Most Wondrous Lord, with the beginning of each New Year I am reminded that after I confess my sins You are faithful to forgive me and allow me to start anew my quest to become more like You. As I begin formulating resolutions for a New Year with a desire to turn away from the things that hindered me in the past, so I should also resolve to turn away from the sinful ways that hinder my walk and pull me away from You. New beginnings are always filled with a hope for different outcomes in the future. This is true in both my natural and spiritual life. In the same way I resolve to lose weight, so should I resolve to shed the shackles that keep me from a closer relationship with You. In the same way that I desire to eliminate the bad habits that have held me back, so should I desire to shed the sins that so easily overwhelmed me and caused me to drift away from You.
Help me in the relentless battle I wage with sin … for as the scripture so correctly stated … “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” In times of stress and trial, I fall victim to temptation, even if my spirit wants to do good. You have instructed me that the way to overcome sin and avoid temptation is to watch and pray. When I feel the tug of evil, I must immediately turn to You in prayer, seek the encouragement of those I respect and trust and remind myself of who I am in You. Under intense pressure from the “evil one”, You did not succumb to his temptations … so I must count on Your strength to help me avoid falling into his trap. The victory begins in my will. When I have the will resist sin, You are able to help me. When my will is rooted in my fleshly weakness, I push You away. I must never forget that my enemy is never far away and neither are You.
As Paul instructed in his Epistle, I must count myself dead (unresponsive) to sin and alive (responsive) to You. I cannot allow sin to reign in my life because it leads to evil thoughts and deeds. Instead of allowing myself to become a servant of wickedness, I must offer myself as a living sacrifice of service to You … for it is You who saved me from eternal death. I want to become an instrument of good in Your hands. I no longer want to serve sin but, through Your grace, serve You with all of my heart, soul and mind. When I allow myself to be a slave of sin, I place myself outside of Your control and this leads me down a path of being unfulfilled, helpless and hopeless. As I repent and You forgive, I am set free again to serve You. I rejoice in the fact that You have provided me with the pathway to eternal life and a means to make all things new. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things pass away and all things become new.