2022 is over. 2023 is here—and the old year is behind us. It is History and cannot be altered or changed. Undoubtedly there is much in it we would like to change, some things we wish we had done differently, something left undone, some regret, and hopefully some good too. Each of us must admit that each of us could have done better and every man ought to do better than he is doing. We all fall very short of what is God's expectation for us. The first thing we should do is ask ourselves two important questions: "Do I believe that God has a plan for my life?" and "Do I believe that at the heart of this plan is His desire to lead me and teach me?"
As we begin a new year, and as we contemplate our resolutions for 2023, It is a good time to reflect on the year that is over and look forward to the year ahead with holy anticipation. It is also a good time for God’s people to take inventory of our walk with the Lord. We should take a very close look at where we are in our relationship with Him. We need to examine ourselves and see where we have been, where we are, and where the Lord wants us to be. It is important for us to have a good relationship with God and to know Him, to be able to communicate with Him and have a sense of Him working and living in our lives.
Some portion of scripture comes to my mind, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) These words were penned by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations in a terrible situation. Jeremiah said two things concerning the steadfast love of the Lord.
First “They fail not or never ceases." God never fails to be compassionate. Because God’s love is steadfast his mercy and compassion will continue on through eternity.
Second “His mercies are new every morning” … Every time we wake up, God’s mercies are new. We don’t need to worry about God’s mercy running dry. God’s mercies are new every morning. Not only did we have the mercies and compassions of God when we got saved, but we have them now—new every morning. Every morning we have fresh instances of God’s compassion toward us!
--He gives us the life and breath we need to live.
--He provides the sunshine and the rain we need to grow our crops.
--He gives us jobs so we can pay our bills and feed our family.
--He gives us the birds to sing to wake us up and bring a smile to our faces.
--He paints beautiful sunrises and sunsets across the sky for our enjoyment.
--He smiles upon us each day with more blessings than we can possibly think of or imagine.
We receive mercy and compassion not because we are faithful, but because God is faithful. It’s his faithfulness to his promise that allows us to receive his mercies.
When your heart becomes overwhelmed by the circumstances of life, and you feel that even God has deserted you. Remember, His mercies, His compassions, and His faithfulness and you will be able to have hope in the midst of any storm. It is God's will for us to live victoriously in this New Year, and we can! Yes, we can live without hopelessness, fear, and frustration in the New Year before us if we are committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and confident of all His promises to us. We have to be that example. He is the source. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. To live in victory, we need to follow God’s plan for us.
Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Our lives are like ships at sea. Our resolutions are the rudders that guide the ships. However, with no effectual Marine engines, our ships will remain stranded no matter how much we fiddle with the rudders. No matter how dedicated we are to our resolutions, success will not matter unless we do them to glorify and serve God. We can’t accomplish any goals without God’s help. Prayer is the means to ask God to stand by us during our trials and our efforts. Our resolutions might be pure, but we need to allow God to be part of the process and pray to Him for support, help, and guidance. We need to let Him into our souls and heart and give Him the space to help us fulfill our resolutions and our visions. As Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing” (John, 15:5). Let us stay connected to the vine (Christ) and bear fruit with His help and assistance.
The Lord has a custom-designed purpose for every person, and He has perfectly placed each of us to accomplish His goals. Instead of coming to the end of our days and wondering what we’ve achieved, wouldn’t it be better to finish life like the apostle Paul, who was able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7)? The goal is to be proactive, not reactive. Those who just react to the demands of the day are short-sighted in their approach.
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he gave some very helpful instructions regarding the use of time: “Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).
The word careful conveys the idea of turning your mind to a matter and giving it serious consideration. Have you ever asked, what does the Lord want me to do today? Am I investing my time in His plans or pursuing my own agenda? As stewards of God’s precious gift of time, we should always consider whether we are living wisely according to His will or just drifting through life.
First of all, we must be very careful about how we live because our time on this earth is limited. It is wise to Spend More Time on Personal Devotion. Timothy 3:16 says: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
Second, Paul tells us that we must make "the most of every opportunity." And he gives a reason, "because the days are evil." Well, to answer that, Paul tells us, the third principle that"...do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is." Now, what do you think God’s will is for you in this new year? That brings me to one of the better-known verses in the New Testament: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2).
In other words, we must reprogram our minds. The only way to replace the error of the world’s way of thinking is to replace it with God’s truth, and the only infallible source of God’s truth is found in his revealed Word, the Bible. There are no shortcuts. There is no magic formula for renewing our minds. We must fill our minds with God’s word. As Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
The Gospel of Mark tells us, “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there” (Mark 1:35). Now if the Son of God needed to begin the morning with His Father, how much more do we? This has to be our top priority in order to grow in our relationship with God and receive His guidance. Remember, Resolutions Are Not for Us, but for God’s Glory- James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Before we decide on a New Year resolution, we should honestly evaluate our resolution’s point and ultimate goal. Are we doing it for ourselves, or will it be for the glory of God? Are we trying to impress someone with our resolution, or are we striving to get closer to God? When focusing on a New Year resolution, it is good to keep in mind how this resolution will bring you closer to God’s word and His path.
God intends that we will slowly but surely be transformed into the image of Christ. We must pursue the Lord and obey His Word so that we may know him better and better. Then and only then will you be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When God is finally finished, you and I will be like Jesus.
The New Year offers us the chance to wipe the slate clean and start over once again. It is a time to set new goals and to make plans as to how you will meet those goals. As every day in the Lord should be, the New Year is a day of new beginnings. God’s people are called upon to become heavenly-minded. In the spiritual life, direction makes all the difference. True believers aren’t in heaven yet, but they aim their steps in that direction.
Bible says “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”. (Colossians 3:1–2) The verb “seek” is in the Present Tense – Imperative Mode. In other words, we are told to continually be seeking those things which are above. A quick look at some of the verses following this verse gives a little insight into what Paul is talking about here. We are to Pursue: A deeper knowledge of Jesus continually renewed in knowledge to be like its Creator. (Colossians 3:10), A Pure, holy life, (Colossians 3:5-9), Godly virtues, (Colossians 3:12-17), Holiness in our domestic life, (Colossians 3:18-21), Holiness in our social life, (Colossians 3:22-4:1), Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. – (Colossians 4:2), A fruitful witness – (Colossians 4:3-6).
Since people are God’s top priority, we must make sure that we, too, are loving and investing in people. Jesus spent His early years with family and the last three years with 12 men who became His most intimate friends. Jesus expected His disciples to reproduce His likeness in others. He imparted His message and mission to His disciples so that they would reproduce themselves in others and make disciples of all nations. So, let us examine this process of spiritual reproduction that Jesus defines with these words expressing the decisive deed: “For whoever does the will of my father in the heavens, he himself is my brother and my sister and my mother.” (Matthew 12:50) True learning, biblically speaking, only takes place when one’s life is transformed…when it changes the way you live.
As we give our attention to these spiritual and heavenly things, we are enabled to live a heavenly, holy, God-honoring life in this world. We are to allow a heavenly perspective to govern our earthly walk! Every decision, every activity, every plan, and purpose is to be considered in the light of eternity. Everything is to be laid out before the Lord and considered not from an earthly, sensual perspective, but from the viewpoint of Heaven. In other words, we are to live as Jesus lived, (1 John 2:6). We are to live out the fruit of the Spirit on our life day by day, (Galatians 5:22-23). We are challenged to live out our lives with genuine spiritual values and not the values of a fallen world. Because our life and times are in God’s hand. Psalm 31:15 says “My times are in Thy hand.” Our time is a precious gift from the Lord—and the way we use it reveals our priorities.
One thing we all must continue to do is “Pursue the knowledge of the LORD, let’s press on to know the LORD.” (Hosea 6:3) We don't know what the coming year will bring—sickness, heartache, trouble, or blessings. But I do know you can boldly say, “The Lord will be my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Here are 15 promises from the Holy Scripture that I believe can be of help to us as we look forward to the brand-New year 2023.
1. God's presence -- " I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5)
2. God's protection -- " I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” (Gen. 15:1)
3. God's Power and Provision -- " Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." (Isa. 41:10)
4. God's leading -- " After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice." (John 10:4)
5. God's purposes -- " For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11)
6. God's rest -- " Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28)
7. God's cleansing -- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)
8. God's goodness -- "No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly" (Psalm 84:11)
9. God's faithfulness -- "The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake" (1 Sam. 12:22)
10. God’s grace – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
11. God's guidance -- " He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." (Psalm 25:9)
12. God's wise plan -- "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28)
13. God’s love “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
14. God’s greatness. – “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” (Psalm 145:3) He is incomprehensible. It refers to three things: what He knows, what He does, and who He is. God is great means God is above every other spiritual being and creature on earth and the spiritual realm. He is omnipotent (all-knowing) reigning sovereign over all. God’s plan for us is greater than the world’s plots and ploys. (See Ephesians 1:17–21) Therefore, as the God of gods, Creator of the Universe, and the very embodiment of greatness, God, alone, is worthy of worship.
15. God’s goodness- God is good, all the time. “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1) God does not change. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) He is good all of the time because good is part of His character, and He is unchanging.
A promise is no better than the one who makes it. God says, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee"? It is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. This is the confidence of His promise. In the coming year, when you say, "God, I just don't have the strength." The omnipotent God will answer, " Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." When you say, "God, I'm afraid of what is going to happen." The omnipresent God says, " I will never leave you nor forsake you.”. And when you say, "God, I don't know what to do." The omniscient God will respond, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." (Psalm 32:8) He himself has said it. Friends, to know that God’s thoughts are much better than mine is such a comforting thing. His planning and work for my life are perfect. There is a poem, that says
"Life is a book in volumes three
The past, the present, and the future
The first is written and laid away
Second, we are writing every day.
The next and last of these volumes three
Is hidden from sight - God holds the key.
If I live, God is with me; if I die, I am with God! I was not born to lose; I am born again to win and even in my daily life I will win as I am fully submitted to the Spirit of God.” As we prepare to enter a New Year, may the Lord help us to realize who we are and what we have in Jesus. May that realization change our walk for His glory!
As we begin another year, let us pray for more peace, stronger relationships, and better understanding to have a much happier life… May this New year be a time- Of deep spiritual transformation and new vision and growth for us, A time for loving and forgiving freely and unconditionally, and A time for increasing In virtue, godliness, and goodness. My prayer is that May you be blessed with God’s grace, health, wealth, and happiness all year round. With lots of blessings, I wish you a Happy New Year 2023
