December 31, 2022 • 12 mins
Resolutions fail because we intend to accomplish them with our strength. In the body of Christ, we know that our convictions mean we are convinced that God is real, and so are His words. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about his limitations. He explains how he was given a thorn in his side, and when he asked the Lord to remove it, the Lord said no on three occasions. Although Paul is speaking about humility in this passage, Jesus’ response to Paul’s request to remove his limitation is a word we can stand on when it comes to accomplishing our intentions. The Lord responds to Paul by saying, my grace is sufficient for thee. For my strength is made perfect in weakness. When we put our resolutions or our intentions before God, He gives us the power to accomplish what we can’t do in our strength. Therefore, our resolutions won’t fail.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:10):
Welcome to the barber cast podcast,
I am your host,
Naomi K thank you for listening.
Then come with jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and say it unto his disciples,
City here while I go and pray yonder and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Deputy and began to be sorrowful and very heavy then said he unto them,
(00:36):
my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.
Terry here and watch with me.
And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed,
saying,
oh father,
if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless not as I will,
but as thou wilt,
(00:57):
and he come into his disciples and finding them asleep and saith unto Peter,
what could you not watch with me?
One hour,
Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation,
the spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
He went away again the second time and prayed saying,
(01:19):
oh my father,
if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it,
thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again,
for their eyes were heavy and he left them and went away again and prayed the third time saying these words,
then come with heat to the disciples and saith unto them,
(01:41):
sleep now and take your rest,
behold!
The hour is at hand and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
We are here again at that time of the year.
When most people make decisions,
they believe will change the rest of their lives forever,
The day in which people act as if their lives depend on the decisions they make before the clock strikes midnight,
(02:09):
New Year's Eve.
I grew up in a household that celebrated New Year's Eve and New Year's Day religiously with some traditional add ons.
New Year's Day was a day marked for celebrating newness,
a new outlook on life,
a new way of thinking,
new health goals,
new job goals,
etcetera.
(02:30):
The day also symbolized the departure of a year,
filled with moments that kept us from making God smile to stepping into and committing to a life that was designed by him for us.
The inauguration of this new life begins with a service that starts on December 31,
(02:50):
just a few hours away from midnight,
the name of this inauguration service is called a watch night service.
Regular church attendees,
former church attendees and people searching for inspiration,
attend an hours long praise and worship service at a local church.
This type of service happens simultaneously all over the world.
(03:14):
The general purpose of the watch night service is to come to church to lay down the old you and your old burdens at the altar to resolve all of your missteps from the previous year through the forgiveness of your sins.
Then walk into the New Year with praise and thanksgiving for the newness of life and purpose.
(03:35):
Some people receive salvation for the first time at the watch night service.
Some people rededicate their lives to God and others receive baptism and other special gifts.
The excitement in the service feels like being at a football game.
Hundreds of people,
sometimes thousands depending on the size of the church,
cheer and shout words of praise as the pastor teaches and preaches and as the choir and praise team lead the congregation with songs of joy and hope.
(04:05):
Sometimes there's praise dancing and short religious skits and sometimes there's a testimonial our where people stand up and share what God has done for them throughout the year.
The history and the origin of the watch night service starts back as far as the 17,
hundreds maybe even further based on some theological beliefs.
the saints in the church began to celebrate the service because they believed it was a directive by God.
(04:31):
Others participated because of the excitement and the joy.
The service brings the saints who participated and still participate now in the watch night service do so because they believe the bible encourages it in Matthew 26 verses 36 through 40 for the scripture says,
then come with jesus unto a place called and saith unto his disciples.
(04:55):
City here while I go and pray yonder and he took with him peter and the two sons of Zep et and began to be sorrowful and very heavy then saith,
he unto them,
my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death,
terry here and watch with me and he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed,
(05:15):
saying,
oh father,
oh my father!
If it be possible,
let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless,
not as I will,
but as thou wilt!
And he cometh unto his disciples and find them asleep and saith unto peter,
what could you not pray with me?
One hour,
watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.
