This is the time of year for planning and resolutions, though many will be broken by now. But, it is also a time for an overall trimming of the sails of life and aiming in the direction of the desired port. Where are you going? How do you plan to get there? What do you expect when you arrive?

A number of ancient cities are known for their character. Babylon stands for evil and is described in Revelation 17. The angel took John into the desert and introduced him to an earthly Babylon in the form of a reigning prostitute. Later the angel takes him to the eventual heavenly Jerusalem.

Sometimes when I read or watch the news I am convinced that we are living in a state of Babylon. It seems all we hear in terrorism, domestic abuse, corporate greed and the list goes on. Babylon represents the godless world system, obsessed by political power, religious seduction and self-centered affluence.

Each of us every day is pressured through the media and elsewhere to join in dancing the “Babylon shuffle.” The pressure is great in contemporary society. The prostitute is the perfect symbol of the godless system lurking all around us.

Love is reduced to a price tag. The joining of body parts is not the joining of lives, yet her attraction and allure are undeniable, for her trade is not sexual but rather commercial and even spiritual.

John moves beyond Babylon in Revelation 21: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

It doesn’t get any better than that. So as we focus on our resolutions and living out this year, let us focus on and aim to Jerusalem. Let’s not be seduced by the clamoring and twittering of Babylon.

Question: The choice is yours. To which will you point your actions and focus throughout the coming year…… Jerusalem or Babylon?

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God Psalm 20:7.

As we usher in another year, I recall a question a reporter asked Benjamin Franklin as he emerged from the Continental Convention that was forming the structure of America’s government. “What kind of government have you given us’” asked the reporter. Franklin’s response was “a republic if you can keep it.”

That statement was made more than two hundred years ago and history shows that the cycle of national dominance usually expires in about that period of time. Where are we in the cycle of nations?

The historical cycle seems to be: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more.

At the stage between apathy and dependency, men always turn in fear to economic and political panaceas. New conditions, it is claimed, require new remedies. Under such circumstances, the competent citizen is certainly not a fool if he insists upon using the compass of history when forced to sail uncharted seas.

As we usher in 2012 we are in worldwide economic chaos, fighting wars we cannot win against enemies we cannot identify. In our country, more people are getting from rather than contributing to the revenue stream that powers democracy. The world is encased in a turmoil never before known in history.

Where can we place our trust and faith in the New Year? Certainly not in men nor in nations, as both will disappoint us. Certainly not in the economy, as it is in shambles as the corporate, national and personal debt is one we can never hope to repay. Certainly not in military might, as we are vulnerable to a defense that could lead to world annihilation.

In this coming year, the only safe place to put our trust is in God. “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (Psalm 2:12). “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).

The New Year is always full of resolutions. Let this one be yours from Psalms (18:2) “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold”

Put your trust in God! For where your treasure is, there you’ll find your heart. Put your trust in him! He won’t let you down. God is our hope, so put your life in his hands. May this be our resolution for the New Year.

( a thought on life from John Grant)

What does your soul crave? Take this study.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long” (Psalm 25:4&5).

Kathy thought about the New Year as she filed away the boxes of last year’s paperwork. There were things she would like to do differently in this new year. Oh, there were the usual things most of her friends were claiming as their New Year’s Resolutions:

•    Lose weight
•    Stop smoking
•    Take more time for relationships
•    Set goals

The list went on. The office was filled with laughter and the prospect of hope for change that a new year would bring.  Yet Kathy knew, in a week or so, the chatter would turn to the broken resolutions and very few of the hoped for changes would become a reality. She wanted something more for her life.

That night Kathy picked up her Bible and read Psalm 25. It was full of hope and an expectation of change that only God could bring to her life. She read it through a couple of times and underlined some verses that seemed to jump off the page, bringing fresh hope to her heart.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long” (Psalm 25:4&5).

The second time she read it through it struck her… here was her New Year’s resolution! This would be the prayer of her heart everyday in this New Year. She grabbed a recipe card and wrote out the words, letting them soak into her soul. This was the change she wanted in her life…to keep her focus daily on the path God wanted her to walk in hope and in faith.

Take a little time over the next few days and read through Psalm 25 yourself. Consider reading it every day for a week and ask God to make the promise of hope come alive to your heart. Write verses 4 & 5 on a card or a sticky note and place it where you will see it regularly. Memorize it and let it soak into your soul and change your life.

