Author: mary

Every year Christians look back at the previous year and evaluate everything that has happened. Many spend time pondering all that God has already done and wonder about what He will do next.

This was true in Isaiah 43: 18-19: “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” God is telling them that even though He did great things for the people in the past, He is about to do something even greater. He rescued them from the oppression of Pharaoh and brought them out of Egypt, He made a way for them and opened the waters, and He destroyed those who chased after them. That alone was miraculous but then He said He would do even more! Do you put your hope in God and trust that He will do even more than you can even imagine in the new year? The new year is a time of hope, a time to place your hope in the grace of Jesus Christ. It is a time of trust, a time to trust in the Lord with all of your heart and know that He will walk with you through anything. It is a time of faith, a time to invest in your relationship with God and increase your faith.

Every year millions of people decide they are going to make New Year’s Resolutions, but how many of them keep the resolutions they make? Dictionary.com states that a resolution is a decision or determination. Many people are very determined when they set their goals and resolutions, but few carry them out. Why is that? Maybe it is because they start out strong but give in when it gets tough. They cave. Man is weak and not made to walk through life alone. We were created to rely on God for our strength. So what if we change our mindset and instead of setting resolutions, we decide to be a part of God’s revolution?

Dictionary.com describes a revolution as “a sudden, complete or marked change in something.” This is the ultimate goal for setting a resolution- to change something whether that is a bad habit or a lifestyle. There is something wrong that someone wants to make right. Change cannot be done on your own. It is next to impossible to change anything without the help of another. We were made to be dependent people. We need to depend on each other and more importantly, we need to depend on the God who made us. A revolution requires people to come together for the common purpose of change. Maybe what we need as Christians is more than a resolution that will be difficult to keep, but accountability and encouragement from other believers. We need to be a part of what God is doing in the hearts of His people instead of just focusing on our own flaws.

Resolutions are not bad, but coming together for the benefit of God’s kingdom and being a part of His revolution is so much better. There is a great reward for people who look to God for their change rather than relying on themselves.

Have you ever spent any time thinking about who you hang out with? What type of people do you spend most of your time with? The answers to these questions will often tell you a lot about yourself and where you’re going.

It’s easy to think that it doesn’t matter who you hang out with. However, today’s Bible verse shows us that we aren’t to be deceived into thinking that way. We should care about the kind of people we spent time with. The people we let speak into our lives. Whether we want to admit it or not, those people influence a lot about us.

The majority of what you’ll accomplish in life is tied to who you choose to spend your time with. If you spend time with people who challenge you to live for God, and be better, you’ll find that you’ll always be growing.

Today, choose to spend some time reflecting on who you hang around. If you don’t have friends pushing you to do and be better, consider trying to find some that will. The friends that you hang around are important. They can direct the path your life takes.

When you commit your life to Jesus and He sets you free, you are truly free. Jesus set you free from sin, fear of death and your old life all by dying on the cross for you and being raised back up to life.

Sometimes you may doubt if you are truly changed and free. Whenever those thoughts come that cause you to doubt if something really happened, cast them down and say, “No, I’m a child of God. Jesus set me free and I’m free indeed.”

In Jesus you can know that your past is gone, your sins are completely removed and you are a new person in your spirit. You are truly free in Jesus.

It’s easy to think that if you serve God, you’ll be missing out. You’ll miss out on the parties, and all the fun it appears that those around you are having. Sometimes it even feels like you have to give everything up to serve God. However, the Bible shows us a different side of things. We see in some verses, that when we put our trust in God we will lack no good thing.

That’s great news. We don’t have to be concerned about having enough fun, relationships, or anything else. If we place our trust in God, He will see to it that we will not miss out on any good thing!

So don’t get discouraged, and don’t think that serving God is not worth it. Rather, focus on the fact that when you serve God you don’t have to lack any good thing.