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No More Resolutions

Writer's picture: BriceEugeneBriceEugene

I will spare you from yet another New Year’s blog post where we talk about resolutions starting strong and fading out in February. The world doesn’t need another tongue-in-cheek, cynical, sarcastic or satirical article about the inevitable failure of our lofty plans for a better body, better job, better relationship or better status.


I’ve never been a New Year’s resolution kind of guy. It seemed like gimmick to me. I cannot remember a single year where I resolved to change a behavior, start a new thing or quit an old thing.


I have, however, started a bunch of things and never followed through. In high school I was bound and determined to be a high school music teacher. After that I was certain I wanted to be a pastor. Then I wanted to be in a touring band. After that a piercing artist, after that, a physical fitness professional, followed by a cross country hiker, then again, a rock star, then I wanted to own an alarm company, and then be a network engineer. A couple of those things are still on my radar and may still come to fruition. One thing I’m sure of is that you probably have a list like that. Maybe not so much over career paths but hobbies, relationships, physical locations. My point is that we all have things in our past. Some of them are good, some are not so good, some are embarrassing, some are worthy of accolade. We all have a past, and it is important to reflect on that.


The end of the year seems to be the sensible time to reflect on the year that has passed and to look forward to the year that is to come. For my family, a lot of incredible things have happened. We had our first foster care placement go back home with his mom. We paid off all of our credit card debt. My wife was laid off from her full-time job and has since started two new part-time jobs. We had our oldest son begin Kindergarten. Our youngest son began to walk. We had some ups and downs in our marriage. We celebrated our 9-year anniversary. We booked a cruise for our 10-year anniversary. But a major turning point was in the beginning of October. We went to a Christian event that changed our lives. You can read about that in my Testimony. The short story is that I was freed from 22 years of addiction to pornography and lust and my wife was freed from anger, fear, and depression. Not only were we freed from those things but through that experience we received an understanding of who we are to the Father. We had a new awareness of our true identity. The reality that I am a true son of God whom He loves and wants to be with has become so real to me that it has changed my life.


It’s a crazy thing to have a past dominated by an addiction and then have it removed in a miracle. It’s not that I’m not tempted anymore. In fact, I’m probably tempted even more since that week of transformation. Satan doesn’t stop working because someone says Yes to Jesus. The devil didn’t see my healing and say “Oh, shucky-darn. I lost another one.” He goes into overdrive to distract those who have met with Jesus to divert their attention away from the righteousness that they have received in God’s grace and mercy. Have you experienced something like that? Satan doesn’t mind someone professing to be a Christian. He just doesn’t want you to understand what that means. He will try to place anything in your way to distract you from intimacy with the Father, but when you know you’re a son, you are always claiming victory over that former self.


“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57


Having victory over something that had dominated more than 2/3rds of my life is such an amazing place to be. This isn’t some sort of new years resolution kind of thing where I decided to modify my behavior and determined that I wouldn’t look at porn anymore. I didn’t sign up for a web filter that blocks certain sites or content from our computers or devices. I didn’t call an accountability partner. I didn’t go through a 12-step program with how to deal with and eventually control my addiction. This was a one-step program where Jesus said, “This has got to go because it’s not who I made you to be. I conquered this on the cross so take my victory as your own because I love you.” He handed me His victory over sin because He loves me and wants me close to His heart. Sin divides. The Blood of Jesus heals, mends, and creates intimacy with The Father.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” --2 Corinthians 5:17

When you say Yes to Jesus, the old HAS gone and the new IS here. I have been made new. Because of Christ, the life of addiction has been defeated, cast aside, forgiven, and I have been made whole in Him. Jesus is in the business of new creation, not New Year’s resolutions. I’m talking about Relationship over resolution. The difference is that with a New Year’s Resolution, you determine to change yourself. You set your sights on a goal to be attained. With Relationship, Jesus just makes it so. The old has gone and the new is here. Its not, “the old has gone so now follow these next steps and when you pass the assessment you can be considered a new creation.” A resolution strives for a future outcome. A Relationship receives victory from what Jesus has already been through.

