Thank You for connecting with us and allowing us to share some of our thoughts and stories with you each month. We will continue to pray for you as we all journey forward together.
We want to wish you the Happiest & Best Year Ever and give you a word of encouragement at the start of this Brand New Year!
40 years ago this month on a chilly winter’s Sunday afternoon in St. Louis, standing in line at our monthly “Pot-Bless Luncheon” after church, Jill & I officially met each other! 🙂 Three years later we were married and began our new life together, with no clue as to all the twists and turns our path would take, but knowing in our hearts Jesus would be with us every step of the way.
Fast forward a few decades, WE ARE STILL HERE, thanks to God’s mercy and grace, and have learned many lessons about life, love, & patience. (Just a little trivia for you!)
As we were reading this week from a treasured devotional, it was confirmed once again that the Lord wants to do far beyond all we can ask or even imagine(Ephesians 3:20), and to begin this New Year with positive expectations. We say a big AMEN to that!
Each January we take time out to pray, dream and set a course for the New Year. It’s such a great time for a “Re-Start” – to step back, reassess our lives, make some new goals or adjust some former ones, and look forward to a brand new year with hope and expectancy.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at MY GOAL, but I press on
to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of me. (Philippians 3:12 NIV)
Have you ever sat down and written out a list of goals, desires or dreams to accomplish? The scripture encourages us to wait before the Lord and hear from Him, but then to take the next step and write down what God tells you.
Write the vision and make it plain on tablets (Habakkuk 2:2)
It’s one thing to have dreams in your heart, but to take it to the next level it’s best to write them down. This begins adding some meat to the bones of those dreams and desires!
But have you ever written down your goals, and not referred back to them until the end of that year? Then you find yourself saying, O Right!I forgot about that one. And that one. And THAT one!, and you get a little discouraged with all the things you DIDN’T accomplish? We certainly have!
However we have also learned and continue learning the difference between our part and God’s part in seeing dreams come to pass.
This is the place where many people’s dreams get derailed ~expecting the Lord to do everything for them, when He many times is waiting for US to do something WITH Him.
The Bible says we are co-workerswith Christ, and the Holy Spirit is the Helper, Not The Do-er. He comes along side to help US do the things the He has placed in our hearts. (1 Corinthians 3:9, John 14:26)
Our responsibility is to hear from God, pray over what He has said to do, then get busy working on the tasks He has given us.
God won’t do our part, and we certainly can’t do HIS part.
Here are a few practical things to do with your GGGs (God-Given Goals)
Write down exactly what you desire to see happen.
Establish WHY this is important to you – what’s your motivation?
Look at them DAILY or at least Weekly to help yourself stay focused.
Pray over them regularly and speak out the end result with expectancy.
Do something deliberate TODAY (& everyday) in line with your Goals.
Create some deadlines to accomplish them by.
Find someone to hold you accountable to those deadlines and to help you get there.
Be grateful to God for everything He has done and is doing in your life.
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
(Habakkuk 2:3 NLT)
Stay in touch with your GGGs, dreams & desires. Continue taking one step at a time towards them. In this New Year, Start Strong, Stay Strong, and 2015 can be the best year of your life, despite how your past has played out. You Can Do This!
Praying for your best year ever,
P.S. Click Here to download a FREE tool to help you accomplish three goals this year!