Father God,
Thank you for the promise of hope You bring to my heart and my life. I do lift up my soul and my life to You now. I want to trust in You more fully this year. Tune my ears to hear Your voice more clearly. Teach me Your path and guide me in Your truth. In these changing days I need to discern Your ways for me. Help me to put my hope  in You, not just occasionally or when I am in a hard place, but every day all day long. Thank you that You are God, my Savior! I ask this in the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Questions: Do you crave to be closer to God?  How do you plan on growing closer to God this year? Read Psalm 25.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP: Hannah: a study in contentment

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Do you feel isolated, hurt or afraid? This study will encourage you.

I remember our first December 31st in Louisiana.  It was just months after Desert Storm invaded Baghdad and I thought I was witnessing “shock and awe” in person. We were the only ones in our neighborhood who had not purchased fireworks. To say the sky lit up with color would be an understatement. Within minutes the sulfur smells were so thick it was hard to breathe in the humid Bayou night air. The house across the street became veiled in a hovering film of smoke like a Speak Easy in the old movies.

Some people will celebrate a little quieter. A kiss at the stroke of 12, a fork full of black-eyed peas for luck and prosperity,  a toast with a flute of champagne, or passing the peace in a candlelit church.  Resolutions will be penned, and adhered to for a few days, maybe. Promises will be made to jog more and eat less, to love more and argue less.

But should not each stroke of midnight be a new beginning for us?  We don’t have to wait 365 days to renew a right spirit within us. God’s mercies are new every morning. He has bridged the gap between our sinful nature and His Holiness and each day, each hour, each breath we decide  whether to cross it and receive His forgiveness or to cower on the other side and try to resolve it ourselves.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)

Happy New Year – Happy new day of hope. Your God has given you yet another opportunity. Today decide who you will follow. Celebrate new life in Him who gave up His life for you. Shine His light for the world to see and draw near with awe.

Remember we are still in the Christmas season – wise men (and women) are still seeking Him.  He is our New Year’s resolution. He has resolved the quandary of how we can approach a Holy Sovereign God. The true New Year’s babe is the one lying in the manger, and forever in Heaven preparing a place for you and me.

Questions: What resolution will you make this year? Will you present it before God seeking His strength and guidance and forgiveness?

About the Author Julie Cosgrove

New Year’s Resolutions used to be my enemies.

Why is it that we as humans even have this tradition in place?  It inevitably results in failure for me almost every year.  Except for this one.  This year, I have actually attained the goal that I resolved to attain.  Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles!

My secret to being successful this year was to aim lower than other years.  That way I expect less of myself, and it’s easier to get a win.  You’re probably thinking “Really?  That is how you are going to tell me to live? To aim lower in order to win?”  And to that I say, NO.

What I am trying to express is that people need to be realistic in setting their goals. Set milestones in your life that are attainable.  If you are able to actually achieve what you are setting out to do, you will walk away happy, with a sense of accomplishment.  More importantly you will feel that there is so much more that you are able to accomplish.  Do not expect the impossible of yourself, or you will feel like a failure when you fail to meet that goal. We were meant to do great things!  Author Erwin McManus said something once that stuck with me “You are not supposed to just passively enter into tomorrow.  You are supposed to be actively engaging in the creation of tomorrow”.  How true, but unfortunately, how easily forgotten.

I have heard people say to me, “God expects the best of me” and use it as a reason to see themselves as failures when they don’t live up to lofty expectations of themselves.

It is also my firm belief that God blessed us with minds that are able to recognize when we are in over our heads.  Yes, God does expect the best of us, but He sees each of us as the individual that He created us to be.  It has been a long road for me to come to realize this, and one that I will continue to walk on daily with Him.  But I know it is the truth.

When I set out with a goal for myself, I do it after talking to God about it. Isaiah 55:6  says “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near” (NIV).  God loves to be in conversation with his children.  I take an inward look to see what is realistic for myself.  This does not by any means go to say that I do not push myself.  If we never push ourselves, we will never grow, never move forward.  God expects me to try and learn, but he does not except me to live in failure.  He wants only the best for his children.

When you set a goal that through hard work, and perseverance, and with God’s help, you will see positive change happening.  That is why resolutions exist; to succeed at them, to create a positive change in ones life, to further yourself.  I find for myself that once I have achieved one goal, I am eager to move onto the next one and work hard at it.  Small planned steps will get you further than blind leaps.

When I take stock of how I am doing with my New Years Resolutions at this 4-month point, I feel good for the first year ever.  Have I lost 50 pounds? Do I have hair longer than any other person I know?  Am I fluent in Italian? Of course not, those are unrealistic goals that would have set me up for failure, would have created a negative feeling towards myself. However, I have committed to fitness and am exercising weekly.  I don’t have any split ends.  And I can now properly communicate to any Italian that I am in need of a telephone and want to eat an apple.

