Well, it’s nearly 2015. Will you be making any New Year’s Resolutions?

The most common ones (at least in the USA) have to do with losing weight, getting in shape, and managing finances better. Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.

Trying to change something you don’t particularly like about yourself is often fraught with problems. And the problem with a resolution is that it’s a legal term. It’s usually on the same level as a vow, and an unwise vow is big trouble.

What if something you don’t like is actually how God made you and that He wants to use for His glory?

Perhaps you feel like you have opinions that are too strong. Could God use those as strengths? Maybe you just need to learn better ways to express them.

Maybe you feel like you are too soft-hearted and it leads to others taking advantage. I’ll bet you have a soft heart so that God can speak and you will hear Him. You may need to learn more about letting Him protect that heart.

We all tend to judge ourselves. We all feel the need to change, especially as the New Year rolls around. But what we really need to do is to ask God to tell us what He wants us to do about certain things.

You see, when we try to change things on our own and without asking His advice, we are using will power. We are struggling to change fleshly things by the use of our flesh. No wonder it’s such a fight! No wonder we fail so consistently!

This year, let’s try something else. Let’s determine to get ever closer, to develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus so we can hear His voice more clearly. That way He can direct our actions and we won’t run off on our own so much. He said His yoke is easy and the burden light. A yoke made for a team of oxen won’t fit donkeys. One made for someone else won’t fit you. It’s uncomfortable and you’ll work way too hard to lift and carry it.

Make your goals for 2015. Just remember, they are only goals. They are not vows or laws. And ask Jesus about them before you set them in concrete. He knows the plans He has for you. They are plans for good, not evil. Plans for peace, not frustration and self-recrimination.

Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t just a nice promise—it’s a blueprint for what you can expect when you listen to His heart and follow His voice.

Have a blessed year!

all illustrations courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net