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Growth What is your New Year's resolution?

Sandy Zalecki

Sandy Zalecki

Member
It’s a new year. 2014 is now here. It is the time to make our resolutions. What are we going to do this year to make ourselves better people? The number one resolution is to lose weight. That’s right. We live in a society that is 70% over weight so this shouldn’t surprise anyone. I always have an ongoing issue with my weight. It is very difficult to keep the pounds off. I always say I am going to exercise more, but I hate most exercise, so I never do it. To my credit I have lost over 100 pounds in the last six years.



Most people, however, have the greatest of intentions but after a couple of weeks the life sets in and the resolutions go out the window. There is nothing bad about that because we are creatures of habit and old habits are hard to break. It takes a real shock for most people to make a significant change in their lives.



What is you New Year’s resolution? Did you even bother to make one? I find it difficult to make resolutions because I always disappoint myself. I rarely follow through.



This year, however, I have made a different resolution. I am dedicated to serving God more and trusting Him more than I have in past years. I really want to give all my life completely to Him and allow Him to do whatever He wants with my life. This is the year I want to fully embrace the greatest commandment. Will I fail at times? In fact, I may completely fail a lot of times. But the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins.



“The first of all the commandments is: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ‘And you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it is this: ‘You shall love you neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 29-31) NKJ
 
Mike S said:
My New Year's resolution is that I resolve to never again make New Year's resolutions.
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I have made a similar, but not quite as ambitious resolution every year for the past 5 years or so. I always resolve to not make any resolutions during the coming year. I've failed miserably at keeping it up til now, but I hope to do better this year.

The TOG​
 
I liked what you posted Sandy. Traditionally I have not made New Years resolutions. IMO it's too close to making vows to God....What I started to do last year was to start surrendering my heart and mind to my Master Jesus every morning. I ask Him to give me His heart for people and let His mind to be in me. I can honestly say that my life has changed drastically, praise His Name! I am not the man I was a year ago. I then study three different chapters in His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand. I plan to do the same thing this new year, Sandy, God bless you for your aspirations, I pray that Jesus will help you reach them. You have a very important ministry with your Husband and I pray that Jesus will reach many hurting and uneducated Christians in the way of Salvation. Help them grow Sister you are loved!
 
Sandy: I am dedicated to serving God more and trusting Him more than I have in past years. I really want to give all my life completely to Him and allow Him to do whatever He wants with my life. This is the year I want to fully embrace the greatest commandment. Will I fail at times? In fact, I may completely fail a lot of times. But the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins.
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This is what I want to do and plan for this year. Loosely though and not as an resolution or vow so to speak (as Chopper said) because I will fail in many aspects and am careful about making vows to God. It sounds good on paper but scripture says that what we bind on earth is bound in heaven. So I seek God, and pray for revelation and a deeper intimacy with Him.
 
TOG said:
I have made a similar, but not quite as ambitious resolution every year for the past 5 years or so. I always resolve to not make any resolutions during the coming year. I've failed miserably at keeping it up til now, but I hope to do better this year.

The TOG​
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Same. I just plan on living my life according to God's will, as best I can.
 
Chopper said:
I liked what you posted Sandy. Traditionally I have not made New Years resolutions. IMO it's too close to making vows to God....What I started to do last year was to start surrendering my heart and mind to my Master Jesus every morning. I ask Him to give me His heart for people and let His mind to be in me. I can honestly say that my life has changed drastically, praise His Name! I am not the man I was a year ago. I then study three different chapters in His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand. I plan to do the same thing this new year, Sandy, God bless you for your aspirations, I pray that Jesus will help you reach them. You have a very important ministry with your Husband and I pray that Jesus will reach many hurting and uneducated Christians in the way of Salvation. Help them grow Sister you are loved!
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I like that. My "resolution" is really something the Lord has been putting in my heart for some time now. I need to be closer to Him and serve Him more. I also need to lead people to do the same thing.
 
Sandy Zalecki said:
I like that. My "resolution" is really something the Lord has been putting in my heart for some time now. I need to be closer to Him and serve Him more. I also need to lead people to do the same thing.
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I understand. That was what I was after a year ago which led to my morning surrender. Over the years, when I was sort of debating with myself about what decision I should make, I would surrender to Jesus and He would make the decision for me in wonderful ways. I love surrendering to Him
 
farouk said:
:)
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It looks to me like you don't have to make resolutions. From viewing your posts over the past few months, I am impressed with your love for the Word and your understanding of that Word. I just want to thank you for the information that you send forth in CF.net I always learn something from your posts, even if their funny. God bless you my friend, keep on teaching me, at 73 I've forgotten a lot. I have to look at my license every once in a while to discover where I live.:rofl2
 
I have cliché resolutions--lose weight, build muscle--and a few semi-resolutions (nothing formal, just ideas vaguely formed in my mind as to what I want to do and where I wanna go with the New Year). Work my way out of being defined by my (mostly past) mental health issues. To that end, I've reduced my daily meds down to 2, I've been working on looking and acting more conventional, keeping busy, writing more, praying more, etc. Getting a job anytime soon will be difficult because a) the economy b) my shady reputation around here and c) its always difficult for people who've been incapacitated by mental problems to do anything---that's a big part of the reason that "recovery" is so elusive. No matter.

