February 12, 2025
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New Year Resolution Guide

By Benson Njung’e

Is the whole idea of New Year resolutions a scam, a cliché or both? Is it vital to come up with a New Year resolution list, or at the the very least, a goal for what success will look like for us in 2025?
Benjamin Franklin’s famous thoughts on planning are quoted in many company planning meetings: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
Now, I am not oblivious of the truth in Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
However, I am also aware that the wise man is also inspired and writes Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”


Therefore, as Christians, we ought to plan and be intentional to seek to know the will of God for our lives as we make our plans so our goals are in tune with God’s will.
How to know the will of God for one’s life is a question that is asked often and the issue has been used by a few to monopolize talking to God on behalf of others so that they become messengers of God while the seeker is the desperate recipient who, more often if not careful, is exploited in the name of paying for the supernatural services offered. Scriptures spell out the will of God for those who follow him.

Having said that, there are a few areas we ought to consider making plans to grow in. Here are areas to consider as we make our New Year Resolutions:

  1. I will be consistent in my devotional life.
    “I love those who love me,
    And those who seek me diligently find me.”
    Prov 8:17
    God wills that we may commune with Him. You do not need to fast to get that revelation. Therefore, pick a place and time and a guide and accountability and know Christ and preach Christ daily.
    One preacher, while talking about what may seem as a legalistic routine devotional time, place and pattern, said, “I do not see this as legalistic, but a desperation to encounter the Lord…”

Devotions here is used to mean a time that one communes with the Lord through His Word and in prayer. Consider Psalm 119:147:
“I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I hope in your word.”
It is like Jesus had read this Psalm because it is undisputed that He did set an example of rising up early for a quiet time of prayer.

Then pick a plan to read your Bible.
There are many plans out there for helping one to consistently read the Bible, for example reading the Bible in a year or in three years and so on. Pastor Javan Kilele, a friend of mine, has a programme where he takes people through the Bible in an year. You can sign up at 0718328019.

I have a 31-day’s devotional through the Book of Colossians that you can consider buying to aid you in your devotion

2. I will be productive from a place of rest.
“…a man should rejoice in his work…” Ecclesiastes 3:22
God does demand excellence in our work for his glory. “Do everything for the glory of God.”
• Do deep work: Keep off social media as you work. Deep work means concentrating on one task for at least two hours without distractions before taking a break. More often, our phones are on our palm at an interval of two minutes as if we will fall dead for not tapping. Cultivate a habit of keeping the phone away when you are working. In my book RestLESS Rest I have highlighted that excellence at work is an ingredient of rest. Rest moments in between tasks. It’s unfortunate that we switch from the computer to the phone, from one task to another, rather than taking a pause to refresh both mentally, physically and more importantly spiritually by considering meditative rest. Be intentional to have enough sleep.

3. Physical exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
My former boss Antony introduced me to what is called, ‘8 things to do before 8am’. One of the eight things is to work out and take a cold shower. I try to keep this going even though I am in and out. A New Year resolution for you and I can be, “I am IN on this one.”

4. Eating healthy: pay the price of giving up a sweet tooth
It’s hard to eat healthy until you start and stick with it for a while. Your taste buds have to recalibrate for you to enjoy other tastes. In my book on rest, I have argued that our poor backgrounds are often to blame for our unhealthy eating. We perceive fast food to be for the rich people and so when we are able to buy it, we run away from healthy food like a plague, until the doctor demands it of us.

5. I will live within my means.

Use wisely what God has made available and not live from borrowing from the future (debt).
“Godliness with contentment is great gain…” 1 Timothy 6:6
Accounting for every coin is good stewardship that is required of every believer. Accounting of both fronts — how they money was made and how much and how the money was spent.
Pick an app to track this.
Plan on how to use money. Do not do impulse buys, or have basic needs that are beyond your income.
I recommend a sermon series by Bishop Oscar Muriu of Nairobi Chapel titled Prison Break.

6. I will be a present parent. I will be present and present myself to them to pray and play with them.
“You shall teach them [these commands] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:7
• Christian parents have a mandate to model and proclaim the gospel to their children.
We can make practical resolutions like to help with devotions, homework, helping with bathing the children, or putting them to bed. These are but a few practical way of being a present parent instead of being home glued to a phone or TV.

7. I will Intentionally work on my personal development.

What are the things you will do to grow your skill and/or talent?
“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.”
Proverbs 22:29
• Go to the next level of education in your career. If you are not in a position to pay for it or seek out a scholarship.
There are also many free short term courses that one may consider in sites like Coursera.
• Get to a driving school, learn to type fast, learn a foreign language or to bake or run a business.

7. I will help a needy person with housing, food, clothing, medical aid, education etc: Do not wait to have a lot to give. Start small.
“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Matthew 25:31-46
• Fast some days to share that portion of meal with a needy neighbor. A neighbor here is not necessarily the one next door but one who is within your circles in fellowship or a street you use.

8. I Will not miss church.
“…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some…” Hebrews 10:25
Have you ever heard your hands tell the legs, “You go, for us, we will join you online in doing that task?”
If you are part of the body of Christ, missing from fellowship with fellow believers is spiritually fatal.
Attend meetings set by your church. Then, stop being late for church.!

9. I will intentionally contribute to the African missions movement.
“And this gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
• I am told that the revival of the 1970s had a slogan that went something like this, “Bring back the King,” informed by the text in Matthew. We must participate in the mission of God to spread the gospel locally and globally.
• Plan to
o GO (preaching the gospel), and
o GIVE (financially towards missions through missional agencies or directly to a missionary).


Benson Njung’e is the author of several books among them “Not Condemned”, “Till I say I do”, “31 Days Devotional through the Book of Colossians” and a missional diary called “Charged”, among others.

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