Challenge for 2019: change your life by applying three\nsimple Scriptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching\nforth to those things which are before\u201d (Philippians 3:13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s behind is unchangeable. Forgetting takes care of the past<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy times are in thy hand\u2026\u201d (Psalm 31:15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n They are, aren\u2019t they? Confidence in God takes care of the future<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart,\nbe acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer\u201d (Psalm 19:14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making this a daily prayer takes care of the present<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve narrowed my problem-zones to these three\u2014the past, the\npresent, and the future. Aren\u2019t those the areas that cause you the most trouble,\ntoo\u2026from beginning of life to the end? Regret over the past and worry over the\nfuture can steal our joy today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cried, Lord, is\nthere no solution?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He answered. Forget\nyesterday. Live to please me today. Trust me with your tomorrows.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Memory is a good thing. It allows us to relive an enjoyable\nmoment. It can also be a bad thing, haunting us with failures, disappointments,\nand hurts. The past is exactly that\u2014past\u2014and we needn\u2019t allow it to spoil the\nrest of our life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I choose to forget\nyesterday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today is a fresh, unstained day\u2026a new beginning. \u201cThis I\nrecall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord\u2019s mercies that we\nare not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning:\ngreat is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore\nwill I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul\nthat seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for\nthe salvation of the Lord\u201d (Lamentations 3:21-26).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I choose to live in\njoy today, seeking to please the Lord in everything\u2014the words of my mouth and\nthe meditations of my heart.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The future holds opportunity and adventure\u2026but the unknown\nis scary. So many what-ifs intrude our thinking\u2026worries about financial\ninvestments in an unstable economy, fears concerning personal health, anxiety\nabout difficulties our family may encounter\u2014all of this beyond our control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I choose to remember, in\nuncertain days, that my times are in his hands.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Three-pronged strategy to change your life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the verses again. Why not print them, memorize them, and begin applying them to your life? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Forgetting those\nthings which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before\u201d\n(Philippians 3:13).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet the words of my\nmouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength\nand my redeemer\u201d (Psalm 19:14).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy times are in thy hand\u2026\u201d (Psalm 31:15).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Friend, go bravely into the New Year! My prayer for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in your faith,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n that by the power of the Holy Spirit, <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/em>(Romans 15:13 Phillips)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d love to know your\nthoughts about embracing the New Year. Please leave a comment. Do you have a\nfriend who struggles to get past the past? A friend who desperately searches for\njoy? A friend who fights worry and fear? Maybe this article will help.\nAppreciate your sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve narrowed my problem-zones to these three\u2014the past, the present, and the future. Aren\u2019t those the areas that cause you the most trouble, too?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[244,246,9,245,251,250,252,248,136,249,247],"class_list":["post-809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-challenge-change-your-life-in-2019","tag-choose-joy","tag-dianne-barker","tag-forget-the-past","tag-goals","tag-new-years-resolution","tag-new-years-resolutions","tag-philippians-313","tag-psalm-1914","tag-psalm-3115","tag-trust-god-with-your-tomorrows"],"yoast_head":"\n