Resolution or the Opposite?

Every January first, thousands of us resolve to make some changes. We’re gonna do it RIGHT this year, yes sir. Haven’t up until now, but this year will be different! Armed with steely determination, we throw ourselves wholly into the new project, goal, or dream, certain that this year will be the year.

So how long does your resolve usually last? Have you given up by tax day? Valentine’s Day? January 2?

The problem with resolutions is that we have no fuel for them. We are trying to drive to Alaska on a half tank of gas. Willpower. Determination. Disgust. Shame. Guilt. Whatever fuel we are using, it burns out long before we want it to. With a sigh of defeat, we go back to our comfort zone and hope for next year. I stopped making resolutions years ago when I learned how weak my own resolve can be. 

So then how do we make those important life changes? The answer is opposite of what we think. Our natural approach is to grab hold of that goal and go after it with gusto. We make it our focus, think about it, plan for it, and obsess over it. Until we wear out and shuffle back to the old habits.
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That approach is backward.

The more we focus on something, the less likely we are to see the results we want. That goal becomes our new god, in a sense. We think about it, sacrifice for it, plan around it, and serve it. Making something or someone our god never works out well. We must come face to face with our own weakness and limitations. When we stop believing that we have the strength and goodness to fix ourselves we are starting to get closer to it.

As long as we hang on to an issue, it still belongs to us. A past littered with broken resolutions proves our inability to accomplish what we desire. A resolution assumes that we will draw on some inner reserve that may or may not be there. Rather than grab that goal and resolve, we have to let go of it. When we scoop up that desire, goal, dream, or plan and hand it completely over to God, it is no longer ours to control. It is no longer our right to do or not do as we please. It is His now.

If every January first you resolve to lose weight and you have little to show for it, the issue may be that you are trying too hard. You may be thinking about it too much and sabotaging your own success. When you hand control of your entire body to the lordship of Jesus, weight is no longer the focus. Glorifying God and worshiping Him become the focus. When you truly surrender your body as His holy temple, you view it differently. If He really controls it, He gets to decide what goes into it--or what goes on it. 

Rather than obsess over the way you look, you will ask yourself: Is my Master glorified with these 100 extra pounds? With the way I dress? Talk? Entertain myself? Does my life reflect the self-control of the Holy Spirit?

So think about your life for a moment: Does your weight, your habit, or your addiction indicate that something other than God is mastering you?

When we realize we are allowing someone or something besides God to control us, we must surrender it. To refuse to do so is idolatry. Victory does not come from trying harder. It comes from surrendering more.

Success may require many hours on your knees, times of fasting, and increased saturation in His word. But as we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to peel from us all the things have mastered us, we find that we are walking in victory without even trying. Food is not your enemy. That relationship is not your enemy. Satan is your enemy and he will use whatever entices you to try to control you.

Resolutions only entrench us deeper in shame and defeat. We don't have what it takes to walk in victory, but God does. Try fully surrendering those areas you want to change and see what He does this year.

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A New Kind of Resolution

Rather than make New Year's Resolutions 
that usually fail,  
 try making daily resolutions. 

Start every morning on your knees, telling the Lord, 
"For today, I will follow you as closely as I know how. 
For today, I am crucified with you and my life is for your glory alone. 
Today I put you in control of my thoughts, my words, and my attitudes. 
This is the day that you have made 

and I will rejoice and be glad in it." 

You've got a lot better chance of success with daily resolutions and by the end of the year, you've kept a 

New Year's Resolution!

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Message for 2012

Carrier pigeons.
Pony Express.
Telegrams.
E-mail.
Texting.

We have discovered hundreds of ways to deliver messages. From smoke signals sent across the camp to satellite conference calls sent across the globe, humans know how to communicate. Where did we get that knowledge? Where do we get that urge?

The need to communicate lies intrinsic in each human heart, and it also lies in God's heart. History is filled with his communication to mankind as a whole and to individuals as needed. From the rhythm of the changing seasons to the written scriptures, God is always communicating to those who take the time to listen.

