Happy New Year!

[Gabriel]

What is Your New Year’s Resolution?
​

Here it is, 2004. Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions?



The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word Resolution as follows:

Resolution

SYLLABICATION: res·o·lu·tion

NOUN: 1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

2. A resolving to do something.

3. A course of action determined or decided on.





First, notice the difference between definition 2 and definition 3 above. Definition #2 says, “A resolving to do something.” Assuming that the “something” you have resolved to do is your end goal, #3; “A course of action” would be the means to accomplish your goal. You are identifying an improvement you need to make and you are planning a strategy to accomplish it.



Where do you start? Paul says this in 2 Thessalonians, “8nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, 9not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. 10For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”



Paul tells us to work and work hard. You have a goal, a resolution in mind, map a plan and work hard to make it happen.



Is hard work enough? No, our own merit or effort cannot and will not bring us to fulfill our goal. We must pray and ask God for strength and perseverance or we set ourselves up for failure. Pray knowing that God can and will deliver you from the shortcoming you wish to improve. 1 Timothy 2:8 - 8I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;



Are you committed to your resolution? Is this a change you truly desire to make? If you have identified a goal, mapped out a course of action and are actively praying and working toward your goal, will you stay committed? What does Christ have to say about the word of a believer?



Matthew 5: 33-37

33“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34“But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35“nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36“Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.





Your word should be sufficient, no oath, vow, or deals should be necessary. The following passage shows the dangers of making “deals” with God and the importance of following through.



Judges 11: 30-40

30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31“then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

32So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. 33And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.” 36So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.” 38So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel 40that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.



Back to the passage from 1 Timothy, “pray……without doubt”. Making a “deal” with God may come from a doubt that He will answer prayer unless you sweeten the deal by adding something of your own. God doesn’t need us to offer Him anything. His strength is sufficient for us and can enable us to overcome anything. Trying to make your request more attractive to God through your own merit just may have dire consequences.



Most New Year’s resolutions are about deliverance. Many people focus on personal negatives that they would like to change when making their resolutions. Losing weight, reaching sales goals, stopping smoking, being a better husband, wife or parent are a few things that come to mind. Let’s make it more effective this year by focusing on one thing and one thing alone in regards to our resolution for 2004. Identify the thing that forms the largest obstacle in your relationship with God and seek deliverance from it.



Often severe obstacles come to people’s minds when faced with this challenge. Pornography, drug or alcohol abuse, infidelity, etc. are all things that people see as obstacles and rightly so. However, let’s look at some more realistic and often over-looked obstacles that hamper your personal relationship with our Creator. How about pride? How about anger or un-forgiveness? Gossiping? Or insecurity? How often do we not claim the name of Christ because we feel insecure? How often do we strive to please the people around us to feed our need to fit in or for fear of rejection? What about money? Many “good kids” go down a dark path as their father strives to feed them the best that the world has to offer but fails to feed them spiritually, which is our chief responsibility to our children. Quite often things that would otherwise not be sinful become sinful when we allow them to cause us to neglect our duties. ESPN in itself is not sinful. Nor is golf, a day at the shooting range or other hobbies or recreation we may enjoy. But allow it to be an obstacle or a replacement for Bible study, family time or prayer and what was innocent is innocent no longer.



Christ tells us to make our word count. If you say it, do it. Period. Here’s how we do it:

• Identify your personal obstacle and resolve to overcome it. This will be your New Year’s resolution.
• Pray, Pray, Pray. Without doubt and without ceasing.
• Work, Work, Work. Whatever it is in your life that needs to be removed, will also need to be replaced. It is not enough to ask for this sin to be removed, it must be replaced with the opposite virtue. Pride = humility, laziness = service, anger = love, un-forgiveness = forgiveness. Matthew 12: 43- 45 43“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44“Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45“Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
• Stay committed. Let your duty prime the pump of love on the days you feel weak or disinterested. Replacing the sin with goodness will require time in prayer, time in God’s Word, time in counsel with a trusted and spiritually mature Christian friend. The Apostle Paul tells us, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” Your spirit and your mind need to be fed as well, if not better, than your body!

 

[seebs]

Well written!

I made a plan to change something which, it turns out, I started doing on the 1st, but it wasn't intended as a New Years' Resolution. But it's going great so far!

 

[Gabriel]

Thanks. Glad to hear it's going well for you so far, keep up the good work. By the way, it's good to see you around more often.

 

[eldermike]

Great post Gabriel!

 

[BarbB]

I have resolved to read the Bible through this year. I'm doing daily Bible readings by a chart and also reading it straight through like I would an interesting book. Also, I have resolved to tackle my weight which has risen due to asthma drugs and sloppy eating habits. Finally, I have resolved to spend some time daily in prayer. I am excited about all three and look forward each day to my time with the Lord!

The message in church yesterday was about ways in which to resolve and to make those resolutions goals. That was a big help!

Happy New Year everybody!