(05:38):
The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
He went away again to pray the second time and prayed,
saying,
oh my father,
if this cup may not pass away from me,
except I drink it,
thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy and he left them and went away again and prayed the third time saying the same words,
(06:06):
Verse 41 is the verse some church attendees rely on when explaining why they believe the watch night service is biblical,
Jesus comes back after praying and finds the disciples asleep.
He then tells them they need to watch and pray that they don't fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
Now,
(06:26):
some people read the scripture and attend the watch night service as a mandate and a reminder to stay prayerful and watchful because they don't want to be caught up in sin when jesus returns and there's nothing wrong with participating in the service for this reason.
However,
this scripture is not a mandate for attending the service and you won't receive punishment from God If you don't go.
(06:49):
I started celebrating the watch night service at the age of nine and I've celebrated it almost every year since then.
And again.
It's not mandated by God,
but I think it's a celebration worth attending if you need encouragement and inspiration.
Some years ago,
the Lord gave me a better understanding,
a personal understanding of what a new year is.
(07:12):
I was having a discussion with someone and we were kind of rambling on about our lives and summing up the parts of them that truly changed us.
We talked about the resolutions we made to ourselves.
Some of them we kept and some of them we broke then while we were talking,
a thought hit me.
No!
two days are the same.
Each day starts a new moment in time.
(07:34):
Thus every day is a new year.
Every single day that you wake up is the start of a new year.
And with that personal revelation in mind from that moment on the thought of waiting until the last day of the year to declare newness for the next year bothered me now don't misunderstand me.
(07:55):
I'm not knocking the washing night service.
I believe it's a necessary celebration.
But if we can hold out for 365 days to wring out all the wrongs in our lives and a countdown of about what?
121 minutes?
The service starts for some people at nine.
Some people at seven.
Why not wake up every day and declare the same thing,
(08:18):
resolutions our intentions.
And the reason they fail is because most intentions never become actions.
They are not a part of our daily convictions.
And that's believing that we can and will accomplish what we resolve to do each day.
That we wake up.
Another reason resolutions fail is because we intend to accomplish them with our own strength In the body of Christ.
(08:46):
We know that our convictions mean,
we are convinced that God is real and so are his words.
And second Corinthians 12 Paul talks about his limitations.
He explains how he was given a thorn in his side and when he asks the lord to remove it,
the Lord said no on three occasions.
Now,
although paul is speaking about humility in this passage,
(09:08):
jesus response to paul's request to remove his limitations is a word we can stand on when it comes to accomplishing our intentions,
the Lord responds to paul by saying my my grace is sufficient for thee,
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
When we put our resolutions or our intentions before God,
(09:28):
he gives us the power to accomplish what we can't do in our own strength.
Therefore our resolutions won't fail.
Another reason,
resolutions falter is because we try to accomplish a year's worth of work in one day,
for example,
going to the gym on January one and nearly killing yourself trying to lose £30 in one workout session,
(09:52):
you won't lose a pound that way.
Losing weight is an everyday effort.
The process requires daily conviction.
You have to wake up every day and defeat your lust for unhealthy food and unhealthy habits that wreak havoc on your health.
However,
you still need the help of the Lord to accomplish that.
When Joshua saw that the Children of Israel weren't going to finish off the five kings of the amorous before sunset,
(10:18):
he commanded the sun to stand still and the Lord honored his request as the Sun and the moon held their position,
Joshua and the Children of Israel avenged themselves upon their enemy.
Now will the Lord hold an entire day still so that you can lose £30.
And it probably not.
But the moral of the story is Joshua couldn't win the battle without the help of the Lord.
(10:40):
And we can't accomplish our resolutions without him either.
The only way to declare and decree newness in our lives every day is by standing on the promises of God.
He promises to strengthen us and prosper us so that we can accomplish every task before us safely and soundly.
(11:01):
If you want to lose weight,
make an effort every day to eat right and to exercise physically and spiritually.
If you want to save money.
Set a budget that allows you to take care of your monthly expenses,
give to the local church and allocated percentage to a savings account.
Don't eat out every day.
