Here we are again at the start on another new year. Promising to change our ways and start anew, giving up our vices and boasting we will improve in 2019. I would like to help you be successful by turning to the bible to strengthen your resolutions.
Throughout the years I have made resolutions but failed to keep them like most people. This year I got wise and decided to turn to God’s Word to find the support that He wants for us to be successful. That He actually gave us guidance 2,000 years ago to be better and change our ways. I am going to share that support in this blog.
I have many times started the new year either a few pounds or even extremely overweight. I promised to work out more and eat healthier. To give up fast food and snacking was my main focus. Then it dawned on me that God has always told us to respect our bodies and that we do not own them.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ” Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God has bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
Wow, how true is that???? The Holy Spirit does reside in me and it is imperative that I keep this temple clean and pure for the Holy Spirit to flourish within me. I conscientiously need to watch what I eat and how I treat my body. For example; am I getting enough sleep to refresh myself or am I staying away from mental drama to keep focus on God’s will and am I allowing myself “me time” to meditate or read for my enjoyment and decompression?
I also have been known to make a resolution to stop overspending. I have controlled this much more in 2018 but I can always be reminded that I don’t need materialistic things to have peace in my heart and love myself. When I overspend I feel empty and dissatisfied.
I turn to Luke 12:15 for support. And he said to them, ” Take care and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
It is easy to see something for 70% off and justify the purchase for the savings. I find these items never get used and I was just instantly glorified by the savings. These items usually get donated to a charity unused. I am working to put extra change in a jar instead of leaving it in the bottom of my purse. Or if I feel like buying a new makeup online when I am comfy in bed and see an ad pop up on Facebook I stop. Yes I will stop and think how that money could be used more effectively by saving it or buying gratitude hearts to give away.
I also will shop online for the items and fill my cart and then delete the cart and thank God for giving me the strength not to buy. This has been very effective for me to recognize what I need to focus on and that is not accumulating possessions. It amazes me how quickly change turns into dollars when you become more aware of money.
Let’s don’t forget the common resolution for another type of overindulgence, alcohol and smoking. I have never smoked but I did drink a lot of wine and beer in past years. Although I gave up alcohol completely a few years back I do still need to focus on not being in a situation where I could be tempted to drink again. I would drink nightly and a glass of wine would tend to become a bottle of wine on multiple nights during the week. I wasn’t feeling good and I recognized this was becoming a problem. I begged God to help me overcome what I felt was the beginning of alcoholism. Begged is a strong word but I was desperately seeking God’s help.
1 Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
That is so powerful to me. Yes smoking and alcohol is lawful but it does a body absolutely no good. There are no nutritional or health benefits in drinking and smoking. They are vices that can be broken and set free from. I am pretty much past the point of taking a drink but I want to honor God by not starting again. He gave me the strength to walk away and released me of the over drinking.
I have been blessed by God to find the perfect husband for me. People will make a resolution to find a spouse in the new year which seems silly to me. I have always felt that God knows the perfect mate for each of us and He will bring them to us when the time is right. I would have never met my husband, Wes without God’s intervention but I have blogged about that in the past.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.”
So God does want us all to have a spouse and when you trust in Him, He will bring that person to you. I would say to pray for a spouse maybe instead of making a resolution. A resolution relies on your doing the work. A prayer relies on God to put in your life who He knows you should be with. I love this picture of my daughter, Lexie and her husband, Ty at their engagement party because it exudes happiness.
Maybe you are at odds with your spouse and your resolution is to not to fight as much in 2019. We are all individual people with opinions and views, tit’s natural to sometimes disagree. Fighting with harsh and unkind words gain nothing but hurt on both parties. Taking a deep breath and walking away may be difficult or you can’t get the phrase “pick your battles” to apply to you. May I direct you to this bible verse for help with respect for your spouse?
1 Peter 3: 5-7, ” This is how holy of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. In the same way you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift to a new life.”
Respect is the key to a wonderful marriage. When you lose respect you lose what God put together and it is dishonoring. Again I say to you, pick your battles because many things you argue over are trivial and don’t matter in the long haul.
The last resolution I would like to address is to be kinder to others. To me we should be practicing that daily but this is a broken world right now. People are becoming disconnected and antisocial so this really doesn’t surprise me that it is one of the top resolutions for 2019. I notice myself going through self-checkouts and ordering online to keep my conversation with others at a minimum. I am not proud of this but God knows all my secrets so I must confess to this to you.
I found myself recently turning to 1 Peter 3: 8-12 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
I have been struggling with being judgement and short patience with others at the end of 2018. I had to take time off to just to ask God to help me be kinder in the new year. This bible verse helps me to maintain a clean heart and keep my words in my mouth. I instead ask God to forgive my thoughts and thank Him for keeping my words at bay.
I focus in times of unkindness towards others while holding my gratitude heart because to me a heart reflects nothing but love. Since I am anchored to God when I hold my gratitude heart it instantly brings me back to Him. I recognize that I am judging or being unkind to one of His children that has been placed here on earth for His purpose and not mine. This is sobering to me that I could possible be unkind to a child of God, yet I am human and make mistakes.
Below are examples of one of many of our gratitude hearts that we share with others for anchoring to God’s love.
As you enter this new year please don’t put too big of expectation on immediate change. My friend it takes time and God’s help to move away from things that aren’t right for us and towards what God has planned for us. This will be a wonderful and exciting year when you take God by the hand and walk with Him.
Every day I ask God to bring me closer to Him and to put His words in my mouth as well as to help me walk the path He has laid out for me. This may be a good opportunity to draw closer to God to help with your imperfections or guide you to those things you are pursuing genuinely.
I am so grateful you have allowed me to be part of your day by reading my blog post. I pray you feel comforted and peace through knowing and loving God in your heart.
Truly-LoLo
Our podcast related to this blog
http://gratefulgratitude.libsyn.com/using-the-bible-to-eliminate-bad-habits
gratefulgratitude.net 