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More Than A New Year's Resolution - 
by Marty Copeland

This is the time of year when many people are making New Year's resolutions. For most, these resolutions are earnest attempts to change. Unfortunately, most people don't realize they're setting themselves up for failure. A New Year's resolution promises gain, but lacks the substance to produce it. Any resolution that tries to bring about a transformation by fleshly effort instead of by the power of God sets you up for failure. It has no substance. Lasting victory is never won by our own might or power. True change and total victory occur only when we exercise our faith in the transforming power of God - alone. As a certified personal trainer and aerobics instructor, I'm regularly involved with people who battle overeating or other compulsive behaviors. In their determination to break free from the grip of destructive habits, they often make desperate resolutions. My heart goes out to them because I used to be trapped in that same struggle. For over half my life, I was in bondage to overeating. I was obsessed with diets and exercise. I lost close to a total of 700 pounds through years of gaining-then-losing weight. Today, I'm totally free and experiencing the joy that comes with that freedom. But there was a time when I, like so many others, began each New Year with noble resolutions. I always hoped that this year my resolution would be The Solution - only to find myself failing and feeling miserable...again. In theory, resolutions sound good. In practice, however, they fall short. Desperate resolutions are just carnal methods that play right into Satan's deceptive strategy to keep us frustrated and failing until finally we lose all hope that we'll ever be free. If Satan can keep you in the arena of the flesh, using carnal weapons to fight a spiritual warfare, he can defeat you. But if you'll take the weapons of your warfare, which are not carnal but mighty through God, you can defeat the devil and overcome destructive habits in every area of your life. Jesus said if we continue in His Word, we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free (John 8:31-32). So don't let the devil lure you into another cycle of failure and disappointment with the temptation of a "quick fix." There is a way out. But you'll need more than a New Year's resolution - you'll need to make a quality decision to put your hope and faith in God. As you continue in the Word and trust God to conform you to the image of His Son, that burden- removing, yoke-destroying power of Jesus the Anointed One and His Anointing will set you free from the bondage of weight and the weight of bondage. You can confidently put your hope and trust in Him because when the Son makes you free, you are free indeed!