My New Year's resolution made shortly after midnight on January 1, 2009, was to update my blog weekly. It is now January 17 and I am finally updating it for the first time since November.
Perfect opportunity to feel like a failure, right?
Recently I recognized that I've been engaging in the ministry of the devil. You probably are going down a mental list of obvious sins of the flesh or sins against others and wondering which I've committed. But those things are not the main ministry of the devil.
We see that ministry exposed in Revelation 12: 10 & 11: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven 'Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony...'
The main ministry of the devil is accusation against the believer. If he can get you to believe yourself to be incompetent, you will be. If he can make you feel unworthy to receive from God, you won't receive. If he can make you believe you are outside of God's love, you won't experience it.
My engaging in the ministry of the devil has not been accusing others but listening to his accusations against me - and repeating them to my self and others.
Right now, I repent. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus and since His mercies are renewed every morning - each day can begin a New Year for each of us.
Isn't our God awesome?
Here are my New Year's resolutions:
1. I will NOT say demeaning things about myself.
2. I will write on my blog and anywhere else no more and no less than our Lord gives me wisdom and direction to write - when He says to write it.
3. I will continue to trust Him for healing, finances, and direction because I believe He IS my Shepherd - my healer, caregiver, provider, and leader.
4. I will remind myself how important prayer is...it is meeting with God to show Him love and respect, to receive reminders of His love for me, to formally put my faith in His promises, and to allow Him to use me as a bridge for Him to walk into the lives of others.
5. I will continue to trust the One who is Love Himself to work through me, who am part of His Body in the earth, to touch others and work miracles in their lives.
6. I will praise Him for Who He is as often as I can.
7. I will believe His Word instead of the world, the flesh, and the devil. I'd love to hear your resolutions. Pray for me to receive strength from Him to keep mine and I'll pray for strength from Him for you to keep yours.
HAPPY NEW YEAR IN HIS LOVE
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6 comments:
Can we just adopt your resolutions? What a great reminder of truth. My resolutions? Well, I think that's different than my goals, which are neatly typed out and hanging by my computer, as they are every year. My resolution is to be mindful of my Motivation. Yep, that capital M was intentional. I need to remind myself that my Lord and Savior is the motivation behind everything I do. So I'm going to hold myself in check this year by asking myself, "Vicki, what's your motive and Who's your motivation?" Then I hope to press on in obedience and faithfulness, mindful of my Motivation.
I love your resolutions - they make a good model of life in general.
I didn't make resolutions this year, but the Lord has been helping me with something I find very difficult - setting long-term goals. Day by day, He strengthens me to plan forward, move forward - with old ideas and new ones. It's awesome.
I'm also spending more time with Him on a daily basis - not because I've made a resolution to do so, but because the more time I spend with Him, the more time I want to spend with Him. And I've spent the last few years living as the accused - and the Lord said this is the year for change.
Today in Bible study, a very important point was made - condemnation doesn't come from God, conviction does. When the enemy condemns us, there's no "out." When the Holy Spirit convicts us, He provides a way out. Excellent.
I'll continue praying for you my friend. Your wisdom strengthens and encourages and teaches me. You are such a blessing.
I love you!
I too have been under the assault of the evil one, and believed the lies for only a moment; yet that moment turned into a month. We are God's creatures, He loves us, guides, listens, and saves us from ourselves. The wonderful thing about God is how he uses ordinary folks like us to do his work for the Kingdom here on earth...we are called to be Christ incarnate to all we meet.
Shalom dear friend,
Greer
Excellent resolutions. I'm with Vicki - I want to use your list for myself!
My only resolution is this: to hear His voice more clearly, and write His words faithfully, whichever ones He gives me to write.
Amy, your resolutions are so timely for me. I want to adopt them, too! I guess my addition to the resolutions would be to make daily choices to live in His love. I was reminded recently by my pastor that no matter what I am doing on a daily basis if I'm not doing it out of love or in His love, then I'm not doing God's will daily. I'm doing too much on a daily basis and on the outside what I'm doing probably seems to be all the right things. But, I'm living a life that is not engaged with any one thing--just a life of getting through all the tasks of the day, barely. My other resolution is to listen to His guidance and do the things He wills in love. Which may mean telling myself and others "No" sometimes.
Amy, I want to adopt your resolutions, too! I'm struggling with time management, which is a constant struggle. There are too many things I want, need or just commit to do and never enough time to do them. My pastor recently advised me that anything that I am doing that is not out of love or in His love may not be the best use of my time. So, as I begin the new year, I've been tighter with my commitments, making fewer out of general obligation and trying to faithfully take them to the Lord in prayer to discover my motivation. It's tough, but I find that saying, "No" is getting a bit easier.
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