New Year Hopes: What Changes Are a Necessity for You?

We human beings need periodic change, whether or not we actually want it. We resist moving away from what is familiar because the threat of change creates anxiety or even fear. We will stay with what is familiar even when we are absolutely sure God would help us to change.

Overthinking what needs to be done is a means of putting off what should have been attended to much earlier. The beginning of a new year can be a new beginning for attending to your spiritual needs that have long since grown cold. 

Clear your mind and heart to make a place for God. Hear these words from Isaiah. “Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear, for I am your God. I will make you strong as I protect you with my arm and give you victory.” Anticipate the very presence of God as you visualize what can be accomplished with his help and provision. Happy New Year!                 

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Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the advice of the Lord will stand.

~Proverbs 19:21 New American Standard Bible

We wait in hope for the  Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

~Psalm 33:20-22 New International Version

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Keeping Your Love for God Alive

While I was visiting my cousins Frankie and Jim as a young teenager, Jim asked me what it meant to love God. That he asked me such a profound question surprised me and left me feeling inadequate to answer. I can't remember what I said, but I pray that the Holy Spirit helped Jim understand and accept God’s love.

In Mark 12:30 Jesus told a religious leader to love God with all of his heart, soul, strength, and mind. Loving God with your complete being is a lifetime developmental process, but the Holy Spirit teaches and helps us yield to that invitation.

Plato, the Greek philosopher four centuries before Christ, wrote, “We believe the soul is immortal and capable of enduring all extremes of good and evil, so we constantly pursue righteousness and wisdom.” Proverbs 22:5 adds, "In the path of the wicked are thorns and snares, but he that guards his soul stays far from them." So permit your soul to be saturated with God’s love. 

 

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Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them.

~John 14:23 Contemporary English Version

 

We put our hope in the Lord, he is our protector and our help. We are glad because of him; we trust in his holy name. May your constant love be with us, Lord, as we put our hope in you.

~Psalm 33:20-22 Good News Bible

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Hope – A Powerful Force

Stress is an unpleasant fact and may originate from unexpected places and people. When a relationship or employment becomes the primary source of stress, it’s normal to hope for solutions that bring relief. Prolonged stress builds a bridge to discouragement, which presents a struggle to keep hope alive.

American prisoners of war have testified to torture and extreme conditions in prison camps, but those who survived did not lose their faith in God or hope for eventual freedom. Hope becomes a powerful force whenever a thought is conceived that has realistic possibilities for the future.

Hope demands that patience be exerted for what is yet to be, and this is where faith plays a vital role. The apostle Paul gives us these guidelines for experiencing hope and keeping it alive and active. "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." How can this be? Ask the Lord God to fill your heart and soul with certainty that he hears and will answer your prayers.  

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We wait in hope for the Lord. He helps us. He is like a shield that keeps us safe. Our hearts are full of joy because of him. We trust in him because he is holy. Lord, may your faithful love rest on us. We put our hope in you.

~Psalm 33:20-22 New International Reader’s Version

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Impatience and Impulsivity – Unfortunate Companions

Apparently, Samson was an only child and may have been born when his parents were older. This may explain why his parents catered to his demands to marry outside his faith. They had the right to refuse his demands, but they gave in, knowing it was wrong to do so. 

Impatience is often a companion of impulsive people. Abraham and Sarah are examples. They refused to accept God’s timing for the son he had promised would be born to them. Instead of waiting for God, Sarah gave her maidservant to Abraham so she could give birth to a son whom Sarah then would claim as her own.

Decisions made with little thought of long-range consequences often are regretted because of the consequent pain and sorrow that follow. Samson did not want God’s approval to marry the Philistine woman, just as Abraham and Sarah never actually wanted God’s approval to use their Egyptian servant as a surrogate mother. Waiting for God’s approval and timing is essential for peace of mind and long-range happiness.  

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We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our hope and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

~Psalm 33:20-22 New International Version