Happy New Year

The new year has come, but it's never too late to make resolutions in those areas where you want to see improvement.

There are all kinds of goals that you can set together and as individuals, and now is the time to start thinking and planning before the new year hits. No matter what happens, don’t compare yourself to anyone else on the journey to your goal. It is your journey, and you will get there on your own time. If you are on track, great. If you aren’t, don’t worry; the journey is yours, and you will get there. More than anything, go for it and have fun!

As we all feel that subtle shift of crisp cool air emerging in the morning, we are gently reminded that we will be entering into yet another season soon, and with that season, an entirely new year. As we enter the last three months of 2023, we must ask ourselves the annual question: How can we make the most of that last bit of the current year? How can you make the most of what 2023 still holds for you?

As the new year begins, many of us may find ourselves feeling weary and overwhelmed. But our God promises to be with us, always. He promises us hope.Together, let’s discover four ways we can carry hope into the new year.

It’s that time of the year when we make resolutions, promises, goals, and dreams. When it comes to spiritual disciplines, one of those that I always seem to make every year centers around prayer. I want to pray longer, deeper, and with more intentionality. I want to pray for others better and set aside real time to pray! The problem? I sometimes don’t even know where to begin.How to Get StartedThe first thing we do when we get started with prayer is to consciously make it a priority. Are you going to make prayer a priority? The want-to needs to start with you. Decide each day to make prayer a priority. We can ask the Lord to give us the desire to pray. We can make sure to read scripture each day to pray. Putting prayer on our calendar also shows that we want to prioritize it.Today I’d love to offer you eight prayers you can pray for the new year. Pray one of these for eight days and see what God can do! These prayers are not designed to just be said aloud and then you're finished. Use the scriptures to meditate on God’s Word, focusing on the truth you find there. Then use the prayers as starters, ending with your own thoughts about each topic! You can join others participating in this prayer challenge here.Discover how the power of prayer can transform any life into one that looks to God for comfort and joy. Here are eight days of prayers to pray for the new year:Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/TinnakornJorruang

Instead of making New Year's resolutions each year that you might tend to forget about or wimp out on in a couple weeks or months, I encourage you to carve out some time this month to ask yourself some questions that may lead to some much-needed spiritual goals.Our God is all about relationships, not to-do lists, so getting at the heart of Who He is and what He wants from your life is key to setting spiritual goals so you don’t end up in a spiritual rut or lukewarm in your relationship with God year after year. Is growing in your relationship with God—and growing in your relationships with family and friends—important to you? Asking God and yourself specific questions and setting some spiritual goals for the next year as a result, helps me ensure that there is spiritual fruit developing from my life each year, instead of being a sponge that continues to soak it all in, but gives little out.Here are six questions to ask God and yourself—and some resulting goals you may want to consider—to make it a spiritually productive 2023:Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Mirel Kipioro

Around this time of the year, it is normal to reflect on the past year in preparation for the New Year. Although reflection is good, it should be guided, or our thoughts can wander aimlessly, causing us to feel overwhelmed. This is one of the major roles of the Holy Spirit, to lead us and guide our minds. According to John 16:13 (N.L.T.), "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." As you take a moment to evaluate this year and seek God about the upcoming New Year, here are four ways to facilitate an honest conversation with yourself and God.

If you try even half of these suggestions, you will build a stronger relationship with your kids in 2023.

A New Year is almost upon us! As everyone starts to think of resolutions and ways to start a "New Year, New Me" plan, take a moment to turn to Scripture for inspiration. These 12 verses will encourage you, challenge you, and are a guaranteed way to start the year off on the right foot.

We hope that as you read this article, you are reminded of your own personal prayers that have been lifted throughout the past year, as well as inspired to lift a few more along with other readers.

Embrace the future by letting go of past heartaches, worries, and things you cannot change. That includes forgiving those who hurt you, realizing you cannot change other people, and accepting what things cannot be undone. List what caused hurts, worries, and problems; let each one go. Grief is a process, so accept that if you are grieving a loss, allow time to get through it, and pray for God’s help.

There's a fine line between throwing goals out the window and extending grace to oneself. But one of the glitches with a New Year's resolution is it also comes almost without exception with an ominous thundercloud of potential—if not probable—failure. Some of that is because we set unreasonable goals, and some is simply because life isn't going to hand us the cooperation we need to accomplish what we've set out to do.

Each day of these monthly challenges gives you an opportunity to write out a passage of Scripture. We pray that as you meditate on God's Word throughout the coming year, you will be richly blessed!

As we leave the old year behind, how about we saturate the coming new year with prayers?So, let’s pray for three things that will remain regardless of circumstance: Faith, hope, and love.

Resolutions are merely decisions we make in advance. These are not big, glorious goals, they are practical steps you can take in the New Year to calm your anxious heart.