Daniel 1verse8: ‘But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.’
You are welcome back to our discourse on New Year resolutions! This is an age-long practice that people have deployed in turning a new leaf, but does it work? Well, the answer to this question will depend on many factors, but generally speaking, the idea of setting a new year resolution is not a bad one, provided you are willing to play your part. Amos3v3. From much research that has been done over the years, not everyone succeeds in fulfilling their resolution. Why is this so? There are many reasons for this, but before I share some of it with you today, let’s try to define a resolution!
Definition Of Resolution:
-A firm decision to do or not to do something. This was the kind of resolution Daniel made in Babylon. (Dan1v8)
-The act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc.
-The act of resolving something i.e. A court for the resolution of civil disputes.
So, what are some of the things you want to resolve in your life this year? These are the things that constitute a New Year resolution.
My dear friends, now that we have explained what resolutions are, let us now examine some of the reasons why some of our resolutions fail!
Reasons Why Some Resolutions Fail:
1. The motivation is external. What do I mean by this? It simply means that the motivation for making those resolutions is external and not internal. This could be based on trying to do something that someone has done or is doing or trying to follow the trend without being internally motivated. So, my dear friends, to what extent can you say that your motivation is internal? Rom14v5.
2. Unrealistic Resolutions. Whenever our resolutions are not realistic enough, we often fail to accomplish our goals. Your resolutions can become unrealistic if you:
-either set excessively difficult goals that quickly become unreachable for you.
-or you set relatively easy goals so you quickly get bored along the way.
So, the major key is finding common ground in setting your goals. Set goals that will challenge you without necessarily discouraging you at the end of the day. If you succeed in doing this, then you stand a greater chance of accomplishing your goals!
My dear brothers and sisters, I hope you can now see why we often struggle with accomplishing our New Year resolution. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow as we continue this series. Thanks!
Other Scriptures References: Gen39v9; 2Chro15v10-15; Luk15v17-20.
Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, help me to do better this year concerning pursuing my goals and aspirations in Jesus name, amen.
CONFESSION: This year will yield its increase and dividends to me because I will accomplish my New Year’s resolution by his grace and mercy. As I commit myself to becoming a better version of myself, I am gaining victory and having the upper hand! It will not be business as usual. The narrative is changing in my favor as I cooperate with the laws of God in this regard. Thank you, Jesus!
Yemi Adeoti is a pastor, teacher, life coach and mentor & also a prolific writer.
Amen