Deeper Than a Resolution

by Karen Prevost

by Freedom007 from Getty Images

I love new beginnings—new days, new weeks, new months, and new years. The New Year is such a refreshing change of pace when time seems to slow especially after a busy holiday season. In the words of Anne of Green Gables, it is like a blank page with no mistakes on it (at least not yet). 

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​I don’t want to take this new beginning for granted. I don’t want to allow this fresh opportunity to be buried beneath a stack of goals and resolutions that never make a lasting change. So often my goals are based on my own shallow thoughts and understanding, rather than God’s more profound desires for me.
 
There is a stirring in my heart that urges me to go deeper this year. What lasting changes does the Lord want to form in me this year?
 
The other day I was reading about Nehemiah as he rebuilt the temple and led the people in repentance and renewed commitment to follow the Lord. He discovered that Eliashib, the priest in charge of the storerooms of the temple of the Lord, had allowed enemies of Israel to live within the temple walls.
 
“(Eliashib) was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil…” (Nehemiah 13:4-5 NIV) Tobiah was one of the enemies who had mocked, ridiculed, and hindered God’s work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and the priest had offered him residence within the sacred temple itself!
 
How was that possible? Not only had Eliashib opened the doors of the Temple to allow an evil enemy of God to take up residence in the sacred storeroom, but he had also pushed out the instruments of worship, the incense (a symbol of prayer), and the oil (representing the anointing of Holy Spirit) that had previously filled the room.

Yet, how often have I done the same thing? I have allowed “other things” to take up residence in me, the temple of the Holy Spirit, that have crowded out worship and prayer and hindered more of the Holy Spirit’s filling in my life. It isn’t necessarily sin that displaces God’s presence (though it most assuredly does), but also clutter and distractions. I need to repent from every sin and surrender every hindrance.

What clutters my heart? What distracts my thoughts? What voices from the news or social media are crowding out the voice of the Lord? How does my phone distract me from more time with Jesus? What needs to go so that I can restore more worship, prayer, and the Word into my daily rhythms and be more full of the Holy Spirit?

These aren’t questions I can answer on my own. I need to allow the Lord to reveal the answers to me and to guide me in taking steps to make lasting changes. I realize this will not be a one-day exercise, but rather a deepening day-to-day journey into greater communion with Jesus.
 
My friend told me recently that she had asked the Lord, “Give me more of You.” His answer was like an arrow to the heart, “How about you give Me more of you?” That’s exactly what I need this year—more of Jesus and less of me.
 
Will you join me on this journey to go deeper with Jesus? Together we can experience more of His life in us, deep changes in our hearts, and a growing in-filling of the Holy Spirit that will transform us, our families, our churches, and our world for His glory.

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Karen Prevost, a licensed AG minister, has served alongside her husband, Kevin, as a missionary to Spain for 39 years. Together they have pastored churches and worked with an evangelism training ministry in Madrid with a heart to equip believers to share their faith effectively. They currently reside in the Springfield area where they continue to create evangelistic courses and tools for local churches. Karen also travels to minister in women’s events in Latin America and Europe. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, artwork, taking walks in nature, and spending time with their three grown children and six grandchildren.

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