“be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God…” Ephesians 4:23

I’m not particularly fond of New Years resolutions, a thought that once again flashed through my mind as the clock struck twelve last night. Every year when the topic of New Years resolutions come up I seem to rehearse and replay all those years of resolutions that came and went within days of making them, and I’ve suddenly lost my appetite to make a new one that will most likely fall on rocky soil. I’m sure you know the drill. We’ve all made that commitment to eat healthier, to exercise more, to spend more quality time with loved ones, or to plow head first into that new business opportunity. Yet it’s so easy to lose steam just a few days or weeks after making our exuberant declarations when it’s all on our shoulders to succeed. Then I started to take stock of the meaningful things that have truly lasted in my life and a pattern soon emerged.

Every Success Had Christ At Its Epicenter.

I’ve been blessed in marriage life because I gave it to God first, and asked him for the strength to carry my wife and I not just for a few short years but decade after decade in His love. My work is fulfilling because I go to work each day asking God to guide and direct me down His path not mine. Suddenly I began to think of what might happen if all of my resolutions, no matter how simple, were birthed in prayer. What if I committed my physical exercise life to God, or my diet, or the meaningful time I spend with loved ones? Yes that may sound simple, but it is at the very heart of what Ephesians 4:23 is saying to us. “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you may put on the new man which was created in God.” Talk to God before you make decisions in your life. If you do, you’ll spend a lot less time asking Him to clean up those unwise decisions you made without consulting him!