The Ball is in Our Court.

We’re here at the end of one year and about to embark upon the beginning of another, and if you’re like many, you’ve been careful not to make too many New Year’s resolutions, if any at all. You’ve seen the pattern of making announcements to yourself in the past and not being successful with following through as you planned. The goal is geared toward making lifestyle changes, and letting the Holy Spirit be the center of that decision making process.

We could say that 2015 was pretty tough to us as we have made the same statement about the past years.  The Truth is that we are still here, and although we’ve faced some challenges in 2015 as we have in the years past, God was using those challenges to teach and grow us in some areas of our lives.  So instead, we thank God that He is committed to our purpose and life in Him.

We could use slogans for the New Year as we have in times past, but we’ve seen how humorous that has been lately. We could even think that life is going to change for us once the clock strikes 12 am on January 1, 2016, but the truth is the ball is in our court.

Nothing will change unless we decide to change. And before life changes God has to deal with our heart and our head. What habits have the Holy Spirit spoken to you about giving to Him? What has He asked you to surrender lately? What foods have He instructed you to eat more of or stay away from? Has He impressed upon your heart to go to the gym more than you have? What items on your schedule cause you to be busy rather than productive? Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to show you how to build a budget for the current provision God has entrusted you with?  

The Holy Spirit is not one-sided. He is not just the God of our ministries; He is the God of our lives.  And He desires every area of our lives to be blessed, our health, finances, marriages, relationships, and even our schedule. He wants us to be mentally and emotionally stable as well.

So today’s reminder is that the ball is in our court. God’s work was finished on the cross. He has always been committed to our Godly success (Joshua 1:8). The reason why we haven’t accessed it or seen it manifested could be because we were not obedient to His instructions.

No more “New Year, New You.” This will not be a magical experience, expecting someone to lay hands on us and all of a sudden everything changes. The power is not in the clock. The power is in our decision. Selah.