Resolved

These are inspired by the seventy resolutions made by Puritan, Jonathan Edwards.  I place them here for God’s glory and for my benefit.

Knowing that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly ask Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these resolutions. May they all be agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake and the advancement of His word: 

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever to God’s glory – without thought of the time or difficulty I may meet in doing it. (1)

2. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can. (5)

3. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live. (2, 6, 17, 22, 27, 30, 41, 45, 51)

4. Resolved, never to do anything I would not do if it was my last hour before going home to the Lord. (7, 19)

5. Resolved, when I feel pain – physical or emotional – I will think of the pain of the martyrs, and that of those in hell. (10)

6. Resolved, if I take pride, or vanity, in something – it needs to be gone. (Both the “something” and the vanity!) (12)

7. Resolved, never to do any thing with a motive of revenge. (14)

8. Resolved, never to react with anger toward irrational beings. (15)

9. Resolved, never to speak ill of one with intent to dishonor them. (16)

10. Resolved, to maintain temperance in both eating and drinking. (20, 40)

11. Resolved, to not do any thing that I would despise in another. (21)

12. Resolved, when I do something harmful or mean, I will trace it back to the original cause and strive to not allow myself to that place again. I will fight and pray with all my might to mortify that sin. (24)

13. Resolved, I will not lift a prayer that I know is not in God’s will and I will not make an insincere, unacceptable, confession to God. (29)

14. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, that I will feel myself growing in its knowledge. (28 )

15. Resolved, to rid myself of things that cause me to doubt the love of God or my salvation through His Son. (25, 26)

16. Resolved, never to speak behind ones back. If I have call to rebuke, admonish, or train a fellow believer, it will be only in Christ’s love and not in my own spirit. (16, 31, 36)

17. Resolved, to try my hardest to not act in ways not in accordance to the Fruit of the Spirit. (47)

18. Resolved, to never act as if I were in any way my own, but entirely & altogether God’s – agreeable to only His will. (43)

19. Resolved, never to give up the fight of mortifying my sin nature. (24, 25, 51, 56)

20. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to be “out of order”, or the least bit uneasy, I will subject myself to the strictest examination of the Holy Spirit before taking any actions. (60)

21. Resolved, during and after trials, to seek to learn how I am the better by them, and what God has for me in them. (67)

22. Resolved, to confess to myself those flaws known to me, and to confess the whole case to God, seeking His guidance and help. (68 )

23. Resolved, if I ever fall, or grow dim and neglect any part of these resolutions, to repent of all I can remember and to return to being resolved when I come to myself again. (3)