Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions

One man said, "Here it is February and I've kept every one of my New Year's resolutions. Yep, I've kept every one of them in an envelope in my desk." Why do so many resolutions fail? Three things are required to make a lasting change in your life: 

1) A decision to make a change

2) A point in time when it begins 

3) The power to make it happen.

New Year's brings the first two. We make lists of the things we've decided to change and then mark January 1st on the calendar as the starting point. We soon find out they don’t stick because we don't have the will-power to follow them through.

The reason is we're trying to conquer the desires of the flesh by using the strength of the flesh. The "flesh" in the Bible means our natural desires and impulses, which causes the problems we're trying to resolve. When we try to change using our own strength, we fail because "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). The flesh isn’t strong enough, nor is it willing enough, to make the change.

Quit depending on your own strength and yield yourself completely to the Lord for His power. Then you will "be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). God promises to give you the power through the Holy Spirit to make the changes in your life that He desires, which is a whole lot better than making more resolutions that you can’t keep.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @Kent Crockett

WATCH MUSIC VIDEO: "Nothing Without You" by Bebo Norman

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net

670 Trillion Hairs and Counting

Do you ever wonder if God really knows what’s going on in your life? Jesus revealed an amazing fact when He said, “Indeed, the very hairs on your head are numbered” (Luke 12:7). The average number of hairs on a person’s head is 100,000. Most people shed about 100 hairs a day, and since the world’s population increases by 200,000 people each day, the total number of hairs on the planet is in constant fluctuation.

The world’s population is approximately 6.7 billion. If we multiply that number by 100,000, we find that God is keeping track of 670 trillion hairs on people’s heads. And that’s not counting the beards! We would not have known this incredible fact about God’s knowledge if Jesus hadn’t told us. (The Sure Cure for Worry, Kent Crockett, Chosen Books 2013, p.72).

So why did Jesus tell us this? To assure us that God does know what’s going on in our lives. Our faith will grow as we grasp how great and powerful our Lord is. If God knows the smallest details about everyone in the world, can you see how it would be wise for us to completely surrender our lives to Him?

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @Kent Crockett

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net

How to Change a Vicious Dog

My friend Mike is a mailman for the U.S. Postal Service. When he first started delivering mail, he encountered a number of vicious dogs when he carried packages to the customers’ doors. The dogs were usually behind a fence, but it was quite unnerving to come so close to barking and growling dogs that would love to tear him apart.

He carried a can of pepper spray just in case dog ever came to attack him. But then he decided to try something different. He bought a bag of dog biscuits, and whenever he delivered a package to a door, he would toss the barking dog a treat. He kept doing this with every dog on his route. Now whenever he delivers a package, the dogs aren’t barking at him. Now they’re wagging their tails and are excited to see him! And that’s how you can change a vicious dog.

What works for dogs also works for people. Paul writes, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. And if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head” (Romans 12:20). Your enemy is someone who barks and growls at you like an aggressive dog who wants to tear you apart. When you do something kind for your enemy, it heaps burning coals on his head, which makes him ashamed of the way he has been mistreating you. As you continue to show kindness, the barking will stop, and the tail wagging will eventually begin. And that’s how you can change a vicious enemy.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @KentCrockett

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net 

Speaking Their Language

In 2001, a man in New York City went to the top of a building and threatened to jump off. He had a problem with his girlfriend and thought life wasn't worth living anymore. Policemen tried using a bullhorn to send a loud message to him. They didn’t realize that the man couldn’t hear a word they were saying--he was deaf!

One policeman realized the bullhorn would never work so he tried a different tactic. He had been a volunteer teacher of sign language in a deaf school. He went to the top of the building, and by using sign language, signaled a message to him which convinced him to not jump. He was able to reach him when the other method failed because he knew how to speak his language.

Perhaps it’s hard for you to talk with your spouse, your child, or someone else you know. You've tried using the bullhorn but it hasn't worked. You can open the lines of communication by learning how to speak their language. If you will talk about what interests them (such as their hobby), it will open the door to speak about other things. 

