Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail
We’ve all said it before…”This
year, once and for all, I will get in shape, pay off my debt, learn a new
skill, and kick that bad habit.” If you have made a New Year’s resolution,
statistics show that the odds are against you. Most people never accomplish
what they set out to do. According to a
study conducted by Forbes, almost 92% of New Year’s resolutions fail. That
means that out of 100 people who determine to better themselves, only 8 are
successful in reaching their goals. If you are a regular at a gym or fitness
club you know that in early January you will probably have to wait in line for
your turn on the treadmill, but by February or March you will have your pick of
the machines. Those with big dreams and expectations will be crowding the gym
for a few days or weeks, but soon laziness, soreness, or the hustle and bustle
of life will distract them and you will have the place to yourself.
Most of us have experienced this
first hand. January 1st is an
exciting day, a time of new beginnings, a clean slate, and a fresh start. It is
our opportunity to put the failures of last year behind us and move forward. So
we set some very noble and worthy goals. We determine to discipline ourselves to
finally “make it happen.” And then after a short time (some shorter than
others) we find ourselves losing some of the excitement. Eventually that which
motivated us early in the year becomes mundane, even inconvenient. What was so
exciting becomes a burden, and most people lose sight of the goal and just give
up.
Why the Low Success Rate?
Okay so we have established the likelihood
of failure. But have we identified the problem? Do most fail because of a lack
of will power? Is it because the goal wasn’t so important after all? Or do we
perhaps have our priorities out of line? Well, these may be reasons you would
hear from the experts and gurus of the world, but as Christians we don’t rely
on the world’s wisdom, we are to be dependent on the Word of God and the Holy
Spirit for our answers. So what does God have to say?
Actually, I think that is most of
our problem…we have no idea what God says or thinks about these issues. Most
people don’t go to God for wisdom concerning a New Year vision. Most people,
even Christians, attempt to make changes, sometimes very significant changes,
without any idea of what God wants for their life. Is it possible that our
problem as Christians is not a lack of willpower, but a lack of Holy Spirit
power? Could it be that we fail, not because the goal was not worthy, but that all
along it was OUR goal, not God’s?
Have you ever considered that, when
setting goals for the New Year, we need God’s perspective? It is funny how we
know we must seek God’s will concerning who we should marry, what we should do
for a living, and where we will go to church; but when it comes to laying out a
yearly plan we act like are on our own. Most listen to what the world says is
important in our lives. We buy into the philosophy that success is found in bettering
our physical health, our worldly relationships and our finances.
Don’t misunderstand me, all of the
things I just mentioned are good, in fact, the Bible has much to say about all
of those areas of life. But we must realize that our lives are not better
because we change our outward circumstances or lifestyle. As Christians we find success in obedience to
God’s Word. The ultimate goal for every child of God should be to be faithful
and obedient, and to finish our course that God has laid out for us.
What is the Answer?
So with that being said, should we
as Christians set goals for ourselves? Let’s face it, we all have room for
improvement (to put it lightly). We are a bunch of imperfect sinners who have
been saved by grace, but in each of our lives we have things that need to
change. It has been said before “If you aim at nothing you will hit it every
time.” I am not suggesting that we don’t make any plans or decisions for change
in our lives. I am simply saying that our goals and decisions shouldn’t be driven
by our desires, but by God’s purpose. So how should we go about making changes?
1. Our Priorities Must Be Subject to God’s
Purpose-
Before I can determine the changes needed in my life I must understand
what God wants. Psalms 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path.” The Bible
is the ultimate guide for life. It is the Word of God that reveals His will for
us, and illuminates our path. In the
Bible we find God’s purpose. Romans
8:28-29 “And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose. For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son…” According
to these verses God’s purpose for us it to be conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ. So if His purpose for me is to
be more like Jesus, then every decision I make must fit within that framework.
In other words, we must ask the question “will this make me more like Jesus?” This
must be the motivation for all that we do.
Okay you want to improve
your physical health, but why? Is it because you want to honor Him with your
body, or because you want to feel better and fit into a smaller size of
clothing? I propose to you that the latter is a selfish motive; it is self-worship…what
makes me happy. I understand that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost,
and we should take care of them. However, I have never seen a fitness or diet
plan advertisement that said “take this product so you can glorify God in your
body…” Don’t misunderstand, I am not against fitness and health, I am simply
making the observation that most of the time the motivation for improvement is
what I want for myself instead of what God wants for me.
The same could be said for
financial decisions. Do you want to become more financially independent so you
can give more, and do more for Him, or do you want to be more comfortable and
able to buy more things? The difference is in the priorities, and our priorities
must be subject to God’s purpose.
2. Our Concern Should Be Spiritual Before
Physical-I believe that many of the failures in the life of a Christian are
the result of trying to change the outside, rather than the heart. Jesus said
that an evil tree cannot produce good fruit. The Bible clearly teaches that our
actions are a result of our heart. For instance, if you are having trouble
reading your Bible and praying on a daily basis the problem is probably not a lack
of discipline, but a lack of spiritual desire. This is a problem much too big
to address in this article, but the point is that we must ask God to examine
our hearts to determine our spiritual needs. The desire of every Christian
should be that God would make the necessary changes in the heart, because if
our heart is right before God all of the other things will fall into place.
When the lawyer asked Jesus about the greatest commandment, Jesus said “Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This
is the first and great commandment. And
the second is like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” In other
words, if you get this right everything else will come naturally. It is love
for God, not outward obedience to a list of “dos” and “don’ts” that determines
our spiritual condition. Jesus said “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” If
we really loved God as He commanded we would not have a hard time obeying Him.
3. Our Dependence Must Be on Holy Spirit Power
Not Will Power-Experts will tell you that the number one reason for failure
in resolutions is lack of determination and will power. While there is much the
Bible has to say concerning self-discipline and temperance, we don’t have to
depend on our sheer determination, we have the Holy Spirit. God enables us
through the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will. Regardless of the level of
determination it is impossible to please God without the power of His
Spirit. Romans 8:8 ”So then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God .”
We certainly cannot become more like Christ in our own strength and
determination, but by the grace of God we can be all that He has called us to
be!
Christian friend as you seek to make some important
decisions for 2014, I would encourage you to examine your heart before God. As
you reflect on this past year’s successes and failures remember that they are a
result of your heart. Every one of us has room for improvement, but probably
the greatest area in need is our love for God and others. Let’s set our goal
for next year to fall in love with God and be more like Jesus!