For me, small steps in the right direction means getting a win in the end.

Is your best never good enough? Talk to a mentor

“Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore, I have set my face like flint to do his will, and I know I will triumph” Isaiah 50:7

Marvin and I were driving home from a wedding just west of Olympia, Washington. As is our habit when we drive, we began to talk about things that are important to us. This day we were discussing the New Year – goals, resolutions and plans.

Because the previous year had been a year of transition for us, we decided to discuss and re – affirm some of the commitments we had made to God many years ago. What was it we would continue to do with all our hearts and minds and souls? What would we pour our lives into this year?

Here are some of the affirmations we made to God and to each other for the year:

1. We will continue to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul and strength.
2. We will continue serving Him – our aim is to please Him in all of our ways.
3. We will continue to use (read and obey) the Bible as the standard for our lives.
4. We will continue to love and be faithful to each other.
5. We will continue to love and be faithful to our children and grandchildren.
6. We will continue to give our tithes and sacrifices to the Lord.
7. We will continue to work hard and do the best we can to win people around the world to Christ, build them in their faith, train them and send them.
8. We will set our faces like a flint to keep our bodies a fit temple of our Lord, eating less and exercising more.

There were more, but these were the most important to us.

How about you? Do you write out your plans and goals? If not, I encourage you to do so. Keep them in your scheduler, your computer, on your fridge or bedroom mirror so they are always before you.

Question: Do you write out your plans and goals?

About this Author: Katherine Kehler

New Year’s Resolution: Make Time for your Kids!
This morning I glanced at my schedule for the coming weekend. Four baseball games and two birthday parties dominate the landscape, along with a list of household chores and errands longer than any one man should have to face. And these are supposed to be my days off! The Bible says that children are a reward from the Lord, and blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (Psalm 127:4-5a). I have certainly found that to be true. But I’ve also found that the fuller my quiver gets (I’ve got five beautiful arrows), the harder it is to find the time … Read the full story.

Take action: Try the Growing in Faith interactive life lesson.

You said it: This week an anonymous visitor commented on the “Releasing your Regrets” devotional saying, “wow, this nearly brings tears to my eyes. Thank you all for being so honest, and thank you Pastor Warren, for the reminder. God bless.” Join the conversation on the daily men’s devotional and women’s devotional!

Article: Tips for Lay Counselors From Dr. Ginger
As a licensed marriage and family therapist, Dr. Ginger Gabriel of San Bernardino, California is a strong proponent of lay counseling. In fact, she thinks every Christian is called to be a counselor at one level or another.

On the devotional blog: A Different Kind of Resolution by Gail Rodgers
That night Kathy picked up her Bible and read Psalm 25 … The second time she read it through it struck her: Here was her New Year’s resolution! Continue reading…

Coming up next week: We’re talking about Living in an Unstable World. Join us in the chat room January 4 at 10:00pm EST (See also our full chat calendar.)

She wanted something more for her life.

That night Kathy picked up her Bible and read Psalm 25. It was full of hope and an expectation of change that only God could bring to her life. She read it through a couple of times and underlined some verses that seemed to jump off the page, bringing fresh hope to her heart.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long” (Psalm 25:4&5).

The second time she read it through it struck her… here was her New Year’s resolution!

This would be the prayer of her heart everyday in this New Year. She grabbed a recipe card and wrote out the words, letting them soak into her soul. This was the change she wanted in her life…to keep her focus daily on the path God wanted her to walk in hope and in faith.

Take a little time over the next few days and read through Psalm 25 yourself. Consider reading it every day for a week and ask God to make the promise of hope come alive to your heart. Write verse 4 & 5 on a card or a stickie note and place it where you will see it regularly. Memorize it and let it soak into your soul and change your life.

Father God,

Thank you for the promise of hope You bring to my heart and my life. I do lift up my soul and my life to You now. I want to trust in You more fully this year. Tune my ears to hear Your voice more clearly. Teach me Your path and guide me in Your truth. In these changing days I need to discern Your ways for me. Help me to put my hope in You, not just occasionally or when I am in a hard place, but every day all day long. Thank you that You are God, my Savior! I ask this in the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Questions: What are your resolutions for the coming New Year?  Take some time to read Psalm 25 and use some of those ideas to help you with your resolutions.

About this Author Gail Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Walking with Integrity, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog