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Ceres SDA Church

Anil Kanda

New Year Results

Now I love New Year's time and like every good pastor preach about New Year's resolutions.

How many people here actually set some New Year's resolutions?

Well, I found some stats on people who set New Year's resolutions.

Here they are, the top 10 New Year's resolutions.

Number 10, spend more time in the family.

Now I'm going to share with you the top 10 failed New Year's resolutions.

And number 10, spend more time in the family.

You know what's so interesting about New Year's resolutions?

I personally enjoy New Year's resolutions.

And it seems that every time that I get to the beginning of the year I get to look back on all the New Year's resolutions.

I failed in which is the majority of them but it also is a time for me to set New Year's resolutions new new year's resolutions, and determine in my heart I'm going to keep going forward.

You know, when you look back at 2014, let's just be very frank and honest about 2014.

Many of us have come crash landing at the end of 2014 and just still trying to get back up from reeling to and fro because we were rocked so hard in 2014.

You can look back, you can think of trials, tragedies, pain.

You can think of times that you felt like you were just knocked down over and over and over again But praise the Lord you are here today Amen, and that tells me that is a victory from Jesus Christ The fact that you're still in church you've chosen to be here today It tells me Jesus is still working in your life, right?

We talked about the definition of Saints remember the Bible says in Philippians chapter 1 Paul is writing to the Saints and do you remember what he says to them a few?

Verses later Being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work Work in you will what?

Finish it right until the day of Jesus Christ.

He was talking to the Saints Notice this he was telling the Saints that God is going to complete the work.

That's unfinished in your life So what is the definition of saints according to the Bible?

There's nobody here ready for translation, right?

And so when we look at the beginning of this new year, we can tell ourselves, okay, this is a time for me to start this year right and begin with some decisions, to begin with some decisions.

You know, when you look at a lot of these New Year's resolutions magazines or articles that come out, and they're always trying to describe a better way you can keep your New Year's resolutions.

A better way that you can set things right, you can do something a little bit different, you can help with habit formation, and over and over and over again.

There's a key phrase that will keep popping up.

Some will power exercise, some willpower.

Now you think, okay, I've heard this before what's your point I was doing some research Anybody ever heard of a guy by the name of David Blaine Anybody know who he is Okay, he's a well-known magician.

He's an illusionist, but he's also somebody who over the last few years has begun to attempt what was considered impossible physical feats.

This individual he stayed underwater for 17 minutes He actually doesn't I at TED talk where he describes how he he developed the ability to stay underwater 17 minutes broke all sorts of records you're like is that even possible just listen to the the TED talk and the things that took Place this individual was Kate and cased in ice For several hours and did not die of hypothermia he what he has been trying to do.

He's been trying to stretch his body to the limits and Many of us will look at somebody like this and say I wish I had that kind of willpower Right.

They can run for miles on end, or they can run very, very fast.

And many of us think to ourselves, I wish I had that kind of willpower.

Many of us will see people who can study books for long periods of time.

Many of the students know what I'm talking about and when it comes down to their study Every 5 minutes they have to keep taking a mental break And we say to ourselves.

I wish I had that kind of willpower People here are able to listen to an entire sermon that a no can do preaches without falling asleep and we say I wish I had That kind of willpower.

I Don't understand how brother Scott can stay awake the whole church service.

He's got willpower But here's the thing to understand.

David Blaine actually recently attempted something.

And We would say that person's got willpower especially because he was hung up by this crane in a in a glass box and People were taking hamburgers and Eating hamburgers right right where he could see trying to make him give up 44 days he stretched his body to the limit and did not eat any food By the time he came out.

He's very emaciated And we would say this person has a lot of willpower But now the truth is about to be spoken David Blaine was actually interviewed by a couple of authors Who talked to him about?

His physical feet this strength this thing that took place and they talked to him and they're like How in the world were you able to suppress your appetite for?

44 days Straight without going crazy when people were eating a bunch of food.

They were taunting you trying to make you give up Where did you get that kind of willpower?

Well, he writes how he cultivated that kind of ability But what is so interesting Is what he writes or what he says afterwards in the interview.

This is very interesting He says these things In their book willpower rediscovering the greatest human strength Roy by maester and John Tierney interviewed Blaine to try to understand if not why he develops the discipline to accomplish these Amazing feats of endurance to see if there are lessons that normal people.

That's you and me Can learn from him to strengthen their own self-control?

But to me the most important part he's rights of this extended interview was what he said after When he explained to them his methods He says this When it comes to doing these kinds of things I exercise a lot of self-control He says this I don't over indulge but ready for this As soon as I am done with the event, I go to the opposite extreme Where I have no self-control He continues and it seems to spread through everything After a stunt I'll go from 180 pounds to 230 pounds in 3 months He says you're catching me at a time when I'm the opposite of Disciplined I'll eat perfectly for 10 days and then eat like a maniac for 20.

And when I'm ready to train again, I'll get really serious.

I'll drop 3 pounds a week, stay consistent.

But then afterwards, he says, I will lose all my discipline.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to understand something.

When we're looking at individuals like this and we say with these people can exercise a lot Of willpower what we do not understand about Some of the most amazing people in this world who seem to have some extraordinary mental strength is this Everybody has certain aspects of their life They are very very gifted at amen And then other aspects they are not gifted in.

And so when we're looking at all these great people and we say, wow, these are amazing people, they can do amazing things, they have this amazing willpower, what we don't understand is that there are other areas in their lives where they have no willpower whatsoever.

You know, you go to somebody and you can say wow they can practice music for 5678 hours They have a lot of willpower I wish I had that willpower but little do we know there are areas in their lives Where they have 0 willpower and What we begin to understand about every single person ladies and gentlemen is that?

Humanity has a broken will Humanity has a broken will After the fall of mankind when Adam and Eve were in the garden meeting and they were tempted by that serpent They placed their will over to Satan.

The will is the fact or the governing agent in decision-making We are the composite of all the decisions we have ever made ever since we were able to consciously make a decision But because of sin our willpower or will is fractured and we have a very difficult time Exercising our will there may well There may be certain areas where we can exercise our will, no problem.

But there may be other areas where we are completely failing in the use of our will.

But what we're going to be discovering today is How God wants to help develop your willpower.

Can you say amen to that now everybody take your Bible And let's go to Philippians Philippians chapter 2 Philippians chapter 2 Galatians Ephesians Philippians collages we're in Philippians chapter 2 Imagine if you had all the willpower in the world to make all the decisions that you wanted to make without struggling.

You think I'd be able to do this and that.

I'd be able to be more obedient to God in this area or that area and you would just think if I had no struggle whatsoever and I could exercise my will what a different life I would have.

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New Year Results

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