We are nearing the end of the first month of the year and I am going to do my best to keep us all on track all 2019 because I can’t afford to look back and have regrets about what I should have done.  If we are going to receive all that God has set before us in 2019 we must be diligent, and free from distractions.

 This year there will be people, events, and things that compete for your attention. They will try to take you away from the things that the lord has called you to in this season…and honestly they may not all be bad, in fact some of them will be good. But if it’s not a God thing, then its not a great thing.

 This year were choosing diligence over distractions.  An excellent example comes from Nehemiah chapter 6. Nehemiah begins building a wall in the city that his family formerly resided in. If you read the chapters before, scripture references that it was on his heart to do it, so we can assume he felt called to that. Well of course when certain people found out that he was seeking to bring prosperity to this city by rebuilding the wall they were very displeased. So much so that they sent people to try to entice him to leave the wall over and over again so that it would not be completed, but Nehemiah’s response was always the same. “I am doing a great work, I cannot come down.” Wow, so simple, yet so profound. Imagine what we could get done if we had this response when distractions came calling.

 Maybe you are called to be a stay at home mom and it isn’t quite as glamorous as you thought it would be, or maybe you are supposed to be starting a business and the difficulty of it all makes you want to give up.  Either way, you too are building something great. People are depending on your commitment and diligence to your assignment. Whether or not people feel that what were doing is worthy, if we believe God has called us to it, then we are to do it.

 I gave this some thought and in an effort to eliminate distractions, I created two lists. On the left side I made the first list. I wrote down what God has called me to do and on the right side I  listed the things that kept/keep me from doing them. For example, one of the things I feel called to is writing. The thing that keeps me from it is social media/talking on the phone. Basically, being fake busy, because nothing I’m doing on social media is that important. As I took a hard look at what I was doing i decided that when I am tempted to talk or scroll all day on social media I must remind myself of what Nehemiah said. I have wasted countless hours getting sucked into something I only intended to do for a few minutes. If we do not jealousy guard our time and our hearts we will let in things and people that will break our focus. Nehemiah’s words need to be our mantra. “I am doing a good work and cannot come down.”

Every year I make New Year resolutions/ goals that I want to achieve. They kind of provide a roadmap to my year. I’m happy to report that last year I met 75% of my goals. There were a few places that I fell short and so I rolled them over to this year and committed to being more disciplined so I can get them done. One of my personal goals this year is to dream bigger. Well I started dreaming so big that I realized I couldn’t do half the stuff I put on my list.  

So this year in an effort to be intentional about dreaming bigger but also to acknowledge my limitations so that I’m not disappointed at the end of the year, I decided to separate my goals into God goals and personal Goals. My personal Goals are things that I can do that I have personal control over. My God goals are things that God has to do because I cannot make them happen.

 God goals are important because they take the pressure off me and put it back on God because he can handle it. Andy Stanley once said that our dreams should be so big that we know we can’t do it without God. The phrase he used was “God if you don’t, it won’t. As in God if you don’t do it, it won’t happen.” So, to be clear, My God goals are the things that I need him to show up in my life and do because only he can. I have to do my part and be obedient but the rest is an exercise of trust.

 I challenge you to evaluate your goals and do the same. Take the pressure off you.  When you set unattainable goals you’re going to be disappointed when you fail to achieve them. An example of a God goal would be me wanting to have a paid speaking engagement in 2019. Well, I really have no control over whether or not people are going to ask me or even pay me to come speak.  So If God doesn’t do it then it won’t happen. My personal goals should support my God goals… so I can continue to blog and learn new information so that when the opportunity presents itself I’m prepared.

 I do the work and I put my faith in God. I align my goals with his will for my life ( read 1 john 5:14). I plant the seeds for my God goals through the work and effort I put into my personal goals. Then I sit back and wait on it to manifest. What I sew, I reap. In the kingdom of God there is no such thing as investments that yield no return. When my personal goals honor my God goals I don’t have to question whether or not they will come to pass. What are your God goals? Are they so big that if God doesn’t do them then they won’t happen? Have you sought to align them with his will for your life so your success is guaranteed? (Read proverbs 16:3) If not, pray over your goals and let’s get started! God has so much in store for us in 2019!

I have been opinionated most of my life. I seriously don’t ever remember not having something to say. I was always very strong in my convictions and never scared to share them, and for most of my life it has served me well. However, as I have grown older and wiser, I have realized that Its more important to me to have meaningful things to say versus just speaking to be heard. And It is more important to say what God says over what I think.

 I know all of us have read about idols in the bible. Everything from people worshipping statutes to trees and animals. The term idol can be broadly defined, but it is a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved or revered. Well guess what? I realized that I had made an idol out of my own opinion. You didn’t even think that was possible did you? I respected my opinion so much that I was always giving it, assuming that it was right. I always felt like people should want it because I was so wise lol… But more importantly, I began to esteem it over the way God says to do things.

 Ladies, if you are anything like me you know we are guilty of this at times. We want the best for people so we share our opinion, we tell them what we would do if we were them. We tell our boyfriends and husbands what they should do and when they don’t do it or receive our advice, we nag them to death. This doesn’t make for great relationships. Trust me. I have failed at a few.

 Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that we should discount the things we know, or dismiss the unction of the holy spirit. However, I am saying that we can be mindful of what we share, how we share and when we share. I feel very honored that God has chosen to reveal things to me, and I feel that in most areas he has given me good judgement and principles by which I live my life. However, I think sometimes we can let our life be our opinion. We don’t always have to tell people. We can show them. We also have to come to terms with the fact that sometimes people have to learn the hard way and we can’t always save them. We have to trust that God has made provision for mistakes too and those are a part of the plan as well.

 If we notice something wrong or out of order in a person’s life our first response should be to pray for them. Then, ask God if he would have you say something and if the answer is yes, he will tell you what to say. God may be showing you just so you can pray. Your response should honor God. Everything we do in life should give glory to God. We exist to worship him. John 7:18 says “Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth, there is nothing false about him.” Let this be your standard the next time you open your mouth to give your opinion. We should only be speaking if what we are saying honors God, otherwise we have nothing worth listening to.