Matthew 14:23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
Does the Bible teach us to make New Year's resolutions? The obvious answer is no, I mean, what difference is there in the 31st of December and the 1st of January? It's just another day, but there is something about the New Year that gives people the feeling of hope that can come from a fresh start or a clean slate. Many people will make resolutions to read more, to make amends with family or friends, or to stop a bad habit. By far, the resolution that tops the list every year is the resolution to lose weight...............probably because of guilt from those extra pounds gained during Thanksgiving and Christmas! Now I'm not saying that any of these resolutions are wrong, as a matter of fact they are all very important, it's just that they are not the most important. I'm going to do something this year that I don't remember ever doing. I'm going to encourage you to make a New Year's resolution. But it's not any of the ones that I have mentioned already. This resolution, if followed through will change your life forever. I even believe that if you follow through with this one resolution, all the other hurdles in your life will also be conquered. What is this one resolution that I'm encouraging everyone to make? PRAY. We all need to pray. More than ever before, we need more prayer. I'm asking you to join with me for the first 21 days of January as we ask God to help us build a consistent prayer life. I'm going to challenge you each day, but it's up to you whether or not you get on board. Jesus, the Son of God, saw the importance, the necessity of prayer. I think it's time for all of us to also realize that prayer is our biggest need. It's time to pray.
I usually think that new year resolutions are silly and ignorant. However, this one makes sense and is brilliant. I love to pray and like most don't pray enough. Jesus loves for us to pray as well. There is a change that comes through prayer that can never be duplicated or found any other way. This change is one that if found will produce life to the believer. Not only life to the believer but life to others around the believer and to whomever the believer is praying for. It doesn't matter if that person is all the way across the world, life will visit them if a believer prays for them in faith. I beleive that people will be more excited as a result of this call. There seems to always be a struggle with the people of God to stay consistent, but thats what leaders are here for right. Let's do it and stay with it. We need it more than anything!
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