Tag: New Year’s resolutions

Welcoming the New in Your Life

On By CarmenLeave a comment

When we enter the New Year, we plan to make some changes for the better in our lives. Many of our resolutions are made based on what we want to achieve for ourselves, whether it be for health or lifestyle improvements.

I wonder though if we have prayed and sought what God would like for us to do differently or work toward that would not only be good for us personally but would benefit others as well.

As we start this new year, let’s make room for the new developments that await us when we graciously accept what God has planned for us.

Accepting the New

I met a lady yesterday while shopping at Walmart who had the sweetest baby girl sleeping in her cart with all kinds of groceries stuffed in the cart. I was in the checkout line behind this woman who I assumed was her grandmother.

The baby was very small, so I asked her how old the baby was and she said that she was twelve weeks old and they had adopted her when she was eleven days old. She continued to tell me that this was her 15th child that she has fostered.

All I could say was God bless you for being such a wonderful person to foster such a sweet little being. She responded, “It’s not for the faint of heart, but it has been very rewarding.”

All I could think was WOW! How selfless! And she feels “how rewarding!”

This little baby girl is most definitely blessed to have such a kind-hearted woman to give her a good and loving start in life that her biological mother for whatever reason most likely cannot.

I wonder how her love and attention to all of these children she’s fostered has changed their lives for the better.

She has two biological children and has adopted two of her foster children. Her grocery bill was certainly in line with this 7th member of her current household!

I didn’t ask, but I am sure that when she first felt the call to foster children she was concerned about whether she and her husband could do it, afford it, have time for it, etc.

She said to me that without God, she could have never done it because He has always provided what they needed.

God provides for His call on your life!

God has and is still using a surrendered soul to bless so many lives. And He does the same for anyone who is willing to answer His call for their lives.

Now I would like to share with you what I feel God is leading me to change in my life and to develop with others in my community.

It is to focus less on my likes and desires and to spend more time with some of the women that God has placed in my life getting to know them better and developing stronger relationships.

I have had the privilege of knowing these women from my neighborhood and my church, but I have not really invested quality time with any of them other than briefly speaking to them on occasion as the opportunity presented.

I look forward to this new idea, pledge, beginning, because I am eager to see what God will do in the future through my simple obedience to His plan.

I don’t have any preconceived notions other than understanding their current life situations as well as their past—and future goals.

I know that God will make the way for His plans to unfold this year in my life and the future as I step out in obedience to Him.

His word tells us this exactly.  

“Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19

I know that I can put all my trust in God’s word, His truth written to and for us—because I have walked with Him in good times and bad.

God may be calling you to do something unique and different in your life this year. I encourage you to heed the call and submit to His plan for your life. I have a feeling that if you do, you too will feel far more rewarded than strained.

Letting Go of the Past

If you are experiencing difficult times now or have in the past, let me encourage you to let go and let God show you His love and His power in your life over all the adversities that you have gone through.

Simply trust Him and seek Him.

You may be saying to yourself, “Yes, but you don’t know what I have done to bring about all these terrible circumstances that I am suffering now.”

Friend, let me tell you that what you have done in your past is of no consequence to God’s love for you and His blessings over your future.

When we come to the end of ourselves and realize that nothing good comes from living our life without Him, our best option is to seek God and surrender to Him and His ways.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 

2 Corinthians 5:17-19

A few years ago, I came to this same conclusion and I am a living example of how God can transform a life going in the wrong direction to a stable and joyful existence looking forward to what He has planned for a life surrendered in obedience.

Leaning on God

Read again the last two lines above in Isaiah 43:18-19.

I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

God promises us that He will bring the change in our wild, barren, fruitless lives while at the same time refreshing our souls with His living water that nourishes, heals, and restores us.  

His living water is Jesus, our Savior.

When we surrender to Him, we are given new life.

When we seek Him, we are given a new understanding of this life.

When we abide in Him, we are given new purpose for this life.

When we obey Him, we are given new victories in this life.

I encourage you to step out of your routine and walk with Jesus because He alone brings change.

Get ready for new purpose and a new outlook that will help you stand through any storm or adversity.

