The head of a large real estate firm was interviewing a prospective salesman, and he asked the man why he wanted to go into real estate?  The man said, “It is my dream to make a million dollars in real estate like my father.”  The interviewer said, “Your father made a million dollars selling real estate?”  The man said, “No, but he always dreamed of it!”

About forty years ago, I heard a motivational speaker say, “What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.”  I don’t know that to be a totally accurate statement, yet there is surely something to it.  If we can dream big, determining where we want to go, then we can go to work a plan as to how we are going to get there.  If God is in the equation, we are very likely to make it.

I’ve decided that all families are dysfunctional to some degree.  It goes all the way back as far as human history goes.  Adam and Eve had a child that went down the wrong road,  Issac and Rebekah’s children couldn’t seem to get along with each other, and Just think about what a mess David’s family was.

There is a remedy for dysfunction within a family, and that is for the family members to understand and work within their proper roles.  Ephesians 5:22-6:4 is a blueprint for successful family life.  The problem is, none of us quite come up to the blueprint, but if we know what the blueprint is, we will be more likely to move that direction.

There is always room for a great deal of forgiveness among family members.  Children seem to be able to accomplish it better than adults.  We expect more from those to whom we are the closest, so there are more opportunities for disappointment.  But, in the end, as the book of James says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

In his book, “The Battle is the Lord’s,” Tony Evans speaks of the ministry of angels.  He says that the overarching understanding of the ministry of angels is to understand that they are God’s messengers.  The then elaborates on five areas in which they serve as such:

Messengers of God’s word.  There is an evident interplay between the Holy Spirit and angels in this role.  In Acts 7:53, Stephen said that the Nation of Israel received the Law, as ordained by angels.  Somehow the angels had a role in guarding how the nation of Israel received the Law, so that it was just as God gave it.  We also see the angel, Gabriel, delivering messages concerning the coming birth of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus.  When Jesus was born, the message was delivered to the shepherds by the angel.

Messengers of God’s protection.  In 2Kings 6:8-23, there is an example of a great host of angels camped all around Elisha and his servants.  One of the servants, in a state of panic, asked Elisha what they were going to do, and at Elisha’s request, God opened the servant’s eyes, so that he could see the host of angels.

Messengers of God’s provision.  In Psalm 78:25, we are told that during the wandering in the wilderness, God’s people at the bread of angels.  It was rained down from heaven, but directed by angels.

Messengers of God’s judgment.  In Revelation 15:1, it is an angel who has the seven deadly plagues of judgment.  In Luke 16, Lazarus was carried into Abraham’s bosom by angels, but angels will deliver some to hell, just as they will deliver some to heaven.

Messengers of God’s guidance. There are numerous biblical examples of angels appearing to someone and giving them direction.  Cornelius was praying, and an angel appeared and told him he needed to send for Peter.

I particularly love what the Bible says in Hebrews 1:14, concerning angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation?”

The first, and most necessary thing, in breaking a bad habit, is to make up your mind to do so.  You cannot approach with an, “I’m going to try” attitude, and expect to succeed.  You have to take charge over it, declaring yourself to have quit.  This often reqires a strong motivation.  One man told me his motivation for quitting smoking was that he wanted to see his grandchildren grow up.  One thing you have going for you, is that there are usually more negatives to bad habits, than there are positives.  The best of Christian motivations is that we are to glorify God in our bodies, and bad habits do not allow us to do that.

It is also necessary to remove as much temptation as possible.  The person who desires to quit drinking doesn’t need to go look in the window of the liquor store.  There are two kinds of temptations with which we have to do:  temptations of the spirit and temptations of the flesh.  For temptations of the spirit, we are told to put on the whole armor of God and take our fighting stand.  On the other hand, when it is a temptation of the flesh, we are told to flee, to put distance between the temptation ourselves.

Finally, it is helpful to replace the bad habit with a more virtuous activity.  The pain of quitting a bad habit is not forever.  Most habits can be broken within 21 days.  That’s really not very long.

Today is the day that many people will eat black-eyed peas and hog jowls, so they’ll have good luck all year.  In addition to the fact that eating pig is not good for you, and that God told His people to leave it alone, when He gave them the dietary laws, doing anything in a superstitious way is an insult to God.  Now, even as I write that, I know I can’t convince my momma that it’s true.  But, it is true.

Circumstances, either good or bad, do not come to us by luck.  We have a Sovereign God, who in His providence, works all things according to His will.  If you want good to come your way in this new year, make sure that you love and obey God.  Nothing will put you in a better position to experience good.  Superstition is of the devil, repent of it and put your faith in God.