I love it when God gives me a direct and personal message, as he's done for the past few weeks. It finally became clear last night that this is his New Year's Vow to me and it thrills me to know He wanted me to know that.

For the past few weeks, the word "shield" has been woven into scriptures, songs, random wall hangings, etc. Daily devotionals were about it. New songs downloaded had that phrase. The theme just keeps repeating until even I get it.

"The Lord God is a sun and shield...No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." Ps. 84:11

"You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head." Ps. 3:3

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped..." Ps. 28:7

There it was again last night, in a random Bible search for something else:

"Do not be afraid, I am a shield to you..." Gen. 15:1.

That one finally turned the light on.

"This is for me, isn't it, Lord? This is what you want me to hold on to this year. I don't know yet what I need to be shielded from, and the thought bothers me a bit, but I believe you. I trust you. Nothing can harm me because You will shield me and I am supposed to hang on to this."

God always gives his promises ahead of time so when something hits, we are prepared. He doesn't want us to feel alone or abandoned when life puts on its boxing gloves. He wants us to dwell in His secret place, abide in His shadow, so that His shield can cover us.

A shield is not an offensive weapon. It represents safety in the middle of conflict. When the Apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 6 to "stand firm," he didn't mean stand there and take it. He meant not to lose our footing while God's shield covers us during enemy attacks.

The presence of a shield does not ensure peace and harmony, but did does promise that no matter what lies ahead in 2012, God has already got it--and me--covered.

Has God sent you a special message for 2012? Ask Him for one. He's a great communicator.
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Happy New Year

Ever known a REAL Uncle Rico? That former high school football star who still thinks it's 1982? All he can talk about are the great plays he maneuvered, the wins he accomplished, the hero-status he basked in. Those were his glory days and he's never moved past them.

Even sadder are the ones who can't stand to look at the past because of the shame. Is this you? That one mistake, that series of bad choices, that hated person from years ago that you see in the mirror no matter how hard you try to run?

The past. Too often it refuses to stay there. It either inflates an ego that no longer deserves the boost, or it continues to stab an identity that needs redefining. Neither is a healthy option.

As with most issues, God has something to say about the past. The Apostle Paul writes,

"forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:13-14)

No matter what your past holds, whether pride or pain, it is the past. Let it go. It no longer counts. Give it to Jesus and move on. Last year's failings are forgotten at the foot of the cross. Yesterday's triumphs no longer matter. It is today you are responsible for.

Let Philippians 3 be your New Year's Resolution, and press on toward the prize.

Happy New Year!

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Got Resolutions?

Have you started your list yet?

You know, the obligatory list of New Year's resolutions-- which is just another way of saying your motivation for change is so low you've got to pin it on a calendar date.

Or did you give up the whole idea a long time ago? Too frustrating. Too overwhelming. Too much defeat and you don't need another reason to beat yourself up.

But if you were going to make a change this year....just sayin'...you know, playing "what if'?

What would it be?

Did your mind rush straight to the scales? I'll bet losing weight is on nine out of ten resolution lists this year. Why? Why are we so preoccupied with carrying all that extra weight, while continuing the very actions that keep us that way?

I believe the reason you remain in the "hefty" category is because it doesn't really bother you that badly. You just think it should. You've memorized the list of health reasons, heard your mother nag about it until it rings in your ears, and frowned at your widening girth in the mirror...yet you do nothing to change it.

Going up a pants' size is a small price to pay for the comfort of that extra box of cookies. And the thought of cutting back on Big Macs produces a pain greater than heartburn. The fact is, you got yourself this way and it's grown comfortable. Regardless of what you may say to the contrary, you're not ready to give it up.

I won't even mention that gluttony is a sin, because that's not what this post is about.

Fooled you, huh?

