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I’m like many others on this day. I’m not a big new year’s resolution person. I am huge on setting goals, but resolutions seem to be broken more than they are kept. Perhaps it’s a bias we have towards resolutions. I think part of the reason, however, is that when we set goals, we are more realistic, but when we set resolutions, they are often so lofty we’ll never attain them. We give up shortly after we start.

What if we set easy-to-follow resolutions?

This is the time of year when we reflect on the previous year and look forward to the new. In this new year, as every year, I want to do more and live better than I did in the previous year.

Do you want a few resolutions you can actually keep?

Here are 10 easy resolutions you can actually keep:

1. Dear God, we will talk more this year.
2. I will think before I eat.
3. I will do some form of exercise or physical activity every week.
4. I’ll open my Bible every day.
5. I’ll improve at least one relationship.
6. I’ll organize one closet (or even one drawer).
7. I’ll learn one new skill.
8. I’ll attempt to be a better listener.
9. I’ll smile more. (Stretch yourself and insert laugh here.)
10. I’ll remind myself of one thing I’m thankful for everyday.

These may not be “change your life” resolutions. Honestly, how well do you keep those anyway? These are resolutions you can actually keep. But, don’t even try to keep all of them. Pick two or three as your own. (Or come up with your own.) You have a whole year to accomplish it. Make a fresh start in a few areas, you’ll begin to see progress, and it will inspire you to do even more.

The key to accomplishing any goal or keeping any resolution is starting and then continuing until it becomes a habit. This year, lower your bar just a little in hopes that positive change actually sticks.

Every major accomplishment starts somewhere.

What are some other easy-to-keep resolutions?

What positive changes are you going to make in the new year?

By Michael Josephson

Expanding on the theme that the best way to improve your life and have an exceptionally successful and fulfilling New Year is to increase your wisdom and optimism, I urge you not to just skim this essay but to take some serious reflection time to answer these questions:

What did you learn last year that will help you become wiser and better? And for that matter, what did you learn last month, last week, yesterday?

These aren’t questions you can answer off the top of your head. They require serious and systematic reflection, an essential quality of wisdom and the foundation stone of happiness.

So before you finalize your New Year’s resolutions, consider adding a commitment to be self-consciously reflective and self-confidently humble.

Self-conscious reflection is developing the habit of regularly reviewing and reconsidering life’s experiences to extract meaningful lessons.

An annual ritual is important but hardly enough. Think how much more you’ll learn and grow if at the end of each day or week you set aside quiet time to ask yourself these three questions:

1. What went well, and what didn’t?
2. What did I do to make things better or worse, and what could I have done better?
3. Were my attitudes and reactions to the experience what I wanted them to be?

This sort of rigorous reflection doesn’t happen spontaneously. That’s why it has to be self-conscious. I confess I often don’t follow my own advice. My goal this year is to be more self-disciplined.

Self-confident humility is the attitude that you don’t have to be sick to get better; an abiding belief that there is always something to learn from every experience and that being smarter or better today doesn’t mean you were inadequately smart, sensible, or virtuous yesterday.

If you can’t list at least ten useful life lessons from the past year, you either haven’t thought hard enough or you may be afflicted with self-limiting arrogance, the belief that you really are as smart and good as you can or care to be.

Have you noticed that God often answers your question …
… with another question…?
Or when you ask God to show you something …
… He seems to change the subject…?
Why…?
Mainly because we have missed what God’s heart is …!
!!!
One day Jesus was teaching about the heart …
… teaching about what is inside of man …
And He was asked this question …

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying,
“Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
— Matt. 12:38

To which Jesus replied …

… “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign,
and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
— Matt. 12:39

Why did Jesus talk about the “sign of Jonah” …?
… and seemingly change the subject …
… when they wanted proof of what He had said to them?
???
Jesus did that for the same reason He does with us …
…when we ask a question or look for a sign …
And that is because …
God wants us to check our heart … our motives …

Jesus was saying to the Pharisees …
“… in the same way that Jonah’s heart was wrong,
when God asked him to go to Ninevah …
… your hearts are wrong …
… trying to justify yourselves, instead of looking at yourselves …
… you are seeking something on the outside …
… instead of listening to God on the inside…!”

