If you are like most people in the next day or two you will make some new years’ resolutions.
Then, a few weeks into the year you will abandon them, feel guilty and go back to living the way you’ve always lived.
There are three things you can do though that will greatly increase your chance of keeping your new years resolutions and achieving your goals in 2012.
The first thing? Pray.
By pray, I mean pray about what it is Jesus wants you to achieve this year. When you do this, three things happen that make it more likely you will keep your resolutions and achieve your goals.
1. You will be working with the Lord rather than against Him. There is nothing more frustrating that being at cross-purposes with Lord. By getting the mind of the Lord on what He wants you to change or accomplish in the upcoming year you ensure you will be working with Him rather than against Him.
2. You will see your resolutions as divine commands, not merely good ideas. People give up on their resolutions because at some point they find something they enjoy doing more than achieving them. When get your resolutions from the Lord in prayer, they are no longer just good ideas but an expression of God’s will for your life, and your lack of discipline in keeping them takes on the gravity of sin. It’s a powerful paradigm shift.
3. You will be able to trust more in His grace. When you pray and get your resolutions from the Lord, you will more confidently trust in His grace and provision throughout the year to help keep your resolutions and achieve your goals. As my friend Dennis Peacocke says, “God pays for what He orders.” It’s a powerful concept.
So, before you make your resolutions this year, pray.
Tomorrow find out the second thing you should do. GS.