It all starts with faith. Faith is the glue that binds all things. Without faith in others, we can’t have healthy marriages, friendships, relationships with our Creator. Without faith in ourselves, we can never achieve our goals.

Faith isn’t about knowing; that’s the hard part. We all want to know something before we put our energy into it. Why? Because we are afraid of wasting time, of being wrong, looking foolish, or being disappointed.

I recently did what so many of us do during this season—an audit of sorts, a look in the mirror. New Years is when many choose to analyze what of areas of his or her life need working on and develop what we all know as the “New Years Resolution”—a promise we make to ourselves which we usually wind up breaking at some point.

Be more generous, less selfish, less angry, more self controlled, more patient, and one more thing—have more faith. When thinking about these areas of improvement, I realized something. Every one of them is tied to faith.

Have faith in God’s provision, and naturally become more generous. Have faith that God is a just God, and that enables you to forgive more easily. Have faith in God’s timing, and watch as you become more patient. Have faith in eternal life, and let go of loss more readily. Have faith in God’s plan, and let go of worry, anxiety, and depression. Have faith in God’s power, and you’ll remember to lean on God in times of trouble. Faith yields fruits of the spirit; faith helps us all find peace, and with this peace we can also have joy, love, patience, and self control.

It all starts with faith—a promise we make to ourselves, a choice to believe and fully rely on something greater than ourselves—in someOne greater than ourselves. I want to challenge those who already have faith to multiply that faith in 2024. I hope to enter this year not resting on merely old faith but a faith that brings me closer to Christ, shields me from the works of the enemy, and inspires others. This year my ultimate resolution will rest on a promise to myself—the promise of a newfound faith.