For those of us using the Roman calendar, January is the beginning of a new year. The word January which comes from the Latin word ‘ianua’ means ‘door’. January, for most of us is the doorway to the year.
The way we start the year will determine how the year goes and so January is usually the month many of us become all fired up on our daily devotions, make New Year resolutions, set goals and establish the focus for the year, some even begin a new regimen.
The bible talks about ‘the wise and foolish builders’. What makes one builder wise and the other foolish? It is simply the way each builder started building his house. In other words, the foundation each built on determined whether they were wise or foolish. The wise builder built on a solid foundation. When adverse situations came, the house stood firm. On the other hand, the foolish builder built without a foundation. When adversity came, when the shaking began, the house that was built never stood a chance, it came crashing down.
It is of great importance that you start your year right. Your goals, dreams and plans must rise from a solid foundation. This foundation is Jesus, for no other foundation can any man lay other than that which has already been laid, Jesus Christ. Those who work in organizations understand that at the beginning of the corporate year, administration casts the vision for the year. It is on this vision that the strategies, plans, goals and objectives, including the benchmarks for each department is built.
God has a plan for this year, His plan; it’s called His will for the year. We are all instruments for the accomplishment of that divine will, each of us playing a part like in one big orchestra. Problem is, most of us don’t realize this, so we think we can just get up and go on our own. Actually, we need to find out what His will for the year is, find out what part we are to play in it, then comes the rest. The answers to those two questions come from Jesus, the foundation; from the word of God. But you can’t just open the bible and pick some random scripture and say that’s it.
You must lay down all your preconceived ideas and formulas for the New Year and humbly come to the word for direction and purpose. Believe me, the preceding statement is the hardest part of it, once you’re through that, the rest is easy. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. He is your Father, just ask believing that He will speak to you, in that moment He will share His plans with you, just believe, just believe! He will give you a word, and you can hold unto that word for the rest of the year. It will be your contract with the King, the tower on which you will stand to watch over your year. Finally, set your total hope and trust in the power of His might and not in your abilities in 2014.
.
So this January as you set your goals and make your resolutions, make sure you start right. Make sure you start with proper foundation. Once again, I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.
May God help you start with Him, in Jesus name.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!”
Psalm 127:1 “A Solomonic song of ascents. Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain”
1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Temitope Talabi is a founding member of The Trent Voices currently reside in Austin, TX. She graduated with a PharmD from Texas Southern University in Houston, TX. She works as a community pharmacist and spends her spare time writing to build and encourage others through the word of God. Temitope is also currently working on a series of self-help books created to empower people to take charge of their health and wellness, the first of which is scheduled to be released early next year.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
