Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash
Since we are still in January, I decided to write some more on the “New Year” theme. Just like before you are about to undertake a very concentration-draining task, you try to stir yourself up for it, both physically and mentaly. It is the same here, before we start facing this new year in earnest, we need to set ourselves up for it, both mentally and physically.
Why would we want to do that? Because we want a better year. Because we want change, and for the better. Because we have life goals we want to achieve. We have plans, wishes, dreams, and so on.
So, what do I mean by “if nothing changes, then nothing changes”? There is a famous saying,
If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten.
We cannot expect to have a better year, or a different year, if we keep living exactly the same as last year and keep doing exactly the same things as we did last year.
I remember Samuel Leeds telling a story about how he was invited at a New Year party to speak and motivate the people. Before him there was another speaker on stage who got the crowds all pumped up with words of prophecy that the new year will be amazing, and great, and glorious, and fantastic, and blessed, and so on. He came on next, and he asked the crowds a simple question. “If you do not change the way you think, the way you see, your perspective, or what you are doing, do you know what your next year will look like?” he waited a bit, and then wrote this on the board.
2021
Of course, the year was different, but the idea is the same. The new year will look just like another number, if we do not change what we do, the way we do it, or our perspective on things and life as a whole.
For God to bring any real positive change in our lives, He will need our cooperation. There is a famous story called “The Farmer and the Preacher”, where there was this preacher which saw a man working very diligently on his farm land. The preacher approached the farmer and admired his crops out loud saying “My good man, God has certainly blessed you with a magnificent farm.” And then, there was a pause as the farmer took off his cape and shifted in the tractor seat to take a look at his pride and joy. He then looked at the preacher and he said, “Yes, He has, and we’re grateful. But you should have seen this place when He had it all to Himself.”
You see, God wants to manifest Himself through our lives, but he wants to do it together with us. And the best way for us to cooperate with God is to ask Him what we need to change. He may say we need to change what we do, the way we do it, our heart towards things or others, our point of view, and so on. But for us to see change in the new year, we will need to change something.
Why do cars keep getting better, why do planes keep getting better, why does technology keep improving? Because of change. Small changes added incrementally.
So going into this new year, what change, however small, can we do to finish the year in a different place from where we started it? The answer to this question will be different for everyone. Seek the Father and He will tell you what you need to change, or should change. But there are general things that apply for all. One of which is spending more time in the Word of God, the Bible.
The biggest and best impact for the new year would be to renew our minds.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,” (Romans 12:2)
You see, our thoughts influence our actions. We said that if we keep doing the same thing, we will get the same thing. Well, if we think the same thoughts, we will do the same thing. The secret is to renew our minds, so that our perspective changes and hence our thoughts change, and ultimately our actions. Then, once our actions are different, then the results will be different.
Whilst our mind is not visible, the state it is in, its condition, is visible. The condition of our mind is manifested through our lives. The way we talk, the way we dress, the way we work, the things we do, our attitude, and so on. Our lives publicly demonstrate the state of our minds. In fact, my life is the harvest that I have planted with my thoughts. My thoughts are seeds, and my life is the harvest.
How is your harvest? Do you like what you are reaping? Is it nice? If the answer is yes, then great, keep doing what you are doing, because you will keep reaping what you are reaping now. I guess this blog post is for those who are not reaping what they really want.
We need to renew our minds, and that can only be done through the Word of God, the Bible. Only God can give us the true perspective we need on all the things of life. There are many people who say, “this is the right perspective, or that is the right way of looking at something, or this is the way we should treat this situation.”. And who is right? God is right! His perspective is the only perspective that is absolutely right, because he created this whole thing. Everybody else is just supposing. You know what they say about opinions?, everyone has his own. But what is God’s opinion?
For us to see a true and positive change this year, we will have to spend more time in the Word of God. There are no shortcuts. If nothing changes, then nothing changes.
As this year is still very young, I am asking myself, “what am I going to do differently this year?”. What is working, what is not working, what needs changing? These are the questions we need an answer to. Because if we allow the Bible to renew our mindsets, then we will see clearly what needs changing and what not. Moreover, we will see how to change things.
So get yourself a pen and paper, get your Bible, change your daily schedule, and let us go for the win this year. I am sure, come the end of the year, we will be glad we did.
What are you changing this year?