Welcome to 2012! Every New Year my husband and I make a new set of resolutions for ourselves. But sadly, our resolutions barely make it to February before they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re long forgotten.<\/p>\n

One year, my husband and I decided to make a few resolutions together. To help us meet our goals, we wrote them on paper, prayed over them and committed them to the Lord. Then we sealed the paper in an envelope and put it in our safe, agreeing not to open it until the end of the year, on New Year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Eve. That was two years ago and our resolutions are still sitting in our safe sealed. We didn’t open it because we didn’t meet our goals.<\/p>\n

This year, instead of coming up with another resolution that won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t last, I decided to ask God if He had a resolution for me. Instead of committing my own resolutions to the Lord and expecting Him to make them succeed, I committed the whole matter to Him. I knew if God would give me a resolution, He would make it succeed.<\/p>\n

So in early December I started praying for my resolution. Then, last week God answered my request as I was listening to a preacher on television. God’s response isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t something I would have thought to pick for a resolution, but yet it makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n

His resolution for me is to simply stop condemning myself.<\/p>\n

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201dRomans 8:1<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong>I know we are not condemned in Christ. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anything new to me. However, the last few months I have been falling hard. I told my husband I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve slipped back ten years. All the positive changes God has done in my life seem like they are being stripped away, leaving the old me exposed. That scares me.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been praying about it, thinking I need to spend more time with God, study and pray more, and trust that He will lift me out of this pit. But as I was listening to the preacher teach on condemnation last week, a light bulb turned on and I saw the root cause of my fall.<\/p>\n

I had been slowly allowing myself to be condemned over my misbehavior. And ironically condemnation was causing my misbehavior.<\/p>\n

Galatians 5:16-18 says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Each time my sinful flesh popped up, I should have let the Spirit lead me to receive God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s forgiveness right away. The Spirit would have then drawn me to God and led me away from my flesh.<\/p>\n

Instead, I chose to ignore the Spirit and follow my sinful flesh into condemnation. This only caused me to act in opposition to God, which explains why I continued to act worse. I was putting myself under the law that Jesus had already fulfilled.<\/p>\n

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201dGalatians 5:24-25<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

So this new year I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m choosing to keep in step with the Spirit. He will lead me away from the acts of my sinful nature and into His righteous fruit.<\/p>\n

How about you? Will you choose to give into condemnation, or receive Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s atonement for your sins?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith<\/span>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201dRomans 4:13<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Join me and stop striving to receive God’s righteousness. Simply receive it!<\/p>\n