Christian New Year Resolutions: A Biblical Perspective on Letting Go of the Old and Embracing the New
How do you typically approach the new year? Do you run at it with full force, excited for the change? Is it just another season, and you’re willing to see what comes of it? Or, does it draw no motivation from you whatsoever?
It’s the time of year when we hear all about resolutions, and as a believer, Christian New Year Resolutions certainly are a thing. Along these lines, I want to share something that’s been on my heart. Quite honestly, it’s something I’ve pondered in years past, but never really knew how to put it into words.
Here it is:
It’s a new year, and we’re told things are supposed to be new. Everything and all things are about being new, so now what are YOU going to do? But…is this way of thinking really correct or biblical?
When we step into the new year, we often hear:
Forget the previous year and its struggles, upsets, and disappointments.
Slogans like: New year new you. Out with the old and in with the new. What's coming is better than what's going. This is the beginning of anything you want. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
Forsake the old, and focus on the new, per se. Of course, there is validity to not continuing to wallow in past upsets. But remembering some aspects of the past is good, like what the Lord has done in the past (and what He may currently still be doing). Perhaps, He’s not ready to turn the page on the thing He’s been working on in you.
Here’s what I mean— there are a couple of things the Lord has called to my attention over the last several months that He has me working through, studying in the Word, and praying about. Following the world’s ideology, it’d be very easy for me view this new year as an opportunity to make a list of resolutions to focus on this year, quickly forgetting that the Lord isn’t finished in these areas of my life yet. But, knowing that He isn’t controlled or swayed by the changing of our calendars, is this the right thing to do?
Setting Christian New Year Resolutions: Should We?
Just like any normal resolution, a Christian New Year Resolution is made by setting goals to work toward some area of achievement or growth. The biggest difference is that there is typically more of a focus on relying on the Lord to help you in your pursuit, and the goals are centered more on spiritual disciplines—more Bible reading, more prayer time; growing closer in your walk with Him. Is there anything wrong with these things? Absolutely not! We should all desire further intimacy with the Lord, and spending more time with Him is how that comes to fruition. There is nothing wrong with recognizing that you need to re-route your habits a bit and focus on things that draw you closer to the Lord.
The issues come, in my opinion, when we jump into making any decision to change up, re-route, or focus on something new without prayerfully considering what the Lord may be directing us to do in a particular season. As daughters of the King— those who call Jesus the Lord of our lives— first and foremost, we must be sure we are actually allowing Him to be Lord. This means He directs our steps; He calls the shots: He shows us what is next, and we wait on Him to do so.
In other words, our “Christian” New Year Resolutions are just ordinary dreams and goals if the Lord isn’t in them.
And, in listening and waiting on Him, there is a call to not be so quick to jump to the next goal, plan, or purpose. Perhaps He isn’t done refining what He’s been doing in our lives over the last year, and it’s not time for new— it’s time for continuation. Before peering too far ahead, let’s be still and look back at how He’s already been working.
Remember What the Lord Has Done
Sister, it’s important to not let the past hold too much weight. We can dwell on the circumstances so much that we keep ourselves stuck in the past because we put the situations and emotions on syndication in our minds. This isn’t just a possibility with negative situations or hard times of the past— we do this with good circumstances too. The first typically brings sorrow, or perhaps guilt and shame, while the latter could bring an element of pride as we stay fixated on our “glory days”.
In remembering the past, I believe it’s much better allow our minds to shift to how God showed up in those situations: what He did externally and what He did internally in us.
<<Pause>> Grab your Bible and read Psalm 77 with me! (Yes, the whole chapter!)
“I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.”
In my Bible, this Psalm is titled, “The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works.” The consoling memory…take a second to reflect on that description. Asaph, the writer of this psalm, reflected on a tough situation in the past— a time when he had to cry out to the Lord in the day of trouble (verse 2). At first, he remembers how, although he cried out to the Lord and he knew the Lord heard him, his soul was still not comforted. He felt unanswered prayers. He wondered if God would ever show His mercy, favor, and grace again (verses 7-9). Yet, he didn’t stop there. He still sought God, continually and diligently (verse 6).
