At the beginning of every year, people all over the world make New Year’s Resolutions to better themselves throughout the upcoming year. Let’s be honest though, not many end up making the whole year. Being determined can be really difficult at times, especially when you have no one around you to support you through the resolution. The same can be said in our walk with Jesus.
In my life, I have found that I struggle in my walk with Jesus the most when I am around others who don’t share my desire to follow Him. I find that if you aren’t careful, you can allow yourself to be influenced by the lack of God in the situations you find yourself in. This year, I challenge you to create a new you in your walk with Christ. I challenge you to find friends who will push you and hold you accountable in your walk with Jesus. I challenge you to put Jesus at the forefront of all that you do and making Him the focal point of your entire identity.
If you are wondering how you can do that, here are ways that you can make Jesus the focus of your new year:
First, I think that it is important that we take time out of our day to connect and talk with God. We cannot expect to hear God calling if we never stop to listen. I am currently doing 3 different reading plans this year with family, friends, and by myself. I encourage you to spend 30 minutes a day in God’s word.
Next, I believe that it is important that you share with others how God is impacting your life in this new year. In today’s world, it is acceptable in our society to not push beliefs onto other people. While I believe it is important to not be aggressive in communicating the gospel to others, I do not believe that we should be scared to speak about Jesus and what He has done for us. Scripture states that we will be mocked and despised for even mentioning the name Jesus. This cannot stop us from sharing His love and His gift with others. It would be very selfish to keep the good news of eternal life to ourselves.
Lastly, I challenge you to pray daily and not just for yourself. Prayer is extremely important in our walk with Jesus. This is kind of similar to the first point, but I feel that it deserves a whole talking point by itself. Prayer is our way of talking to God. It is how we maintain a relationship with Him. God wants to hear from us, not just hear our requests and wishes. When is the last time you asked God how He was doing?
To close today, I say all of these things and ask all of these questions not to guilt you or shame you. I say them to help you understand that I have struggled with all of these myself. I post these so you may know that there is someone else out there that struggles right alongside you and that you aren’t alone. That if I can improve, so can you!
Happy New Year,
John
Elevate Your Faith 