About six years ago my mentor asked if I wanted to pray about a verse for the New Year. As the year went by, it was so neat to see God use that verse and open our eyes to a deeper meaning.
For years I have made New Year Resolutions and it either never got done or I gave up because it got too difficult and I changed my mind.
Three years ago I decided to change that.
I began to just take my goals to God and leave it there.
Last year I decided to just pick a verse and write down all my desires.
That was all I did.
I didn’t plan out how I was going to accomplish these goals, because I began to realize…
There is a huge difference between joining God in His plans and asking God to bless us in our plans. One can be exciting, while the other can be the greatest adventure and experience ever.
Last year was the worst year of my life. But it was also the best year of my life. Only with God would that make any sense.
I have never experienced joy in such magnitude.
I have never experienced sadness in such great depths, but felt God’s love and presence in a very tangible way.
I’ve never seen the things God has opened my eyes to.
Never had such peace.
Never had strength in such trying times.
All because God laid it on a couples heart to take the time to acknowledge my existence, pray for me, and turn my eyes to the Saviour.
Once I found God in this way, I went through some pretty challenging life circumstances. Some things I never thought I would have to experience personally. But it was through that, that God drew me closer to Him and gave me a greater depth of intimacy in our relationship.
I encourage you to consider trying some of the following things in preparation for this New Year. January is a perfect time to prepare for the year as you recover from the holidays.
Consider the hunger in your heart for something more and realize that Jesus is the life your soul is searching for. I felt like I was missing something for 20 years of my Christian life. I knew there was more even when others seemed to believe there wasn’t. Now I know that there is!
Tune in on the podcast, Be Still and Run by Alli Anne, episode #77 Revolutionize Your New Year Goals, to hear more about the following ideas and why I would encourage them. `
- Pray about a verse for the year.
- Evaluate your heart and past year with God.
- Choose a character quality you want God to show you more of about Himself.
- Share your heart with God and then ask Him to change your desires so that they match His.
- Ask God what He wants you to work on this year. What goals does He have for you?
- Write yourself letters encouraging you to follow the Lord with prayers for each month or week for next year. Place each in an envelope and label them with the month or date they are to be opened.
- Write yourself a New Years love letter. (You can download the one I wrote for last year below.)
- Write yourself a New Years prayer. (If you missed last weeks post, check it out. I included my prayer and a prayer outline for you below though, if you’d rather skip the post.)
Don’t overwhelm yourself with what to do or which one to try. Just pick one that stands out and do it. You will never regret seeking more of the Lord. He promises to always come through and keep His part of the promises etched throughout scripture.
Applications for the Back to the Basics Course are open!!
This is a group of ladies over 18 that gather bi-weekly for 12 weeks to encourage each other to run the Christian life WITH God!
Not for Him, but WITH HIM!!
I am so excited to be opening another group!
This group will start in April of 2024.
To learn more go to the Course page here. Prices for this group only is $25 per person.
We like to keep the group small so be sure to fill out the application in complete honesty. We will go over each in prayer and choose who we feel will best benefit from the course.
There will be a waiting list if you choose to be on it, though the price may change in the future.
Looking forward to hearing from it!
Be Still and Run 