Most of us have a desire to do something new in 2020. It could be you’d like to eat more healthy foods and lose weight. Maybe it’s get your body in better physical shape. Or possibly cut back on your social media intake. Most of us will make a New Year’s resolution. All the data says by February 15, 75% of us will not have fulfilled our commitment to be a better person.
What if I told you that while we have good intentions, God has great intentions for us? It’s true that He does. The prophet Isaiah writes down what God wants to say to his people and in Isaiah 43:18-19, God says, “Forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I’m going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” God clearly is doing new things in your life and He asks, do you not see it? So in order to see it clearly, I’d like you to honestly answer four questions.
What one thing do you desire from God in 2020? David said in Psalm 27:4 the one thing he wanted was to be in the presence of God. For you, if you knew God would grant you one thing, what would it be? Maybe helping a family member or close friend know Jesus. It could be you’d love God to remove a stronghold in your life. Maybe you’d love for your marriage to be more Christ-centered. Only you can answer your desire from God.
When it comes to your relationship with God, what one thing do you lack? For some of us, God has already shown us what we lack but for whatever reason, we refuse to acknowledge it. Maybe you lack great Christian fellowship. You don’t have a tight group of Christian friends with whom you journey. There’s no one to pray over you, hold you accountable or serve with. Maybe you lack giving back to God financially. You’d never tithed. But maybe 2020 is the year you decide to trust God. What’s something you lack but what to own in 2020.
What one thing do you need to let go? The apostle Paul told the church in Philippi he wanted to forget what was behind and press forward into what God had for him (Philippians 3:13-14). If you’re a human being, you are hanging on to stuff you need to release. Maybe someone said something demeaning to you or someone did something offensive to you. You are harboring that moment because one day you’re going to make them pay. Maybe you failed at something: education, hobby, marriage. That failure has become your identity. You’ve let yourself down by caving into temptation. You carry the guilt and shame of sin and you believe God will not forgive you. There are things you carry like an overweight suitcase and you need to let it go.
Finally, what one promise do you need to claim from God in 2020? David says in Psalm 56:9-10 that he knows God is for him. You can claim that promise as a follower of Jesus! God is FOR you! And he has many promises for you in 2020. He’s promised to meet all your needs from his glorious riches. He’s promised to forgive all your sins. He’s promised you’ll not be tempted more than you can bare. He’s promised to never leave you. He’s promised the power to defeat Satan. He’s promised us eternal life through his son, Jesus!
There are so many more promises from God. It’s time to claim yours and rejoice in the coming new year. My prayer is as we move into a new year and new decade, you’ll know Jesus better than you ever have before. Blessings on your journey!