It is a brand new year, a great new dawn!
The beginning of a new walk, a brighter journey,
The resumption of a pilgrimage in faith with Christ,
With His Light to daily shine and brighten my pathways
His Spirit to guide my thoughts in serene prayers with God,
His Word, a lamp to my feet; road-map leading me to The Lamb!
What a new dawn, what a new year,
A time not to be heard, seen, praised, but Christ!
What a new me, what a transformed self,
A time to live anew with Christ from day-to-day!
What a wonderful time, full of expectations great,
That I, by grace and not by works, will be fit for His Throng
When He comes to call up His saints in Rapture!
O God “teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90: 2). Traditionally, a new year is often attached to new beginnings, new orientation and new resolutions. Time has become a constant issue in the affairs of man.
Like money in the bank, time is a vast resource available for your judicious use as we wade through the New Year. However, many of us failed to use our time wisely just as we most often fail to handle wisely financial and other resources put into our care.
As time is difficult to manage and elusive to control, the best is to manage one-self and develop habits that keep you in checks and balances through time and space.
God exist changeless from everlasting to everlasting. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has a grand Plan for all His created beings, especially you and I, the crowning glory of His works.
Because death is certain, not many people live above a hundred years anymore, we need to live well before we die.
Because judgment is sure, after death comes judgment, we must choose to live right to be judged right and not condemned.
Because proper understanding of God, time and eternity reveals that there is a Redemption Plan for man after his fall into sinfulness, and that embracing this Plan, man could live in glory eternally after death.
Steps To A Fruitful New Year
- Commit Thy Way unto God
New Year resolutions become mere wishes and empty desires when they are unrealistic. Setting realistic goals and aims for every discernible project is the hallmark of serious-minded people and successful men and women.
To set forth at dawn, to plan well for every twist and turn in life affairs and matters is the way of those who plan to make headway in life.
Setting out in life with absolute trust in God, unflinching faith in His promises and holding forth doggedly without any iota of doubt to His Word is the only sure way to make it in this life and in the Kingdom to come.
Why not make your resolutions attainable, your goals achievable, and your dreams come true this year by committing your way unto God in all matters. Commit unto God whatever realistic goal you plan to meet this year.
The Lord “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa 40: 29 – 31).
2. Keep Faith in God and Focus on Your Goal
God is who He is, and knowing who God is makes the believer to be “fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He is able also to perform” (Romans 4:21).
Faith is an active demonstration of personal principles and belief in what is yet to manifest as if they already exist.
Maintain positive postures, regularly declare affirmative speeches, while keeping faithful thoughts to excel and be successful in chosen goals through the year – as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.
You become literally changed to the thoughts and affirmations of your mind as well as the declarations of your mouth. Faith is a deep-down belief that, regardless of the present circumstances, you are going to make it, and meet what you have set out to do. Having faith in God gives you extra strength in seeking to achieve what you know to do best.
3. Commitment & Integrity
Power as of old confirms the capabilities of God in modern times as it happened during Biblical eras. Nelson Mandela rose from prison to become the President of South Africa just like Joseph, who came out of prison to rule Egypt as a Prime minister.
Be confident in your God-given talents and endowments with unflinching commitment and integrity. Whatever and whoever you are, painter or Professor, orator, writer or musician, engineer, technician or technocrat, salesman, marketer or preacher, whatever it may be, you always need to work in partnership with God and His Plan to achieve success from difficulties, trials, and tribulations.
Be committed and dedicated to the goals and aspirations well-thought out and adapted as your purpose and dream in life, your raison d’être for life and living.
4. Persistence
Have what it takes to go get it. The tough guy keeps going, even when the going gets tough!
The determination and persistence to find and make concrete the desires and aspirations of the heart would definitely lead to creativity and success in the end.
Whatever we long for, yearn for, struggle for, and hold persistently in the mind will eventually turn out to become materialized just in exact proportion to the intensity and persistence of the thought and our actions. The man who set his mind firmly toward achievement is in himself success in areas where many have failed and others see nothing but impossibilities.
You always find out the tough guy in times of adversity, when obstacles looms large, and in situations when recurring challenges seems unwilling to abate. Persistence and resolute determination keeps you from getting discouraged come rain or sunshine. Think out your goal in concrete and plausible terms, be persistent and dedicated unto it, and you’ll soon see the concrete realization as days go by in the New Year.
5. Passion
Working with passion and commitment is the hallmark of mentally strong people. However, no mental trick or hypnotic device could make you successful without the special collaboration of hard work, common sense, intuition, personal skills, creativity, discipline, organization, resolute determination, and passion.
Passion for one’s calling in life demands the discovery of a clear vision. It requires flexibility, knowledge, communication, and hard work. These are essential characteristics of the man and woman desirous of making his/her resolutions come true.
Strive to develop these essential qualities as valuable habits for success as you journey through the New Year.
6. Flexibility
Flexibility is an important quality against futility, because, without some flexibility in your approach, you could end up trying to move an immovable object for the rest of your life.
It is the man that makes needful adjustment to original plan, and flow with it, while keeping his eyes on the goal, that delivers at the end of the day.
Successful people are willing to reinvent themselves while staying focused to their dream and resolutions. Those who stay stagnant and ignore trends will be left.
Take off with the master plan early in January; update yourself on new ideas, trends or innovations by month end or agreed period with critical assessment, review and take necessary adjustments with new skills to sharpen your focus on the master plan.
7. Gratitude
Gratitude is fundamental to maintaining an optimistic outlook on life, even in the face of difficulties. To be thankful to God and appreciative of humanity attracts blessings and goodness; it cast away depression and stress, with resounding progress and growth in personal and social adjustments. Learn to be thankful and grateful this New Year, and always.
Learn to thank God and man for past mercies, while imploring Him for expected blessings, casting all your cares and worries upon God, who alone can do all things. Attitude affects so many things in life.
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.” (Gen 45: 4 – 5).
Despite the harsh and wicked treatment from his brothers, the dehumanizing circumstances that he went through from Portiphar, Joseph down-played the negative aspects of his predicament in life, while emphasizing the positive outcomes of those events.
8. Open-mindedness
Open-mindedness implies “having a mind open to new ideas”. Giving recognition to the rights of others, to be unprejudiced to other people’s ideas and opinions is open-mindedness. Let not rigidity take over you this New Year. Be tolerant as tolerance is open-mindedness on all subjects”. It is not a willingness to change one’s own opinions but rather a recognition of the rights of others to have their own opinions.
It was open-mindedness that made a Thomas Edison saved a lonely baby from the tracks of a moving train; made him engrossed self into the work of telegraph operator which transformed his life from a newspaper vendor into one of the greatest inventors in history.
Tolerance and open-mindedness is the habit of great men, and the hallmark of successful people. We all need to receive our peculiar endowments with open mind and enthusiasm, work with it in positive outlook to get the best for self and civilization. The Divine influence will definitely guide and lead you as Daniel was guided, as Joseph was led, and as Jacob was assisted, to meet your lofty goals and dreams this New Year.
9. Renewed Authority
The New Year demands that you come off the old era with brand new authority over obstacles, disappointments and principalities. You must be on the side of Christ to have and manifest such authority. It is a gift in faith from Jesus.
Take His way this New Year, and not your selfish path, to move mountains, to overcome situations, and to attain sweet and enduring success. The Almighty God will confirm His Word in the believer’s mouth. Learn to pray in faith today to be able to sing praises in thanksgiving unto God at the end of year.
Maikel Kaes -- Personal & Career Development 