Jesus was saying that signs on the outside will do nothing for you …
… but what is on the inside of you …
… what you have done with what you’ve already heard from God?
That … is what is important …
That … is where the answer lies …

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:
and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
— Matt. 12:35

Don’t look for answers on the outside …
Check what is inside …
and let God change you from the inside … out!

She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

The virtuous woman never sat on her laurels. In fact, she hardly ever sat! She pressed forward in a new direction here. Domestic duties did not take all her abilities and time, so she analyzed business ventures, bought real estate, and invested her allowance in earning assets to build the family estate. This woman is more than a nanny, cook, and laundress.

Wives, King Lemuel’s mother gave him these words (31:1). These are not a man’s words, who does not know the difficulties of a wife and mother. These are the words of a mother, who knew prudent diligence is the supreme trait of a perfect wife. Looking good, cooking, and cleaning are not enough. This woman is a wise and industrious wonder.

She considereth a field. She is intelligent and knowledgeable enough to see the potential of vacant land for commercial real estate development. She does not miss a good opportunity. She matches business ideas to the land, measures the capital investment, calculates the potential yield, checks market prices for wine, determines a profitable return on investment, projects cash flow needs, and makes her decision. What a wife!

She buyeth it. Having considered the field’s potential and the right price for a profitable return, she spends her precious funds to purchase the field. She is decisive and bold; she is farsighted and courageous; she is creative and entrepreneurial. She is confident in her ability, her analysis, and the potential profits to reward her family in time to come.

She useth the fruit of her hands to make the investment. Due to her wise care of the home and other financial matters, her husband had given her a portion of the family income (31:11-12,23,31). See the comments on 31:31. Rather than waste hours looking for deals on a Caribbean cruise or tennis lessons, she invested her money for her family’s future.

She planteth a vineyard. She avoided social projects of women who have never worked a day in their lives. She wants to work – to be productive. She not only buys the field; she puts in the work to finish the project (12:27). She buys seedlings, plants them, and waits. She sees the future, since profitable vineyards are not created overnight. What a lady!

Christianity does not require women to be ignorant housewives. Intelligent women may be at home with children and other duties, depending on the family’s circumstances and objectives. But the lofty ideal presented by the scriptures in this definitive passage exalts a woman’s potential. The virtuous woman worked outside the home in ambitious projects, but only after amply providing for husband, children, and other domestic needs.

She first provided for her husband and children (31:10-12,27-28). She knew “keepers at home” (Tit 2:5) condemned idleness and sinful habits of foolish women; it did not mean staying home all day (I Tim 5:13-14). She put the LORD first, her husband second, family third, and businesses fourth. Her husband and children will praise her, not for being home all day to dust and sweep, but for helping build the family estate.

1. Words of Wisdom

“Faith is not about everything turning out OK; Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out.” – Unknown

“We are the Bibles the world is reading; We are the creeds the world is needing; We are the sermons the world is heeding.” – Billy Graham

“During my 87 years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think.” – Bernard Baruch, financier

“I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn’t, rather than to live my life as if there isn’t, and die to find out there is.” – Unknown

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell

“The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.” – Japanese proverb

“If life be short [which it is], then moderate your worldly cares and projects; do not cumber yourselves with too much provision for a short voyage.” – Thomas Manton

2. On the Lighter Side

Teacher: Donald, how do you spell crocodile?

Donald: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L

Teacher: No, that’s incorrect.

Donald: Maybe it is, but you asked me how I spell it.

Mickey’s Funnies, www.mikeysFunnies.com.

3. When Not to Back Down

She was responsible that all instruments and materials were accounted for before completing the final steps of the operation. She said to the surgeon, “You’ve only removed 11 sponges. We used 12 sponges, and we need to find the last one.”

“I removed them all,” the doctor declared emphatically. “We’ll close the incision now.”

“No,” the rookie nurse objected, “we used 12 sponges.”

