David Diga Hernandez - How to Stay Committed to Your Godly Goals

Here’s how you can stay consistent and committed to the things of God even if you’ve tried before and failed. The first thing you need to do is, number one, stop believing the lie that you can’t become strong in the faith. No matter your upbringing, your family history, your flaws, or your past mistakes, you can become who God designed you to be. You can be holy, you can be Christ-like, you can be consistent in prayer and the Word, and you can walk in God’s divine purpose for your life. The enemy says it can work for others, but not for you; your sins are too great, your flaws too deep. You’ve tried so many times before and failed, so, of course, you’re going to fail again. You’re going to be stuck here forever. You’re never going to grow in Christ, and even if you do manage to see some progress, you will eventually end up back in your old ways and return to your old habits. That’s what the enemy says; that’s what you may even tell yourself. But here is what God says: «Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus» (Philippians 1:6). «May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it» (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24). «For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do» (Ephesians 2:10). And we are indeed God’s handiwork. As long as you believe the lie that you’ll never become committed to the things of God, you’re going to struggle. In a strange way, though we don’t say this out loud, there’s something in the back of our minds that makes us feel as though we’re the exception to the rule, as though God’s power can work for others but not for us. Perhaps you just don’t see yourself as someone who can become and then remain a strong Christian, or maybe the enemy has you convinced to see yourself through the lens of your mistakes rather than through the lens of God’s grace. If you grant the premise that you’ll always struggle spiritually, you begin to fight on compromised footing. Whatever the reason for the doubt, if we don’t choose to acknowledge and then reject the lie, we’re going to make the spiritual battle that much more difficult. You must allow yourself to become totally convinced of the truth that God is the one doing the work in you and that he won’t fail you. All you have to do is trust and obey, surrender to God’s will through daily submission to God’s Word. Even if you make a mistake, repent of the compromise and keep moving forward. Like Peter sinking in the midst of a storm, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. If this is blessing you thus far, consider leaving a like so that this teaching can be spread to others. Number two, abide in Christ. «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). When you follow Jesus, you will bear fruit. You abide, and he’ll produce the fruit. Now, it can become frustrating when trying to keep track of all the ways in which we know we ought to improve. We have our long list: be more patient, pray more, read the Bible more consistently, be more humble, evangelize more often, attend church regularly, serve others selflessly, demonstrate greater levels of kindness, be generous, encourage others, be more faith-filled, and on and on the list goes. Now, of course, we as followers of Christ ought to do those things. However, because they become overwhelmed by trying to balance all of these Christian responsibilities, many believers become stuck in frustration, confusion, and, even worse, self-hatred. Then they begin to imagine that the Holy Spirit distances himself from them if they don’t perform with perfection. Well, first of all, the Holy Spirit isn’t our reward for good Christian living; he’s the source for good Christian living. You don’t receive the Holy Spirit as a payment for perfection; you receive the Holy Spirit the moment you’re born again (see Romans 8:8-9 for that). And he’s the one who does a sanctifying work in you. In Romans 15:16, the Apostle Paul writes, «He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the Gospel of God so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.» Secondly, that list we carry, that meticulous exhaustive record of all the ways we don’t measure up, can be consolidated in a simple command. Jesus replied, «You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.» If we love God with all that we are and then love others as ourselves, we submit to God’s will at its root. How can this be? As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he taught, but Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, «Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to help me!»