Dear Friend,

God has already given you everything you need to enjoy your life. As you have already begun a New Year, I want to ask you: Do you believe it? The truth is, in either case, you have what it takes to enjoy and succeed in life, but perhaps today your vision needs a tune-up. So I want to help you look at life from a different perspective today…not just with your natural eyes but with eyes of faith.

2011 is history. So make it that. Let go of the past and start afresh in 2012. Take hold of the amazing year that God has ahead for you…right now, right where you are.

Because God’s promised you…

By His divine power, God has given (YOU) everything (YOU) need for a godly life. (YOU) have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called (YOU) to himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.

And because of His glory and excellence, he has given (YOU) great and precious promises. These are promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption…” (2 Peter 1:3, 4 KJV).

And when God makes a promise, He keeps it. He has never lied…never changed…never stopped doing miraculous things…and this I know for sure—He’s never failed me.

Even if in your natural circumstances it seems like things aren’t quite coming together, God’s Word (the Bible) promises that in Christ, you have everything you need to live a godly life…everything you need to succeed. And you can live this out if you will take time to study the Word and really take hold of the truth for yourself.

I have spent many years studying God’s Word, and it has totally changed my life. The Bible is no ordinary book. The words within its pages are like medicine to your soul. It has the power to change your life because there is life in the Word! (See Hebrews 4:12).

And when you discover the power and promises in God’s Word, you will begin to see changes in your life that only He can bring. You will even learn how to recognize what the enemy tries to bring against you. The good news is, it won’t take you thirty years to know what you need to know. Just begin where you are right now and be determined to stick with it! Because every time you open the Bible and pay attention to what you’re reading, you’re discovering the promises that God has given you!

Second Corinthians 1:20 says it like this: “For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes (answer) in Him (Christ). For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him (in His Person and by His agency) to the glory of God. It’s so incredible that all of God’s promises are for you, and that you can find the answer for everything you need in these promises, which are given to you by Jesus.

You may be wondering how you can see these promises become reality in your life.

Here’s how you can do it…

According to 2 Corinthians 1:20, the way you see the promises come to life is by agreeing with the promise (from God’s Word), rather than what your circumstances are saying. Let me give you an example from my own life. When I first started studying the Word, I didn’t have very good relationships. I didn’t really understand what love was. As I studied the subject of love, I learned that God is love and that God lives inside of me. So at times when I didn’t feel like loving or didn’t know how to love, I would simply begin confessing the promise that God is love and His love is in me. The more I did this, the more I began to genuinely experience love flowing out of me toward other people.

This is just one promise God told me to proclaim over my life many years ago. Once I obeyed God’s direction and began speaking His Word—over my circumstances, over my feelings, over my family, over my body—the “fruit” of believing God’s promises began to overflow in my life.

I’ve found that a major part of living by faith is believing for things to come to pass based on what God says will happen, even before it ever happens. (See Hebrews 11:1). The key is to find and speak these promises in His Word and believe that they are for you. When you believe and speak His Word over yourself, you will stop focusing on your temporary circumstances (remember that whatever you are going through, it is ONLY temporary), and you’ll start looking at what God has to say about it.

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (KJV).

I want your faith to grow.

I want you to experience firsthand all of the incredible promises that are yours through Jesus Christ. (See Ephesians 1:3).

As you study God’s Word and pour more of His Word into your life, I promise you 2012 will be a year like no other. In this New Year, I encourage you to read and meditate on God’s Word daily and speak God’s promises over your life and those you love. Because knowing and expecting God’s blessings are key to enjoying your life to the full. There is and old traditional spiritual entitled; “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” The words are credited to Blind Willie Johnson. Here are the lyrics to the first verse. “Nobody’s fault but mine, Nobody’s fault but mine. If I don’t read, my soul get lost, Ain’t nobody’s fault but mine.”

And if you are in a battle right now, don’t despair. Wait on God; He has promised to take care of you with “double for your trouble” (See Zechariah 9:12).

I believe 2012 is going to be an amazing year for you. It’s a new day, a new season and a new opportunity to receive everything God has for you. Remember God’s promises are for you today! 2012 is going to be an amazing year!

By faith I keep pressing on!