No More New Year’s Resolutions – Part 3

Posted on by TLThomas

This perfection is the restoration of man to the state of holiness from which he fell, by creating him anew in Christ Jesus, and restoring to him that image and likeness of God which he has lost.                Adam Clarke

Have you ever tried to restore something?

 

  • Like restoring your relationship with your spouse after forgetting an anniversary?
  • Like restoring a 1963 Bel Aire to 1963 condition?
  • Like restoring an historic old house to move-in condition?

 

Did Resolution help?

 

Restoration, not Resolution

 

YeHoVaH is the God of restoration.

  • Through Yeshua, the Messiah, He restores right relationship between Himself and mankind

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill (eudokía 2017) toward men (ánthrōpos 444)!”            Luke 2:13,14 NKJV

 

In the original Greek, “goodwill toward men” comes from eudokía 2017 and ánthrōpos 444.

eudokía 2017 – properly, what seems good or beneficial to someone; “good pleasure.”

http://biblehub.com/greek/2107.htm

 

ánthrōpos 444 – man, also the generic term for “mankind“; the human race; people, including women and men

http://biblehub.com/greek/444.htm

 

In addition, biblehub.com notes that the phrase, “goodwill toward men” is for all mankind, not merely believers.

 

ánthrōpos eudokía, men in whom God is well pleased (i. e. not a particular class of men (viz. believers), but the whole race, contemplated as blessed in Christ’s birth)

http://biblehub.com/greek/2107.htm

 

  • God restores humans from the ravages of sin and evil.

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore [katartízō 2675], confirm, strengthen, and establish you.                        1 Peter 5:8-10 ESV

 

katartízō 2675 (from katá2596, “according to, down,” intensifying artizō, “to adjust,” which is derived from ártios739, “properly adjusted”) – properly, exactly fit (adjust) to be in good working order, i.e. adjusted exactly “down” to fully function.

Complete, perfect, restore

http://biblehub.com/greek/2675.htm

 

Katartízō thus inherently contains the perfection of God’s original intent.

 

  • God restores human relationships.

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration [again 2675], comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.                    2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

 

  • YeHoVaH will restore creation to its original condition, as a new heaven and a new earth, once more uncorrupted by sin.

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.             Romans 8:19-21 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.                       Revelation 21:1 ESV

 

 

How is this restoration possible?

 

Restoration, through transformation, is possible through the indwelling Spirit of God.

  • The power that raised God the Son from death is available to all who believe.

11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.                    Romans 8:11 ESV

 

  • The Holy Spirit helps us.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.                       Romans 8:26, 27 ESV

 

 

 

How is the power of the Holy Spirit accessed?

 

  1. The power of the Holy Spirit is accessed in the same way as you did in order to become a follower of Jesus.
  • Ask and Receive
  • Believe and Agree
  • Trust and Obey

 

Ask and Receive

  •  Ask the Holy Spirit for help.
  • Receive His guidance by listening for His voice, His leadings.

 

Believe and Agree

  • Believe the Holy Spirit is with you, is in you, and will help you.
  • Believe He will lead and guide you.
  • Believe He will empower you.
  • Believe He will change your desires into His desires for you.
  • And believe His desires for you are the best for you, because you are His beloved.
  • Agree with the vision that YeHoVaH has of you.
  • Agree with who you are in Yeshua, in the Messiah.
  • Agee that the power of God is available to you.
  • And agree you are empowered by and through the in-dwelling Spirit.

 

Trust and Obey

  •  Trust that Jesus will do what He said He would do.
  • Trust the leading guidance of the Spirit in you.
  • Obey what God asks of you.
  • Obey what Yeshua said to do.
  • Obey the small, still voice of the Spirit inside you.

 

12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.                 Philippians 4:12,13 ESV

 

 

  1. Speak The Word in agreement with God
  • Speak the Truth from The Word, the Holy Bible.
  • Speak the Truth into reality in your life.
  • Speak the Truth aloud. (Preferably while looking at yourself in the mirror.)

 

Speak the Truth from The Word.

 

34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.                   John 3:34 ESV

 

The “words of God” are the Word, the Bible. We can take them as Truth.

 

Speak the Truth into reality in your life.

 

Isaiah, the prophet, quotes YeHoVaH:

8 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.                        Isaiah 46:9-10 ESV

 

Paul wrote to the Roman church affirming this Truth.

17 the God] who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.               Romans 4:17 ESV

 

 

  • As you seek to work with the Holy Spirit in your restoration, you, too, can speak reality into existence.

In chapter 37 in the book of Ezekiel, we find the story of the Valley of Dry Bones.

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.               Ezekiel 37:4 ESV

Ezekiel did prophesy over the bones. (Read the entire story in Ezekiel 37:1-14.)

He spoke life into the dry bones.

 

You can speak life into the dry bones of your day-to-day living.

 

  • As you seek to work with the Holy Spirit in your restoration, you, too, can fill your mind with the transforming power of God’s Truth.

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.                  John 14:26 ESV

 

  • As you seek to work with the Holy Spirit in your restoration, you, too, can speak the Truth that is God’s will, purpose, and intention for your life

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.                Romans 12:2 ESV

 

 

Speak the Truth aloud. (Preferably while looking at yourself in the mirror.)

 

Remember David and Goliath?

 

When you look at what is to be done for your restoration, do you feel a little like David?

Do you feel like there is a giant between you and the change you want? Between you and the person you want to be? Between you and the person God wants you to be?

 

I encourage you to do what David did.

 

He spoke, confessing out loud, what he wanted the outcome to be (which also was the outcome that God desired – i.e., God’s will).

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”                        1 Samuel 17:46, 47 ESV

 

For more on speaking the Truth of God’s Word, see The Secret Power of Speaking God’s Word, by Joyce Meyer.

 

 

However,

 

This is not to be something merely added to your To-Do List.

Rather, consider it as part of your To-Be Life.

 

Of course, perfect restoration in this life is impossible. But isn’t transformation with and through the Holy Spirit a better idea than struggling for life change through personal resolve?

 

Remember Paul?

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.                    Romans 7:15-19 ESV

 

Later in his letter, Paul supplies the solution to the problem he posed.

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.                     Romans 8:5, 6 ESV

 

Set your mind on the Spirit. Listen and obey.

Your relationship with God will change.

Your life will change.

You will change.

 

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.                     Romans 12:2 ESV

 

May the God-of-All-Being transform you and restore you into the image of His original intent.

 

 

Blessings,

 

TLThomas

 

It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!

Be a Berean!

10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.                   Acts 17:10, 11 ESV

 

Please join me in this journey of discovery.

  • Leave a comment, or ask me a question.
  • Share this blog with others, whether they are doubting, or not.
  • Take what I say and CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!

 

See also:

No More New Year’s Resolutions! – Part 1

No More New Year’s Resolutions! – Part 2