“I’ll take the responsibility,” the surgeon said grimly. “Suture.”

“You can’t do that, sir,” blazed the nurse. “Think of the patient.”

The surgeon smiled and lifted his foot, showing the nurse the twelfth sponge. “You’ll do just fine in this or any other hospital.”

When you know you’re right, you can’t back down.

– Dennis Waitley, “Your Absolute Bottom Line,” Priorities
Magazine. Cited on KneEmail, www.forthright.net/kneemail.

4. The Way or Not the Way

According to the Pew Forum’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, 57 percent of self-identified Evangelical Christians agreed with this statement: “Many religions can lead to eternal life.”

Think about the staggering implications of what you just heard: 57 percent of Evangelicals believe that many religions can lead to eternal life!

Yet Jesus Himself was very clear. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Either Jesus was right, or he was wrong. What Christians, Muslims, and Jews say about the person and work of Jesus Christ can’t be reconciled. They may all be false, but they cannot all be true.1

Most Jews today still do not believe that Jesus Christ was or is their promised Messiah. Muslims are anti-the-real Christ; to them Jesus is not the Son of God, he didn’t die for the sins of mankind, and he is not the Savior of mankind. They say that Jesus was a prophet but that below Mohammed. Christians stand alone in that they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he did die on the cruel Roman cross in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins, to obtain God’s forgiveness for us, and to grant to us the gift of eternal life to be with him in Heaven for all eternity.

If you have never received God’s forgiveness by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to do that today. For help read the article, “Find Peace With God” … Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/articles/article.php?i=156&d=1&c=1&p=1

1. Reported by Chuck Colson in Breakpoint, May 18, 2011

5. A Word from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

From the past by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world … Peace for Israel means security, and that security must be a reality” (Mar. 25, 1968; just two weeks before his death).

– Cited on: American News Commentary,
June 15, 2011

6. Making Bricks or Building Cathedrals

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (727.5)

According to an old parable, three men were working hard cutting stone from large blocks of granite. When asked what they were doing, the first fellow said, “I’m making bricks.” The second said, “I’m creating a foundation for a large building.” The third person answered, “I’m building a cathedral.”

They are doing the exact same job, and all three responses were accurate, but they reveal the huge difference attitude makes. It’s the difference between tolerating or enjoying one’s life, between thinking small or large. Mindset matters.

Just like the stone cutters, most of us have a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how we experience and interpret situations. It’s pretty clear that the fellow who saw himself playing an important role in building a grand cathedral is much more likely to feel good about his work and his life than the guy who defines his job as making bricks.

A bookkeeper for a school may think of herself as someone who just works with numbers or as part of an enterprise that educates children. A math teacher can characterize himself as someone who teaches long division, someone who seeks to make all math interesting and understandable, someone who teaches students how to learn difficult concepts, or, larger yet, someone who helps young people develop attitudes and skills that will help them lead worthy and successful lives.

What do you do?

Don’t minimize yourself by just describing the tasks you perform; think big. There is no job that can’t be meaningful and gratifying, if not because of how it fits into a larger picture of producing human happiness, then at least in terms of the gratification you can feel simply from a job well done.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2011 Josephson Institute of Ethics; reprinted with permission. Michael Josephson, one of the nation’s leading ethicists, is the founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the premier youth character education program, CHARACTER COUNTS! For further information visit www.charactercounts.org

7. Love Opens Doors

A sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

“Love never fails.”1

According to an article in Today in the Word, soon after Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert, the couple had a quarrel, whereupon Prince Albert locked himself in his private apartment. Queen Victoria knocked furiously on his door.

“Who’s there?” asked Albert.

“The Queen of England, and she demands to be admitted.”

There was no response and the door remained locked. The queen knocked furiously again.

“Who’s there?” asked Albert again. The queen’s response was the same … as was Albert’s.

After more furious knocking and no response came a quiet pause—and then a gentle tap.

“Who’s there?” asked Albert once more.

“Your wife, Albert,” the queen replied. Immediately the door was opened.

As the writer of this article pointed out, “Love opens doors.”

Need I say more?

