A Resolution

A Resolution

10/17/16

Keeping a resolution is a noble gesture and many of us are familiar with this concept with many of us having tried our best to make at least one of these promises work at some point in our lifetime, but like the majority of those who try most have failed at keeping them.  How important is this concept of making resolutions and how serious should we take them?  The question has always been raised that why should we make something we have no intentions of keeping?  What about the Church, should she make a resolution and if so how far should she take it?  This is an important topic that she should take up and one that needs to be completed as soon as possible.  How far should we take a resolution and how far did God actually take His “resolutions”?  God’s resolution for our lives is called a Covenant, not a man-made one but a holy and eternal one that He initiated, to serve as a separation from that which can eternally destroy our lives.

If you read the title of this article you would have noticed that it is not called a New Year’s Resolution, but A Resolution; plus, it is not near New Year’s either.  There is a purpose for this and one that should be taken into our spiritual hearts.  God really does not care about the superficial titles of a New Year’s Resolution He wants a resolution that stays permanent within our hearts, one that is continually renewing itself in order to be fed by His ways and love that only can come from Him.  This is the reason that the Church should be willing to make a resolution to God that is everlasting and not wishy-washy in content.  As each day passes it becomes clearer which kingdom the Church is willing to serve and the resolution from this leader is not the resolution that is needed for her eternal existence.  When a resolution is presented from a defeated leader offering the products of a spiritual wasteland to a hated race, what is there to gain?  That is why only God can present, establish, and keep such a resolution.

I really have not placed too much stock in resolutions that everyone knows about and tries to participate in.  They are a dime a dozen and have real no meaning within their admirations which comes into life a few weeks or even within a few days of their declaration; however, I find it fascinating that with our current trends of less personal communication with each other that it would seem far less likely for us to complete such a relational procedure.  I have long been an admirer of the Lent season when regarding this function.  I understand that Lent is a special time for many people of faith around the world but I question the sincerity of its meaning within our hearts.  The concepts of the New Year’s Resolution and Lent have similarities but should be quite different in origins.  I am not going to bash any holiday or religious belief but I am going to place into question the sincerity of these events and try my best to share with you what God wants from His Church beginning now and to hold onto forevermore.

It is evident that the Church has allowed many sinful beliefs into its walls and these worldly habits have harmed her effectiveness in her commission.  God wants us to make a resolution to rid ourselves of these worldly and religious practices so that our hearts may once again hear His voice.  His voice of guidance and leadership is vital to our existence and if we ignore this portion of His life, we have no hope for any type of survival, both in the physical realm and more importantly in the eternal.  It is this type of eternal commitment that He wishes for our lives so that we may be able to go into a darkened and dying world with the true light of salvation.

This resolution is not a New Year’s concept nor is it a religious one at all.  It is one of a continual renewing and life-giving one that should separate our lives from what the world has to offer.  This resolution proclaims to everyone around us that we love God with all of our hearts and desire to keep His laws within our hearts, not to mention sharing this freedom from death to others.  This resolution defines God and what our lives mean to the world itself.  It also proves that through God eternal life is obtainable and with this concept comes meaning.  What type of resolution is this type of resolution?  It is one that is based on relationship, total relationship coming from a perfect, holy and loving Creator who can do no wrong.

We have read about yearly resolutions within the Old Testament Scriptures and how they became routines within the hearts of the Israelites.  We have also personally witnessed the religious ceremonies that occur each and with every church service fulfilling the allotted time frames measures that allow the roasts at home to fully cook.  And between the two examples to which I have just provided not much has changed over the millennia when it comes to humans’ ideas of trying to pacify God’s laws, along with the fact that once a year conditional methods do not work within our hearts.  How can anyone or anything resolve when no one is willing to conduct an ongoing communication with both sides of the table?  How can we offer up any rightful repentance stances when we are not willing to fall under the only resolution that we can seek?  That resolution does not come from mankind but from God alone.

There is a song that was written a long time ago by my favorite singer and songwriter Keith Green.  The song was entitled “To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice” and it had a powerful message that deals with this exact subject.  It deals with the concept that once we humans get a procedure within our establishment how that idea becomes a routine.  God wants more than Sundays and Wednesday nights, He wants a true relationship with you which means that a constant communication system is required between both parties which require both parties continually communicating with each other.  It is obvious that we do not even give Him those holy days within our hearts much less any other time during our week. 

How much time do we spend actually studying the Word of God versus spending time playing video games or demanding what we deem is important to our worldly existence?  We have made it perfectly clear that the only time we want anything to do with God is when something tragic occurs within our lives or in our society, but even that concept has fallen to the wayside.  This is not accepting His resolution status but running believing that we are in control of such a resolution that we can dictate the rules of engagement.  This is exactly what our enemy wishes for us to believe because as long as he can gain this false confidence he understands that we have no covering and eventually will stop looking towards God for restoration.

