Let’s begin with a quick review of what we’ve covered so far about making and keeping New Year’s Resolutions.

We wait and watch for a vision or revelations from the Lord.

• We write it (them) down.
• We formulate resolutions based on the revelations.
• We keep them in front of us all the time and do not lose sight of them.
• We watch our words so we do not sabotage the progress we make.

The final revelation in this series comes to us from Proverbs 4:25 & 27:

Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions…Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust. (The Message)

In other words, Solomon tells us to go FORWARD with FOCUS.

Experience tells us that this is easier said than done.

As much as we’d like to make forward progress, we could very easily end up moonwalking our way to mediocrity, if we get stuck on the past.

An occasional glance in the rear-view mirror can be beneficial in reminding us where we came from. But driving with our eyes fixed on what lies behind us will not take us where we need to go, amen?

Jesus points out the seriousness of this tendency when he says: “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

So, friends, the first thing we need to do is to deal with whatever will keep us looking backward.

• Do you need to forgive someone who hurt you?
• Do you need to bring closure to an open emotional wound?
• Do you need to celebrate the goals you met and set more challenging goals to keep moving on?
• Do you need to detach yourself from a person or pursuit that is not positive or productive?

Would you ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it is you need to leave behind so you can move forward?

Secondly, we need to develop a sharp, laser-like FOCUS.

The apostle Paul puts it this way:

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:13-14)

What do we focus on? The Prize, of course! The Prize which is so desirable that we are willing to pay the Price to get it!

What is the NUMBER ONE PRIZE that you absolutely need to attain in 2013?

Once you’ve identified it, here are some helpful hints that will help you develop and maintain your FOCUS all year.

1. Find someone who will keep you ACCOUNTABLE, preferably on a daily basis.

2.  Review your Resolution at the BEGINNING of the Day. Do what you need to do to attain the prize before you start doing anything else.

3.  CUT OUT all “sideshow distractions” that will take your focus away. This does not have to be a permanent elimination. It could be simply a temporary sacrifice until your resolution becomes reality.

Now you can MOVE FORWARD WITH FOCUS.

So, there you have it. Would you please take a moment to let us know how these five revelations have helped you in making and keeping your New Year’s Resolutions? We would really appreciate hearing from you. Just click HERE.

Over 30 years of ordained ministry, I have watched many “godly” people in and outside the church make what I would consider “godly” resolutions.

Sadly, I have also watched many of them fail miserably in making them work.

There was nothing wrong with the content of the resolutions they made.  They all lined up with the Word of God and the Will of God perfectly.

These godly people followed Jesus with sincere devotion. Many of them operated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and relied on His power to live lives that were pleasing to God.

Yet, they had difficulty keeping the resolutions they made.

Can you relate?

It used to baffle me to no end, until one day a friend handed me a copy of a book called “Hung by the Tongue.”

Beginning with Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”, author Francis P. Martin presented a convincing case from Scripture about how we can sabotage the success of our resolutions with our words.

A quote from another book “The Tongue: A Creative Force”  by Charles Capps also caught my attention.

Capps says that when he read Mark 11:23: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says,” Jesus said to him:

“I have told my people they can have what they say, but my people are saying what they have.”

As I started paying attention, I realized that these “godly” people were speaking “ungodly” words.

They were seeking life while speaking death.

They were speaking lies about themselves while trying to keep resolutions based on the truth of God’s word.

They were destroying the new realities they were attempting to create with their very own words.

No wonder they were not experiencing the success they were expecting!

Solomon hit the nail on the head when he wrote: “Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” (Proverbs 4:24)

When we examine the roots of the Hebrew words translated “perversity” and “corrupt”, we discover that they mean such things as to deceive, to twist, to depart from the truth, to be crooked and devious.

What does every one of these words epitomize?

Can you say “evil?”

Revelation 12:9 describes the devil as one “who deceives the whole world.”

In John 8:44, Jesus called the devil “the father of lies.”

Sadly, these “godly” ones were succumbing to the strategy of the enemy of our souls to keep them from making their resolutions work.

That’s the bad news.

Here’s the good news. We know what to watch for, “so that satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Friends, please pay special attention to what you say about yourself.

Avoid like the plague such statements as:

• “I knew I couldn’t stick with it.”
• “I am no good at making resolutions work.”
• “I knew this would happen.”