Put your small change in a piggy bank and I know that dropping change into a piggy bank sounds like a joke to an adult,
(11:26):
but it won't when you realize that you can save almost $400 a year by storing loose change in it.
Most importantly,
if you want to live a better life,
you have to resolve to be a godly person,
a Godly person seeks God so that they can become a better person to their families,
a better person to their spouse,
(11:47):
a better person in their community and a better person to themselves.
Thank you for listening.
Welcome to the barber cast podcast,
I am your host,
Naomi K thank you for listening.
Then come with jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and say it unto his disciples,
City here while I go and pray yonder and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Deputy and began to be sorrowful and very heavy then said he unto them,
(00:36):
my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.
Terry here and watch with me.
And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed,
saying,
oh father,
if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless not as I will,
but as thou wilt,
(00:57):
and he come into his disciples and finding them asleep and saith unto Peter,
what could you not watch with me?
One hour,
Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation,
the spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
He went away again the second time and prayed saying,
(01:19):
oh my father,
if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it,
thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again,
for their eyes were heavy and he left them and went away again and prayed the third time saying these words,
then come with heat to the disciples and saith unto them,
(01:41):
sleep now and take your rest,
behold!
The hour is at hand and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
We are here again at that time of the year.
When most people make decisions,
they believe will change the rest of their lives forever,
The day in which people act as if their lives depend on the decisions they make before the clock strikes midnight,
(02:09):
New Year's Eve.
I grew up in a household that celebrated New Year's Eve and New Year's Day religiously with some traditional add ons.
New Year's Day was a day marked for celebrating newness,
a new outlook on life,
a new way of thinking,
new health goals,
new job goals,
etcetera.
(02:30):
The day also symbolized the departure of a year,
filled with moments that kept us from making God smile to stepping into and committing to a life that was designed by him for us.
The inauguration of this new life begins with a service that starts on December 31,
(02:50):
just a few hours away from midnight,
the name of this inauguration service is called a watch night service.
Regular church attendees,
former church attendees and people searching for inspiration,
attend an hours long praise and worship service at a local church.
This type of service happens simultaneously all over the world.
(03:14):
The general purpose of the watch night service is to come to church to lay down the old you and your old burdens at the altar to resolve all of your missteps from the previous year through the forgiveness of your sins.
Then walk into the New Year with praise and thanksgiving for the newness of life and purpose.
(03:35):
Some people receive salvation for the first time at the watch night service.
Some people rededicate their lives to God and others receive baptism and other special gifts.
The excitement in the service feels like being at a football game.
Hundreds of people,
sometimes thousands depending on the size of the church,
cheer and shout words of praise as the pastor teaches and preaches and as the choir and praise team lead the congregation with songs of joy and hope.
(04:05):
Sometimes there's praise dancing and short religious skits and sometimes there's a testimonial our where people stand up and share what God has done for them throughout the year.
The history and the origin of the watch night service starts back as far as the 17,
hundreds maybe even further based on some theological beliefs.
the saints in the church began to celebrate the service because they believed it was a directive by God.
(04:31):
Others participated because of the excitement and the joy.
The service brings the saints who participated and still participate now in the watch night service do so because they believe the bible encourages it in Matthew 26 verses 36 through 40 for the scripture says,
then come with jesus unto a place called and saith unto his disciples.
(04:55):
City here while I go and pray yonder and he took with him peter and the two sons of Zep et and began to be sorrowful and very heavy then saith,
he unto them,
my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death,
terry here and watch with me and he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed,
(05:15):
saying,
oh father,
oh my father!
If it be possible,
let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless,
not as I will,
but as thou wilt!
And he cometh unto his disciples and find them asleep and saith unto peter,
what could you not pray with me?
One hour,
watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.
(05:38):
The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
He went away again to pray the second time and prayed,
saying,
oh my father,
if this cup may not pass away from me,
except I drink it,
thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy and he left them and went away again and prayed the third time saying the same words,
(06:06):
Verse 41 is the verse some church attendees rely on when explaining why they believe the watch night service is biblical,
Jesus comes back after praying and finds the disciples asleep.