Can we even obey anything these days especially since our eyes are so fixed upon ourselves?  We must recognize this unacceptable truth of selfishness about ourselves because if we do not change quickly the only resolution that we will be able to make is to keep healthy enough to provide for our immediate families.  God wishes for us to make a daily resolution to Him.  One that is alive and boisterous on all levels of life.  It is this type of resolution that God was wanting mankind to make during Old Testament times for it would have begun the process of restoration a lot quicker for everyone.  This type of constant resolution would have saved millions of lives on all fronts of humanity and would have basically nullified all of Israel’s problems even before they had started.

How many of us feel rejected when we finish a conversation with a person who we truly love to be around?  We long to hear their voice as soon as the phone is set down and we almost immediately begin to anxiously wait for the next connection.  This type of continual resolution is a renewing process; a constant renewing of not only our minds but of our spiritual hearts as well.  It is a healing resolution that does not stop with you but infiltrates all others that come in contact with you as well.  It is the perfect example of what God meant by restoration on a continual basis; in other words, relationship! 

Instead of trying the human thing by making a physical resolution to a finite creation, why not make an eternal resolution that will have benefits that are immeasurable?  God has given us the perfect setting to accomplish this necessity and it is all recorded in His Word.  There would be many benefits to creating, establishing and then maintaining this daily resolution with God.  I guarantee that the things of the world would become less important in our lives and one might be surprised of how much of the world we have allowed into our lives if we incorporate God as number one instead.  We would also see quite a bit of difference in what we find is important, more family time instead of playing time would ensue.  How much more would we be in tune with the horrors that are occurring each day in our world instead of being shocked by headline-grabbing news; talk about being divinely informed.

In ancient times, it was customary that families, neighbors, tribes, and nations make pacts with each other in order to secure their livelihoods.  It was a code that mankind did their very best to honor and to keep but recognizably sometimes that bond would be broken by some type of action by one or both parties.  For as long as history has recorded mankind’s activities it has been evident that people try their best to organize survivable conditions with their neighbors.  But once and for all it is evident that no matter how hard people try to keep these vows, they find some way to break them and thus undermine the very pacts that we need in order maintain order in our lives and world. How long will it take for us to see that our futile and whimsical ideologies cannot sustain themselves for even a moment due to our selfish desires for greed, power and authority over and with our fellow nations?  None of our pacts, agreements or treaties can ever be considered perfect because of the potentially destructive variables that humanity creates yet we continue to complete such imperfections without realizing the One true plan that can help us avoid so many problems.

In accordance with ancient traditions, God established His covenant with mankind but added an eternal portion that proves His ability to honor all ties with humanity.  The description we have with God and Abraham goes into detail concerning the procedures of such an agreement.  While the sacrifice is burned by human to human covenant ceremonies God changes this procedure a bit by Him consuming the sacrifice with His holy fire of purification and it is this step that makes all the difference in the eternal world and in our lives.  It is also the one step that we confuse so much with how God wants us to live and what we are willing to accept about His presence in our lives.

Covenant is a faith based life changing truth that only God can preside over and it is through this process that our lives can either fall under His protection and guidance or fall away from God’s protection and guidance.  There is no in-between ground or middle of the road living status for God cannot walk both sides of any issue, He makes His way known and the only way that we can effectively live under this Covenant is to understand its meanings.  God never has done anything ½ way it has always been 100% accurate and complete and it is this truth that we need to know about before we accept His Covenant standard in our lives.  God shall never force us to accept Him, it is strictly on a voluntary basis alone.  God has voluntarily given us His Word that if we accept His ways that He will guide us as long as we seek Him first (Covenant).  God has also promised us that He will never leave us or violate His Covenant with us (completeness).  God also states that since He cannot violate this Covenant that means only we can be the guilty party in its violation but if we recognize our sin and repent He will allow this Covenant to be restored again over our lives.

We must acknowledge that our lives cannot function normally and peacefully without God being placed first in our lives.  As stated above, look throughout human history and you will see that the best intention towards each other has come crashing down at some point in time.  I must say that I commend humanity for its continued stance on trying to reach this outstretched goal but at the same time must shake my head in wonder because it has not figured out the truth of such deeds.  It is through these continued failings that we should stop and change tactics and accept God’s way in dealing with life and others.  It pains me to watch the world go to hell in a hand basket because we refuse to accept God’s Ways in our societies.  It is a simple fix yet one that we stomp on as He presents it to us.