These are lies, twisted truths, the work of the enemy to sabotage your success.

Speak life instead with such godly words as:

• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
• “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
• “I am more than a conqueror.” (Romans 8:37)

And you too will join the ranks of the godly people who make and keep godly resolutions in 2013.

Will you join me in this short prayer from Psalm 141:3? “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

AMEN.

“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart.” (Proverbs 4:20-21)

How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions so far?

Let’s review what we’ve learned so far about making and keeping them.

• We wait for the Lord to give us a vision or revelations.
• We write it (them) down.
• We formulate resolutions based on the revelations.

I must admit that I haven’t received a whole lot more since the initial burst of revelations that kept flowing at such a rapid pace that I had to type really fast to get them all down!

I did get more clarity on some of them, even specific details about one of them. So, yes, there was some progress.

Take heart, progress is a process. As long as you make time for the process, there will be progress!

So, keep pressing in and allow the Holy Spirit to release the revelation and help you formulate the resolution.

Now what?

This DWOD contains a key revelation that will virtually guarantee that resolutions you make will be kept.

It comes to us courtesy of the wisest man in the Old Testament, King Solomon himself.

Are you ready for it?

The first step, as we have learned already, is to listen carefully to our Father.

We listen with our ears, and as Habakkuk mentioned, we also “watch to see what He says.”

Our ears and eyes are gates through which we allow words, thoughts, ideas to enter our mind.

However, the most effective resolutions do not reside in our minds alone. They need to find a home in our hearts.

Solomon says that we need to “let them penetrate deep into our hearts.”

How do we accomplish this?

The wise king comes to our rescue: “Don’t lose sight of them.”

In other words, keep them in front of you all the time.

Jesus said: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)

That is why Solomon goes on to say: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.” (Proverbs 4:23-24)

The two wisest people in the Bible reiterate that what we allow to enter our hearts is what will eventually come out of us and determine whether we succeed or not.

So, let’s apply this truth to our newly formulated resolution.

Just as we wrote down the revelation earlier, so also now we write down the resolution.

Then we ensure that we “don’t lose sight of it.”

It could be as simple as printing it out and placing the printed sheet of paper in a prominent place where you will be exposed to it over and over again.

For some of us, this may be the fridge 🙂 For others it may be a bulletin board directly in front of your face in your workspace, desk, den or other location.

The graphic accompanying this revelation shows how you can use today’s technology to keep your resolution in front of you always—as wallpaper on a cellphone, tablet, laptop or desktop.

No matter how you choose to do it, the principle is still the same. Once you’ve made your resolutions, “Don’t lose sight of them.”

Keep them in front of you.

Read them at least once a day.

Let them “penetrate deep into your hearts.”

You will be amazed at how well you are able to keep the New Year’s Resolutions that you make in 2013.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.” (Psalm 139:1)

Last night, after sending the DWOD to all our subscribers, I decided to take the action steps I had suggested in that revelation.

It was a wonderful experience.

It almost seemed as though the Lord had just been waiting to be asked all along 🙂

The revelations/vision started to come fast and furious.

Here is the first one I received.

He made it very clear that there is a lot of ministry-related travel awaiting me next year.

When I asked how I need to prepare for it, He was more than willing to oblige!

He told me that I needed to eat healthy, work out regularly and drink at least 4 glasses of water daily.

The word about the water was to prepare for air travel, he said.

I could’ve simply added “losing weight by eating healthy and working out regularly” as one of my resolutions.

However, to hear the Lord make a connection between ministry trips and taking good care of my body motivates me way more than simply doing it for health reasons.

It is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a grace similar to this when you let your resolutions flow from the revelations you receive.

Now for today’s revelation…

It has to do with the resolution to drink 4 glasses of water daily.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the popular advice to drink at least 8 eight-oz glasses of water every day.

Why did the Lord not advocate 8? Why did He suggest at least 4 instead?

I am convinced it is because He knows me so well. He knows that I am more of a 2-3 glasses of water a day drinker right now.

For me to zoom from 3 to 8 glasses of water a day would’ve been such a steep climb that to even contemplate the possibility would’ve caused pain in my brain 🙂

To ramp it up from 3 glasses to 4 a day…now that is a more realistic goal. Hey, I can do that, no problem!

