Every year, I like to think about what it is I'd like to accomplish in the twelve months I am given. Without goals, without direction, I am allowing my life to be "left to chance," so to speak. And while I don't believe in "chance," what I do believe is that I must live a life of PURPOSE, a life ON PURPOSE, or I will spend an entire year doing day-to-day activities, never accomplishing anything more than what I'd accomplish on any given day.
I must do MORE than that.
Why?
For one thing, I'm a Child of God. I, like all of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, in Jehovah, have been Called and Set Apart for a Purpose. I am not one who was meant to "spin my wheels" or "wander aimlessly" on this planet--I HAVE BEEN CALLED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I say that, but though I believe this 100%, it is ultimately UP TO ME to fulfill my end of the obligation. For instance, I have been Called, yes. But if I do not GO, if I do not DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, then I am worse than someone who never knew they were Called in the first place. Why? Because I'm refusing to heed, to obey, to fulfill the Call our Lord has Commissioned me to do.
I am passionate about this.
MAXIMUM IMPACT: This phrase keeps going over and over in my spirit. I do not want to spend my coming year having only a MARGINAL or PARTIAL IMPACT. I want a life of Excellence. My DREAM, my HOPE, is that Christ is able to say of me, as Jehovah did of Job, "See that girl? She's MY kid. She loves me. My hand is upon her. And no matter what comes her way? She still loves me."
I love Him with all of my heart, mind, and soul!
In addition to being a Child of The Most High God, bought and redeemed by the blood sacrifice of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am a Project Gideon Alum. I am proud of that fact. I have been discipled by one of our generation's most inspirational spiritual leaders, Follower of Christ, Man of God: Bishop T.D. Jakes. God has allowed me to sit under this man's ministry, his mentoring, and I have been exponentially bettered because of it. With his help, I have allowed myself to BELIEVE and WALK IN the truths I've been taught. I now truly believe, and encourage others of Like Faith to believe, that "the sky is the limit"! Our God made the sky, this "Earth is the Lord's and the Fullness thereof"! It's His, all of it! If He says, "Look up! It's yours, my child!", then IT IS MINE!!!
When I look back on my life, even to childhood, I KNOW that God put within me a desire to continuously grow, develop, learn. My journey on this earth is one of PROGRESSION. That doesn't mean I don't fight fear or self-doubt, because I do sometimes. I am human, and the enemy loves to remind me of "how human" I really am, how limited, how UNABLE I am in my own eyes. Did you catch that? "IN MY OWN EYES"?
But with Christ, I AM ABLE, I AM CAPABLE. IN CHRIST, THERE ARE NO LIMITS!
And I refuse, in the coming months, the coming years, to believe anything else.
God WILL accomplish that which He has ordained for my life. It will happen. I am willing and able to do what He has asked. And no matter what He requires, I will HOLD TO THE WORD: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me!"
Friends, I am not only writing this just as a Declaration of Faith for My Coming Year. I am writing this in the hope that it inspires you, too! Are you a Child of God!?! THEN YOU, TOO, ARE MORE THAN ABLE, COMPETENT, TO DO ALL HE HAS CALLED YOU TO DO!
Yes, I am a proud Child of God, a Follower of Christ, and a Project Gideon Alum. I am also a proud member of my local church, Poteau First Assembly, where I serve Christ in ministry under my Senior Pastor, Keith Williams, and First Lady, Cathy Williams. When I look back over my personal journey in the last 19 years I've been there, I cannot EXPRESS to you how vitally important they have been. They believed in me, in my journey, when many did not. They have spoken and sung the Word of God over me, despite what "appeared" to be Truth at the time. God divinely placed me here, in this town, and He divinely led me to this church body. I would NOT be the person of faith that I am today without their prayers, their devotion, their stubbornness to believe that "God's Will Would Out" in me.
As I go forward, I am fully aware that none of this would have been possible without divinely ordained friendships, my family, my parents and my grandparents. Too, every person who I've ever attended church with, including teachers who taught me God's Word before I could write paragraphs, has profoundly impacted my walk of faith!
I am thankful, so ETERNALLY THANKFUL, for this journey God has given me.
That's why I want to MAKE HIM PROUD in the time that remains.
(Who's ready to join me in this?)
