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| How To Have A Fine 2009 By by Roy Milam "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!" Isaiah 43:18-19
Sometimes we are reluctant to set goals and make plans for the future, because we get stuck in the past, looking at what we failed to do, and so we're afraid to make plans for the future. Sure, we might fail in what we set out to do, but if we fail to plan, the old saying goes, then we plan to fail. If you're so fearful of failure that you never take aim for your target, then you're not likely to hit anything at all. Besides that, if we fail to meet a goal, it doesn't mean that we are a failure overall. For the person who determines to learn from experience, failure is a friend.
One of my favorite heroes in the Bible is the Apostle Paul. Talk about someone who'd experienced hardship and failure! Throughout his life he was opposed, persecuted, stoned and left for dead, deserted by trusted co-workers, slandered, and scorned. Sometimes it seemed that projects to which he had devoted years were turning to dust before his eyes.
We can see from one of his letters written during a time of personal setback when he was imprisoned, how he dealt with the past. "But one thing I do," he wrote, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 3:12-14). No wonder he made a mark on his world. He stopped looking back, and looked forward instead. He didn't let the fear of failure keep him from trying again. He encourages us to shift our focus from the past to the future. But just what does it mean for me and you to do that?
God wants to do something new in your life and in your relationship with Him. He has plans for you in the new year. Don't allow your past experiences, failures nor accomplishments to become barriers that block you from hearing and following what God wants you to do in the year ahead.
Instead, may this be a time when as you look to the future, you rely more heavily on the grace of God, trusting in Him for His help in accomplishing all the things he wants for you in the coming year. As the Apostle Paul said: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength," (Phil 4:13). We pray God's strength and blessings in your life as you trust in Him.
A happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to you and yours. Why do marriages fail? While the answers to that question are many and often complex, there is a growing body of research suggesting that there are four negative risk factors- four negative behavior patterns that create barriers in a marriage and increase a couple's chances for marital failure. In one key studiy, researchers followed a sample of 135 couples for twelve years, starting before they were married, and were able to differentiate those couples who do well from those who do not, with up to 91% accuracy.* Crucial to the success of any marriage is for couples to eliminate or reduce the occurrence of these four risk factors. Previously we discussed Escalation* and Invalidation. Now, let's take a look at a third one - Negative Interpretations. "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27).
God did a wonderful thing when He created man and woman so differently. The differences between man as male and woman as female were intended to usher in many special blessings (Genesis 1:28). Unfortunately, because of the fall, the blessings of the sexes became the battle between the sexes. The unique qualities with which God endowed each, now give rise to misunderstanding and conflict rather than completion and harmony.
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