“What you’ve been through is not your story. What He’s been through is your story.” –Dan Mohler

The power of your story isn’t found in how bad you were or how far you’ve come, because the truth is, we were all equally “bad” under the law. Whether you were addicted to porn, heroin, or work, if you were an atheist, or born going to church, you are guilty of the entirety of the law. But Jesus fulfilled the law. The power in your story is in what HE has already done. I don’t claim to fully understand all of that, I admittedly haven’t been able to totally process all of that. I know it sounds too simple and perhaps childish, but I am learning just simply to accept it, believe it, and begin to live it. I guess that’s what childlike faith is. “Yes, Jesus! I don’t get it, but I believe you.” I think that is absolutely necessary for this life as a Christian. Next time you read the Bible try to read it and believe it even before you try to understand it.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. That’s a pretty complete list but do you notice what didn’t make the list? Your past. Your past can separate you from the Father. Every time you visit your past apart from the finished work of the cross you invite the lies of the enemy into your current reality to divide your intimacy with the Father. It is exceedingly important to understand the timeline of your new life in Christ. Past, Present and Future. I WAS a sinner, then I met Jesus. I AM saved, by His blood. And I AM BEING sanctified by His blood and in relationship with the Father. I WAS a sinner; not anymore in Jesus Name. Don’t place any more value on the destruction that the enemy has done but give all the glory to God for what He has made whole. Resolutions are constantly looking back at the “day one” to compare how far you’ve come. Relationship just looks at Jesus for who He is and how He wants to work in your life.


What does it look like to visit your past apart from the Blood? “Hi, my name is ____ and I’m and alcoholic. I’ve been sober for 11 years.” If Jesus is your savior, was His blood not strong enough to wash away your alcoholism? Or was that just too much for Jesus that now you must carry the title of ‘alcoholic’ as part of your identity? I don’t think the Father wants any of His children to be known by anything other than son or daughter.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19

Any sin, any addiction, any struggle that you are dealing with can be washed away by the Blood of Jesus. Before my wife was freed from the oppressive spirits of anger, fear, and depression, she had told me that she didn’t believe that someone who said they were a Christian could be possessed by an evil spirit. Any area of your life that you have kept back from Jesus, any area that you haven’t fully surrendered to Him, is an open invitation for the enemy to gain a foot hold into your life. I had never surrendered that dark area of my life to Jesus. I knew it was wrong. I knew that He knew all about it. But I believed the enemy’s lie that I was just broken that way. It doesn’t take a resolution to be free from sin, addiction, or trial. It takes a relationship of surrender to and intimacy with the Father. Jesus says that His sheep will hear his voice and follow Him. Resolution listens to your own voice and the voices of others for encouragement and validation. Relationship listens to the Father and receives all the gifts of eternal life. (John 1:27-30)

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96: 1-3


I recently had a conversation with an awesome friend of mine that was preparing to share his testimony for the first time in front of a group of people. He had shared it with me and a few others but until this point he had never ‘declared it among the nations.’ This is the will of God; that we would declare His victory over our infirmity, and through that victory we gain intimacy. Intimacy starts at testimony. He is doing a new thing, so sing a new song, don’t sing the old song. Proclaim what He has done in your life to the nations every day. Your testimony is not your story. It is HIS STORY and the world needs to know His story for their life.

"Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. - 2 Corinthians 6:2


If you’re heading into 2020 feeling like you’re struggling. If you’re lost, broken, addicted, hopeless, fearful, confused, stuck, anxious, depressed, lonely or anything else that doesn’t come from God, now is the time. Not January 1st 00:00:01. NOW! Not tomorrow NOW is the time! As you read this - NOW is the time of salvation! Not next year, not next Sunday, not tomorrow. Right now, is the time where you need to confess your need for a savior and surrender to Jesus all the junk that you were never created to hold and receive the fullness of His grace. NOW is the day of salvation for you.


No more resolutions. Now more relationship.

Happy New Year

BriceEugene

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