Have you ever had one of those dreams that shakes you up so much that you are forced to re-think your life, and you change the way you act? The kind of dream that Ebenezer Scrooge had in

Dickens’ classic story "A Christmas Carol"; after which you are never the same. I have had a dream like that, many years ago, when faced with an onslaught of temptation that

would not go away. Months of pressure was wearing me down, and the advantages of giving in to sin were tantalizing: personal and professional advancement, financial gain, an end to problems

that had weighed on me for several years. The sin would be an easy out from an uncomfortable life. I had been strong in my resolve, but sometimes my mind would wander to "the greener side of the fence".

It was when I was weakest that God gave me a dream. Areal, shocking, lifechanging dream that showed me what the future would be like if I gave in to the temptation and followed that particular path of sin. I awoke sweating and shaken - and changed. I am very thankful that God rescued me from the impending disaster. I felt like the Magi "being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route". It was time for me to find another route. I did, and my life has been different ever since.

I have never had another dream like that one, and I don’t often have such dramatic occurrences of divine intervention in my life. Sometimes I wish God would stop me before I make sinful choices; but He often gives me warnings and allows me the freedom to choose to obey. Unfortunately, I am not always great at heeding His warning signs; so I take opportunities like the start of the new year to conduct a personal inventory and assess where I am going, and where I want to go, with my life.

I never have been one for New Year’s Resolutions, like deciding to diet or begin an exercise program. However, there is s o m e - thing to be said for having the resolve to change what needs to be changed. Every New Year, I ask myself: What are 3 personal goals I want to set for this coming year? And 3 ministry goals? What needs to change in my life? Have I been listening to the things God has been telling me? As I examine different areas of my life, am I where God wants me to be? Am I living a life worthy of my calling?

It’s one thing to do an assessment of this kind; it’s quite another to actually change the way I live. The only holiness that counts is the holiness I practice. I can easily become lazy in my spiritual life; lacking the discipline to develop holy h a b i t s . Professor Wi l l i a m James has o f f e r e d these criteria for developing a habit:

(i) in the acquisition of a new habit, or the leaving off an old one, we must launch ourselves with as strong and decided initiative as possible

(ii) never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted in your life

(iii) seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every resolution you make, and on every emotional prompting you may experience in the direction of the habits you aspire to gain

In short, if we really have a desire to change, we must work at it diligently and find ways to put it into practice if our lives. For example, in an effort to practice being selfless, I could choose to do things that deny myself, such as leaving good parking spaces for someone else, or giving anonymously, or doing the least favourable tasks at the office.

If I want my life to be exhibiting Christ in everything I do, then I am going to have to work hard at changing those selfish habits that become my "default setting".

I would encourage you, as we approach 2007, to take the time to ask God what He wants to change in your life. Ask Him for the wisdom and courage to make it happen. Be open to His reply, and write down what He tells you. If you set goals, make sure they are kept in a place where you can pull them out next New Year’s Day, and rejoice at what God has done in your life.