The end of the year creeps up on us quickly as we celebrate one holiday into another. Just as we end Thanksgiving Day, Christmas seems to already be here. Then we blink, and it's New Year's Day. 

Our new year's resolutions from last year of losing weight and being more thoughtful with money may have gone unaccomplished, but how about our resolutions based on faith? Have we made time to speak more with the Lord?

It's never too late to strengthen our relationship with God. As Christians, we embrace each and every day in the Lord's name. However, New Year's Day feels extra special. The new year is a gift, and it’s charged with an exciting and hopeful feeling of opportunity for us to accomplish our own goals.

Use this new year, God’s gift to you, to accomplish those things that make your soul flourish.

A new year means new beginnings. With new beginnings come new challenges, new people, and new opportunities. These are gifts from God we should embrace. 

Sometimes the challenges we face do not feel like gifts. We do not always understand why certain events or people are put in our paths. However, we should not question God and His ways, for His reasons are His alone — and He is always watching out for us.

God has carved out a special and unique path for us all, and as His children, we put our faith in Him and His guidance.

Here is a prayer for guidance and blessings in the new year:

Dear Lord, please guide my family and me in the new year. Please bless us with good health.

Please let us forget the anger we had in the previous year and move forward with healed hearts into a new year filled with endless opportunities.

Let us keep God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in our hearts daily as we enter this new year.

May God bless us as we embrace God's love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

With the new year in our near future, we turn to what we want to tackle as we set resolutions and goals. Many of us want success and prosperity for ourselves and our loved ones. However, let us remember that success and prosperity do not always come in the form of monetary wealth.

Both success and prosperity can mean a wide array of things. We can pray for success in our relationships and jobs. We can pray for prosperity in friendships and in our faith. There are many things that can bring happiness into our lives, but let’s not confuse monetary happiness with spiritual fulfillment.

Here are some prayers for obtaining the success and prosperity many of us hope to achieve in the new year in a light you may not have viewed before.

Thank your O Lord for another year filled with new beginnings. Thank you for the gifts you bestowed upon my life during the previous year and for the opportunity to enter the next year in your presence. I pray to you for strength to stay on the path you have placed me on and to prosper in my new job.

Without your strength, I would not have been able to obtain this wonderful new opportunity. Thank you for walking beside me as I achieve each step in my career, getting closer and closer to my goals.

I feel God's blessings in my life each day, and I thank You for them. Please help me stay devoted to your word as new challenges arise in the new year.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Success in marriage and pregnancy

O God,

With a new year comes new opportunities. I give thanks to you, Lord, for giving me my soulmate. Thank you for blessing our marriage as well as the life that is currently growing inside of me as we expect our first child.

Please prepare us for the surprises that come with a new year. Please walk beside us in our times of need and give us the vision of knowing our hardships will not overtake us. With prayer and time, we can successfully overcome the challenges placed before us.

In His mighty name, Amen.

Let us also remember what the Bible says about success:

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:30).

Moving forward also means letting go of the past. Here is a prayer for moving on and letting go of those things that may risk holding you back in the new year.

I pray to you, Jesus, please hear me in my time of need. Help me move forward and let go of the anger I have from the past and embrace forgiveness. I pray to be able to see the positivity of the future. Please help me keep You, God, first and foremost in my heart and mind.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.