Dr. Craig Mobey
This message ponders over why people fail at new year’s resolutions and then puts into place some biblical principles toward change.
First off, the shocking news: If you and your family all made a new year’s resolution, then statistically…
- Half of you will fail before 31 January.
- 92% won’t achieve that resolution.
Now if you resolve to do something different, it also means that something is wrong/you are dissatisfied with the way you are doing things.
Scripture reading: Philippians 3:3-11 (NIV)
3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered what some of the most popular new year resolutions were? Here are a few, which of them resonate with your resolutions?
- Diet or eat healthier (71%).
- Exercise more (65%).
- Lose weight (54%).
- Save more and spend less (32%).
- Learn a new skill or hobby (26%).
- Quit smoking (21%).
- Read more (17%).
- Find another job (16%).
- Drink less alcohol (15%).
- Spend more time with family and friends (13%).
Is the start of the New Year the perfect time to turn a new page in your life? What is special about 1 January? Or shall I ask, what is wrong with any of the other 364 God-given days of the year?
Why do so many people have a hard time keeping their new year resolutions?
To solve your present dissatisfaction/something that is wrong through a new-year resolution means that you are placing your hope into something that has a 92% failure rate while, at the same time, discounting the other 364 God-given days of the year.
Three reasons why new-year resolutions fail
- Because they’re all about what you think you should do
Typically, a resolution is based on what you think you should be doing, rather than what you must be doing. “What you think” and “what you must” often stand in serious conflict with each other. In a sense, one speaks to desires and the other to responsibility.
Another reason people fail is the “cause and effect relationship.” Meaning, if you lose weight, reduce your debts, or exercise more, then your entire life will change. When it doesn’t, you get discouraged and fall back onto old ways. The problem with cause and effect is that it is conditional, and when the condition – no matter how unrealistic or realistic – is not met, everything tumbles down.
- Resolutions are too much like goals
People fail when they set unrealistic goals and expectations.
The problem is that as soon as you set yourself a goal, you are saying to yourself that you want more/different than what you have right now. The nature of a goal results in focusing on what’s next, and you can often skip taking stock of what you have got right now, because “right now” is your starting point.
What if what you have got right now, is all you need? And that is what I love about today’s Scripture. Paul is not chasing something that is “out there,” he is focusing on something he has already got, and then takes what he has got, then sets out to get more of it.
- There’s no motivation or commitment
Goals often lack meaning and personal relevance. Peter Herman and his colleagues have identified what they call the “false hope syndrome.” This means the resolution is unrealistic and out of alignment with how they see themselves. Meaning, you can speak as many positive affirmations about yourself as you want to, but if you don’t really believe them, chances are that there will be no change.
Let us also keep in mind that many people fail because they aren’t ready to change their habits, particularly bad habits. What you need is something that comes from the inside, something that’s based on what’s important and what matters to you.
How to succeed
- Think differently
Making resolutions work involves changing behaviour. To change behaviour, you have to change your thinking. Ephesians 4:23 says, “to be made new in the attitude of your minds.”
Brain scientists have discovered that habitual behaviour is created by thinking patterns that create neural pathways and memories, which become your “default setting” for your behaviour when you’re faced with a choice or decision. Trying to change that default thinking by “not trying to do it,” actually strengthens the “default setting.” Change requires creating new neural pathways from new thinking, which is what Paul is effectually saying.
- Think wider
What if we create an area of focus instead of goals? An area of focus taps into your central motivation and offers no incentive to cheat or take unnecessary risks. It creates positive possibilities and opportunities.
Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Even more than clothing, even more than food, make the Kingdom of God your #1 priority. Do this first! And do it well.
Paul, in today’s text, writes, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”
Paul’s resolution is: “I want to know Christ more and better.”
What is amazing, is that he has known Christ for thirty years, yet he is resolved to know Him better. His resolution is determined in light of all this (Philippians 3:10-11), “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
By faith, he is in essence saying, “I want to know Christ and live my life by faith in His finished work.”
Conclusion
We are at that awkward moment where we compare our resolutions to Paul’s resolution of wanting to know Christ better.
Or maybe not that awkward if your resolution is already to know Christ better. To this, I add, push through in His strength so that you can succeed.
The challenge to all of us, now that the “novelty” of 1 January is well behind us, is to become quiet before the Lord and with the help of the Holy Spirit, take a serious look at oneself and ask these questions:
- What must I stop doing?
- What have I neglected to do?
- What must I do differently?
- What must I do?
Right now is a good time to resolve, with His help, to break down barriers in relationships, false beliefs, excuses, harmful behaviours, and anything else standing in your way of “I want to know Christ and live my life by faith in His finished work.” Amen.