Are you tired of making New Year’s Resolutions that fade by February? Me too. My personal favorite is setting a goal to exercise at a gym because they have the wonderful equipment. I can’t tell you how many gyms I’ve signed up for over the years. Organizations like Gold’s Gym and the YMCA have my number, and I bet they have yours too! These organizations are cash cows in January as we all register with well-intentioned goals for self-improvement. So why do the majority of us consistently fail? 

     I think our failure is setting the outcome as our goal instead of focusing on the character traits needed to accomplish our goals. If the desired outcome is losing ten pounds, then the trait of self control is vital to our success. This basic insight has become my secret sauce to leverage a New Year’s Resolution and apply it to spiritual growth, and I want to share it with you. Let’s call it our New You Resolution. 

     Try setting your New You Resolution based on the trait you most desire to develop in 2013. Then convert your goal to develop your desired trait into a daily prayer. I started this practice in 2007 when I desired to have Jesus’s character trait of being a generous giver. So my daily prayer in 2007 was “Lord, help me to be a generous giver just like you.” The results continue to bear “much fruit.” I still pray this prayer because I see God’s continuing transformation in my heart. I promise you that God will do the same for you if you will invite Him to be a part of the process. 

     May I share my New You Resolution for 2013? It is my prayer that by disclosing it, you are inspired to set your own. Here’s mine: 

John 15:5

“I (Jesus) am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” 

The above verse is the underpinning of my New You Resolution. If I want to see spiritual growth to be more Christ-like, then I have to be connected to Jesus. Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing. 

My Confession

I have experienced the conviction that I need to exercise “great faith.” Jesus uses this phrase in Scripture. He admires it and rewards it. Jesus gave all of His children His authority and power with the expectation that we would use it. Instead, I have not always shown “great faith.” I shared in a previous post an example of when I failed to exercise “great faith” to pray over my writing coach when she suffered a slipped disc in her back. 

My Correction

My 2013 New You Resolution will be this prayer, “Lord, help me to be your follower, someone known for “great faith,” who risks often with a humble heart to bring healing to others.” I desire to pray with people who have physical illnesses. I desire to pray for people who are in spiritual battles. I desire to pray with people who need emotional healing. I desire to lead others to Christ and experience spiritual healing. Jesus wants to reward “great faith.” I believe Jesus wants to show up in all of these prayers with all kinds of healing as long as God gets the glory (see John 14:12-14). But I can’t rush headlong into this without spiritual preparation. 

My Commitment

First, if I am not following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, this will be a disaster. I am committed to being spiritually sensitive to know when He is giving me opportunities to leverage His authority and power to bring about healings. Second, I am committed to help others be at ease before I pray over them by sharing the following preamble: 

• I acknowledge that I am a sinner who is not worthy to be His instrument. I am not a spiritual giant. There is no such person. We only serve a giant God. God is just looking for someone to risk with Him! I don’t have a greater connection to God than the next person.
• All prayers are answered according to His will. Since we don’t know God’s will for another person, we need to accept that if He chooses not to answer our prayer, then it’s only for a benevolent reason. For example, illness can draw us closer to God. We can learn to consider it joy to experience trials and tribulations, and we can learn that we are completely dependent on God.
• If He doesn’t answer our prayer, let’s understand that this is not a spiritual indictment of your faith in God, or mine. Because God is always in control, we trust Him completely for the outcome.
• No matter what the result is, know that God loves you deeply. An unanswered prayer is in no way an expression that God loves you less.
• When God does answer our prayer, we both have to be deeply committed to giving God all of the glory and share our testimonies as God opens doors to do so. 

My Conclusion

When December 31, 2013, arrives, I want to look back on the year knowing that I exercised “great faith” often, using His authority and power to change the world through all kinds of healing. So many people are hurting and without hope, and praying over them will not only communicate genuine care, but they will have hope in our loving Father who desires to minister to them. In the end, if I remain in Jesus, He will remain in me. 

Blessings,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Lee Ann