“… Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Romans 12:1 (MSG)
This January, many of us will begin anew. New diets and exercise regimens. New organization and time management routines. We’ll commit to break bad habits, restore broken relationships, and be “better” people.
I’ve made more than my fair share of New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you have too. But we can quickly forget our well-intentioned plans. Life gets busy, and we return to old habits, to what is comfortable and doesn't require so much sacrifice.
But I want something better. Something new.
So I’m beginning with the very best thing … God’s Word. The Message paraphrase of Romans 12:1-2 says,
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering … Fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it … God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Notice a keyword here: Romans 12:1 tells us to place our lives before God as an “offering.”
We can make all the resolutions we want, but when we willingly offer our lives to God, He will change us. The NIV translation of Romans 12:2 says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This change comes from God at work in us, and it also requires diligence on our part. It requires changing our thoughts, priorities, and goals to align with Christ. And it starts with baby steps.
So let’s begin today with our first step: a simple prayer offering our hearts to God. Then let’s commit together to keep praying throughout the year, asking God to change us from the inside out.
Heavenly Father, I praise You this day as Elohim, God my Creator. You are the Author of my life. You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. You are all I need. My heart’s desire in this new year is to grow closer to You. In knowing You better, I will also know myself more because my identity is found in You.
God, help me each day to carve out time to spend with You. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart to receive, and a mind to understand all You teach me.
Let Your Word penetrate my heart. Create a hunger deep inside my soul for more and more of You. May nothing else satisfy me more than You.
If there is anything that keeps me from hearing You, reveal it to me. Convict me. Move me to humble confession. Cleanse my heart, and renew a right spirit within me so I can be in perfect fellowship with You.
Change me. Transform me. Empower me to live out what I hear and learn from You.
Every day of this new year, make my life one long walk of obedience in response to Your Word and Your Holy Spirit, who lives and reigns in me. Let Your love and Your Word shape my life. This is my prayer offering. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we believe that when one woman encounters God’s Word, it can change everything — her outlook, her relationships, even her faith in what’s possible. That’s why we’re so passionate about creating resources that help women open their Bibles and experience the peace and confidence only Jesus can bring. 40 Days Through the New Testament: Knowing the Savior Who Steadies Our Uncertainty does just that. As you walk through Scripture, you’ll see how Jesus meets you in the middle of uncertainty and fills your heart with hope that lasts. When you give to Proverbs 31 Ministries, you help another woman experience that same Truth — and as our thank-you, we’ll send you 40 Days Through the New Testament to strengthen your own walk with God. Let’s make this the year we build a stronger foundation of faith together — one woman, one day, one moment in God’s Word at a time.
Connect with Wendy Blight on Facebook or Instagram, and find out more about her Bible study on solitude, silence, and prayer, Rest for Your Soul, here!
Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (NLT).
Read through Romans 12:1-2. Take some time in the next few days to make your own New Year’s prayer offering. After you’ve written your prayer, tuck it in your Bible or journal, and commit to pray it each day. We'd love to hear your prayer and your thoughts in the comments.
© 2026 by Wendy Blight. All rights reserved.
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