ISAIAH 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Every year millions of people including myself make New Year’s resolutions. Just last week, I got my ears re-pierced. My plan is to wear more accessories for the new year. My other goal is to eat healthier and reduce my sugar intake. I love sweets! They are so hard to resist.

New Year’s resolutions are good, but the problem is that many people don’t keep up with them. I have a much better suggestion: Make a daily commitment to spend time and meditate on God’s Word coupled with prayer.

JOSHUA 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

I’m entering my ninth year of going through the Bible and it continues to transform my life more and more while deepening my walk with the Lord. God’s Word has brought me much closer to Him; it has also brought encouragement, refreshment, conviction, and comfort in different seasons of my life. Ladies, I encourage you to start 2019 and every year thereafter by making a daily commitment to spend time in reading God’s Word. My prayer is that you will not just treat it as a regular book, but that you would prayerfully read and apply His Word to all areas of your life. JAMES 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourself. God wants to transform you into the godly woman He sees you to be while molding you more and more into the image of His Son, Jesus. It is an inward transformation. Choose the high road and make a daily choice to allow the Lord to speak to you through His unchanging Word as you read, meditate and soak it in during your quiet time. God’s Word is His love letter to you! Furthermore, it’s vital for you to maintain an active prayer life too. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

As you read God’s Word, He speaks to you and ministers to your heart. As you pray, you enter into God’s throne room and you are speaking directly to Him. Our prayer requests vary from person to person: some of you may have unsaved family members and friends, so you are praying for their salvation; other requests may include praying to be healed from an illness, praying for finances, a job, praying for guidance and protection, and praying for God to intervene in a particular circumstance. Whether your requests are big or small, God hears all of them and He will answer each one according to His perfect will for your life. It’s very important to pray in the Spirit meaning that you are receptive to God’s answers for your requests. His answer may be “Yes” to certain requests beacuase they are in alignment with His will; His answer may be “No” because it doesn’t fit His overall plan; and He may give you an answer of “Wait” because the timing is not right. Remember, God knows best and it’s imperative for you and I to accept His answers to our requests believing He’s looking out for our very best interest. When we choose to reject His answers and His plan for our lives, we make it worse for ourselves and we will suffer the consequences for our disobedience and for undermining His authority. God is Sovereign and His thoughts are not our thoughts nor are His ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8). Trust the Lord!

PROVERBS 3:5-6 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.

My New Year’s exhortation to all of you is to read, study, and meditate on God’s love letter to you, His holy Word while praying in the Spirit and maintaining an Active prayer life.

PSALM 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

EPHESIANS 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

“The only way you and I are going to stay close to Jesus is to stay close to His Word. When you spend time studying the Bible, you can’t help but be drawn to the Person of Jesus”. – Dr. J. Vernon McGee (Briefing The Bible)