Our enemy has done a great job in securing our physical components of life by presenting beautiful lies that we have sucked up with joy and stability.  Needless to say it is a laughable pattern that we have continued to operate in and one that on the surface looks ever so sweet and responsible.  It is through this type of lying that we have turned our backs from God and have voluntarily stepped out from under His Covenant covering, without even recognizing what our actions have done.  Our intentions may have been physically noble but when it comes to the core of our existence Covenant covering is essential for us to function as a complete unit.  If we do not place God first and stay within His Covenant confines we automatically fall into the same category as a human agreement which once again may look and seem sound to the eye but shall falter without fail, even a humanly, wonderfully made well oiled machine will break down if given enough time.

In Genesis Chapter 12, the covenant between God and Abram (mankind) first began its process.  God had already revealed himself to Abram and had guided Abram in some pretty decisive situations.  This Covenant started with God’s chosen people and eventually expanded to everyone who wishes to accept His Ways as their own, through the blood of His Son.  Being a human Abram followed through with this arrangement by doing some ridiculous things and through these measures God had to reinforce the seriousness of the agreement between the two beings.  When God was speaking to Abram in Genesis Chapter 15 concerning the sacrificial process it was not unusual for Abram for it was a custom.  So naturally Abram must have believed that God was going to perform the same type of ritual with him but what Abram did not know is that God had no intentions of including another human in this process for this process that it was going to be an eternal representation and positioning that mankind had with God.  And that it would be through God’s Way of Covenant that would completely separate Abram from the world and at the same time would establish Abraham’s position in God to the world.

As Abraham’s life continued we see that he never lost his faith and trust in God, nor did God him.  But it is interesting that as Abraham’s journey proceeded, both he and Sarah did human customary things instead of being patient for God’s timing to occur.  It is important for us to remember that even though we are living under God’s Covenant and trying our best to project a godly attitude and lifestyle, we are still vulnerable to the tricks of our enemy.  While some of those tricks may seem like small potatoes they can come back to bite us for thousands of years to come.  That is why it is so vital that we place our whole hearts into the message of God and His Word for it is this Covenant that will protect us from so many sickening issues in our future.  It is so easy for us to become caught up in the moment and follow worldly traditions instead of remembering what God has taught us and I am as guilty as anyone else in this situation.

When we do something that is ungodly and places us into jeopardy with God, we must never forget to listen to the spiritual small voice that God uses in order for us to recognize what we have done.  God shall NEVER fail in bringing our sinful actions into question but as He calls us to repentance He shall never force us to return either and it is this ignorance on our part that is the sole reason for our nation’s condition today.  Church, you are included in this truth as well for your ears have become spiritually deaf to the truth about our existence as well.  When a priest or any other pastor stands up in their pulpit and teaches on the destructive powers of our enemy and then becomes the subject of ridicule for their words from God, you have a problem! 

In the time of Abraham, Moses, and all of the other examples of people in the Bible, then include in all of today’s societies with it and one will have a good picture of painted failures due to the selfish patterns of humanity without God.  God has chosen plenty of people to carry out this message of truth but the majority of the world refuses to hear what God is trying to protect us from.  It is not just today that people reject God’s authority and truth over our lives we as a created race have always demonstrated our ignorance to God and His presence in our lives.  We have continually rejected His Resolution for our existence and have angrily and proudly replaced with our finite capabilities as we strut away in defiance from God’s table.

Covenant is not a set of guidelines that God follows in order to keep control over our every move.  God is not in the business of controlling He is in the business of repentance and forgiveness and in order for Him to provide such a blessing He has established a failsafe plan for our covering.  He shall never force us to choose His Will but on the other hand God cannot stop the destructive issues that we face that our enemy throws at us either.  God will do His best to nudge us back under His covering but if we do not comply then He must grab our attention as any good parent would.  God does not have a big stick ready to beat you over the head when you make a mistake or walk away from Him, but it is His gentle voice of compassion and truth that He has that makes all the difference.  How important is this process?  The only way that one can experience godly restoration is to live under this Covenant, there is no alternative, it is THAT important.

This nation was founded on such Covenant procedures and His Church the same.  Our worldly treasures have perverted this truth and now we cannot even recognize what is right or wrong.  We have thrown out absolutes so that we may pleasure our bodies with the ways of the world whenever they may arrive and our guards have been taken down by the wicked lies of humans seeking to be our friends.  Church, God is calling for you to repent and to return to Him so that we can once again re-open God’s Embassies to the dying world. 

I understand you have heard this message over and over in these articles but there is a reason for it.  God does not allow my spirit to ease until this truth is told to His people and to His Church.  Study the consequences of His people when they did not heed His prophets’ words and then study the consequences when His people did hear His Words.  There is a stark contrast and those conditions are in play today and the same choices made as well.  Living through Covenant measures is simple and true and so are the consequences of not living them as well.  We state that we want a resolution to all of the issues of today, then study God’s Word and then place yourself under His Covenant so that these eternal wishes can come true.

DLB