There was a work going on inside of Asaph during this time of despair. Was there an element of that going on within us last year? Times of desperate calls to God, unanswered prayers, and questions God didn’t seem to address?
We have a choice in those times: to remain downcast and question God with a lack of faith, or allow His work to be done in our hearts to grow in our trust, belief, and faith in Him as we diligently seek Him.
Asaph’s act of continuing to bend His ear and heart to the Lord brought him to a place where he was consoled and gained a renewed place of trust in the Lord as he remembered the works of the Lord— the wonders of old that God had done in the past. He determined to remember His deeds, how God’s hand moved; how He redeemed His people. He could rightly proclaim in verse 13, “Who is so great a God as our God?”
Of course, I cannot recall how God worked in your life last year or years past, but I hope you can. Think hard. It’s normally not “parting the Red Sea” big; it’s the smaller-scale changes where His hand moved, provided, or changed a heart or outcome.
Remembering how the Lord worked helps us place deeper trust and confidence in Him because we’ve seen His hand move before, and when we remember those times, we believe all the more that He has the power and ability to move that way again. It’s two-fold— the more we remember how He’s worked in the past (external), the deeper our trust and faith take root (internal). This then leads us to a place where we simply trust Him because He is faithful and worthy to be trusted. Whether He comes through in the way we hope or not, we’ve already determined that He is all-powerful, completely able, and all-loving.
So, we should not miss how He’s worked internally, within us, and how He’s worked externally in our circumstances in the past.
Remember the Character of God in the New Year
We should remember not just the things He’s done, but also remember who He is.
True or False: It’s easy to be afraid, stumble, or hesitate in the present or when thinking of the future when we simply don’t remember the character of God.
“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.”
While recalling what He’s already done in our lives can bring to light aspects of His character and teach us more about who He is, it’s important to remember that the character of God is not determined by how He has worked in our lives. God is not “so good” because He has grown us, changed us, or recently delivered us from a difficult time. God is good because He is good. It’s His nature. He contains the qualities of His character in and of Himself, not because His works somehow give Him these qualities.
For quick reference, here are a handful of verses that note certain aspects of God’s character. I encourage you to dive into these verses in their entirety and meditate on who He is.
Exodus 34:5-7: merciful, gracious, long-suffering, goodness, truth, forgiving, just
Deuteronomy 7:9: faithful
Psalm 103:13: compassionate
Psalm 145:17: righteous, gracious
Isaiah 40:26-29: strong, mighty, author & giver of power, everlasting, Creator,
Isaiah 43:11: Savior
James 1:17: unchanging
1 John 4:8: love
What is God Doing in the New Year?
So it’s a new year, and our culture keeps saying: Set new goals! Make resolutions! Girl— it’s time for a new you!
A fresh start is always a nice sentiment; a nice way to get yourself in the right mindset to push forward and try new things. However, if our focus is only on ourselves and what we’ve set out to accomplish this new year, how far will we get? What if what the Lord has for us this new year is not brand new, shiny, and a completely new way of life? What if He wants to continue to hone in on the sanctification He’s been steadily working in us, only to continue to polish what’s already there?
I think it’s a good thing to not be so quick to forsake the “that’s so last year” life because the Lord may still want to press into what has been happening within us the last 365 days. We must go at His pace. See His perspective as best as possible— not simply forget what He’s been doing just so we can look towards the “new”. Our “last year” season of refining may not be over yet.
“Do not remember the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.”
“Do not remember the former things”… wait, what? This could almost sound contradictory to what we just talked about! But follow me, sister. Here’s the point: we’re not to look to the past and dwell on the failures, defeats, and disappointments. This way of “considering the things of old” leads to self-condemnation, whereas we’re constantly thinking it’s all about us and how we’ve messed up. Considering the past is done rightly when our focus is on the Lord and all He’s done.
Know Him More - Study His Love Letter!