Suggested Prayer: “Dear God, help me always to be a door opener and not a door closer! Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV).

Not only is life hard, it can unexpectedly become harder. One day we might be comfortably cruising along, and then suddenly it seems like everything is going wrong: Your marriage is in a shambles, or you’ve just discovered that you’re not as financially stable as you thought, or you suddenly lose a lover, friend, or family member. The world has changed. Everything seems ominous and uncertain.

OBSERVATION: Scientific evidence and personal experience teach us that approaching each daily task and our lives in general with a positive attitude (optimism, enthusiasm, confidence) significantly increases actual success and enhances personal happiness. Yet many of us stifle our careers and pollute our personal relationships by persistent negativity. Just as losing weight and keeping it off is really hard, so is losing self-defeating attitudes and staying positive — but it’s doable and worth it. The strategy: self-consciously cultivate optimism.

That’s when you can fall into the trap of pessimism and negativity. It may seem like the natural thing to do given what you’re going through. How can we work on building a healthy and optimistic way of living when we’re overcome with pain, anxiety, and fear? But no matter how hard things become, there are ways to approach your situation that can make it less burdensome.

Here are four ways to stay positive when life gets you down:
Express Gratitude.
Be mindful about what you do have, whether it’s a fantastic friend or a wonderful partner. Try making a list of things you’re grateful for every night for two weeks. It can be even more powerful to express gratitude to someone who you feel truly thankful for. Write them a letter telling them how they have helped you. Additionally, try to cultivate a sense of gratitude in everyday life for things both major and minor. Thank that stranger who goes a little out of his way to hold the door open for you. Appreciating the good in the world can change the way you look at life.

Volunteer.
Take your awareness outside of yourself and focus it on the wellbeing of others. This may not be possible if you’re in crisis mode, but it can be very helpful if you’re increasingly preoccupied by your own negative thoughts. Many studies have shown that community service and philanthropy are more satisfying over the long term than focusing on your problems. Try volunteering at your local library, homeless shelter or hospital. You can become less focused on the bad stuff you’ve been dealing with-and even form a connection with others in the process.

Notice the Good.
It might seem nearly impossible to find the silver lining in a burdensome situation, but it can be helpful. Maybe you’ve gone through some personal growth and change because of what’s happened, or you’ve become closer to someone.

Change Negative Self-Talk.
It’s way too easy to think the same negative thoughts over and over again. However, you can learn to change this by doing some cognitive-behavioral therapy on yourself. When you notice yourself having a negative thought about yourself, replace it with a positive one. If you find yourself thinking “It’s all my fault” or “I’m not good enough,” stop and remind yourself of how well you’ve been coping and how others appreciate you.

The bottom line on becoming and remaining optimistic: We can’t change what happens to us or to loved ones, but we can change how we react to it. And though that process may take some time, it’s worth it because of the joy and peace of mind optimism can bring.

So how do we cultivate optimism? A new gardener like me is aware of what needs to go into the soil to produce beautiful, healthy, vibrant flowers. The correct mulch, attention and vigilance are necessary to ensure that the flowers get enough sunlight, minerals and water. As simple as it sounds, we need to make sure that what goes into our minds and what we focus our attention on is monitored in much the same way as our home gardens.

The garden of your mind responds to constancy and repetition. Make a mental note of what you are feeding it consistently. If you flood your mind with fears and doubts, thoughts of lack, anger or a host of negatives that is what your mind garden will produce. Over time, it will simply spew out what’s been put into it. We can change our mind programs e by consciously deciding to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.[this is called cognitive therapy]. When a doubt slips in, quickly create a positive thought right behind it. Think of it like training a tight muscle. Over time, your mind became more accustomed to elicit positive thoughts because you have stretched it to comfortably receive them..

