I am not big on New Year’s resolutions; are you? James, the Lord’s half-brother, had a good point when he wrote: “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”  James 5:12 (ESV) It seems best to acknowledge what we ought to do and do it. James is more concerned about making promises to God and to each other that we either do not or cannot fulfill. The teaching is that those who follow Jesus Christ are to be people who do the will of God rather than merely promise to do it. 

With that James 5:12 thought in your hearts, I want to encourage you to make prayer even more prevalent in the moments of your life in the coming year. Are you planning a new business venture, getting married, starting a family, facing surgery, or a spiritual mountain? Decide now to pray about it, not once or twice, but more times. 

Ponder the promise of Jesus Christ after placing a curse on a worthless fig tree, “In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. [22] And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:18–22 (ESV)

If we pray more, we will believe more, and as a result, receive more answers to the needs we experience. Let’s Pray Together, 

Pastor Scott