WHEN THE RESOLUTIONS FAIL
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Proverbs 24:16
Many people I know make New Year's Resolutions. They vow to exercise more. eat right. lose weight. quit that bad habit. get out of debt. put God first. stay pure. etc. But what do you do if you fail and falter in your New Year's Resolution and it is only January 8th? What then?
I know what lots of people do. They beat themselves up with guilt and shame. They tell themselves what a loser they are. They heap condemnation on their heads and walk around in defeat mode. That is not the thing God wants us to do when we fail.
GOD'S PROGRAM FOR THOSE WHO FAIL
Proverbs 24:16 is a great verse to help you and me when we falter in our well-intentioned resolutions or commitments to God. Look at it again - For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.
Notice that God says "a righteous man falls seven times." Even the righteous person, even the one who desires to do right and please God, that one falls. and fails. and blows it - not once or twice, but seven times (over and over and over again).
Now the devil will tell you when you fall, "Give up, you bum! Throw in the towel and quit!! You will never walk in victory over this anger, this worry, this bitterness, this lust, this greed, this addiction, this whatever. You are a loser and a failure and a major disappointment to God." Have you ever heard those words play in your head? Well, the good news is this: "The devil is a liar and the father of lies."
When we fall, God never says, "Give up," He says, "GET UP! RISE AGAIN! Confess that sin. get it out of your heart and under My blood. Take my hand and let's walk together. Keep looking to Me, and we WILL slay this giant in your life."
WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND WE DON'T HAVE TO
My friend, you and I do not have the power to change our hearts. but He does. He can change your sinful desires. He can give you a heart that beats for Him and His righteousness. He can clean you up and set you on a path of joy and peace and victory. The little poem says, "I can't. He never said I could. He will. He always said He would."
If you have fallen, will you quit beating yourself up and start looking up? Will you open your eyes and see a Savior who loves you. who has a nail-scarred hand stretched out to you. who says to you, "Will you take My hand and walk with Me?" What is your answer to Him?
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
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