Remembering who the Lord is begins with knowing Him and learning all that He is! Sister, we’ve got to spend time in the Word! Download your FREE set of Bible Study Printables and dive in! Fill out the form below.
When God is Doing a New Thing
So, forget the wrong mindset, and look to the new things that God Himself is proposing to do. What are His goals, His resolutions, His plans, and His purposes for your new year?
In Isaiah 43:19, God says, “I will do a new thing.” I. Him. Allow the Lord to show you the new thing, and then align your ideas, thoughts, and plans with His will.
In the context of this verse, God wanted Isaiah to prophetically tell the people to look forward to what He would do when He’d pull them out of captivity in Babylon. They could either remain stuck in that defeat— or even longingly desire to stay in their life in Babylon— or they could look to the goodness God would bring for them in their exile. It was going to be God’s new thing, not something they had to muster up.
Maybe, for us in this season, the new is not exactly a new thing; just part of the continual work He’s still completing in us (which typically brings about “new” along the way). We can be content in this, too.
But, perhaps it is a new thing that the Lord has declared. Well then, sister: let’s not make an idol of the “new”. Many do this as they make resolutions (even Christian New Year resolutions), resulting in their whole life focus becoming revolved around the one new thing they have set out to do. No matter how good it looks, and even when it’s God-ordained, the “new” is not the main thing. God Himself is always the main thing. Our gaze should remain set on Him.
Allowing the Lord to Direct our New Year
Let me know if you agree: many give up on their resolutions by February because they try to walk out their goals, dreams, and resolutions in the flesh.
We say things like, “This is our year! This is our moment!” News flash— No, it’s God’s!
Allow me to pause for a moment and make it clear that I do not think there is anything wrong with setting goals, being ambitious, and working hard. Numerous things in our lives call us to do so; we cannot be a lazy sluggard and expect things in our lives to accomplish themselves. So, in no way am I saying that it is bad or futile to set goals or lay out step-by-step plans to get from point A to point B. What I am saying, however, is that in all of that, we need to first seek the Lord for our starting point this year, and always.
If we’re truly allowing the Lord to direct our steps in what He’s proposing for us right now, then we have no reason to fall for the lie that because we’re approaching February, we’re behind in our game plan for this year and we may as well give up.
In elementary math, we learned about lines and segments. A line extends indefinitely, while a segment has a defined starting and ending point. When we believe this lie— that we’re already behind— we’ve taken our eyes off the Lord, and we’ve come to see our life, growth, and purpose as a segment. There’s a starting point and an end point (e.g., 2025 to 2026). Hence, our culture’s mindset that one year ends a certain chapter, and the new year starts the next. It’s too definitive.
We really should view our lives like a line, which, by definition, extends infinitely in both directions with no endpoints. (Of course, I don’t mean we’ve existed forever). But God’s purposes and sanctification within us travel on a line, not a segment. It is ongoing, and He sets the points of change, not us. And the points of change do not denote the end of the line, it just set up little mile markers for us to look back on someday to remember the things of old, and how He worked in and around us.
Bible Verses for the New Year
So sister, as we think about this new year and where we are now, it’s important to stay in step with the Spirit and move as He directs. Stepping into the new year is more about surrender and setting goals. This is the most important piece when it comes to the “practical” (day-to-day), and I believe this is something each of us just has to work out with the Lord.
I’ll leave you with some verses to use as a starting point. I encourage you to study them in your quiet time, reflect on them, and pray them. Then wait on the Lord and see what He has for you this season and in this new year!
“Psalm 37:23: “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”
Proverbs 3:5-7: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”
Proverbs 16:1-3: “The plans of the heart belong to a person, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a person are clean in his own sight, but the Lord examines the motives. Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:9: “The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Proverbs 20:24: “A man’s steps are ordained by the Lord; how then can a person understand his way?”
Galatians 5:16: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:25-26: “If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”
Do you have Bible verses you’ve been meditating on in the new year? Tell me in the comments!
How do you typically approach the new year? Do you run at it with full force, excited for the change? Is it just another season, and you’re willing to see what comes of it? What’s the right way to approach the new year as a believer?