As people prepare for a new year, they go a process where their progress in the old year is evaluated and serve as the basis for making plans for the new year.

The usual practice is the drawing up of a list of things to do, which is popularly called ‘New Year Resolution’. These resolutions are usually in the form of promises to stop some habits, engage in an activity or undertaking some project which the person could not follow through in the past year.
From experience however, I have come to realize that a high number of people who make these resolutions, try within the first few days to keep to the letter of the resolution but after a few more days, it gets tougher and tougher until they give up altogether.

I believe the major reason why people fail to keep resolutions is because they feel the need to do something about their past failures. They make promises but are not able to keep them because there is nothing concrete to hold them to that promise.

In Duet 30:19, Moses declared God’s word to the people of Israel, ‘This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live’ (Duet 30:19, Today’s New International Version)

Making the best of the year is not in the amount or seriousness of the resolutions you made at the beginning of the year. What is more important is the choices you made on a daily basis. This is what charts the way for us. It is what defines us and helps us accomplish God’s purpose for our lives as we journey through the new year.

God does not force us to serve Him. Rather, he shows us the way to go and leaves us to make a choice.  When we make the right choices, we gain the benefits and experience the results. If however, we make the wrong choices, we will see the result of disobeying God.

When people make new year resolutions, they are not aware or fail to consider the factors that would inevitably act against achieving those resolutions. By the time they realize, it would be too late and by then, they would have given up hope.  Making a choice on the other hand, is a product of knowledge acquired on the subject matter of that choice. The person who makes a choice is aware of the implications of making that choice and how it could affect his or her future.

Every time we disobey God, we are choosing death. Scary isn’t it? But that is the fact. We disobey God and something within us dies. Sin is a killer. Any time a believer commits sin, he chooses death. Sin draws us away from God, from life, from blessings and draws towards death curses and destruction.

My advice is this, do not waste time on resolutions; it is a promise to yourself which you do not have an obligation to keep. Rather, make new year choices; this is what will take you through the new year and beyond.

May the Lord help us to make the right choices daily as we live to serve Him.

Happy New Year. .

Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the webmaster of Biblepraise Fellowship Online at http://www.biblepraise.org . British by birth, He currently resides in Lagos , Nigeria with wife Maris and their children; Praise, Stephanie and Precious. He works as an IT professional in a bank. He presently serves as Church Secretary  and Head of Music Ministry in his local church. He is the Moderator/Editor of Biblepraise Newsletter. He can be reached through His email address, steve@biblepraise.org