confidence cannot be in our flesh, but in the power of God. Look to Him with the expectation of what He can do in us and through us. As Paul states in verse 13-14, “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.  -Ronald E. Osborn

In the book of Revelation, John tells us that those worshipping before the throne of the Lamb will sing a new song. In his vision he gazed upon a new heaven and a new earth.

What a great lesson for the New Year! We have “New Life” resolutions! Look forward, not backwards. Keep your eye on Jesus and the heavenly goal. Pattern your new ideas and habits on what the Word teaches. Model yourself after your Maker and Master. Fix your gaze upon Jesus…He is all you need to walk in the newness of life.

The vision to see, the faith to believe, and the will to do will take you anywhere you want to go... (Anonymous)

Frances Ridley Havergal wrote the hymn Another Year Is Dawning in 1860 as a celebration of New Year’s Eve and looking forward in faith to God’s blessings. What a beautiful tribute to what a new year can hold in store for us…

Another Year Is Dawning

Another year is dawning:

Dear Father, let it be,

In working or in waiting,

Another year with Thee;

Another year of progress,

Another year of praise,

Another year of proving

Thy presence all the days.

 Another year of mercies

Of faithfulness and grace;

Another year of gladness

In the shining of Thy face;

Another year of leaning

Upon Thy loving breast;

Another year of trusting,

Of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service,

Of witness for Thy love;

Another year of training

For holier work above.

Another year is dawning:

Dear Father, let it be,

On earth or else in heaven,

Another year for Thee.

Here’s to a new year full of hope and anticipation in what God has in store for us!

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

Time for Change - New Year, New YOU

3 Steps to a New Year's Resolution You Can Keep!

This devotion is from Jesus Calling (by Sarah Young) for January 1st...   

   Come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed. A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. Instead, seek My Face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with Me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind. As you focus your thoughts on Me, be aware that I am fully attentive to you. I see you with a steady eye because My attention span is infinite. I know and understand you completely; My thoughts embrace you in everlasting Love. I also know the plans I have for you: plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Give yourself fully to this adventure of increasing attentiveness to My Presence.    [Romans 12:2;  Jeremiah 29:11]

So - here you are again... the beginning of a brand new year.  How do you start afresh? What inspires you take that first step towards the goal? Where do you find inspiration to embark on your journey with God?

Here are 3  Steps  you can take towards this year's resolution

1.  Don't make excuses - just move forward

When Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha it caused a brief hesitation. Elisha ran after the prophet and begged him to let him say goodbye to his parents properly. After all - he was the son who toiled behind the oxen plowing the field in anticipation of a harvest for the entire family.

But Elijah rebuked him as he dismissed him to go back to his parents. Elisha then turned back and destroyed his livelihood ( namely the oxen) - providing a meal for the townspeople before committing to the prophet. He had a choice to make that would cost him dearly. However, the reward for obedience was worth it all.

You can't make meaningful progress forward if you are 

constantly looking back over your shoulder.

Jesus said in Luke 9:61-62, "And [another] also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." 

God's word illuminates our pathway. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." There is no need to stumble in the darkness. God will go before you and make a way...

2.  Don't look backwards with affection

Lot, his wife, and his daughters fled Sodom after being warned by the angels of impending doom if they stayed. Lot and his family had become accustomed to the way things were in Sodom. But the Lord's anger had grown against the wickedness there and He would utterly destroy it. During their daring escape to the mountains near Zoar - Lot's wife turned back to look on the devastation after she was directed not to. She was literally turned into a "pillar of salt" for her disobedience. (Genesis 19)

Likewise, when the children of Israel left Egypt at God's direction, they eventually longed for the "good old days". Despite their miraculous deliverance from Pharaoh's enslavement, they murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and recalled their "pots of meat and plentiful bread". They had an unhealthy affection for the past. They didn't want to let go of their warped recollection of how good things were. (Exodus 16:3) (Numbers 11:5)

Looking backwards can stifle what God has for you in the future. Paul tells us, "...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 3:13-14)

The Prophet Isaiah declares this in Isaiah 43:18-19, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Satan will always try to keep your eyes focused on the past because 

he knows God has something better in your future.

3.  Don't forget the basics

Root yourself in God's Word. Reestablish the basics by way of recollection and recommitment. Moving forward involves confidence and reassurance of God's sovereignty in your life. His character is the cement that forms the foundation for your trust. Knowing that He has a perfect plan for you, and that He will accomplish all that concerns you should give you the boost you need to persevere in your faith walk. 

Immerse yourself in His love, grace and mercy. Savor His promises and rest in His faithfulness. 

Proverbs 23:12 tells us to, "Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge." A similar passage in Proverbs 4:23-27 says this, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."

You will never regret revisiting the basics of your salvation experience. 
Recall your "first love" and "first works" and you will rekindle 
your "first flame".

Make 2017 a year to remember. Your resolutions can turn into 

solutions for a great new year!

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

3 Steps to a New Year's Resolution You Can Keep!

A New Year - A New Way

"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  (John 8:12)

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  (Matthew 5:16)


As this year rapidly winds down, I have a sense from the Lord that I need to approach the new year in a fresh, new way...  Past methods and habits won't make the kind of Kingdom impact that I would want for this new and exciting time ahead.  God is in the business of new beginnings, new paths and new results.  Yesterday's manna is just that!  It's old!  God provided a new batch every morning, and we need to go pick it up!  We need a fresh touch from God for today!  Stale, old bread is good for croutons, but not for the spirit man. 

Business as usual won't cut it.  We need to embark on a journey in 2010 that will "blaze new trails" and stir up the pot of complacency.  We've got to reach ahead with the idea that the time in front of us has to count for something bigger than ourselves.  We've needed a swift kick in the pants to jump-start us, and move us into a new direction.

I'm going to make it my goal to do just that!  I'll aim for something, focus my energies on it, and propel myself   in the direction of making a difference in my part of the world for God.   How about you?

A New Year - A New Way