9 Hopeful Scriptures for Failed New Years Resolutions
- Emma Danzey Contributing Writer
- Updated Jan 12, 2024
It is already a few weeks into the new year and many of us have set goals and resolutions that we have already fallen short of in our commitments. Maybe you have been that person who said, “This year is going to be different.” But, you have instead found yourself disappointed that you did not stick with your plan.
The beautiful part about being a believer in Jesus is that we know the gifts of grace, new mercies, and being sanctified. This is a process and does not happen overnight.
What if instead of living in shame, we chose to cling to the truth of the Bible and restart with the power of the Holy Spirit? A date on the calendar does not define our success. We are victorious in Christ Jesus. Here are hopeful Scriptures for failed new year’s resolutions.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
We are called into being filled with hope. The concept of filling implies that we could be empty. Filling is an intentional decision to seek the Holy Spirit each day for help. “Fill me up Holy Spirit, help me to live by You and not my flesh today. Amen.” This is an example prayer of clinging to the hope of Christ. Without the Holy Spirit, we are hopeless, but having Him secure in our lives each day reminds us that we need to access His power in our lives and in our goals.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Have we become prideful in our thinking? Do we believe that we are independent from God in accomplishing our goals? Sure, we could get things done, but when we remind ourselves that this body and this breath are literally from our Creator, we realize that apart from Him we cannot even exist; we can do nothing. In this humility, we can reach out to the Lord for help to lay our dreams and hopes for this year before Him and ask for His help.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
When we see our temporary failures, we forget the fullness of what we have been promised in Christ. 2 Corinthians reminds us that when we choose to fix our eyes on what we see, we are focused on the here and now. However, when we fix our eyes on what is eternal and unseen, we can have a better perspective. Sure, we may not have hit our goals or resolutions this year already, but in the grand scheme of eternity, today is a new day and we have been given the gift of Jesus because of our imperfections. He helps us.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Whether we succeeded or failed, God’s love for us has been steadfast. He has new mercies every morning for us. Maybe your new year’s goals are about leaving sinful habits? We are all undergoing sanctification. Remember that we are all in need of His help to break free from our sinful ways. No one is perfect. We all sin and fall short of God’s glory. This should not be used as an excuse to live in rebellion and disobedience, however it should direct us to love Him by asking Him to help us be more like Him each day.
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
Romans 8 discusses trials and those facing martyrdom for the sake of following Jesus. Paul writes that even in these things, those who belong to Jesus are more than conquerors. We too get to have that privilege of being conquerors in Him. We can pray against the lies and cling to this truth from Him that we can overcome our obstacles and press on in our goals with His help.
“For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
Are you staring at your resolution instead of fixing your gaze upon Jesus? Circumstances can appear defeating, but with God, nothing is impossible. We can be reminded and renewed in our goals by looking to Him and remembering who He is in the midst of our fears and doubts.
“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Revelation 21:5).
One day Jesus is going to make all things new. Right now, we are waiting. Some like to say that we are in the “already, not yet.” We have been promised forgiveness and we currently stand righteous through Jesus if we believe in Him, however we are still in a sinful world. Revelation 21:5 says that He is going to transform us because He is trustworthy (faithful) and true. We can trust in Him and believe that He is already doing His transformative work in and through us. We can pray for His power to strengthen us to accomplish our goals from an identity of being loved by Him.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him" (Jeremiah 17:7).
We are blessed when we trust in God. When we put our confidence in Him, we humble ourselves and lean on His abilities, not our own. We realize that He is our source of strength.
“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).
Pray and ask God to make your resolution about Him. Ask Him to use this as a witness to others to glorify His name and that your victory would be reflective of what He has done in your life through the cross and His resurrection. Our new year’s goals can actually be platforms for sharing the gospel and telling people about salvation that Jesus offers to them. We do not have to take this lightly. We can celebrate that our lives and decisions can be used for His kingdom work. It brings us a fresh lens, taking the pressure off of us and redirecting it towards what the Lord is doing in our lives.
No, we will not do everything perfectly, but that is the whole point of the gospel and the reconciliation that we have in Jesus. He has finished the work for us that we could not do for ourselves. Jesus made a way for us, so even in our failures, we can remember that nothing is wasted when we surrender it as a testimony to Him.
Related Resource: Chapter-A-Day Audio Bible
Are you looking for a daily bible reading plan? Join Pastor John Stange each morning as he reads one chapter of Scripture, followed by a time of prayer, in the Chapter-A-Day Audio Bible Podcast. Together, we'll dive deep into the Bible and discover the riches that God has for us. If you're looking for an audio bible podcast, this is the one for you. To hear an episode, just click the play button below!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/AlterYourReality
