2021 Best Year Ever

As we approach the new year, I felt the Lord prompting me to talk about how to make 2021 your best year ever.

As we approach the new year, I felt the Lord prompting me to write about how to make 2021 your best year ever.

Now, most people are thinking about their new years resolutions or goals, but I want to talk with you about something more important – promises to God. Here are three things I suggest you promise God (and at least one accountability partner), if you want 2021 to be your best year ever.

1. Promise God that you will read, study, meditate in, and memorize the Bible more in 2021 than you did in 2020.

· YouVersion App – Bible in a year study. Make sure that it is 365 days and goes through the entire Bible. Also, there are many studies you can do by yourself or with others.

· Accountability – Do the YouVersion study with at least one other person. Hold each other accountable to not only doing the scripture readings each day, but making comments about what you are learning.

· S.O.A.P. – Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. Study the scripture. Observe what’s happening. Ask God how you can apply it. Pray.

· Journaling – what are you learning, hearing from God, seeing in the scripture for the first time, impact on your life?

2. Promise God you will pray more in 2021 than you did in 2020.

· Jesus prayed often and if it was important to the Son of God, our Savior, it should be important to us.

· Start your day in prayer – petitions, thanksgiving, and quiet time (listening).

· End your day in prayer – thanksgiving, restful sleep, protection.

· Pray with others – pray with your spouse, people from church, people at work, or join a prayer group/network.

3. Promise God you will serve more in 2021 than you did in 2020.

· Family – put your family needs and wants before your own. Every day ask God how you can serve your spouse, children, parents.

· In the Church building – ask God how you can serve within the church. I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities to serve at your church. If you aren’t part of a church, that should be a high priority in 2021.

· Outside the Church building – feeding, clothing, helping the elderly, foster parenting, mentoring troubled youth.

· Neighborhood – look for ways you can serve your neighbors and neighborhood. Have a neighborhood cleanup day with a BBQ in your front yard. Offer to baby sit for the single mom. Offer to clean the house or do some fix up work for the elderly person.

· Put others first – Jesus said the last would be first and that if we wanted to be best in the kingdom, we should be the lowest of servants. Ask God to help you change your thinking and actions to put others before you.

I can tell you for sure that if you make these promises to God and to others who will hold you accountable, God will bless you, your family, your work and 2021 will be your best year ever.