JANUARY 31

His Word Is True

“God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good? Behold, I  have received commandment to bless: and He hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.” Numbers 23:19, 20

All that we need to know is that God’s Word is true. Hebrews 6:18 tells us that it is impossible for God to lie. When He has spoken to us, our response is to be like little children, trust Him, believe what He has said and then act like it is so. This child-like faith is a key to seeing His Word manifested in our behalf.

Scripture reading: Isaiah 55:8-11

JANUARY 30

Keep God First

“Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9, 10

The major key to being successful at anything is to remember to keep God first. Whether it be time, finances, recreation, job, relationships or any thing else, God must be first. Giving Him the first of everything and making Him the priority gives honor to Him; it makes sure that things are in their proper order. If we will do this, He will manifest His best for us.

Scripture reading: Proverbs 8:13-36

JANUARY 29

Transformation

“…and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

All of us have some areas in our lives that we would love to see positive change in. A vital element in this is the renewing of our minds. The transformation, or, the changes in our lives will come as we first recognize what took place inside of us when we were born again. According to 2 Corinthians 5:17 we became new creations in our spirit. As we see the Scriptures that reveal to us that in our spirit man we are just like Jesus (Galatians 5:22, 23; 2 Peter 1:2-9; Colossians 3), we begin to meditate on them, confess them over our lives and begin to act them out in our daily living. This is the basis for change.

Scripture reading: Colossians 3

JANUARY 28

Focus Your Life and Bring It Under Control

“Choose God’s way and give it priority in your life because there are many easy choices you can make which will lead to meaninglessness and despair, and many persons will choose those routes. Because the choice to express the Spirit dimension requires you to focus your life and bring it under control, few people will choose it. They would rather keep all their options open, a course which results in the loss of life and meaning.” Matthew 7:13, 14 Ben Campbell Johnson

Focus. What a challenge for us in the day that we live in; particularly in areas that we are either uncomfortable with or have allowed to get out of control. If we are going to express the life and kingdom of God in this earth, then we must focus our lives and bring them under control. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you today to focus your life and bring it under control. Ask Him to show you areas that are out of control and how to focus in order to bring them back under control. He will help.

Scripture reading: James 1

JANUARY 27

There Is A Shelter For You

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers and under His wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou has made the Lord which is thy refuge, even the Most High thy habitation; there shall not evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he hath known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him My salvation.”

JANUARY 26

Get Hungry, Get Thirsty

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

We should all be hungry and thirsty for the things of God. If we are not, then we should probably check ourselves to see where our desires are. They way that we are made our desires are going to be somewhere and that will usually be wherever it is that we are placing our attention. To be hungry and thirsty for the things of God we will have to give our attention to them. As we, on a daily basis put the Word of God and prayer first in our lives, we will begin to recognize a hunger and thirst for God and what concerns Him begin to arise.

Scripture reading: 1 Peter 2:1-2

JANUARY 25

Give God A Chance

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

How do you handle the needs that arise in your life? How do you deal with situations in which there is just not enough to meet the need at the time? Do you manipulate others? Do you beg? Do you borrow? How about giving God a chance to show His faithfulness to take care of you situation. He tells us that all we need to do is to ask (Matthew 7:7-8; James 4:2). The next time you face a situation in which there seems to not be enough to take care of the need, make it a point not to lean to your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5, 6). Pray and give God a chance to meet the need.

Scripture reading: Psalm 37:3-5

JANUARY 24

Now Is The Time

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

Romans 13:11

Now is the time for us to do what we need to do for the kingdom of God. If you have been putting things off for whatever reason, now is the time to shun every excuse and get busy with the will of God. Whatever the Holy Spirit has instructed you to do, do it. Whatever the Scriptures have said, do it. THERE ARE PEOPLE AND SITUATIONS THAT ARE WAITING ON YOU TO BRING THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD TO THEM. It’s time to wake up and be aggressive. The night is coming when no man can work.

