Bang! Off to a great start

Bang! Off to a great… or maybe not. You know what I mean right? It’s a new year and new you. There are so much pressure and expectations placed on this time to start right even though we are expected to fail.  If you feel already behind, be encouraged friend; God promises to journey with us working his plans out in our lives. His timing and ours often mismatch.

Some years ago I began the practice of ending my year and entering the new year in fasting and prayer.  Here are some reasons why I will probably always do it since I find it more useful than making unreasonable resolutions:

• To create space for listening:
  •   I don’t know about you, but November and December are notoriously busy. My calendar was out of control with school activities for my children, dinner parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas parties some hosted by me others by friends and family. These months can be insanely noisy, and often I forget to slow down.  Intentionally creating space to listen to God allows my heart to focus on God. If I want to look like him, I have to look at Him.
•  Look backward:
  • Often I march ahead in whatever direction I am going without looking back to assess where I have been. I have learned so much by looking through my fails and victories. I also don’t know how far I have gone until I look back. This practice causes praise to God to raise within me. God is so good, and often we take the little big things he does for granted.
• Visions for tomorrow:
  •  It is usually during this time that God gives direction for where he wants me to go. Personally, it is easier to plan according to God’s desires instead of mine. God knows exactly where I need to go and submitting to his plans allows me to get there with minimal bumps and scrapes. My life, family, and ministry are dependent on my obedience to the plan of God.
• Write it down:
  •  Here I write down the visions God has given me for the year. I not only write it down I prophesy into my future, my words matter. Next, I write down steps and people who God has equipped to journey through it with me.
• Rest:
  •  A wise man said “Shalom, God made you to work from rest. Take it seriously.” Scriptures talks about Sabbath, look into it if you struggle with rest. I rest because it makes my work and life more effective.

So, don’t give up friends; the year is still fresh, you can begin again.

xo,

Shalom!