It is a well-documented fact that one of the reasons most resolutions fail is because they contain goals that are unrealistic for that person.

I recall how I wanted to spend quiet time soaking in the presence of the Lord (as many of my friends did).

One of my friends in particular was a “Super-Soaker.” He had no trouble spending two hours or more at a time simply staying still in His Presence while quiet reflective music played in the background.

So I resolved to follow suit. Well, guess what, it worked like a charm for the first few days. After that, I simply couldn’t keep up the pace.

I started feeling guilty and went days on end without soaking at all 🙁

Had I asked the Lord, He would’ve suggested setting aside 15 minutes for starters, I am sure, which is eventually what I decided to do.

After succeeding for 15 minutes at a time for a few days, I was so hungry for more of His Presence that I would stay longer. 5 minutes at first. Then 10 minutes. Even 15 minutes.

Before I knew it, I was consistently spending 30 minutes a day.

It is still very rare for me to spend a two hour stretch soaking more than once a week. But it is more common for me to spend an hour a day now than ever before!

So, here is the second benefit of seeking the Lord about it.

Since He knows you better than anyone else, He will help you set realistic resolutions and set you up for success. Amen?

I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how hewill answer my complaint. Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.” (Habakkuk 2:1-2)

I resolve to:

• Lose weight by eating healthy
• Exercise every day
• Stick to my budget
• Spend more time with my family
• Pray more consistently
• Read the Bible more regularly

Ever make any of these resolutions? (Is the Pope Catholic?)

It happens every year, doesn’t it? Sometime in the days leading to Jan. 1, many of us start thinking about making New Year’s Resolutions.

What is your track record in keeping them? (Time to hit the confessional?)

If everyone who made resolutions kept them, the world would be full of slim and trim, financially secure, biblically literate prayer warriors with problem-free happily living ever after families!

Since this is not the case, one would have to conclude that most people, correction, most Christians who make New Year’s resolutions fail to keep them.

Welcome to the club! But don’t take a life-long membership 🙂

Over the next five days leading up to New Year’s Day, we plan to release revelations on making and keeping resolutions.

I have been asking the Lord why I have not been successful in keeping resolutions I have made in the past.

He took me to Habakkuk 2 and showed me two reasons that have contributed to my rather abysmal track record.

The first thing he pointed out was that I had been making resolutions without consulting Him first…Ouch L

He asked me whether I got my list of resolutions as a result of watching for His revelations in the watchtower or by reading what other people suggested in publications I read, yes, even Christian publications.

I had to hang my head in shame.

I put them together based on what I could see in me and around me and what others told me I needed to do and be. I did not “wait to see what the Lord says” that was unique to me and customized for me.

Secondly, he pointed out that I was not always diligent about writing them down, so they were plain for all to see.

Mea culpa. Encore.

The Lord wants to give us a vision first of what He has in store for us this coming year.

All our resolutions need to be consistent with this vision.

Resolutions that are not aligned with His vision for us are not likely to be kept, amen?

Once we receive the revelation(s), then we need to write them down. This way we can re-visit them, keep them in front of us all the time and evaluate periodically how well we are keeping them.

So, before you make a single resolution this year…

May I suggest that you take a block of time every day for the next five days to simply:

• Wait and watch for the Lord to release His vision/revelations and
• Write them down?

At least, that is what I intend to do.

Et tu?

It was likely the latest on Christmas Day that we have ever done it–well past 2 in the afternoon.

I’m not complaining, mind you.

After leading two Christmas Eve services, driving 200 km to my sister’s place, arriving at midnight, then visiting for nearly two hours before hitting the hay, this just-turned 55-year-old body did not mind the opportunity to sleep in one bit!

And when we did wake up around 9, we got busy preparing for the Christmas Lunch which needed to be served by noon when my parents would join us. By the time we finished eating, it was almost 2 p.m.

That’s when someone brought up the gifts. Ah, the gifts! Yes, let’s open gifts!

The youngest in the house being a mature 12 may have had something to do with the tardiness.

That coupled with the fact that most of us knew pretty much what we were getting for Christmas.

For some it would be cash and gift cards. For the rest of us, it would be one of the items on the lists we had submitted well in advance.

