A New Year, A Whole New You!

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So, its January 6....How are you doing on those New Year's Resolutions?

My children and I went to the gym last night. We have been to this particular gym on several occasions and my children reallly enjoy it. However, last night when we were about to enter the room with the weight equipment and cardio equipment, my children were a little nervous about entering the room, because they had never seen the room that crowded before. My daughter said, "Let's don't go in there, there are too many people". I  reassured her to  just go in and exercise and have fun. I told her, "You don't know them and they don't know you. Don't let them keep you from getting your exercise. Besides, come February you will never see half of them again!" We all went in the exercise room and had a great time. On the way home, the children commented on how good they felt about what they were able to accomplish at the gym. 

I don't know what new thing you have committed to do or change about yourself in 2012. Maybe you are going to stop doing something, such as smoking or overspending. I have resolved to continue to lose weight and to reach the 100 pound weight loss benchmark by spring. I was in the gym last night, working towards that goal. My kids wondered why I told them that they would never see half of the folks in the gym again come February. I'm sure you already know why I said that. Gyms are always crowded in January because so many people make New Year's Resolutions to lose weight or exercise more.

Have you noticed that on the week after Christmas, stores like Wal Mart and Target replace the empty shelves and aisles that were once filled with Christmas decorations with things like Protein shakes, Special K cereal, granola bars, Slimfast, and exercise equipment? Because they know we will buy it in our hope to improve ourselves for the new year. Yet, before long, those aisles of healthy food and weightloss items will be replaced with box upon box of Valentine' s Day candy! If everyone really stuck to our New Year's resolutions and goals the Valentine candy would stay on the shelves and the stores wouldn't order so much next year. They put the candy on the shelf because they know we will buy it! (Wouldn't you like to get a hold of a Whitman's Sampler right now? Yeah, I know you would. You don't fool me...you eat the good caramel ones first and leave all the nasty ones with the gooey green and orange stuff inside... And after all the good chocolate is gone, you finally eat the Jordan almonds, even though you don't really want them. I know you do.) 

So, if so many people don't succeed at their New Year's resolutions, why do we keep making them? Hope for change!

Whatever you want to change or improve upon in 2012, commit it to God and ask for HIS help. Maybe you can't do it by yourself. But, with GOD, all things are possible. You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you! 

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Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the lord, trust in Him

•Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord, whatever you do, and your plans will succeed

 

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Maybe you have given up on even making any New Year's resolutions, because you have learned from previous experiences that you do not stick with them. Are there areas for improvement in your life? Ask God to show you where you need to improve or change. 

“Search me O God, and know my heart, test me and see if there is any evil way in me”

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 Do you know what plans God has for you?Maybe HE would like to help you change, so that you can have the abundant life that He came to give you (John 10:10). Maybe he has improvements and plans for you that are beyond your wildest dreams, "exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever even ask or think!" (Ephesians 3:20). I saw a sign outside a church that read, "Have you included God in your plans, because He has Plans for you!" God had a plan for you before he formed you in your mother's womb. He knew you, personally, before the earth was even formed! Jeremiah 29:11 says "I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and future!" Psalm 139 says that you were fearfully and wonderfully made. God has plans for you, Baby!

 

•Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s pupose that prevails

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Psalm 33:11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm, forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations

It is possible to know God's will for your life. If you want to know God’s perfect and acceptable will, you must have a renewed mind. Romans 12:2 says “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God. If you want to know God’s perfect and acceptable will, you must have a renewed mind. If you truly want to be transformed, or changed, you must renew your mind. In order to renew your mind, you have to think about what you are thinking about. Proverbs says "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he". That means that you will become what you think about. You will also have what you say. Have you spoken curses over your own life? Do you speak negative words over yourself that cancel out those changes you want to make and those blessings you want to receive? If the truth were told, you are probably your own worst enemy. You probably say more bad things about yourself than anyone else does!

If you want true and lasting change or improvement in 2012,

1. Commit everything you do to God. Ask Him for His will

2. Think about what what is good in every situation. Talk about what is good in every situation (Phillipians 4:8)

3. Talk about what you want to see happen . Keep talking faith, even if things gets worse! (Even if circumstances look pretty grim. Don't be moved by anything you can observe with your senses)

4.Proclaim God's Word, his actual promises over your life and your situation. 

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5. Believe, in faith, that what God said He will do, HE WILL DO! Speak to the negative situations in your life and tell them to be moved, in the name of Jesus. Ask and believe in His name (Mark 11:24). Now you might feel a little crazy, you might have to do it at home, behind closed doors, with the blinds pulled, when no one is home but you...but just do it. Begin to declare some things out loud, in the name of Jesus! We can speak to the mountains in our life and they can be moved, in the name of Jesus!

Joyce Meyer says that many years ago, she made a list of the ways that she wanted to change,. She wrote down the things she wanted to be, even though she was not yet that way at the time. She declared that she was already all of those things. She used the Biblical principle of "calling things are are not as though they were".She wrote it all down on paper and read it out loud and declared it each day. An example would be : "I am patient. I am a diligent worker. I eat healthy. I exercise every day. I read my Bible daily and I am growing spiritually...etc." Make your own list and declare it each day.  I'm starting mine now: "I am skinny...I am organized, I am debt free...I am a rich man's wife" (LOL!)
I can't wait to see what God is going to do in you and through you in 2012. I stand in agreement with you that God is going to remake a whole new you in 2012!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.

I declare that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ!"