New

It's January and like everybody else, it's the time that we all reflect back on what we accomplished in the last year and what we want to accomplish in the new year. I learned that January got it's name from a Roman God named Janus. It had two heads, one looking back and one looking forward. Anyway, I'll admit that I've hesitated looking forward and making resolutions for the New Year. I hate being like everybody else sometimes. However, I felt better about things when I realized that that desire that we all have deep within us isn't of the world, it's actually the spirit living within us! God is a God (NOT a two-headed one) of new beginnings. We are given new days, new weeks, new years, new seasons, etc.... AND when you become a Christian, you are a new creation! So, I'm embracing this NEW YEAR !

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." Psalm 40:3

Bear with me here, I'm going to read you an excerpt from one of the many books I'm reading. This fired me up and let's you know my biggest resolution. This could be me talking:

"If you're like me, you don't want to live the kind of life where you are barely hanging on. You don't want to merely eke out an existence, find a way to cope with your misery, or just get by. You want to have the abundant life Jesus spoke of when he said, 'I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly' (John 10:10).

We don't want to be women who hear the truth but seldom act in faith to appropriate it for our lives. We don't want to be forever grappling with doubt, fear, insecurity, and uncertainty. We want to live life on purpose and with purpose.

None of us enjoys going around in circles, always passing through the same territory and coming back to the same problems, same frustrations, and same mistakes, and same limitations. We don't want to become calloused, hard-hearted, bitter, unforgiving, anxious, impatient, hopeless, or unteachable. We don't want to end up with a negative attitude that says, 'My situation will never be any different because it hasn't been any different for a long time.' We want to break out of any self-defeating cycle of repeated patterns and habits and be able to transcend ourselves, our limitations, and our circumstances. We want to be more than just a survivor.

We want to be an overcomer. We want to be a part of something greater than ourselves. We want to be connected to what God is doing on earth in a way that bears fruit for His kingdom. We want to have a sense of purpose in our lives. We want to abound in God's love and blessings. We want it all. All God has for us. But can never achieve that quality of life outside the power of God. And then ONLY as we pray.

When you have Jesus as ruler of your life, you will come to know Him as the one 'who is able to do exceedingly abundandtly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us' (Ephesians 3:20).

Whether you realize it or not, you are never standing still. You are either going forward or you're sliding back. You are either becoming more like Christ every day or you're becoming less like Him.

The word says that 'the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered' (Romans 8:26).

I repent of the times I have expected other people or other things to meet my needs when I should have been looking to You." (The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian)

Doesn't that all just fire you up? I've been trying to do so many things on my own strength. So, despite knowing the Lord for as long as I can live, I am reminded that I need to rely on His strength. Just because I've been given certain abilities doesn't mean that I will be successful. And besides, success in the world isn't necessarily what the goal is. So, my New Year's resolution is to cling to God's word like I've never done before!

And, oh yeah, to get back to my 'fighting weight' so I can participate in another triathlon or two this summer. Happy New Year!