He then tells them they need to watch and pray that they don't fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
Now,
(06:26):
some people read the scripture and attend the watch night service as a mandate and a reminder to stay prayerful and watchful because they don't want to be caught up in sin when jesus returns and there's nothing wrong with participating in the service for this reason.
However,
this scripture is not a mandate for attending the service and you won't receive punishment from God If you don't go.
(06:49):
I started celebrating the watch night service at the age of nine and I've celebrated it almost every year since then.
And again.
It's not mandated by God,
but I think it's a celebration worth attending if you need encouragement and inspiration.
Some years ago,
the Lord gave me a better understanding,
a personal understanding of what a new year is.
(07:12):
I was having a discussion with someone and we were kind of rambling on about our lives and summing up the parts of them that truly changed us.
We talked about the resolutions we made to ourselves.
Some of them we kept and some of them we broke then while we were talking,
a thought hit me.
No!
two days are the same.
Each day starts a new moment in time.
(07:34):
Thus every day is a new year.
Every single day that you wake up is the start of a new year.
And with that personal revelation in mind from that moment on the thought of waiting until the last day of the year to declare newness for the next year bothered me now don't misunderstand me.
(07:55):
I'm not knocking the washing night service.
I believe it's a necessary celebration.
But if we can hold out for 365 days to wring out all the wrongs in our lives and a countdown of about what?
121 minutes?
The service starts for some people at nine.
Some people at seven.
Why not wake up every day and declare the same thing,
(08:18):
resolutions our intentions.
And the reason they fail is because most intentions never become actions.
They are not a part of our daily convictions.
And that's believing that we can and will accomplish what we resolve to do each day.
That we wake up.
Another reason resolutions fail is because we intend to accomplish them with our own strength In the body of Christ.
(08:46):
We know that our convictions mean,
we are convinced that God is real and so are his words.
And second Corinthians 12 Paul talks about his limitations.
He explains how he was given a thorn in his side and when he asks the lord to remove it,
the Lord said no on three occasions.
Now,
although paul is speaking about humility in this passage,
(09:08):
jesus response to paul's request to remove his limitations is a word we can stand on when it comes to accomplishing our intentions,
the Lord responds to paul by saying my my grace is sufficient for thee,
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
When we put our resolutions or our intentions before God,
(09:28):
he gives us the power to accomplish what we can't do in our own strength.
Therefore our resolutions won't fail.
Another reason,
resolutions falter is because we try to accomplish a year's worth of work in one day,
for example,
going to the gym on January one and nearly killing yourself trying to lose £30 in one workout session,
(09:52):
you won't lose a pound that way.
Losing weight is an everyday effort.
The process requires daily conviction.
You have to wake up every day and defeat your lust for unhealthy food and unhealthy habits that wreak havoc on your health.
However,
you still need the help of the Lord to accomplish that.
When Joshua saw that the Children of Israel weren't going to finish off the five kings of the amorous before sunset,
(10:18):
he commanded the sun to stand still and the Lord honored his request as the Sun and the moon held their position,
Joshua and the Children of Israel avenged themselves upon their enemy.
Now will the Lord hold an entire day still so that you can lose £30.
And it probably not.
But the moral of the story is Joshua couldn't win the battle without the help of the Lord.
(10:40):
And we can't accomplish our resolutions without him either.
The only way to declare and decree newness in our lives every day is by standing on the promises of God.
He promises to strengthen us and prosper us so that we can accomplish every task before us safely and soundly.
(11:01):
If you want to lose weight,
make an effort every day to eat right and to exercise physically and spiritually.
If you want to save money.
Set a budget that allows you to take care of your monthly expenses,
give to the local church and allocated percentage to a savings account.
Don't eat out every day.
Put your small change in a piggy bank and I know that dropping change into a piggy bank sounds like a joke to an adult,
(11:26):
but it won't when you realize that you can save almost $400 a year by storing loose change in it.
Most importantly,
if you want to live a better life,
you have to resolve to be a godly person,
a Godly person seeks God so that they can become a better person to their families,
a better person to their spouse,
(11:47):
a better person in their community and a better person to themselves.
Thank you for listening.
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