Scripture reading: John 9:4, 5; 14:12

JANUARY 23

Don’t Grow Weary

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9, 10

All of us can attest to the fact that we have sown many good seeds into the lives of other people. Yet, it may seem that the harvest that we would like to “see” seems to take a long time in manifesting itself. According to the principles that the Father has established for sowing and reaping, we must determine that we will not become weary in doing good. That means that our life of sowing does not change because we don’t see the harvest yet with our natural eyes. To cease well doing and to cease continuing to sow good seed declares that we have lost sight of the sowing and reaping process…and that we have lost sight of the fact that we should always do good – period. We must keep Scriptures like Mark 4:26-32, 1Corinthians 3:6, 7 and 2 Corinthians 9:10 in memory. Be encouraged! If you live a life of giving, with the motive of being a blessing to someone else, keep standing…your harvest HAS TO COME!!!!!

Scripture reading: Genesis 26:12; Mark 4:14-32; 2 Corinthians 9:10

JANUARY 22

Walking In Health

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2

Being healed by the Word and power of God is wonderful and our redemption in Christ has made that available for us to receive by faith. However, our focus should be to walk in health. This may not be easy for us to pursue, however, it can be attained. We must first receive what the Scriptures teach us on health and healing and then we must receive the Holy Spirit showing us adjustments that we must make in our lifestyle in areas such as what we eat, what we drink, exercise and so on. As we receive the Word, meditate on and confess these Scriptures and give the Holy Spirit place in our bodies, I can assure you by the Word of God that He will begin to lead us step by step into a life that is healthy and free from sickness and disease.

Scripture reading: Proverbs 4:20-27; 1 Peter 2:24; Exodus 23:25

JANUARY 21

“Go ye…”

“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

If you have not done so already, make the decision that all day and every day you will be ready and willing to make the good news of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant available to all whose paths you cross. Be prayerful and be creative. Keep books, cd’s, tapes, tracts, letters, etc. with you as tools to help you to get the Word out. Ask the Lord to have the Holy Spirit to cause your paths to meet with those who need to receive what is inside of you from the Lord. You CAN do it!

Scripture reading: Mark 16:15-20; 1 Peter 4:15, 16

JANUARY 20

You Are The Light

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

These statements of Jesus require us to see ourselves through the Father’s eyes. Notice that Jesus says about us exactly what He says about Himself. We can and are to shine and be the same light to the world that Jesus Christ Himself was and is…and why should that surprise us. We are the BODY of Christ. So, don’t sell yourself short. Search that Scriptures, see what Jesus did and is doing now, then, go and do the same things.

Scripture reading: John 14:12

JANUARY 19

Dealing With Distractions

“Looking away [from all that would distract] to Jesus, Who is the leader and the Source of our faith…Hebrews 12:2a Amplified Bible

Distractions…they are all around us. Colors here, voices there, things to do, people to see, calls to answer, food to cook, clothes to wash…and the list goes on. A distraction is defined as some thing or things that divide our attention with the potential of leading one into confusion. Spiritually speaking, distractions are things that keep us from focusing on the Lord and the things that He requires of us. Jesus tells us in Mark 4:19 that the cares, anxieties and distractions of this age have the ability to choke the Word out of our hearts and cause it to become unfruitful. One of the greatest ways to master distractions has to do with the way that we begin our day. Put the Lord and His Word FIRST before anything or anyone else…at the beginning of the day. Ask the Spirit of God to help your with setting your priorities for the day. As you do this you will find less issues with being distracted.

Scripture reading: Luke 10:38-42; Psalm 63:1

JANUARY 18

Blessed Because of YOUR Obedience

“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou has obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:18

Pause and meditate on the importance of the above Scripture. Do you realize just how important Abraham’s obedience was to all of us? His obedience did much, much more than impact his own life and immediate family. It set the stage for all of us to be blessed, in fact, it set the stage for the whole world to receive the Father’s best through Jesus Christ. You might be thinking today, “What does my little, insignificant life mean to the plan of the Father or to anyone else?” Your obedience to God will affect the lives of many, many others. It will put you in places in which others will reap the benefit of what you do for the Lord. Remember this today: “Someone else will be blessed today because you obeyed the voice of the Lord.”

Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 9:8-15

JANUARY 17

Pray For Those In Authority

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks, be made for all men: for kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4

The Holy Spirit tells us here just how important it is for us to pray for those in authority and to offer thanks for them as well. Of course our Word of God based, Holy Spirit inspired prayers will avail much and will help shape the course of the lives of those in authority. However, the Bible puts emphasis here on what our obedience will do, not what those in authority will do. If we obey the Lord in this area, He promises us that we, the body of Christ, will have peace, quiet, Godly and honest living and that men will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Let’s do the Word.

Scripture reading: 2 Chronicles 7:14-16

JANUARY 16

Consider Jesus

“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Hebrews 12:3

We all face opposition and challenging times, but none of us in our everyday circumstances has ever faced what Jesus did in paying the price for our sin. The Bible tells us that when we feel like throwing in the towel and quitting, that we should look at the example that Jesus set for us. If we follow this instruction, there is one major thing (among other things) that it will do for us: it will keep us from quitting in our own minds. Adversity attempts to break us down from the inside. Satan attempts to pressure us with so much that we decide, IN OUR MINDS, not to fight anymore. ONCE WE MAKE UP OUR MINDS TO QUIT, WE HAVE LOST THE BATTLE. We allow that to happen because we look at and think on the wrong things. Considering Jesus will help us CHOOSE NOT TO QUIT!

Scripture reading: Hebrews 6:11, 12; James 1:2-4

JANUARY 15

“DON’T QUIT”

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

BE A FINISHER; DON’T QUIT BECAUSE IT GETS CHALLENGING…DON’T QUIT!!!!!!!

Scripture reading: Hebrews 10:36

JANUARY 14

Waste Not, Want Not

“When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” John 6:12

If we would look diligently into our lives, most of us would probably find that a major contributor to our lack of abundance is waste and not realizing what we already have in our possession. In this situation, Jesus, after the entire multitude was filled and satisfied, told His disciples to gather up what was left over. What was left over amounted to twelve baskets full: one for each of His twelve disciples. Check out the “fragment issue” in your life. I will guarantee you that you will find both seed for sowing and things that, by the wisdom of God, can be used for your own use. Learn to make the most of every single thing that you have.

Scripture reading: Jeremiah 33:3

JANUARY 13

Nothing Is Impossible

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37

Have you ever noticed that God says the same things about you that He says about Himself? Notice that God says in Luke 1:37 that "nothing is impossible" where He is concerned. In Jeremiah 32:27 He says that "He is the God of all flesh." Then He asks the question, “Is there anything too hard for me?” In Matthew 19:26 Jesus says that with God all things are possible. However, Jesus makes this statement in Mark 9:23, “All things are possible to him that believeth.” Wow! If a person has faith, God says the same thing about that person that He says about Himself. Never look at any situation as impossible! Remember, Mark 11:23 literally tells us to have the same kind of faith that God has. As long as we can find what we are basing our believing on, in the Word of God, we are on good ground. Remember: if you can believe, all things are possible to you!

Scripture reading: Mark 11:22-24

JANUARY 12

Who Am I?

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Satan is very, very afraid of a born again believer finding out their identity in Christ. The attack that he launched against man in the Garden of Eden is the same attack that he has launched against the body of Christ – to cloud the reality of who the believer really is in Christ. When a believer realizes who he is in Christ, then he or she will begin to act like it, the Holy Spirit will honor that and satan and demonic forces will have to show respect. Pay close attention to the following Scriptures and incorporate them in your process of mind renewal.

2 Corinthians 5:21:  For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Romans 8:16, 17: The Spirit itself ( Himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint – heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Colossians 2:9, 10: For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.

1 John 4:17: Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.

JANUARY 11

Lack Is Not An Option

“The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

Many times because of our past or just the way that our natural minds can be, we may think that it is alright to not have the things that we need. If we look at it from the Lord’s perspective, that just won’t do. The God we serve has always identified Himself as the God Who is more than enough and the One Who desires that every need of His creation be met. Philippians 4:19 tells us that He will meet every need that we have “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Our verse from Psalm 23:1 tells us of the kind of Shepherd that He is. We are not to lack for anything. We must adjust our thinking, trust God to meet our every need…and not settle for doing without the things we need. We must bring that Word before our Father, in the Name of Jesus. In prayer and worship we remind Him of His faithfulness and in the face of satan and lack, we enforce that Word with our confession and the actions of our lives. Never, never settle for not having enough.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:24-34; Psalm 112

JANUARY 10

Two Important Things About

Faith In God

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”

Hebrews 11:6

Our living connection to God is through His Word and through the Holy Spirit Who lives inside of us. When we approach God in any area and for any thing, we must first believe that He exists; exists not only as a Person, but that He exists as the God of that need or situation. We will be able to see that through both the Word of God and the times in the past in which we trusted Him. Secondly, we must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. To diligently seek Him means that we search Him out by means of worship and prayer; we crave Him as we would something that we desire. Then, we must dedicate ourselves to that kind of trust and worship, knowing that God is faithful.

