How to keep our New Year’s resolutions: Seven science-based strategies and three biblical principles
The Daily Article
The Denison Forum
4.9 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2019
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
THE DAILY ARTICLE FOR DECEMBER 31, 2019
Science offers seven ways to strengthen our New Year's resolutions. Today's podcast discusses these ideas and adds three biblical principles to redeem our challenges for God's glory and our good.
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Today, it’s challenging not to think about what 2020 may hold, but I know one fact will remain true: “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:8). Because he is in control, we can confidently yet compassionately seek to change the culture for his glory and our culture’s good.
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The Daily Article is a daily biblical commentary on the news of the day by Dr. Jim Denison.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the Daily Article podcast, published by the Denison Forum for Culture-Changing Christians. |
| 0:07.8 | To receive the Daily article directly to your email inbox each weekday morning, visit |
| 0:12.5 | thedailyarticle.com. Now here's today's news, discerned differently. |
| 0:19.7 | Today is the last day for year-end giving so that your gift will be doubled up to a grand |
| 0:25.0 | total of $175,000 and for you to deduct it from your 2019 taxes. Plus, please know that your |
| 0:33.1 | year-end gifts are vital to ministries like, and will position us well for the roads that |
| 0:38.4 | lay before us in 2020. Give now at daily article.org. We can blame or thank the Babylonians. |
| 0:49.6 | Four thousand years ago, they began a 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, in which they focused |
| 0:56.0 | on celebrating the coming of the new year. During this festival, they made promises to the |
| 1:01.2 | gods to pay their debts and return objects they had borrowed. If they kept these promises, |
| 1:07.5 | their gods would favor them, or so they believed. If they did not, they would face the |
| 1:13.3 | god's wrath. From the ancient Babylonians, we inherited the tradition of making New Year's resolutions, |
| 1:19.9 | though without the fear of divine judgment, I presume. Researchers say about 60% of us make resolutions each new year. |
| 1:30.3 | That's a remarkable figure. |
| 1:32.3 | It's higher than the percentage of Americans who vote in presidential elections, |
| 1:36.3 | or the percentage of Americans ages 18 and older who are married. |
| 1:41.3 | However, researchers report that only about 8% of us are successful at keeping |
| 1:46.1 | the resolutions we make. How can we do better? Here are seven science-based strategies. |
| 1:52.5 | Pick a theme for your new year based on what changes would make you happiest, then develop habits |
| 1:57.9 | during the year to fulfill it, enhance habits by habits by identifying what motivates them and finding better ways to meet that underlying need. |
| 2:06.6 | Begin forming a habit by working on it for only two minutes, then gradually increase your commitment. |
| 2:13.6 | Identify a positive intrinsic reward, such as renewed energy or a feeling of peace, to reinforce |
... |
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