No, I'd rather you make the short mental leap with me to the other shady areas of your life where you've grown too comfortable. You've heard the preacher say they're harmful to you, you've felt the pangs of guilt when you indulge, and you've frowned at yourself every time your half-hearted attempt to change fizzles. But the truth is, you don't care that much.

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We do things because they work for us. They may not work well, or for long, but they are meeting some need so we keep at it, even if in the process we are destroying the very peace and joy we long for. Habits, addictions, attitudes, friendships...the list is infinite. There are a million and one ways we can mess up the victorious life God planned for us, and we seem to discover most of them before we've even left our teens.

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The problem is we load ourselves down with so many homemade attempts to satisfy our longings that it quickly becomes too much to carry. We stagger under the bundles we're afraid to let go of. Our souls are more overweight than our bodies. Hearts made of concrete, consciences laden with guilt, and backpacks so stuffed with shame we can barely lift our heads. Yet, we cling to it all as though we were designed to be beasts of burden.

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We skip right over that delicious promise of Jesus in the book of Matthew: "Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

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God knows you're overweight and He offers a reducing plan you won't find anywhere on late-night TV. His solution? "Give it to Me."

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Yep, it's that easy. You were not created to bear those burdens alone and God offers to do it for you. But you have to let go first. You have to accept that those giant bags of trash you're carting around cannot meet your needs. You have to give them to Him. In exchange, he offers you a lightweight carry-on, packed with everything you need for this trip on earth.

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So maybe you DO need a list this New Years. It only needs to include one item:

• Give junk to God.

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The End of a Decade

So, the end of another decade has come. Remember when we weren't sure we'd survive Y2K?

So what have you accomplished this decade? Are you a better person than you were ten years ago? Have you internalized those lessons, grown from the disappointments, and made lemon slushies out of the sour events?

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Or has life gotten the better of you?

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Are you more cynical? More critical? Angrier? More confused than ever and not sure it's worth it?

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This past decade has brought me more heartache and stress than the previous three. Death after death of close family members, a near-fatal accident for my third child leaving her with a lifetime of handicap, building a house, job losses, betrayal by our eldest child, unemployment three times...Blow after blow, the list goes on, sometimes leaving me wondering if I can get up one more time.

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Bitterness always hunkers in the wings, waiting for that weak moment, that lowering of defenses, ready to pounce and take me captive. Anxiety can easily take up permanent residence and displace the peace I once thought I owned.

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Nothing steals joy like anger. Anger is like a slow leak in an old tire, keeping you defeated, lifeless, useless for anything but putting one foot in front of the other. You become a deflated caricature of the vibrant person God wants you to be.

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We say we're angry at circumstances, angry at injustice, the unfairness of life. But if we take a long hard look at it, we're angry at God. After all, we preach about Him being in charge. If He's in charge, than He's responsible for everything that we think has gone wrong. And it's really Him we're angry with.

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He has let us down, we think. We trusted Him and look what happened. We have a right to be angry. What happened wasn't right.

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What has come to mind as you read this? If you're angry or cynical or bitter, you already know why. It's right there, flirting with your subconscious whether you admit it or not. That painful event. The devastating tragedy that has sucked the life right out of you. Are you merely hurt---or are you really angry?

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Are you ending this decade angry or cynical at God?

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The next decade does not have to be a repeat of the last. Maintaining anger at God is like crimping your oxygen tube. You can do it, but you're only hurting yourself by cutting off the life-giving source you need.

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Yes, God let something painful happen to you. He let something painful happen to His Son, too. But it was for a reason, a bigger reason than the pain it caused. And if you trust him with your pain, He will turn the pain into something beautiful.

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Let go of it. Quit trying to be God. Quit thinking you have to understand. You may not, at least on this side of Heaven.But you can embrace the beauty that God creates from your old hurts.

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If you want the new decade to be better than the last, be careful you don't drag last year's garbage into the new one. It's not turning over a new leaf. It's letting go of the armful of old leaves you've gathered and refused to burn.

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Goodbye, 2009, with all your sorrow and pain. Welcome 2010.

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Go with God!

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