Scripture reading: Jeremiah 29:11-14; Psalm 27:7-8, 14

JANUARY 9

Crazy Praise

“Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.”

Psalm 112:1

There are a number of different Hebrew words that are translated as “praise” in our English Bibles. One of those words is “Halal.” We recognize it as the word, “Hallelujah.” Some of the renderings of this word are “to shine, to make a show, to boast and to be clamorously foolish.” We should not be ashamed to sing, dance, make noise or boast about our God. He is pleased with every form of praise that He has created for us. When we look at the Scriptures, we also find out that the enemy is put to confusion and destroys his own devices as we praise God in this manner. Don’t allow the enemy to stifle your “Hallelujah.” God is in the midst of your “Hallelujah” and will put the enemy to confusion.

Scripture reading: 2 Chronicles 20

JANUARY 8

Destined To Win

“Now thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”

2 Corinthians 2:14

Nothing but constant victory is in the plan of God for our lives. Why? Because Jesus already won the victory for us in every area of life. We are to walk in such victory that as we go about our day there is an aroma of victory that is to emanate from our lives as a fragrance for all to smell. If you have used a diffuser you can understand this. Place a fragrant oil in its holder and light a candle under it. In a short period of time the air all around becomes filled with that fragrance. That is how the Father sees us in Christ and how the rest of the world, satan and demons are supposed to view our lives in this earth in Christ. Don’t be cheated out of your victories. Stand for them! They are already yours.

Scripture reading: John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 15:57; Romans 8:35-39

JANUARY 7

No Condemnation

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…”

Romans 8:1

The sense of guilt, unworthiness and feeling unfit to receive from the Lord because of sin and past failures is something that plagues many of us as believers. This fact must be clear in our minds: JESUS CHRIST PAID THE PRICE FOR EVERY SIN, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.” We have an Advocate and a High Priest before our Father Whose Name is Jesus Christ. The Scripture teaches us how to deal with sin and failure: go to Jesus, confess it, as for forgiveness, receive forgiveness and go forth in righteousness. Thoughts of what you did may attempt to stay in your mind. Don’t receive them. Something that I have found helpful for years is this – after receiving forgiveness, do a good thing, a God thing, something that the Bible tells you that you can do for God instead of standing around and allowing your mind to try to keep you in the past. Rebel against those thoughts. This is practicing righteousness. By doing this you will learn both how to receive forgiveness and how to practice righteousness.

Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 1:9-2:2; 1 Corinthians 15:34

JANUARY 6

Give Thanks

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God.”

Philippians 4:6

One of the greatest expressions of faith that we have is our rendering thanks to the Lord for what we have prayed and believed for when we do not see any physical evidence of its existence. It also becomes a gauge by which we can measure what we truly believe. One major reason that thanksgiving is so vital is because it shows our faith in the finished work of Christ. Every need has already been met, every victory has already been won, every yoke and burden has already been destroyed, every prayer has already been answered, every truth has already been revealed, every blessing has already been released, every foe has already been defeated. The proof of this is the fact Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. Being constantly and continually thankful to the Lord is a declaration that we know that our prayers are answered and that we are blessed. Through thanksgiving we place ourselves in position to appropriate, to receive into our lives in manifestation what has been done for us in the finished work of Christ. When everything has already been given to you, all that is left to do is to say, “thank you!”

Scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Colossians 1:12-14; 3:15

JANUARY 5

REJOICE!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice”

Philippians 4:4

Philippians 4:4; Nehemiah 8:10

REJOICE ANYWAY!

