Have you been thinking of your New Year’s
resolution for midnight on January 1, 2016? Will this upcoming year be one of
deliverance and plenty (instead of defeat and regret) for you?*
Only you and God (our Good Shepard) can
determine which choice will be made. In the upcoming year possibly you’ll have
the courage to break free from debilitating habits in bad relationships, go
back to school, cut off the chains of extreme debt, or finally be free addictive
habits.
Consider the emotional cost of your actions
of your actions as you receive wise counsel (Luke 14:28, Proverbs 19:20).
Pastor Dallas Willard adds this insight: “We are to see every event of life as
an occasion in which God will confirm His competence and faithfulness.”
Has God’s confusing and bizarre performance
in the past been hard for you to follow? You wonder when God will get in line
with the plan that you know is best for your life. Things always go simpler
when God’s plan is followed.
If you listen to the still, small voice of
the Holy Spirit, you probably know what needs to be done. It is futile to fight
against God because He always wins in the end (Act 26:14).
God never grows tired of hearing your plans
for the future. He’s always will to listen to any positive changes you want to
make in your life.
Let go of the junk that is holding you back
from God’s lavish blessings. He wants you to be free of fear, receive direction
and protection from Him, and be able to trust Him entirely (through good and
bad). God wants you to do your best, but you can always leave the results up to
Him. He knows exactly what needs to be done.
*Adapted from a
sermon by Pastor Kelly Preston (on December 27, 2015) of Eastside Community
Church, Gahanna, OH
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