January 1
“I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart; I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil.” Psalm 101:2b-4
The New Year is here with all the anticipation of starting fresh, developing better habits, seeing greater progress, overcoming nagging sins, and accomplishing great things. We resolve to do better and are determined, this time, finally, to succeed. As David resolved in the Psalm above, there is something about the New Year that emboldens us and gives us confidence that we can develop new habits and eliminate bad things from our lives.
But in my personal experience, sooner rather than later, the vision we had at the start of the year diminishes, our old habits cry out to us for “just a little bit” of satisfaction, and before we know it, our enthusiasm for change turns into a heaviness of heart and concern that we will never be able to change at all. And we are tempted to give up trying, at least until the next New Year, and the last state seems to be even more hopeless than the first.
I have experienced this so many times that I no longer make resolutions. I see my own inabilities, and I see how powerless I am in my own strength and determination of will to make any lasting changes. I am not saying it cannot be done, and I am sure that if I were not discouraged and burdened by various things and if I had greater vision and strength that I would have more success in my resolve and develop some good habits. But I have become painfully aware over the last several years just how incapable I am of changing myself. I also think that the average person, perhaps most people, find it difficult if not impossible to truly change themselves, at least in the deepest levels of the heart.
But at this point I have exciting news for those of us who truly want to change but find ourselves struggling with the same sins and old habits time after time after time. I suspect that the Lord has brought me to this place, being more than ever convinced that my power, determination, and resolve are insufficient to carry the day or even make a dent in my sinful habits, a place where He wants me to realize that only by the Father’s determination, Jesus’ victorious resurrected life, and the power of the Holy Spirit within me will I ever prevail over my weaknesses and sins. His ever present grace, power, leading, and wisdom are absolutely essential to change. I have known these things intellectually for most of my 35 years of being a Christian, but I really only now am coming to understand this more deeply. And now I seek the Lord in a manner more appropriate to this understanding, in ways that I think are much more conducive to new habits and lasting change.
This theme of utter dependence on God to overcome sin and to change ourselves I hope you will see time and again as I endeavor to write these “Thought of the Day” exhortations. In the next few exhortations I hope to expand on this more directly, sharing ideas that have been key for me in gaining and maintaining victory.