And I gotta start reading the Bible more! When I went to Teen Challenge (love those people, btw), they really crammed it into us. I mean, they only get 1 year to plant some seeds in seriously wayward/deviant people, so I *get* it, but still...until I came to true repentance 1 year ago (a miracle in and of itself), I associated Bible reading with dusty classrooms and memorization and what not. Now, everything they've taught me is popping back up to remembrance (minus the addresses for verses...bad at that....), so I gotta do my part and start reading more. My Pentecostal friend sent me a brand, spankin' new NKJV Bible with commentary, so I've got what I need to dive into God's Word.

Along with reading The Bible more often, I need to work on developing a Christian Worldview. From what little I've read on the concept, it originated from modern Calvinist thinkers. That's great and all, but I'm trying to develop more of a Baptist/Pentecostal/old-school Christian (miracles and all) worldview. To that end, I'll need books, Bible Study, fellowship, meditation on The Word, etc. I'm blessed to have gone to Teen Challenge, because they give you 1 year or so with minimal outside, secular influences. That 1 year has really proven immensely helpful, especially now that I've been called to repentance.
 
Christ_empowered said:
I have cliché resolutions--lose weight, build muscle--and a few semi-resolutions (nothing formal, just ideas vaguely formed in my mind as to what I want to do and where I wanna go with the New Year). Work my way out of being defined by my (mostly past) mental health issues. To that end, I've reduced my daily meds down to 2, I've been working on looking and acting more conventional, keeping busy, writing more, praying more, etc. Getting a job anytime soon will be difficult because a) the economy b) my shady reputation around here and c) its always difficult for people who've been incapacitated by mental problems to do anything---that's a big part of the reason that "recovery" is so elusive. No matter.

And I gotta start reading the Bible more! When I went to Teen Challenge (love those people, btw), they really crammed it into us. I mean, they only get 1 year to plant some seeds in seriously wayward/deviant people, so I *get* it, but still...until I came to true repentance 1 year ago (a miracle in and of itself), I associated Bible reading with dusty classrooms and memorization and what not. Now, everything they've taught me is popping back up to remembrance (minus the addresses for verses...bad at that....), so I gotta do my part and start reading more. My Pentecostal friend sent me a brand, spankin' new NKJV Bible with commentary, so I've got what I need to dive into God's Word.

Along with reading The Bible more often, I need to work on developing a Christian Worldview. From what little I've read on the concept, it originated from modern Calvinist thinkers. That's great and all, but I'm trying to develop more of a Baptist/Pentecostal/old-school Christian (miracles and all) worldview. To that end, I'll need books, Bible Study, fellowship, meditation on The Word, etc. I'm blessed to have gone to Teen Challenge, because they give you 1 year or so with minimal outside, secular influences. That 1 year has really proven immensely helpful, especially now that I've been called to repentance.
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A really good post my friend. There is quite a large group of churches in a relative new movement call "Bapticostal" Just google that and see if they have study materials. From what I used to know about them, they are very good IMO.
 
Sandy Zalecki said:
This year, however, I have made a different resolution. I am dedicated to serving God more and trusting Him more than I have in past years. I really want to give all my life completely to Him and allow Him to do whatever He wants with my life. This is the year I want to fully embrace the greatest commandment. Will I fail at times? In fact, I may completely fail a lot of times. But the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins.
Click to expand...

This is too vaguely put. You need a goal that you can measure or count, so you have evidence for your success or failure. Because we tend to cheat ourselves easily. It's easy to think you have trusted the Lord more and so on if there is no way to objectively prove it.
 
Claudya said:
This is too vaguely put. You need a goal that you can measure or count, so you have evidence for your success or failure. Because we tend to cheat ourselves easily. It's easy to think you have trusted the Lord more and so on if there is no way to objectively prove it.
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oh, don't worry. god will test you enough that you will know. the year 2013, where I didn't say this and was facing a possible layoff. I made it. I didn't think a times I would make probation. yet I made it.
 
jasoncran said:
oh, don't worry. god will test you enough that you will know. the year 2013, where I didn't say this and was facing a possible layoff. I made it. I didn't think a times I would make probation. yet I made it.
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I don't doubt God will test us enough. But wording a resolution as vaguely as she did she is setting herself up for self-deception. Most of us tend to be biased in our own favour.
Using a more worldly example. You know it's like saying "This year I'll become more athletic" vs saying "This year I'll lose 20 pounds, and exercise at least twice a week for at least one hour." The first is unprecise and can mean many things and thus it's much easier to cheat on oneself. The second version is something one can measure and count and thus have a clear image of how well the resolution was fulfilled. It's a basic psychological rule when it comes to setting goals.

The difficulty in this case is how to operationalise "more trust in God" and "dedicate myself to serving Him" so that you can measure or count it. What kinds of thoughts and behaviours would represent those goals? Something like saying a prayer of surrender every single morning? Or spending more time with a cerain ministry?

I'm having the same problem with my resolution to take responsibility for my own emotions. It's a very vague wording. Although everyone does sorta have a concept in their head what that would mean it's hard to break it down onto a behavioural and cognitive measurable level.
 
Claudya said:
This is too vaguely put. You need a goal that you can measure or count, so you have evidence for your success or failure. Because we tend to cheat ourselves easily. It's easy to think you have trusted the Lord more and so on if there is no way to objectively prove it.
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I do have those, but for the sake of length I did not write it in the post. They aren't really relevant to what I was trying to say, but you are right, we need to have achievable goals that we strive for.
 
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