Every January millions of people make goals and resolutions… near the end of the first month many of those resolutions have fizzled. Those idealist goals include things like healthier eating, regular exercise, quality time with family, more time with God in His Word and prayer, and some even make goals regarding spending less to being more kind or diligent at work. When asked in a survey how long their resolutions last, over half of Americans responded with three months or less.
When asked in a survey how long their resolutions last, over half of Americans responded with three months or less.
Experts acknowledge that the excitement of a new year often results in people setting impractical goals. Literally thousands of helpful books (like Atomic Habits) encourage people to set reasonable small goals. The premise is that “implementing the right habits will drastically improve your life. It is true that small adjustments lead to massive transformations. Even with this understanding there needs to be three keys to be successful in personal growth and transformation: 1) The Right Desires; and 2) the Right Priorities; and 3) the Right Power.
The Right Desires
Being made in the image of God, every human being has mind, emotion, and will. As our Heavenly Father, the Lord desires us to love Him in response to His great love for us. The apostle John understood this when he said, “We love Him [God], because He first loved us” I John 4:19. Once a person has given their heart and life to Christ, they have a new spiritual nature. It is our responsibility to fan the flames of our new spiritual desires.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness….” Matthew 5:6
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mattew 6:33
“Thou shalt love the Lord that God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew 22:37
Once I have the right desires (seeking God) and I have them for the right reasons (the glory of God), I am now prepared to determine the right priorities of my life.
The Right Priorities
The basic principle of life and stewardship is this - God owns everything. God owns everything, including ME! He also owns my time and He owns your time.
The Basic Principle of Life and Stewardship is this - God owns everything, including ME!
As Christians, we are all living with the understanding from the same book – the Bible! As you mature in your faith and grow in Biblical knowledge you will most likely come to the same conclusion of believers down through the centuries that life is about relationships – first with God, family, then others. I have had the opportunity to invest and train hundreds of missionary couples by sharing my list of priorities – beginning with the most important:
1. Faith
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Fitness
5. Finances
6. Fun
You may choose different words or phrases to delineate your priorities of life, but we all begin with “GOD FIRST” and certainly would place our family relationships right after the Lord.
You may generally agree with this list “right priorities” but the question is – “Am I spending my time, money, and energy in alignment with what I believe is important?” A sad but true commentary of 21st century Christianity is that “we worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.”
Rather than feel defeated or discouraged over “broken or forgotten” New Year’s’\ Resolutions, why not determine today to “re-align” your day, week, and month with godly priorities? This kind of attitude is not defeated by your past (Philippians 3:12-14), but is energized because God has given us a brand new day and we can “make a difference” with His power working in us.
The Right Power
With the right desires guided by the right priorities, we now turn to the Lord to experience the right power. For Christians, spiritual transformation begins in the heart. Once we have the epiphany that “we were made by God and made for God” we then can begin to discover how to spend our life – beginning with the next hour, day, week, and month. Yes, this takes a little bit of planning and a whole lot of humility. The apostle Paul acknowledged this, even when he was in prison, God could work in and through him when he wrote…
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.
How do we access the power of God in our lives on a daily basis?
1. Renew your mind daily in the Word of God.
Begin everyday with the prayer of the Psalmist, “Open though mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Psalm 119:18
2. Seek to be like Christ in your thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions.
Invite the Holy Spirit to transform you – little by little – to be more like Jesus.
3. Take responsibility for your words and actions.
Jesus calls us to “deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him” Luke 9:23.
4. Ask the Lord to guide and empower you by His Holy Spirit.
The Lord delights in “showing up” in the lives of His children. Never cease to be amazed that even though “our sins they are many, His mercy is more.” “Walking by faith” means that we are choosing to follow the Lord and His Word, even when we don’t understand it or feel like it. God’s love and truth shines brightest when we are broken and weak. Paul encourages us by his power personal testimony… “when I am weak, then am I strong.” In my greatest weakness, “the power of Christ rests on me.”
Don’t let your life be defined by broken or forgotten New Year’s Resolutions, rather choose the right desires which leads to the right priorities that will be fulfilled with the right power - God’s Power!
