Have you ever had trouble keeping a resolution? Did you start out good and then gradually slide back into old patterns and old thinking? Our willpower is never enough, our timing is often too hurried, and we try to change all by ourselves. Without God, it can be impossible to maintain any forward momentum in our lives.

We all have character defects. Some of them are outside of our control. It may seem like an uphill battle to quit an addiction, or to end a bad behavior, but there is a way to bring about change. When we trust God and rely on Him to do the work inside us that we can’t, we find the strength to get over it.

Living with regret can shape our lives and relationships. Guilt destroys our confidence and keeps us stuck in the past. We have to learn how to deal with it and take an honest looks at our lives. We have to take responsibility for our actions, ask God for forgiveness, and admit our faults.

For some of us, there are those things that we just can’t seem to let go of that’s not letting us move forward. We need to let go of our pride, guilt, fear, worry, and doubt. Taking a step towards healing looks like us relying on God’s strength.

We’ve tried to change. We’ve tried to break some old habits. We’ve tried to do better but haven’t had lasting results. Admitting that we need to make a change is the hardest part. God knows it. You just need to own up to it and face the problem you’ve been ignoring for a long time.

Our perspective is important. We can often view the same things, but the difference is made in how we view them. What if what you really need isn’t for God to change your surroundings, but to change your perspective where you are? That makes all the difference when it comes to walking in our purpose.

God cannot be worn out by our neediness. When we come to Him with our sin in the deepest, darkest moments of our lives, He completely delivers us from the power and pollution of sin. When we are in the depths of weariness, we have to remember: there is prayer, forgiveness, waiting, and hope.

Sometimes it seems like those who don’t do right and choose to live opposite of the way of God prosper and have really nice things and even more fun. Sin can be fun, but the fun doesn’t last. When we trust God and walk with Him long enough, we learn that His way is the good way. His way is the way that produces lasting joy, happiness, peace, and hope.

We’ve all felt the weight of life and the unrelenting attacks that come with it. In those times, we often look for a place to rest; a place that’s comfortable, calm and quiet. But what if that’s not the place we’re supposed to look for? Instead, what if we should be looking for a place that is firm and unquestioned in its resilience during difficult times?

We all face them. We all want them to go away. They are the moments in life when it feels like we’ve tried everything we know yet we still find ourselves at the end of our rope and in what seems like a desperate place. How do we get out? What if there’s something to be learned in these places while we escape them?