Things look so uncertain this year but whatever lies ahead, how will you choose to live this year?

1. Live for today

• Sir William Osler said “The load of tomorrow, added to that of yesterday, carried today, makes the strongest faulty” and “Do what lies clearly at hand and live in day tight compartments.”
• In an age of endless distractions and ceaseless change this is a solution, rather than focusing on the future and things we can’t change, focus on today and what’s at hand.
• We see this in the Lord’s prayer, Jesus prayed ‘give us this day our daily bread.’ We’d prefer it to say ‘give us our weekly bread’ but that would mean we’re not relying on God every day.
• And we see this in other parts of the bible as well, what was the expiry date on the manna in the old testament? What’s the deadline for if you’re angry at someone? We’re told God’s mercies are new every morning and to daily take up our cross.
• At the LA Dream Centre in California, which is set up to help people overcoming addictions, whatever goals people want to achieve they are asked if they can do it for one day? And no one says no to that answer, as everyone can do something just for one day. Habits aren’t often changed and goals aren’t always achieved because we’re overwhelmed by the enormity of it, instead live one day at a time.
• If you’ve got a goal or a habit you want to break, write it down and ask yourself, can I do this for a day?

2. Tell yourself a different story

• In the bible God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and that was more than a nickname, that name change began a new story, a new nation and a new identity. The difference between success and failure in our lives is often the stories we tell ourselves, as these can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we want to change our life then we need to tell ourselves the right story and when we become a Christian God gives us a new name.
• Numbers 6:24-27 and in verse 27, we see that God not only gives us a new name but he puts all of his names upon us.
• According to cybernetic theory there are two types of change; Behavioural change and Conceptual change, which is changing how we think, which is the most powerful one. As if we change our minds, we’ll change our lives.
• What story are you telling yourself? Where did it come from? Is it helping you or is it hindering you? Whose narrating the story? Or have you given control of your story over to the creator of the universe?
• What story will you live your life by and how are you going to see that become a reality?

3. Build your life on scripture

• Many of us struggle to see ourselves the way God sees us and we may ask how do we change this, the answer is to build our life on scripture.
• The goal isn’t getting through scripture it’s getting scripture through you.
• Scripture is our Script – cure, scripture confronts the false identities and false narratives that come from the father of lies. Scripture speaks truth about who we are in Christ and the unique role God has given each of us for 2021.
• Who you are is not an issue, Abraham thought he was too old, Peter thought he’d done made many mistakes, who you are isn’t as important as whose you are. In Christ we are a new creation, we are more than conquerors, we are the apple of God’s eye.
• Zephaniah 3:17

In 2021 how will you live this year?

However challenging or difficult the year may be, no one else can be like you and impact the world for good like you can, let’s all live differently in 2021 and start one day at a time.