Moving from "want to" to "will do"

Psalm 101
I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, Lord, I will sing praise.
² I will be careful to lead a blameless life —
when will you come to me?

I will conduct the affairs of my house
with a blameless heart.
³ I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.

I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
⁴ The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.

 ⁵ Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
 ⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
will minister to me.
 ⁷ No one who practices deceit
will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
will stand in my presence.
⁸ Every morning I will put to silence
all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
from the city of the Lord. NIV

The first thing I noticed as I read this Psalm was David's resolve. Ten times he uses the phrase "I will." Saying "I will" is resolve to actually do something not just talk about it, or a wish for something to happen.

If your like me, there is much you would like to see change in your life and in your heart. You realize that you are not living the full life that God intended for you. You catch yourself saying "I want to change" or "I wish I could change", but find yourself stuck in the habits and hangups.

People change because of inspiration or desperation. Most of the time it takes desperation for real change to take place. Desperate people move from “want to” to “will do.”

Eric LeGrand was a football player for Rutgers University. He was paralyzed while making a tackle last season. He has been told he will never walk again. As he received the ESPN ESPY award for courage he said he was desperate to walk again. He did not say he "wanted" to walk again, he said "I will walk again."

(Click here to read more about Eric LeGrand) http://goo.gl/R9gP6

Do I really want to change? If so, I need repentance to become a way of life. Repentance is when I was going in one direction, turn around and go in a new one. Repentance both a one time experience when I put my faith in Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes to live in me. I turn from sin and self and turn to Christ. However it is on ongoing experience as well. It is daily praying as David prayed:

 

 

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. NIV

Psalm 51:10,17
Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires…It is a broken spirit you want-remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore. TLB

 

Its moving from want to, to will do. Will you resolve with me?

Today through the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit...

I will stop making excuses and blaming others for what is wrong and I will take responsibility for my life. (Psalm 51:3-6)

I will stop justifying my sin and I will call out to God and affirm my hope in the gospel. (Psalm 51:1-2)

I will stop looking to other sources for direction and I will take God at His word. (Psalm 119:6)

I will stop worrying about things that are out of my control and I will bring every thought under the Lordship of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

I will stop letting discouragement rule my emotions and I will bring my emotions under the Lordship of Christ. (1 Samuel 30:6, Proverbs 4:23)

I will stop letting selfishness run my life & I will use my life to serve others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

I will stop trying to please everyone & I will find my worth in Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

I will not let bitterness and un-forgiveness rule my heart. I will forgive as Christ forgave me. (Hebrews 12:15, Colossians 3:13)

I will stop cowering down to fear and I will remind myself that God is my defender and my strength in whom shall I fear. (Romans 8:31, Psalm 27)

I will stop apathetic in my relationship with God and with others. I will make it the priority of my life.