Happy New Year! I pray you are off to a great start for 2024. If you’re like most people, you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolutions, or you will within a few days. But don’t make too much out of it. Most resolutions are not something to which we are fully committed.
Not completing the resolution isn’t a big issue. But making even small decisions and not following through can wreak havoc on our self-confidence over time!
For many years, I asked several groups, “The last time you were afraid to trust God for a miracle, was it because you lacked confidence in God, or you lacked confidence in yourself?” The answer was overwhelmingly the same. Nearly 100% of the people asked acknowledged, “I didn’t have confidence that I would follow through.”
As a young believer, I saw that what appeared to be a lack of faith in God was quite often a lack of confidence in self, which can become a monumental problem over time. Everything good that will happen in our lives is initiated by making a decision (Deuteronomy 30:11-20). But if we lack confidence in our decisions, we can often become paralyzed, frozen in a quality of life that is less than what we desire and much less than what God has provided.
What’s the path out of this predicament? It’s not really that difficult!
First, never agree to do anything that you are not fully committed to doing. Even the smallest thing! When you tell someone you’ll do something for them or with them, never back out unless you ask their permission or reschedule. Otherwise, it is a broken commitment.
In Psalm 15:4, we are told that God honors him “…who swears to his own hurt and does not change.” In other words, when you give your word, you keep it, even if it’s difficult. Psychologically, we know that we project onto others things that we do. The Bible calls it sowing and reaping! So, if we break our word, it actually becomes harder for us to trust others, including God!
In a world of relative morality and questionable ethics, we have lost touch with the reality that breaking our word is lying. Regardless of how insignificant or benign it may seem, lying has an incredibly debilitating effect on our hearts. When we lose confidence in our personal “word,” a destructive internal shift occurs in our hearts.
Here is an incredible insight. “A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue” (Proverbs 17:4). The term “liar” is far more than our English language conveys. It’s far more than blatantly speaking a mistruth. It could be acting by deceit, using vanity to gain influence, or even being a false witness. A false witness isn’t a formal witness in a legal setting. Speaking against or criticizing others without absolute knowledge of the facts is a form of being a false witness.
For years, I had a construction business. It was how I made a living while attending college and created finances in the early phase of ministry. For years, I tried to hire believers who were attending college or needed a shot at making decent money. Amazingly, Christians were always the most undependable, dishonest people I ever hired. One of the primary ways they would break their word was to make commitments and then say, “The Lord is leading me to do something else.” It was shameful! It made it impossible for me to schedule and run a smooth operation.
The common denominator was always the same whether in business, through friendships, or one-on-one counseling. People who didn’t keep their word had trouble trusting God and trouble in relationships that required honesty and dependability! But at the “end of the day” the real trouble came in their inability to trust God to keep His word! It hurt their own hearts.
Jesus warns that whether you are saying “yes” or “no,” don’t add any excuses. “…let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). Excuses tend to take us into dishonesty. As a matter of fact, James warns that it can lead to condemnation (James 5:12). When our heart condemns us, we cannot receive from God (1 John 3:20-22).
I don’t want you to take any of this negatively. I certainly don’t want you to condemn yourself! But if you see yourself in some of these examples, this is the time to make a godly resolution always to tell the truth. When you catch yourself making excuses or failing to keep your word, apologize to the people involved and make your word good. When necessary, make restitution.
These decisions are only kept when there is true repentance. While there are several subtle concepts involved in repentance, the ancient Hebrew word literally means to “burn the house down.” When we choose to put off any sin and put on righteousness, it is essential to burn the house down. But what does that mean? When you burn the house down, you have no way to turn back to the past. You have nothing to go back to! When we apologize, make restitution, and confess to one another, we actually make giving in to our sin so unpleasant that it becomes easier to walk in the truth than to keep living in the lie! When you can no longer fall back into destructive ways, you have burned the house down. You have removed that option! Regardless of the cost, burn the house of your past to the ground! This is your path to an entirely new dimension of faith and confidence!
The purpose of anything God has ever said is always for our benefit and the benefit of those with whom we interact. Paul said, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). Sincere faith has no deceit or dishonesty in it! The Commandment not to lie, like all truth, protects our hearts from doubt and condemnation.
In the days ahead, we must have a clear conscience and sincere faith. Otherwise, we will never remain stable and confident in God’s promises. If you see this need in your life, make the decision today.
At Impact Ministries, we tell you the truth so you can be fully equipped to fulfill your destiny in the Kingdom. We are constantly expanding all we do as a way to serve the body of Christ and hasten the return of the Lord! Thank you for all you do to make this calling a reality. Together we are…
Changing the way the world sees God!
Blessings,
Dr. Jim Richards
DrJim@drjimrichards.com
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Please enjoy the following testimonies. Thank you for your support that helps make this possible…
Thank you so much for your weekly messages. I never miss them. They have been my help and hope for a long time. – M.R.
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I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you so very, very much for ALL THE DOWNLOADS AND TEACHINGS you have given to me with your ministry. I wish you truly could see and know how often I have your teachings on. They are not just life-changing but LIFE SUSTAINING for me because it has re-routed my brain from thinking what I thought to be truth to purposely determining to pursue the real truth of Jesus Christ and what he has done for us.
Thank you again for your generosity in sharing your teachings for free. Bless you, a thousandfold. – D.R.