Set Your Year for Success 2018/5778 New Beginnings Reviewed: Part 2
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Thank you for joining me for Part 2 of this first of the year accountability series, “Set Your Year for Success 2018/5778 New Beginnings Reviewed.” In Part 1, I shared with you about the importance of understanding and maintaining your destiny in Him, and Him alone.
As I shared before, this is a key time for the Body of Christ to set strategic goals for their future. The next seven years will be a time of great increase, but we must do more than just believe it; we must take action steps toward His plans and purposes. Remember that, “faith without works is dead.”
After we define our identity in Him, what follows is purpose and destiny. Follow along with me as I evaluate these below.
What is My Purpose?
Purpose: The reason for which something is done or created, or for which something exists. A motive, that motivates you to action everyday. Your justification for your life.
I pray that each one of you would know your purpose and have a revelation of why God has placed you here on this earth… YOU were created for purpose and destiny!
You see…
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
—Ephesians 2:10
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
—Psalm150:6
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
—Matthew 28:18-20
It’s right here in the Word. These are the promises of those who are walking in right standing with the Lord!
Many of us have spent countless hours in pursuit of ourselves. Have you heard the term, ‘finding myself’? Before I was a Believer I made a lot of mistakes in hope to find myself—life-threatening mistakes. In fact, I literally lost myself in the search. It wasn’t until I came to know Yeshua that I truly began to understand what I was created to do on this planet.
God is our creator. He knew what YOU were called to do from before time began. When we look to Him for identity our true purpose will always be revealed.
Now, let me say this… You cannot preach what you do not own. In other words, practice what you preach. If you are asking God for dominion, authority, prosperity… then you have to own those aspects of your life now. We must be faithful, even in the smallest ways, in order to grow into greater responsibility and maturity.
As God is giving you vision for your bright future, these small action steps each day will help you make giant leaps in the future! Do not despise the day of small beginnings. You must start somewhere. Be brave and daily take a small step of faith toward your biggest dreams.
Daily Decree for Purpose:
I will do my work as unto the Lord. I will dedicate my time, tasks, and activities for the equipping discipleship of all nations. My habits and patterns will reflect that of a disciple. I will teach my family and friends to observe all things according to biblical instruction. I will purpose to redeem that which has been lost in His Kingdom. I am a manager over God’s lost and found department on earth.
What is My Destiny?
We need to understand what destiny actually is…
There is such an entitlement spirit in the world today, where so many people believe that fate has already decided their future.
Destiny: Future events that will happen in your life.
What you do today determines your tomorrow…
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
God wants to bless you! God loves you and He wants YOU to love you. We have to make a conscious plan to love ourselves, to believe in our purpose enough to invest in it.
EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T DESERVE IT! Give yourself mercy when you fail. Celebrate when you succeed! Determine that you will bless yourself, and bless those around you.
Jesus said it this way… “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.”
—William Jennings Bryan
Make a choice today! It’s time to stop waiting on tomorrow. Today is the day to celebrate what God has done and what He will do. When are you going to start enjoying what God has blessed you with? Fear will steal your inheritance and have you trust your life to a bag full of ‘magic’ beans that never grow anything at all.
This year, celebrate your life, your friends, your family, and your congregation.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
—Ephesians 3:20
Celebrate the Lord in your life. Take good care of that relationship. He loves you so much, not one detail in your life goes unnoticed by your heavenly Father.
The Holy Spirit desperately wants to be invited into every aspect of your life. Don’t neglect Him; allow Him to enjoy life with you. He is your best friend. Take care of this friendship; don’t just bombard Him constantly with problems.
Finances and the ability to fund the dreams and visions God gives us is also an important aspect of destiny as we move toward our goals.
Important Red Letter Yeshua Instruction for 2018:
“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.”
—Luke 16:9
Yeshua does not suggest that a person may buy entrance into Heaven—He indicates that one’s stewardship is a valid test of a relationship with God.
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”
—Luke 16:10-12
God tests our fitness to receive the true riches of Heaven by our use of material possessions.
Daily Decree for Destiny:
Today, I will take authority over my destiny by disciplining myself to sow my tithes on time by writing my first check to the Lord as a habit and pattern. I will participate in all the special offerings of the Lord; Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. I will be obedient to all special offerings, alms, and missions. I will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to honor the Lord with the firstfruits of any increase, and I will honor my teachers with terumah. I will never sow a seed in unforgiveness or offense. I will always repent and sow with joy, as the Lord loves a cheerful giver.
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
—Luke 6:38
Three Action Steps to Change Your Life
1) Write a one page, your one year plan, with attainable goals and set dates of completion.
If we don’t have a plan to get done what we need to this year, then we won’t have enough time to accomplish what we are called to do. We must maintain our vision in order to keep us from getting distracted by outside information. If we do not have a game plan for how to deal with opposing forces and obstacles that WILL come, we will miss the mark every time.
Write down what you want to accomplish this year—not five years from now—just focus on the year ahead. Be specific.
Those who will follow this plan will grow exponentially.
2) On a card or device, list your daily scriptures for prayer and proclamation.
I want you to make the decrees above every day. The more often you take these steps, the easier it will get!
Battle in the opposite spirit. Choose different scriptures that undergird areas of weakness with the Word of God so that you’re prepared when obstacles come.
Scripture Examples for common issues…
- If you battle fear:
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
—1 John 4:18
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
—2 Timothy 1:7
- If you are struggling in your finances:
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
—Philippians 4:19
“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”
—Proverbs 10:22
- If you are battling verbal attacks, slander, lies, false accusations:
“‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,’ Says the Lord.”
—Isaiah 54:17
“My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…”
—Isaiah 32:18
- If you are in need of physical healing:
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
—Isaiah 53:5
“So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.”
—Exodus 23:25
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.”
—Jeremiah 17:14
3). Pray with accountability partner once a week.
You cannot do this on your own. One of the most important aspects of overcoming is finding a faithful and trustworthy accountability partner. They need to believe in you and you in them. What you will find in this relationship is that you will encourage one another in times of weakness, and celebrate during times of victory. It will bring focus to your goals and strength to your dreams.
Ready? Get Set…
Now that you have this key to activation, and after you’ve had a chance to lay out your own first of the year plan, we want to just encourage you on the journey!
God is a BIG God! He knows every hair on your head. He knows all the details before you even begin. He knows what obstacles you face, and He knows what fears you must overcome. Set your year for success with Him. He is faithful.
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
—Romans 8:26-28 (MSG)
God bless you on your unique and incredible journey this year! We are so looking forward to hearing all that the Lord is doing in and through each one of you.