Resolutions Revisited

Resolutions Revisited

At the close of every year many folks find themselves in recollection and real reflection of the past 365 days of their lives. Regardless of whether we perceive our past 12 months to be joyous or regretful, many will dare to participate in the ritualistic act of establishing new goals and personal decrees for ourselves for the upcoming year.

I often find that many of us will create these “new” objectives for the year that, truth is, aren’t new and innovative in the least. I personally grew weary of drafting the same resolutions year after year that were totally rooted in selfish gain and egocentric ambition. Hundreds of news articles, TV commercials, and even some sermons also seemed to promote a type of self-centered thinking and practice. “How to loose 60 pounds and look good by February….Find the job of your dreams this year….Land the house of your dreams”…, etc. Any of these sound familiar?

I am not suggesting that we negate all personal and private goals for ourselves. We need well defined goals to help us stay focused in life. Rather, I am simply suggesting that we also make every effort this year to move beyond the self and be carriers of peace, power, and love for someone else.

Philippians 2:3 says, “Let NOTHING be done in selfish ambition and conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

I strongly believe that God wants us to live abundant, well-balanced lives. This, to me, includes loving and nurturing others just as much as we love on ourselves.

The sweet irony of this shift in focus is that by directing your intentions towards empowering others, you too, will be empowered and will reap in prosperity. Trust and believe in this principle. Proverbs 11:25 declares that “a generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

So with this truth in mind, I am proposing something different for myself and others this New Year. For every one resolution you develop for personal edification, develop one that is strictly targeted at edifying another. Begin with small, simple, realistic goals. For example,

Resolution #1.
Talk behind someone’s back regularly.
Once a week, for a year, spread the word to several others about the talents or accomplishments of a coworker, spouse, or salesman at your favorite store.

OR

Resolution #2.
Commit to sending a random and anonymous “love” note, letter, or package to someone in need once a month.

OR

Resolution #3
Each time someone has seriously offended you, do or say something kind and sincere in return. (This will feel very unnatural to most at first, but it produces so much good!!)

By practicing love and kindness on a regular basis we really ARE changing our reality and the world we live in. This new existence is created for us and THROUGH us by one random acts of kindness at a time.

Let’s invest our energies in something that will yield the long term results we crave for every New Year. After all, diets often fail. Get rich quick schemes will fizzle away. And the truth is that relationships often must come to an end. But LOVE NEVER FAILS.
(I Corinthians 13: 8a).

Let LOVE be the daily affirmation that inspires you this year!!!

A Must See: "What's Your Cardboard Testimony"

What you are about to witness will impact your life.
After you clear the tears... share it with your family and friends.
And then share your cardboard testimony in the comments section below.
Thanks & God bless!
-Joshua

The "Me... Myself... and I" Factor

One of the most difficult battles to overcome is the battle that takes place within. Before we ever attempt to take on and overcome the challenges that exist around us, the happenings within us determines how we handle what is before us.

Psychotherapist Sheldon Koop asserts, "All the significant battles are waged within self." When I think about all of the difficult times I had to face, had it not been for Lord and His strength to bring under submission all of drama that took place within me, I would have caused further drama in the situation at hand.

A Pastor, by the name of Dr. Cheeks in McLean, Va., also shared that "if we're not afraid to be honest with ourselves, we too, can overcome the battle of the divided self." If we do not rapidly respond to the dangers of this "divided-self", it will pull us in the opposite direction of God seeking to please the "me, myself, and I" factor.

If you are consistently struggling to handle difficult moments that pop up causing you to lose your temper, resulting in loose words you later regret, use these moments as alarms indicating that there is something within you that Jesus has yet to handle. Paul cries in Romans 7, "who can separate me from this body of death... Jesus!" Call on the Lord. Spend time with the Lord, and He will free you from this battle.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Obeying the call to handle yourself first (spend time dealing with your internal wrestles through Christ), difficult times and trying moments that tend to catch you off guard will no long have power over you.

Take Advantage of Technology

Are you always on the go? Do you find it difficult to spend that much needed time in the Word? Has it been difficult for you to slow down and to take a moment to be rejuvenated by reading the Word? If this is you, we have some recommendations that will aid you in your time in the Word.

The first recommendation that we suggest for you is to analyze your daily routine to either cut back what is not necessary or to insert time in the Word as priority above everything else on that day. Matthew 6:33 says to seek Him first and everything else will be added to you. So why spend the entire day, in your own strength, attempting to make things happen when the Lord is waiting for you to come to Him.

Secondly, the Lord has blessed us with a vast array of technologies that we encourage to use at your advantage. And a great product for those always on the road is the "Bible Experience". This is a moving dramatization of the entire Bible featuring a cast of over 200, including Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett and Fred Hammond, along with vivid sound effects and a lush cinematic score. When I first heard this it changed my life! This expereince literally places you right in the text. And it brings the scriptures to life!

You can purchase the Bible Experience in CD or MP3 formats, which means you can upload it on your computer, laptop and MP3 player to listen it while in route to work. This is ideal for those who ride public transportation. And if you drive to work, pop in the CD. Your commute becomes your time in the Word. And what a better way to arrive at work empowered by the Word. And I'm sure your family will appreciate it when you've spent time listening to the Word before coming home after a tough day.

Jesus told the devil in the wilderness that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (MT 4:4, NIV). There should be no excuse for spending time in the Word. Take advantage of the technologies available to keep us in the Word, because our lives depend on it.