In other words, there was very little suspense to keep us guessing. Not a whole lot of surprise to build up the anticipation.

Again, I’m not complaining. Just the facts, ma’am!

However, I couldn’t help but wonder whether our experience mirrors that of many of us in the Church.

• Do our celebrations become so wrapped up in the expected that there is no more room for expectancy?

• Do we get too caught up in worrying about all the preparations that we have lost the wonder of it all?

• Do our gifts of most-desired items to our loved ones mask the magnitude of the Gift that was given to those who least deserved it? (Romans 5:6-8)

• Have we pastors contributed to it by making our Christmas services too predictable?

I wonder.

Makes me realize why Jesus said: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 18:3)

Granted Jesus was talking about humbling oneself and repenting in order to simply enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

But we cannot ignore the fact that children approach everything in life, especially Christmas, with a sense of wonder and expectancy.

Even though they have written their “Dear Santa” letters already, there is still an element of surprise that makes them anticipate what will await them on Christmas morning.

Thus, I cannot help but ask the question: “Do we need to repent of our lack of wonder, expectancy and surprise—not just when it comes to Christmas, but with our entire Christian walk?”

Do we wake up every morning eager to see how God would show up that day?

When we spend time reading His word, do we expect Him to catch us off guard with surprising revelation?

As we offer our prayers, do we dictate how God should answer them or do we submit to His ways, no matter how offbeat they may be?

Will you pray this with me?

“Lord, I repent. I become as a little child. Let me never stop expecting surprises from you. May I never ever lose my sense of wonder. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

Virtually every Christmas Eve Service tonight will feature the narrative of the Nativity penned by a virtuoso storyteller named Luke.

Beginning with: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus…” the reading from Luke 2 will evoke powerful images in the imagination of all who hear the sacred text:

• A very pregnant young woman and her husband trudging along the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem;
• This weary couple being refused lodging at an inn;
• Mary laying down their newborn son in a manger, with a doting Joseph looking lovingly at both of them and a host of farm animals watching in bemused wonder.

The scene then shifts to the countryside. In swift succession, we see the angels appear to the shepherds who promptly go to Bethlehem, see the Christ child, share what the angels told them with Mary & Joseph, and tell everyone in sight about all that they had seen and experienced. Whew! What a whirlwind of activity!

Through it all though, Mary “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

The dictionary definition of “ponder” is “to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully; meditate.” Pondering is defined primarily as a mental activity.

But Mary did not ponder in her mind. She pondered in her heart.

Yes, she took the time to think through all that she had heard and seen. But this reflection came from the depth of her being, not just her mind. You could say that her mind, emotions and spirit were all involved in the process.

Mary is not the only one to ponder all that happened that night and in subsequent days.

In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23 they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg where they were to re-enact the story of Christ’s birth in the small Church of St. Nicholas.

Unfortunately, the church organ wasn’t working and could not be repaired before Christmas. So the actors presented their Christmas drama in a private home.

That Christmas presentation put assistant pastor Josef Mohr in a meditative mood. Instead of walking straight to his house that night, Mohr took a longer way home. The longer path took him up over a hill overlooking the village.

From that hilltop, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village. Reveling in the majestic silence of the wintry night, Mohr gazed down at the glowing Christmas-card like scene.

As he pondered the Christmas play he had just seen, he remembered a poem he had written a couple of years before about the night when angels announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to shepherds on a hillside.

You can read the rest of the story here.

It was this pondering that led to “Silent Night, Holy Night” being sung the very next night.

This Christmas Eve, will you also take time, as Mary did, to “ponder” these things “in your heart?”

Who knows what will come out of your pondering on this “Silent Night, Holy Night?”

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:36-37)

Have you been hit with unsolicited sales pitches at least several times in the past 30 days–in a magazine or a newspaper, on a website or in an e-mail, on the radio or on TV?

No matter the medium, you may have noticed that the most compelling ad(s) almost always featured a key element:

THE TESTIMONIAL.

The most powerful testimonials are from those who have used the product or service that is being promoted and are satisfied enough to share their experience with you.

Companies that can afford celebrity endorsements will still go for it. But the annals of marketing are full of success stories of ads that featured ordinary people along with their names, photographs and/or video clips.

