-Strength for Today-"You Can Reach Higher!" - Romans 8:25-28

    In order for you to start this year with a “bang”, the first thing you must do is to “defuse” your mind of the things that has caused you to fall short of your goal. Starting anew is not about making resolutions. Because resolutions are nothing other than inward personal actions that are determined within your mind, for the purpose of accomplishing personal objectives.  And for the most part, they are godless, and once we lose sight of God, we, as did Adam, begin to be reckless.

·       We set prayer aside, and

·       We cease from asking God for daily guidance.

    A new year’s resolution, apart from God, simply causes you to act on your own initiative. For an example, if you are eating out of your own hand, and doing things solely by your own initiative without expecting God to come in, you are on a downward path! Therefore, in order to reach beyond your personal shortfalls, there must be a reckoning within your soul that your turning point has been determined by the Absolute Providence of God, before you were born- Psalms 139: 15-16.  

     Throughout history people have tried to reach beyond the confines of humanity and to connect with a world beyond space and time, in order to rise above struggles and to understand beyond human wisdom, and to live beyond death. But if you look back to creation; all that you’ll see before you are centuries of “dust,” (Genesis 2:7), and because of the fall of Adam, (Genesis 3:16-17), we are all “dusty spiritually dead creatures” who have fallen short of God’s expectation for His race.

    But you can reach higher than the sinful past that Adam determined for the whole human race. Because in Jesus, your past now have purpose! So” defuse” your mind by faith, and allow God here in 2018, “… to bestow … a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor" Isaiah 61:3 (NIV).

Heavenly Father, 

We pray for Your Spirit to lead us each step of this New Year. We ask that You will guide our decisions and turn our hearts to deeply desire you above all else. We ask that You will open doors needing to be opened and close the ones needing to be shut tight. We ask that You would help us release our grip on the things to which You’ve said “no,” “not yet,” or “wait.” We ask for help to pursue You first, above every dream and desire You’ve put within our hearts. Amen.