Scripture reading: Philippians 4:4; Nehemiah 8:10

JANUARY 4

Trust and Obey

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

Proverbs 3:5, 6

Trust? Obey? Two concepts that we, from a natural standpoint, rebel against. These principles require us to submit ourselves and our will to someone else, and in this instance, it is the Lord that we must submit to. We must realize that our Father is attempting to put us in position to receive the best that He has for us in every area of life when He asks us to trust and obey Him. Lack of trust in Him and disobedience to His Word hinders our ability to receive. Spend some time with the Scriptures below and search some out on your own. Revolve them around in your mind. It may be difficult for you to trust and obey any one other than yourself. Realize this fact: the Father will never hurt or harm you. He loves you and desires the best for you. Give Him the opportunity to show Himself faithful. HE WILL NEVER FAIL YOU!

Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:9-13; Jeremiah 38: 14-23; 39:1-8

JANUARY 3

Love My Enemies?

“Love your enemies…” Matthew 5:44

Love my enemies? Why would I want to do that? Well, as much as we do not want to hear it, it’s the right thing to do, the “God thing” to do. Do you realize the Father’s attitude towards those who mistreat and abuse Him? Matthew 5:43-48 gives us a good illustration. When people curse Him, despitefully use and persecute Him, do you know what He does? He does good to them and blesses them. Verse 45 says that He causes the sun to shine on them and He sends the rain upon them. Jesus tells us that we are to be just like our Father. Why is this important? Is God wanting us tormented? No! Here’s one answer. Are you ready for this? It’s powerful. The Father knows Who He is and He is not going to lower Himself to strife, disharmony or what others say or think about Him. He is not going to allow the words or the actions of any other being to cause Himself to fall out of character with Himself. NO ONE ELSE WILL DEFINE HIS CHARACTER! He is attempting to help us to see the same thing. We are in His family, the blessed, His righteousness in Christ, joint heirs with Christ, the possessors of all things and the list goes on. When we understand who we are as He understands Who He is, then we can release the power of His blessing into the lives of those who come against us. Here is the power in this: Romans 2:4 says that the goodness of God is what leads people to repent. When we do as He does, we provide people with what they need to see the truth and it challenges them to change. Don’t allow anyone else to cause you to fall out of character with yourself. Be as your Father, love your enemies and empower them to change.

Scripture reading: Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 12:18-21

JANUARY 2

Don’t Fold Under Pressure

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”

Proverbs 24:10

Have you ever noticed that after you have made a decision to pray and believe the Word for something, determine to make a change, or just do the right thing, that pressure arises? If we don’t understand what is going on, it can throw us for a loop. The Bible teaches us a principle that we must remember for as long as we are in this world: when the Word of God is sown, satan and this world system will apply pressure to our mental and physical lives in an attempt to get us to back off of our commitment (Mark 4:14-20). Being rooted and grounded in God’s love for us, being steadfast and resting in the finished work of Christ are vital components of our faith in these times of pressure (Ephesians 3:16-19; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 5:6-10; Ephesians 1:3). Whenever we feel pressure, we must learn to apply pressure against our opposing forces rather than becoming discouraged, depressed and irritable of other people. If we will learn to use what the Father has given us, we will keep ourselves in a position to receive and…not fold under the pressure.

Scripture reading: 1 Peter 4:12; James 4:7; 1 Timothy 6:12

JANUARY 1

Resolve
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children.” Ephesians 5:1

Resolve. What a powerful word. Today is the day in which many have put into effect what is called a “New Year’s Resolution.” We say that we are going to turn over a “new leaf”, yet, after only a few days many falter and return to whatever it was that they had planned on changing. There are a number of definitions for the word, “resolve.” Let me give you three of them. 1) To have a fixed purpose or intention. 2) Firm determination. 3) To terminate an abnormal condition. The only way for us to be resolute as God’s people is to understand what it means to repent. To repent means to change one’s attitudes and actions (Matthew 4:17: Ben Campbell Johnson). The Word of God provides the power for us to do this. So, before making a hasty, emotionally-based decision to change based on the first day of the year, take some time to search the Scriptures for God’s solution to your issue. Give some time to pondering. Then, rely  on the Holy Spirit and the power of that abiding Word to help you change.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 1; Matthew 4:17 Amplified Bible; Philippians 3:10, 11 Amplified Bible