What’s your New Year’s resolution?

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?  Why don’t you get off to a good start this year and make some resolutions that you can keep?  Why don’t your read you bible this year, all the way through?  I use The Daily Walk Bible.”  My wife uses The One Year Bible.”  These bibles are divided into portions that are presented for daily reading.  Last year, our church completed The Story.”   It’s not a substitute for the bible but it’s a good introduction to the bible for those who may find it intimidating.  You can commit to completing a daily devotional, separate from your bible reading.  My wife has been reading Jesus Lives.”  She uses Jesus Calling for a devotional with the children.  And we just started The One Year Family Devotions with the family at the kitchen table following our meals.  Each of these devotional resources provides a single page devotional that is an easy read.  They do not occupy much time but provide a great opportunity to get engaged with God.   What about improving your prayer life?  If you aren’t big on prayer, maybe it’s time to get started.  If prayer is already an integral part of your life, maybe it’s time to take it to the next level.  I am reading Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference by Philip Yancey.  You can tap into God’s resources through the power of prayer.  Keep a prayer journal.  You will see that God listens and answers prayer.  The beginning of the year is also a good time to do some spiritual housekeeping.  Get rid of that garbage in your life.  Replace it with something that pleases and glorifies God.  Become more sensitive to your sins and break strongholds.  If television or the Internet is a stumbling block for you, put something in its place, something good.  Block television channels or terminate your cable television service.  Make the Internet safe to use through the use of Internet filter and accountability software.  We use CovenantEyes to protect our entire family online.  If you find movies entertaining, watch Christian movies – they have come a long way in terms of quality entertainment.  Try Christian radio or music.  If you need some motivation, try reading Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt and Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman.  These books have motivated me to become more committed to Christ.  Spend time with your family.  For ideas for cultivating your relationship with your spouse, look at our post entitled How much time do you spend on your marriage?”  Get tapped into a church, if you are not already.  If you are tapped into a church, attend a small group.  This will provide an intimate setting for you to grow closer in your relationship with God through fellowship with others.  Find an accountability partner who will help you stay pure and faithful in your spiritual walk.  If you have a smartphone and you find apps useful, try using an app that will help you keep your resolutions.  You may find Habit Streak Planor Goal Tracker useful apps for tracking your goals and achieving success this year towards keeping your resolutions, whatever they may be.  We wish you much success.

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