As we transition into a new year, people like to take time to focus on what really matters. Resolutions help us improve our health, make social goals, and implement other important changes. There are also spiritual goals, resolutions, or desires that people can set for the new year; these can be some of the most important ones that a person makes.

One of the best ways to prepare spiritually is to pray specific requests for people. The Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Bringing your family into the New Year covered in prayer is wise and will alleviate some of the worries and fears people sometimes bring with them from the previous season of life.

Here are seven prayers for various family members, and a prayer for blessings in the New Year.

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God assures us that there are always reasons to rejoice if we know Him! Paul encouraged the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Even in winter, when all the holidays are over, God is always present, giving Christians access to unbelievable joy and comfort.

When we seek lessons in gratitude, we often turn to the Psalms or stories of people who expressed beautiful thanksgiving to God. But sometimes, we get more applicable lessons from those who didn't express their thanks so well. The story of Joseph and the Egyptian cupbearer has much to teach modern readers.

The Apostle Paul’s life was one of evolution and passion. As Saul, he aggressively pursued the early church, prosecuting them and aiding in condemning them to death. After Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus, Paul changed radically. He became one of the Lord’s most vocal champions, sharing the gospel and planting churches all across the Mediterranean.

Paul knew he would suffer, but he obeyed the Lord anyway. One of the ways he suffered for the gospel included spending a lot of time in prison. Five of His letters were canonized as Spirit-inspired Scripture, and he wrote these during stints in prison.

Four of them, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon, were written during his time under house arrest in Rome. One of his pastoral letters, 2 Timothy, was also written during his time in prison, but much closer to the end of his life. These books contain unique lessons, written during a time when Paul had limited access to the outside world but still worked tirelessly for the Lord. 

There are many lessons to be learned from these books, including important facts and verses all Christians should know. They serve to inspire people to find ways to honor the Lord no matter their circumstances.

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One of the hardest challenges in life is overcoming the loss of a loved one. They leave a hole that cannot be replaced, and even the strongest believers struggle to find light in times of sorrow.

It weighs particularly heavy when the person who is gone ended their own life. Suicide is always a confusing, painful loss that cuts deeper than an ordinary loss. The people left behind have to find a way to move through life without someone, while also grappling with understanding why someone would choose to commit suicide.

While the Bible does not provide answers as to why, it does speak words of goodness into our season of suffering. God also promises to be with people when they pray to Him. Through prayer and taking refuge in God’s Word, people can find the strength to go on after the loss of someone special to suicide.

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Monday is the time when we usually get back to work, school, or our everyday household tasks. It can be a tough day, but it's also an easy reset. This study guide helps you take just a few minutes per day to reorient your week and focus on building up spiritual habits that will last a lifetime! Download today and start building healthy spiritual practices into your week. Photo credit: Unsplash/Ingrid Hall

Most of us, if not all, can recite John 3:16 from memory. It's a beautiful verse that encompasses the entire gospel message. But some biblical scholars question if Jesus himself said these famous words, or if it was commentary from the Apostle John.

If it's summertime, then it likely means you'll start seeing VBS signs up all over your local Protestant churches. But you may see fewer, if any, programs at Catholic churches. Why is this, and do Catholics ever offer Vacation Bible School?

VBS is a time for kids, from both the host church and the surrounding community, to get together, play games, sing songs, have snacks, and most importantly - to learn about Jesus. What exactly are the components of a successful VBS program? Read on.

Genesis builds the foundations of the entire Bible; it is God’s opening line, how He wants humanity to understand itself in relationship to Him, and the seed of the hopeful future He has planned. While the entire Bible is beneficial, Genesis establishes many of the core foundations of the faith. It also explains the worldview that builds both the Jewish and Christian belief structures.

There are many key ideas that have their start in the book of Genesis, but some of them are crucial to understanding existence, God’s plan, and each person’s purpose in life. Our relationship with the living God is the most important one a person can have, so reading the introductory paragraph in His letter lays the foundations of our faith and relationship.

Here are 10 foundations of faith in Genesis.

1. Creation

“In the beginning God created the Heaven’s and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1).

This fundamental concept is the opener of the whole Bible. When recording His story, the Lord wanted people to understand first that He created all things. Ontology is the study of the nature of existence, including its origins.

Not only does Genesis establish that God created everything and that He Himself is outside of Creation and time, it also explains the timeline and order of Creation.

Verses that reinforce this foundation:

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host” (Psalm 33:6).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

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We cannot understand grace without understanding our sin. And without a firm understanding of sin, our grace feels cheap. How then can a pastor balance teaching both of these concepts, without falling too far to one side or the other?

Does the Jesus you worship look like Jesus, or does He look a little bit too much like… you? God is an incredible, eternal, multi-faceted being about whom people will spend eternity learning. On this side of Heaven, a person’s understanding of Jesus will only be a fraction, veiled by the consequences of sin and man’s inability to stand before God in His true nature.

That doesn’t mean we can’t learn a lot about Him this side of eternity; Christians should want to keep learning about the Lord. Despite the unending well of things to learn about God, some people create their own version of Him. They project their own values, ideals, desires, and characteristics onto Jesus. It is important to get to know the real Jesus and not create a false idol – our own personal version of God – rather than getting to know the real and incredible person knocking at the door of each heart.

It is easy to point to false prophets, bad pastors, and cult leaders who have overtly contradicted the Bible and ascribe to God characteristics or commands that are not in alignment with what God revealed about Himself. What can be harder to identify is when a Christian, someone earnestly trying to pursue the Lord, begins to create a version of Jesus that looks more like them.

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As Paul reflected on future glory and sustaining faith through difficulties, he posed this question: if God was willing to give the gift of His Son’s life for those He loved, wouldn't He give many other great blessings once we have a relationship with Him?

Learning about context doesn’t just help us have more head knowledge about the Bible. The more we learn about what God was saying when the books of the Bible were written, the more we can learn to apply it appropriately to our own lives, deepening our walk with the Lord.