It’s March 1 and that means that we’re two months into 2012.  Now be honest… have you kept your resolution for 2012?  Be honest.  Are you still doing what you said you’d be doing?  Is your year going the direction you thought it would by now? Did you know that by the end of January, 40% of all New Year’s resolutions have been tossed aside?  And that number jumps up to 75% by the middle of February!

It’s amazing how easy it is to come up with things about our lives that we want to change and yet how hard it is to actually change them!  Why is that?  Why can’t we keep our resolutions?  Why can’t we make those changes that we know we need to make?

Did you know that:

• 95% of those who lose weight on a diet regain it, and a significant percentage gain back more than they originally lost

• Even after a heart attack, 6 out of every 7 patients DO NOT make any enduring changes around eating or exercise

• The average person makes the same New Year’s resolution 10 separate times without success

Regardless of what your goal may be [losing weight, spending more time with the kids, reading the Bible daily, getting your career on track], everyone struggles to change.  We don’t struggle to come up with things that need to change or developing a plan for that change or realizing how great life will be when we make that change…WE STRUGGLE TO CHANGE!

St. Paul said it like this, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.”  Romans 7:15

Why is that?  I am not claiming to be an expert in the art of change [if I was then I’m sure you’d see a comment or two from my wife on this post]; but if there’s one attitude shift that we need to help make real long term change in our lives, it is the attitude of NO EXCUSES. 

Let me be honest.  You have an Enemy out there and he is real.  The Bible calls him Satan and his mission is to destroy your life.  He is an enemy of all that is good – including the change that you know you need to make.  The last thing he will ever do is sit back and watch you change your life for the better.  And I'm not just talking about spiritual changes.  He is opposed to any change that will make you a better person and bring your life more in line with God’s plan.

He doesn't want you to change.  He doesn't want you to pray more.  He doesn’t want you to get in shape and feel good about yourself.  He doesn’t want you to fix your marriage.  He doesn’t want you to stop nagging your husband or ignoring your wife.  He doesn’t want you to change!

And the moment you decide that you want to change, he is there in an instant to give you 1001 excuses why you shouldn’t.

“You’ve tried and failed before, why try again?”

“You don’t have what it takes to be consistent; it won’t last?”

“People will laugh at you when you fail again?”

“You’re busy now; you can work on this later.”

“Why should you put in that effort?  No one else is.”

I’ve been there and heard all of those excuses.  He’s awfully convincing isn’t he?  Well, if you want to make your 2012 resolutions different than the past 10 years’ worth of resolutions, it’s time to say NO MORE EXCUSES!

Yes you might fall short of your goal, but at least you’ll try.  I’d rather try and fail as opposed to never trying at all [that’s what we teach our kids right?].  When you make excuses to avoid doing what you know God wants you to do, you aren’t setting limits on yourself.  You’re setting limits on God.  In essence you are saying “I don’t think God can do this in my life.”

So let this be your modified resolution for the rest of 2012:  NO MORE EXCUSES.  If we fail, at least it won’t be from lack of effort.

I’ll do my best; and God will do the rest.

Discussion:  Any tips you can share on making changes and keeping them for the long term?