These resolutions will increase your spiritual stature. They will ensure that the oil in your lamp does not run out. They can provide you the momentum you need to accelerate your progress.

1) I will find new ways to access God.

Approaching God must become easier and less laborious. Unfortunately, over time we become familiar with the old ways of accessing God. Thus, our communion with God gets relegated to nothing more than religious ritual and routine, and the intensity and intimacy we once enjoyed dies down. When this happens, our devotional times become a breeding ground for familiar spirits and the carnal mind.

Elijah operated as a powerful prophet in Israel. But when God wanted to speak to him about his next assignment (raising a successor), God had to remove him from his familiar environment. God orchestrated Elijah’s flight and brought him to a mountain in Horeb. The principle is simple. Your environment must change if you want to experience God in a new way. Change the way your pray. Change the way you engage the Word.

2) I will not neglect the heavenly language

Speaking in tongues has various benefits for the believer. Well-known Christian author and preacher, Dr Bill Hamon, wrote a book called “70 Reasons for Speaking in Tongues”. I will give you seven:

1. Tongues is a gift of the Spirit & the initial sign of His infilling in your life (Acts 2)
2. God speaks to us through Tongues (Isa.28:11 "For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people ...”)
3. We speak to God through Tongues ("For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to man, but to God" - 1 Corinthians 14:2)
4. We build up ourselves through Tongues ("He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself" – 1 Corinthians 14:4)
5. Our spirit prays through Tongues ("For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays" - 1 Corinthians 14:14)
6. Tongues keeps us continually aware of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence.
7. Tongues eliminates the possibility of selfishness entering your prayer life. We pray in accordance with the will of God.

3) I will start hearing God’s voice again

As a little boy in the Temple, Samuel would sleep in the same vicinity as the Ark of God. His infatuation with God’s presence enabled him to hear God’s voice. Samuel was the first to hear Him. We need the Samuel factor today. The Samuel factor is about increasing our proximity to the Ark to pick up the sounds of heaven. If we are going to hear God’s voice again then we must be found in His presence. Communication is not possible apart from engagement.

Begin to engage God daily and receive His daily bread for your life as Isaiah 50:4 says, “He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned.”

4) I will walk in explicit obedience

Jesus instructed the demon-possessed man at Gadara to go and tell all his colleagues about the grace of God. He however took Jesus’ mandate a step further. He went to evangelize Decapolis (which means ten cities)! That’s extreme obedience. In another incident, after teaching His disciples everything, Jesus tells them in John 13:17: “If you know these things, blessed are you if you DO them.”

This must become the year of implementation and execution. We cannot be hearers only; we must become doers. When you hear His Word, JUST DO IT! It seems that the Nike slogan is required more for God’s Kingdom than the sports field. Your spiritual growth & maturity is not measured by your anointing or your ministry abilities; it is measured by your obedience. That’s why, the announcement “This is my beloved Son” came after Jesus’ act of obedience (water baptism is an act of obedience).

5) I will recreate my world using my words

Hebrews 10:3 says that “…the worlds were framed by the Word of God…”. In the creation account darkness was removed when God said, “Let there be light.” God’s Word now lives in us and has been put into our mouths (Isaiah 59:21). By speaking His Word, we can expel the darkness and recreate the world around us. Don’t accept your world as it is. Use God’s Word to restore His order and design into your world and the world around you. Speak His Word into every area of your life. Speak life into your family, marriage, finances and business/ workplace and so on.

6) I will return to the original Word that God spoke to me

From time to time people, work & the cares of life cause us to drift from what God has called us to do. They can change our course and cause us to forget our destiny. Before long we find ourselves returning to God all over again to find out what He wants us to do.

God wants to you get back to what He has asked you to originally do. Call to mind the revelations given to you at former times. Remind yourself about the things God spoke to you in the past. Get back to it, continue with it, and complete it. Most of the time, when we resurrect God’s original Word or calling to us, we can expect progressive revelation to follow.

7) I will position myself properly under the chain of command

This principle is the antidote to most of your problems, weaknesses, challenges. When you connect accurately with authority, you will access authority in your own life. To have authority, you must be under authority. Jesus exemplified this principle as He coordinated His activities in line with His Father’s will.

In the same token, you as a saint of God must recognize those God has placed over you. You must relate honorably with them, whether in your thoughts, words and or life. Learn more about Authority in the Local Church.

8) I am going back to being strict & disciplined with myself

We sometimes become too flexible and accommodating with ourselves. We negotiate our good habits and choices, and sometimes compromise on our lifestyles. Learn to check and reset your values and priorities to its default settings. Review your health & nutrition habits, your time management, your spiritual disciplines, your personal development goals and so forth.

9) I will find my partners in destiny

From the beginning, God made one thing very clear: “It is not good that man should be alone” (Gen.2:18). Unfortunately sin nature crept in and Man became self-centered. High levels of individualism, independence and isolation have become the order of the day. These are nonetheless the seeds of the serpent. They expose us to the enemy and bring us under his attack. Individualism creates disharmony in the spiritual world.

Seek to destroy this spirit in your own heart. Value collective identity higher than personal identity. Pursue corporate destiny instead of individual success. Find your covenant partners in destiny this year, even if it’s just one or two persons.

10) I will be selective in my hearing

Daniel purposed in his heart what he would eat (1:12) and what he wouldn’t (1:8). You need to have the same discipline about the food that enters your soul. Do not waver at and be carried away by every teaching, no matter how anointed the preacher or how many signs and wonders follow. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and bear witness of the truth. He will lead you to authentic fathers in the faith who carry true apostolic doctrine and the grace to form Christ in your life.

In 2 Timothy 1:13 Paul instructs his spiritual son Timothy to selectively choose his own teachings over others: “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me.” So, don’t be gullible to digest every Christian teaching this year. This is prodigal behaviour. When we find accurate fathers, we automatically honour and listen to them as our primary source. We will say “there’s bread enough to spare in my father’s house.” We will no longer find the need to scavenge for pods in the pigsty.

May you choose to drink uncontaminated waters from pure streams this year. Believe me, you will make remarkable progress if we do.