God is for you and He wants a relationship with you.

Trust Him and seek Him for a better year and a better life.

Here’s to new beginnings.

May God bless you.

Enjoy the song below as you consider making a change for the better—God’s will for your life.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Starting the New Year with Promise

On By Carmen1 Comment

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions?

Most of us probably have and perhaps our resolutions look something like the following.

  • I’m going to join the gym and lose some weight.
  • I’m going to ease up on shopping and save some money.
  • I’m going to give up _____________________.

Sound familiar?

They are for me.

There is nothing at all wrong with these resolutions and in fact they are very good if we stick with them.

I’m wondering if anyone has instead (or maybe in addition to one of these) resolved to create a space in their busy schedule to spend time with God. What I mean is, have we carved out time to read and study God’s word on a daily basis?

If you are a seasoned Christian, maybe you do this already. I am writing to those who are new Christians or those who perhaps don’t yet have this habit worked into their daily schedule.

Studying God’s Word Helps Us to Know God and Brings Blessings

God tells us plainly that knowing Him gives us wisdom, and following His ways benefits us.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

For by Me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

And if you scoff, you alone will suffer from it.

Proverbs 9:10-12

I always like to share as many verses as it takes to comprehend the full meaning and outcome in God’s word. We should know the full truth of God’s word, even if it is hard to read. This is not to scare anyone, but to provide exactly what God says.

God gives us His word so we can make wise choices, and He always spells out the results if we choose to not follow His wisdom.

We should take His word literally.

Studying and Applying God’s Word Gives Us Peace and Joy

I am also writing to those who are dissatisfied with life and long for more—more fulfillment, more peace, more hope.

You may be wondering how to achieve this.  

Joshua, God’s mighty warrior who led the nation of Israel into the promised land, was instructed by God to not ONLY read, but to MEDITATE on God’s word.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success.

Joshua 1:8

This success that God promised to Joshua was to achieve His plan for Joshua’s life—to be successful in his campaign to take possession of the promised land.

In order for Joshua to do this, he had to read God’s promises, follow God’s laws, be courageous, and follow through with all that God told him.

Joshua also needed to meditate or think upon what he read in God’s word daily, or more specifically day and night, for it to become engrained into his life. In other words, he had to start his day with God’s Word and he had to end his day with God’s Word.

This process applies to us as well. It’s been said that it takes some time to form a habit. Years ago, I read that it takes at least a month to form a new habit. Today, I read that it’s more likely two months and even more depending upon the individual.

The point is that it takes time to study God’s word and apply it to our lives so that we can reach what God has for us which is His very best.

God’s best is not the same as what the world offers. Let’s look at what Jesus tells us about following Him.  

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

I can say by experience that no matter what the world offers—money, status, material goods—it is nothing compared to having the peace of mind and grace that only God can give.

God loves us and wants only the very best for each and every one of us. He has given us His promises and instructions on how to live a better life than what the world offers. He has given us His one and only Son to forgive our sins and to set us on the road to eternal joy in this life and the next.

Studying God’s Word Brings Us Hope

One of my favorite pastors, Dr. Charles Stanley, has helped me in my walk with God for 25+ years. Although he is with the LORD now, his teaching ministry still impacts millions around the globe. I came across one of his many messages in a calendar devotional I keep on my desk. A couple of days ago, I read his personal message about the following verse.

They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.

Jeremiah 32:38-40

Dr. Stanley said, “God doesn’t just speak to an elite few. We are all in the same category when it comes to His speaking and our listening. He treats all His children on an equal basis.”

I believe what Dr. Stanley is saying is that God’s promises are for all His children, those who have submitted their lives to His Son, Jesus Christ. There are verses in the Bible that are written specifically to certain people, mostly the Israelites. Yes, they are called His chosen people, but those surrendered to Christ are also His people.

I hope you’ll join me next for Spending Time with God.

I wish you a happy, healthy, and blessed 2025.

May you experience God move in your life in supernatural ways.

I have included a beautiful song below for your listening pleasure.

“Take You at Your Word” – Cody Carnes