Hi, this is Joni and welcome to “Joni and Friends.”
Okay, here I go again. Last year this time, I made a New Year’s resolution in which I very quietly – without telling anyone – I quietly said to myself that I would have no more desserts. I didn’t tell anybody because I didn’t want to set myself up for failing in front of them. So when I broke down and had my first dessert sometime the middle of last February, it was only me that felt really, really bad... like a real failure!
So I’m going to tell everyone now. I would like to have not so many desserts... but if I do, hey – I’m human, okay? Resolutions are a funny thing. You commit to, resolve to, make plans to, aim to, stick your chest out and hold in your belt and purpose to…change. Taking things into your own hands, you're resolved to change if it kills you. Maybe that’s why resolutions so often fail. You make a commitment not to eat sweets and it ends up a little like Romans chapter 7, verse 8 where it says, “…the commandment produced in me every kind of covetous desire…” You know I wasn’t that big on desserts until I couldn’t have any. Then all of a sudden, every crème brûlée, every tiramisu, every little piece of cheesecake that passed by me on the tray of a waiter, I had to have. Boy, when we say, “I’ll never do that again,” then whatever “that” is suddenly has this strange power over you. For people who make New Year’s resolutions, it would do them a world of good to read Romans chapter 7...
I think maybe the better way to go when it comes to change – I mean really desiring to change things – rather than tightening your belt and committing and resolving... perhaps the better way is to give it over, give it up, yield to, acquiesce, submit, comply... and simply say, “Lord Jesus, I cannot – I mean I cannot do this.” Then it becomes a Romans chapter 8, verse 9 kind of a thing, where it says “You, however, are controlled not by the [flesh] but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you…”
I can’t tell you how many times I say to the Lord, "Oh, Lord Jesus this is beyond me; I have no power over this; I can’t control this situation; I cannot make things change... but you can, Lord Jesus. You have power, you have control, and I want you to live your life through me this day." And, friend, time and again I have seen God change things around me – not by New Year’s resolutions – but by His Spirit pushing and prodding, moving and molding and shaping who I am, as well as what goes on in my world.
It’s a great way to live – yielding and submitting to the Spirit of God. And you know what? I’m going to remember that the next time I see a waiter with a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Oh, by the way, speaking of yielding to the Lord in this new year, don't forget that today is your last opportunity to get your copy of our Bible overview – it's a beautiful laminated 12 page foldout that you can tuck in the front of your Bible for ready reference. It's a great little resource that explains the key themes and verses of each book of the Bible, who wrote it and why. A really handy guide for you to have and you can get your copy when you visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org. Remember, we can better yield to the power of the Holy Spirit… We are controlled by him when the word of God is our guide. So please, take a moment and ask for your copy of the Bible overview. It's a wonderful way to get this year of 2012 off to a great start. Let me hear from you today and joniandfriends.org.
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