What Will Matter

Are you ready to stand up for your rights …?
Are you ready to stand your ground …
… and take hold of what belongs to you…
… TODAY…?
Are you ready to …

Fight the good fight of faith, — 1 Tim. 6:12

“But I thought that Jesus came and did it all…?”
Of course Jesus did everything necessary …
… for our salvation …!
… and to restore our rights and our authority …
… in His Name …!
But He did not come to live our lives for us …
… to claim our rights for us …
… or to stand in our place of authority!
!!!
In fact in His ministry here on earth …
…Jesus showed us how to stand for our rights …
… and how to take authority and claim our rightful victory …
He said …

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me,
the works that I do he will do also; and greater works
than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:12-13

No! … The fight of faith need not be a struggle …
… because Jesus has already won it for you!
… and He is ready to back you up as well!
But …
… You have to stand up for your rights …
… You have to fight the devil with the Word of God…
… You have to take authority against satan’s attacks in Jesus name!
… You have to enforce what Jesus has already done!
… SO …
Don’t let the devil bully you into backing off …
Don’t let the devil bully you into giving up …
And …
… don’t even think of becoming discouraged!
But stand your ground …

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Heb. 12:2

The victory is yours … you enforce it … today!

… Read …
James 1:1-12

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

A word is the smallest component of language that carries meaning. In God’s inspired Scriptures, every word is specially chosen for value. He has purified His inspired words very carefully – as silver purified seven times in a refining fire – until they are perfectly pure (Ps 12:6). And He will bless and protect any person that trusts Him and His words.

David expressed the sense of this proverb with these words: “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him” (Ps 18:30). God’s way is perfect; He has examined and perfected His word; and He will protect those that trust Him. How do we trust God? We believe what He has written to us.

Do not question God’s words! He has magnified His word above all His name, and He will not forgive any tampering with it (Ps 138:2; Rev 22:18-19). Satan’s questioning of God’s words ruined your race (Gen 3:1), for which he is the father of lies (John 8:44). God mocks and ridicules textual critics and Bible skeptics (I Cor 1:19-20; I Tim 6:20-21).

Do you have a word-perfect Bible? Do you trust each word? Do you value the statements of Scripture as pure and right, so that you hate every contrary opinion (Ps 119:128; Is 8:20)? Can you say with David, “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it” (Ps 119:140)? And, “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love” (Ps 119:113)?

Jesus and Paul had word-perfect Bibles, and they never saw or heard about the originals! Any person referring to originals is either confused or lying. The originals were never in a book for anyone to use. They were never appealed to by anyone for any matter. And the Bible itself never recommended their use. Copies, translations, copies of translations, and translations of copies have always been used. You just need to find God’s Bible.

Consider how Jesus used copies and translations. He defended the resurrection by “am” (Matt 22:31-33), and He declared His deity by the same word (John 8:58). He argued for His divinity from the noun “lord” (Matt 22:41-46). And He rebuked the Jews by the noun “gods,” when He declared that Scripture’s words cannot be broken (John 10:33-36).

What about Paul? He defended salvation by grace and the spiritual promises to Abraham by the difference between the singular and plural of “seed” (Gal 3:16). Paul knew God’s Scriptures used the singular “seed” in all promises to Abraham, as Genesis 12:7; 13:15-16; 15:5,13,18; 17:8-10,19; 21:12; 22:17-18; 24:7. To their shame and condemnation, modern versions corrupt God’s “seed,” flagrantly and profanely destroying Paul’s lesson.

Did Paul truly trust every word of God? He sure did. He based his argument for the end of the old covenant on the integrity and meaning of the word “new” (Heb 8:13) and the three words “yet once more” (Heb 12:26-27). And He exalted God’s role in your salvation by changing from the active to passive voice of the verb “know” (Gal 4:9). There are at least eight more such one-word arguments in the New Testament!

Do you trust your Bible like Jesus and Paul trusted theirs? Do you have the Bible you can trust? Since the English Revised Version (1881), new Bibles appear at the rate of one per year. They add words, delete words, and change words to defy God’s inspiration and preservation of pure words. The textual critics and profane skeptics behind these versions do not trust God or His words; they trust themselves and their natural profession instead.

