We are fourteen days into the new year! People always joke that most people don’t make it through January without breaking their resolutions. I was thinking about this and thought of one resolution that would make it easier on us, and one that I believe will help us accomplish every goal we’ve set for ourselves. If you have only one resolution or commitment this year, make it to be closer to God. This means to spend intentional time with God daily in prayer and in His word and to seek him in everything. Honestly, if we’re doing this, everything else that we want to happen, will happen. It may not look how we want it to look or happen when we want it to happen, but if God is leading, we’ll be at peace. He will give us strength, discipline, self control and everything else we need to do that which is set before us. God wants to do life with us!
If you wrote a list of resolutions for this year, did you seek God about them? If you didn’t write a list, take a minute to think about some thing(s) you want to give up or things you want to start doing differently or just something new in general. It takes forty days to form a habit. The Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years. Moses was with God forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai. After fasting forty days and nights, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. What’s the theme here? Do you ever notice recurring themes in your life? Understand what is required of you to see it change.
And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Exodus 34:28
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him… But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-3
And the LORD’S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. Numbers 32:13
These are amazing examples for us. There’s something about the “wilderness” (i.e. a barrenness in your life), God’s word, prayer and fasting. God’s word needs to be put into action. Maybe fasting is something else you want to try this year. Giving up something to focus your attention on prayer… maybe it’s food or drink (check out the Daniel Fast, Daniel 1:10, 10:2-3), sexual intimacy (for the unmarried folks), social media or something else you desire greatly. Make a sacrifice and commit that time to God to really seek him and see how your life will change.
The easiest way to “success” is to seek God. Put and keep God first and He will take care of everything else for you. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (see vs 25-31) shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.
Two weeks in, to a year of growth and blessings, happy new year y’all!
❤ Carin