Testimonials seem to break down the resistance to buying by building trust quickly. They help the buyer overcome skepticism and are seen to be “unbiased”.

“If it worked for that person, it should work for me, too!” Cha-ching!

Isn’t it interesting that the angel Gabriel includes a testimonial in his “sales pitch” to Mary?

As Mary sits stunned by the stark facts of what she is being asked to “buy” into, Gabriel brings into the picture someone to whom Mary can relate.

Yes, plain, old cousin Elizabeth who “was barren” and “well advanced in years.” Add to this fact an equally aged husband named Zechariah. Can you say “impossible to conceive?”

Can’t you just see Mary’s eyes light up at the mere mention of Elizabeth’s name?

Can’t you just hear Mary’s heart leap as Gabriel tells her: “This is now the sixth month for her who was called barren?”

Now, she had proof that God can do the impossible.

What was impossible to conceive just a few moments back now becomes possible to receive.

What made the difference?

THE TESTIMONIAL!

Every time we gather for any reason at all at Morgan’s Point or Forks Road East United churches, we take time to “Celebrate God’s goodness.”

It is an open mike session when anyone who has a recent testimony of God’s (often supernatural) activity in their life is encouraged to share it with the rest of the congregation.

Needless to say, we rejoice with one another and celebrate our Father, often with applause, cheers, Praise God’s and Hallelujah’s!

But this sharing also serves another equally powerful purpose.

I hear the testimony of a person who has just experienced a great breakthrough. I file it away in my memory bank.

Days, weeks, months, even years down the road, I run into a situation where I am with someone who needs that exact same breakthrough in their life.

The Holy Spirit alerts me to share that testimony with this person.

They are encouraged. They receive hope. They can now wait with faith.

One person’s testimony has just become a testimonial. Just as Elizabeth’s testimony became a testimonial for Gabriel to use.

Sometimes I find Christians get discouraged because they do not have a powerful personal testimony to share. Take heart! Share a testimonial of what God did in someone else’s life instead and watch the resistance melt away.

I also find that some Christians are reluctant to share their testimonies, for whatever reason. Take heed! Your testimony could be exactly the timely testimonial someone else could use to bring hope to another. Do you need any more incentive to share?

This Christmas, as you mix and mingle with friends and family who are not actively following Jesus, why not harness the hidden power of a testimonial?

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:26-38)

Let’s admit it. Mary and Joseph really shine among all the characters of the Christmas story.

What makes them shine is their willingness to trust God when they were asked to make difficult choices.

When Mary said: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), she demonstrated extreme trust in the extraordinary promise of God to do the unexpected.

Similarly when Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife” (Matthew 1:24), he clearly chose to trust in the word of God.

My friend Peter Kumar (www.endtimeforerunners.org) shared a revelation the other night on Mary & Joseph that caught me off guard…in a good way, of course!

He pointed out that as much as these incidents demonstrate the trust that Mary & Joseph had in God, there is another kind of trust here that is even more important.

And that is the trust that God had in Joseph and Mary to be the earthly parents of Jesus.

Wow! Honestly, I had never considered this side of the trust equation before.

Peter then challenged us with this question: How much can God trust you?

Can God trust you with such an important assignment as what He gave Mary & Joseph?

In other words, are we trustworthy enough to be entrusted with enormous responsibility?

Those of you who flow in the prophetic know that when the Lord reveals “the secrets of the heart” of unbelievers to you, it is because He considers you worthy of such trust.  (I Corinthians 14:24-25)

Those of you who have the privilege of discipling newly born-again believers know that God is placing tremendous trust in you.

When the Lord brings those who are broken and in need of restoration to your care, is that not proof of the trust He has in you?

How do we become such trustworthy instruments in God’s hands?

Perhaps the answer is in I Chronicles 16:9. Here is how the Message translation puts it: “God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him.”

He commits His commissions to the committed. It’s just as simple as that.

The proof of total commitment is total obedience. “As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.” (I John 4:24)

Our obedience declares: “In God We Trust” and evokes this response from God: “In You I Trust.”

Isn’t it exciting?

Please join me in this prayer:

“Father, I want to be found worthy of your trust, as Mary and Joseph were.

Lord Jesus, I commit myself totally to you.

Holy Spirit, will you please help me to stay totally committed always?

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”