We all want to be good
We as humans are all on board with being good people. But the truth of the matter is we generally find that it is easier said than done. Or it is even easier to inform others of what the good standards are and where they are not measuring up.
Around this time every year we all make a resolution to be better human beings. A lot of them sound very similar to this.
My New Years resolution is to lose 100 pounds……..
My New Years resolution is to read the entire Bible all the way through…..
My New Years resolution is to stop smoking etc…..
All these are great goals that we know we should do. But then reality sets in. The tempting little Debbie cakes draw us in and just like that we are three cosmic brownies into breaking our resolution.
We pick an awesome Bible reading plan , but then the book of Leviticus enters into the picture and we slowly begin to skip out. We started out so good on our war against our favorite vice , but we just love the high it gives us so much.
So do we just give up and accept that our past behavior will be our future behavior? Is change just for people on tv and those so called extra spiritual people at church? Thank goodness the answer is no and hope is alive.
Scripture is full of people that turned their lives around through the power of God. People that had long lived deep seated issues. Read on to learn the principles that can make this the year you turn your resolution into results.
Dead Men don't walk
There is a world of difference between knowing what you need to do and actually having the power to carry out that task. You and I can tell a dead man to get up and walk all day long and nothing is going to happen. So the foundational issue that we have to deal with is have we been transformed by Jesus Christ? Why is that important?
It is important because one of the fruits of the spirit is self control and that is 99% of turning our resolutions into results. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit that we receive through Salvation our good intentions will never turn into great testimonies.
We receive this great salvation through admitting our sinfulness, believing on what Jesus did on the cross, and letting Him be in charge of our life. Resolutions are set with the mindset we can accomplish them and most of the time we don’t.
We confess To God our brokenness and He gifts us with the power to be transformed. So first on your checklist is are you trying to make a dead man walk? Trying to accomplish a resolution that apart from God will never turn into results?
Schedule your success
So we have established that oftentimes things don’t change just because we say we want them to. But just by taking one extra step we can increase our odds for success tenfold.
That extra step is actually block out time on our calendar where we will be doing what it takes to make our resolution a reality. Examples include blocking out an hour of our day for Bible reading, making an appointment with a counselor, or scheduling a thirty minute run.
Time is often the hardest for us to sacrifice. But if we are to make any headway we have to invest time towards our goal. While also making sure it is written down on our calendar whether that is digital or paper.
Even God knew this when dealing with His children. He could have just told them the ten commandments. But instead etched the commandments on stone tablets to communicate their importance. While also inspiring His people to record His word in the written scriptures. So to turn your resolution into results choose to schedule for success.
Be a turtle not a hare
Would you rather be a turtle or a rabbit? I personally would identify with the rabbit. We all have heard the story of how the turtle beat the rabbit in a race. The rabbit started out the victor but soon tired out and the slow and steady turtle won the day. That is often what I am guilty of.
I start out with a big blast of energy and quickly tire out only to go onto something else. I personally think this is also why God is a fan of giving us one step of faith at a time. It is because we will wear ourselves out trying to get to the finished line or quit because the road ahead scares us so much.
Most of our New Years resolutions fizzle out because we are trying to take on to much at one time. So when we make our resolutions/goals we need to be reasonable. And I bet both you and me will be very surprised at the results.
Then after we accomplish our reasonable goals we can make a little bigger goal and so on. The benefit of this process being that the power of positive momentum we get from accomplishing our goal. This momentum makes it a lot easier to keep pushing forward. Sorta like if you are an undefeated sports team and its the last game of the season.
Pay yourself like a winner
Most resolutions deal with change. And if you are anything like me change is hard. If we are going to turn resolutions into results then it is vital that we implement a reward system. As we determine and write out our schedule we need to write in what our rewards will be at each level.
This gives us something to look forward to and work towards. It can be something as small as a mini snickers bar or as big as a weekend getaway. So reward yourself along the way and you will be surprised how much your morale will be lifted.
I mean its not totally unspiritual either. Gods provided the ultimate reward of eternal paradise with Him to those who accept Christ as their savior. so even though it takes sacrifice for resolutions to become reality, it also takes rewards for sure.
Start right now
So after you finish this article begin to work on these principles. Make sure you have the power through Christ, put it in writing scheduled on your calendar, and don’t make impossible goals for your January trial run.
Thank you for reading and if you enjoyed this article make sure to subscribe to the blog and share it on Facebook. Looking forward to hearing about how you turned your resolutions into results.
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Thank you for the encouragement for this new year.