STEWARDSHIP
Anchor Your
New Year Resolutions by
Faith
A
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION IS A FANCY WAY OF SAYING YOU HAVE RESOLVED OR DECIDED
to do or not do something important in the year ahead. It’s great for getting your energy
flowing and being motivated by the newness that comes with a New Year, but really a
New Year’s resolution has no secret magic that makes it more likely to be successful than a
resolution or decision made at other times of the year. For us at Family and Faith Magazine,
any resolution made at any time of year becomes more likely to be successful when it is made
in faith.
Here are some divine nuggets that can help you to anchor your resolutions for success:
1. Write down your new God-given vision
and plans. “Write down the revelation and
make it plain on tablets, so that a herald may
run with it” (Habakkuk 2:2). “This is what the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book
all the words I have spoken to you’”
(Jeremiah 30:2).
2. It is nice to have a good attitude and
to practise positive thinking, but applying
real faith is where true power lies. “Now
faith is confidence in what we hope for and
assurance about what we do not see”
(Hebrews 11:1) and, “If you have faith as
small as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in
the sea,’ and it will obey you” (Luke 17:6).
Moreover, “Faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
3. Always submit yourself and your plans to
God and ask him to order your steps since
“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s
purpose will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21). Pray
also that God would “Establish my footsteps
in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have
dominion over me” (Psalm 119:133). “Submit
to God and be at peace with him; in this way
prosperity will come to you” (Job 22:21).
4. Meet with God early in the mornings.
“In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3). In so doing,
we also follow Jesus’ example: “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).
5. As you progress, expect things to work
out well once you have submitted to God’s
purposes. “And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to his
purpose” (Romans 8:28).
6. Be selective when sharing your dreams
and plans with others. “Do not give dogs
what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to
pigs. If you do, they may trample them under
their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces”
(Matthew 7:6). Nevertheless, it is good to
develop a habit of getting wise counsel
about your plans, in the same way that a
business consults its board of directors or a
young entrepreneur approaches his mentor
about ideas. “Without consultation, plans are
frustrated, but with many counsellors they
succeed” (Proverbs 15:22).
7.your family.all“But ifyou do, alwaysnot for his
Finally, in
that
take care
of
any provide
own, and especially for those of his own house,
he has denied the faith, and is worse than an
infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8).
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UNFORGETTABLE
2014
T
HE PAST YEAR WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY ONE
for Jamaica and the world. Here are just 10 of
many things that will linger in Family and Faith
Magazine’s memory and may linger well into 2015
and beyond:
1
. The heart-wrenching passing of Pastors Myles Munroe
and David Keane. Many will certainly continue to
grieve into 2015 and beyond.
2
. The awful protracted drought of the summer and the
resulting wide scale unavailability of vegetables and
ground provisions which made us feel like we were
living in a modern day famine.
3
4
5
6
7
. How the world finally stopped when Ebola touched
American soil.
. How Chik-V affected even church attendance in
Jamaica.
. The sacking of Pro