One of the great ways to start off the New Year is to make sure you have forgiven all the people that wronged or offended you during the year.  (You can go back further if this is the first year you have done this.)

I saw a great quote the other day that said, “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does change the future.”

Another author said, “Forgiveness is not so much an act as it is a process.” It does take work to forgive people for the hurt they cause.  But it is the best way to live because being unforgiving, holding onto hurt or grudges, or being offended is a prison that can be hard to escape.

The best practice to establish in your life is to forgive quickly.  It will show in your face.  Those that hold grudges become hard in the face and in the heart. Eventually, it will destroy your relationship with all those around you.  Forgiveness allows you to move forward without the baggage and bondage of the grudges people hold in their minds.  Holding grudges is like a prison.  Forgiveness sets you free.

You can forgive a person even if they are not sorry for what they did.  Remember Jesus said when he was dying on the cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” You can also live even on a higher level than forgiveness by asking God to forgive them and bless their lives.  It is one thing for you to forgive a person; it is another for you to ask God to forgive them.  That is called intercession.  It is a much bigger way to live and a great way to clean the slate of the last year(s) and start over.  It is a much lighter feeling to go forward into 2017.

The other way to start off the New Year is to do the things I talked about in the book Poverty vs Wealth.

1. Keep God first all year.
2. Be a giver of part of your income .
3. Be a saver of part of your income.

These three simple things can change your life dramatically as the years go by.

If you have not tried these yet, set a goal to do your best with each this year, and then at the end of the year, sit down and see if they have not changed your life.

If you have tried these things and they have changed your life already, read our previous blog and consider buying some stock or mutual funds for your children or grandchildren during the year.

This can open up some great conversations about God and prosperity within your family and church or fellowship.  Your children or grandchildren will have the gift of stock long after the other kids’ toys are in the trash and forgotten.

God bless you all and have fun setting some goals for the next year.  Let me know how it works out for you in the comment section.  I appreciate hearing from you.

Forgiveness and keeping God first are all part of The Prosperous Life.