Do you trust what the words of your Bible teach? Do you train your children as the Bible orders (29:15)? Give sexual due benevolence often (I Cor 7:1-5)? Practice firstfruits giving (3:9-10)? Reject the company of fools (14:7)? Submit to your husband (Eph 5:22-24)? Obey all ordinances of civil government (I Pet 2:13-17)? Give thanks in everything (I Thess 5:18)? Reject all bitterness (Eph 4:31-32)? Always speak with grace (Col 4:6)?

The purest trust in God is your trust of His words that affect your life (John 14:23-24; I John 2:3-5). It is easy to speak of trusting God as a fair Being, but the true test of your faith is your willingness to alter your life now and trust Him for eternal life to come. If you trust His words about this life and the next, He will be a protecting shield to you.

Are you attending a church where every pure word of God is preached (II Tim 4:1-4)? Or are the assemblies filled with entertainment and the sermons with fables and illustrations? It is your duty to find a church where every word of God is preached with confidence and conviction. For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Luke 4:4).

Yes, I’m still savoring Christmas, but I know this calendar year, whether I’m ready or not, is steam rolling into the history books. For some it’ll end like a strong sprint across the finish line or, at the other extreme, it’ll wash over as a muddled mess. Either way, 2011 is ready to wave its final good-bye and that leaves you and me almost standing face to face with 2012.

During this little gap between Christmas and New Year, are you trying to get a grip and orient towards whatever is new, better, and hopeful? How are you building your bridge between the timelines of the old year and the new one coming?

Our Prayer for 2012

We pray you will grow and discover new ways to make your voice heard. We ask God to give you a sense of urgency and an intense willingness to amp up the digital expression of God’s love and life in you. May the body be the body and radiate a magnificent cyber glow, living out boldly this great faith online. The world is desperate to see God’s glory in this time and place. You, beloved Christ followers, are His chosen point of contact. We pray you embrace the assignment and live each day to make Him known in the world.

We Encourage You

Find time this week and use it to prepare your heart. We each have our own ways of transitioning from here to there. Here are 10 simple and deliberate actions for you to follow – all guaranteed to help you jumpstart 2012:

Review – Understand where you’ve been. List what you’ve learned and how it impacts where you feel called to go. Accept that God’s sovereign and that everything experienced in 2011 had a purpose that points to the future. Jeremiah 29:11~ “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Reflect – Think deeply about the defining moments from the past year. Wait on God to show you the before and after affect on your thinking, being, and doing. Let yourself be grateful for each of them and the way they altered the direction of your life. Psalm 37:7 ~ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Assess – Take a truthful inventory of your heart. Ask God to show you the pleasing and not so pleasing parts. Reconcile the misses and determine to go forward with the power of the Holy Spirit as your guide. Hebrews 12:10-11 ~ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Evaluate – Map the key decisions you made this past year and list the outcomes realized because of them. Accept responsibility for them and own the ability to redirect them as Wisdom leads you. Ezekiel 36:25-27 ~ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Resolve – Take a stand for what you want to continue to do and what you want to change. Exercise the power of your word and put into practice how you will daily honor it. Proverbs 16:3 ~ Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.

Study – Seek God’s Word, experts, or the counsel of wise leaders regarding the areas where you know you need to grow. Examine all the alternatives before putting plans into place. Investigate before you navigate. Ephesians 4:21-24 ~ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man who grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man who was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Plan – Create an outline for the year. Identify benchmarks and timelines for key goals or accomplishments. Then surrender all of it to God for His shaping and perfecting. Proverbs 19:21 ~ There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

Organize – Bring order where it’s needed. Clean up and clear out the unnecessary things in your life. Simplify where possible and eliminate the clutter that’s prone to distract you. I Corinthians 5:7 ~ Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

Collaborate – Look to those you trust to hold you accountable. Ask them to collaborate with the intentions of your heart. Look to support as well as be supported. Hebrews 10: 24-25 ~ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Activate - Define what beginning looks like as specifically as you can. Lean in and position for forward motion. Set the alarm for “GO” and be ready when it rings. Trust God to get you where He wants you to be. Ecclesiastes 3:11 ~ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
~ Philippians 3:13-14
What significant thing do you want to accomplish in 2012? Share it here and we’ll stand in prayer for it with you!