The apostle Paul said, "To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some." (1 Cor. 9:22). He didn’t compromise his beliefs, but he found a way to get on their wavelength, which led to talking to them about the Lord. Remember, if you will talk about what interests them, eventually they will start talking about what interests you. And that’s what makes relationships work.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @KentCrockett

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net 

Resolving Conflict

Are you experiencing conflict in a relationship that you want resolved? People who are offended build walls around themselves as a defense mechanism. Here are some steps to bring down the walls.

1. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5). Ask God to show you how to handle your situation. Every relationship is unique and the Lord can give you insights concerning what to do.

2. You make the first move (Romans 12:17-18). Don’t wait for the other person to take the initiative. God wants you to take the first step. The Lord will send His blessing on the one who makes the first move in peacemaking.

3. Give a gift to the other person (Luke 6:27-28). After Jacob cheated Esau out of his birthright, Esau planned to kill him. Years later, Jacob sought to reconcile with Esau by giving him hundreds of goats, camels, cows, and donkeys (Gen. 32:13-14). The huge gift brought down the walls around Esau’s heart and they reconciled (Gen. 33).

4. Find common ground. Common ground can make people forget their differences. You will find liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans hugging each other and giving high fives—if they are pulling for the same football team that scores a touchdown! Conflict comes from magnifying your differences, but resolution comes from magnifying what you have in common.

For more information about resolving conflicts (and 9 other problems) read 10 Secrets to Life’s Biggest Challenges by Peter Lord with Kent Crockett, Chosen Books). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  

NEW BIBLE STUDY: "Do people in heaven know what's happening on earth?"

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net 

Believing Things That Aren't True

We don’t necessarily act on what is true, but what we believe to be true. Joseph’s brothers lied to their father Jacob. They covered Joseph's coat with blood and showed it to their father, which implied that he had been killed by a wild animal. Jacob said, “Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” He mourned for his son for many days (Gen. 37:33-34). It wasn’t true, but Jacob believed the lie for 13 years until he found out Joseph was alive.

Some people believe things that aren’t true about God. They’re angry at Him because they think He’s to blame for all tragedies. They are acting on what they believe to be true—but their beliefs are incorrect.

Some people believe things that aren’t true about themselves. They’re depressed and think there’s no reason to live. They are acting on what they believe to be true, but it’s a lie. As long as you’re alive, God has a plan for your life and a purpose to fulfill.

Many people believe things that aren’t true about others. King Saul believed that David wanted to seize his throne as king, which wasn’t true. But Saul acted on what he believed to be true and spent his entire life trying to kill David.

Use discernment and sort out fact from fiction. Don't be so quick to believe gossip about others. Ask the Lord to show you if you’re believing things that aren’t true. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Once you start believing the truth about God, yourself, and others, then your reactions will get straightened out too. And that might fix some of your problems.

 www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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WATCH & LISTEN TO SONG OF THE MONTH: “Hallelujah for the Cross” by the Newsboys.

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Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net 

Learning From Your Mistakes

I once stayed in a motel that had a very high star rating in the book published by the motel chain. After I checked in, I realized I had made a huge mistake. The place was on a bad side of town and was filthy. The room had an odor and a bug crawled on the floor. Dirty towels were piled up hallway, which no one picked up for hours.

After my trip I decided to write a nice letter the national hotel office and told them I had always stayed in their motels because we trusted their star system. I requested they lower their rating in their guide to a one-star on this particular motel to honestly reflect its quality so other customers would know what to expect.

A few weeks later I received a letter from the national office thanking me for my comments and offered me a free night’s lodging—in the same motel! Did they read my letter? Were they trying to reward me or punish me?

Some people keep repeating the same mistakes because they haven’t learned from them. Proverbs 26:11 says, “Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Even though the dog got sick by whatever it ate, it goes back and recycles it. It’s even worse than the original meal that made it sick!

We’ve all made mistakes, but our worst mistakes can be our best teachers if we will learn from them. Don’t keep beating yourself up over the mistakes you’ve made, but learn from them. You can share your bad experiences with others to keep them from making the same mistake—like “don’t stay at that filthy motel.” www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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NOTE: I’ve been sporadic lately about sending out these devotionals because I’ve been busy writing a new book If God Knows My Needs, Why Should I Pray? It will be published by Hendrickson Publishers in May 2016.

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NEW BIBLE STUDY: “Why did the apostle Paul turn people over to Satan?”

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net