2023 is here and a lot of us have a New Year’s resolution!
Common New Year’s resolutions are to…
lose weight,
Get healthier,
Learn a new language,
Quit smoking,
Get organized, and
Save money,
While some people give themselves goals that are reasonable enough to achieve in a year or less, most people get overwhelmed by their resolutions and end up burning out before the spring.
I don’t know where you stand when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, but hopefully this post can help you see this tradition in a new way.
FUN FACT:
It was a New Year’s resolution that started my relationship with Jesus, exactly 10 years ago!
That’s right!
One decade ago, I made the decision to get to know Jesus more and I made it my New Year’s resolution.
I will never forget what that one decision led to…
It changed my life!
I can honestly say that making that resolution, as a teenager, was the greatest decision that I ever made.
I can’t imagine where I would be if I had not started my relationship with God.
When I chased after other resolutions, I was unsuccessful; however, when I ran after God, He led me farther than I had thought possible.
He broke chains in my heart, that I had spent years being subject to.
It is amazing how one decision can change everything!
This post further explores how one decision today can change your life.)
I tell you this, because I want you to experience the same thing!
Have you tried to reach your goals, but burn out 3 months in?
Do you keep making New Year’s resolutions that you never follow through on?
Most importantly,
Do you want things to be different… but you just don’t know how you can stay on the path that leads to change?
This is what this post is all about!
It’s time to make a New Year’s Resolution that you can actually succeed in!
If you make this one thing,
your New Year’s Resolution,
it will impact all of your other resolutions and transform your life!
I give you this advice because I lived it!
Make your 2023 New Year’s Resolution:
Get to know Jesus more.
It’s very simple, and it can help you succeed in your secondary resolutions!
How?
I’ll give you some examples.
Let’s say that you also resolve to get healthier and lose weight.
Oftentimes, when we focus on achieving our dream body, we give up when we don’t see the results that we expect.
We place too much weight, (pun intended…) on the goal itself, so when our expectations are not met at a certain time, we are unenthused with the idea of perservereing towards our goal.
However, if we focus on understanding God’s heart concerning our bodies and we learn how intentionally and thoughtfully God made us, we will build an appreciation for our bodies.
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Psalms 139:13-18 NKJV.
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.”
What if one of your resolutions is to save money?
If you decide to try and change your financial habits in one day, you will surely be discouraged, when you find yourself dipping into your savings account; as if it was a checking account.
On the other hand, if your primary focus is learning how God wants us to manage our finances and trust Him as our provider, you will naturally start to handle your money differently.
I Timothy 6:17-19 NKJV.
“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Hebrews 13:5 NKJV.
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””
Proverbs 13:11 NKJV.
“Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.”
Seeking God’s heart only leads to understanding how He views the things that we care about.
We start to see what really matters and when we see our goals through the perspective of the God who created everything, we approach our goals differently.
We are more likely to have healthier bodies, when we acknowledge how much effort that God put into our bodies.
Just focusing on getting to know Jesus will lead you to seei your life and goals in a brand new way!
A relationship with God doesn’t make you care less about life,
It makes you care about life more, because you see how much thought and love that God invested into your life!
Choosing to make God your focus in 2023, will change every area of your life…
For the rest of your life!
The best resolution you could ever make is to spend a year getting to know God.
When you get to know God and start to see your life through the lens of God’s word,
You will start to see everything in a new way!
This year, I encourage you to just choose everyday to get to know God a little better.
You will be amazed at how God can transform your life just by transforming your heart.
“The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
Isaiah 58:11 NKJV.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV.
Do you want to make this your New Year’s resolution, But don’t know where to start?
We also have a blog post that will help you learn how to spend more time, getting to know Jesus.
Check it out!
3 WAYS TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH GOD EVERYDAY
To help you stay on track throughout the new year, grab our free printable worksheet!
Photo by Taryn Elliott
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
