Resolution

Resolution

Intro

Resolution- the act of determining

Resolute- marked by firm determination

How many made resolutions?  Why do we do this? 

Crack open the door of your future…

I see…

New Year’s resolutions…people don’t really make them anymore…For many reasons? 

Should

When you look to your future what do you feel?  Who is your future hinging on?  Are the things you are doing now jeopardizing a future of happiness?  Are you going to wind up like your parents? (good or bad)

Phil 3:13 (NIV) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

!!! I.  Goals

“IF you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it!”

Make some goals.  Get some momentum going. 

Baby steps might be small, but they are progress.

Ask the Lord to give you some direction in becoming more like Him, and the power to see it happen. 

You may be directed to start with simple things like:  prayer, watching your language, stepping up in your worship, music you listen to, etc.

Or maybe it will be something a little deeper for you like:  becoming an encourager, consistent tithing and missions giving, being more of a servant.

Some may even be seeking the gifts of the Spirit, stepping out in faith in a spiritual ministry of healing or intercessory prayer. 

It is time to move forward!

Some may say things like I need to work on my grades, I need to stop smoking, I need to be nicer to my mom, etc.  Listen!  Those things are a natural byproduct of a healthy, growing relationship with the Lord.  His power working within you will see to those things.

!!! II.  Faith

Of course to see anything happen spiritually you need to have faith.  Faith?

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Do you have faith that God loves you and is for you?  Do you believe that He died for you?  Do you believe that God wants the best in your life?  Do you want to know Him more and please Him?

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

!!! III.  Hope

Sometimes it is hard to keep going.  Sometimes it seems our faith is all used up.  There are times when you are stuck in a pit of depression, and there just seems to be no way out.  What about your future then?  Do you abandon everything you know to be true because things seem bleak?  Things are falling apart and the last thing you feel like doing is having faith.  That is where one of God’s most special gifts comes into play…Hope.  When faith is distant, we can still have hope.

A few years ago the psychology department of Duke University carried on an interesting experiment. They wanted to see how long rats could swim. In one container they placed a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape. He swam a few moments and then ducked his head to drown. In the other container they made the hope of escape a possibility for the rat. The rat swam for several hours before finally giving up. The conclusion of the experiment was just the opposite of our common conclusion. We usually say, "As long as there is life, there is hope." The Duke experiment proved, "As long as there is hope, there is life."

You see one thing that I have learned and it seems have to keep learning is that I either keep fighting or I die! 

Romans 5:3 (NIV) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.