What you and I do in 2019, how we end our year, what we achieve externally, will first be achieved internally. We will not achieve greater things if we do not grow larger in our spirits. And this must be done day by day, week by week.
Champions are not made in the middle of the game, but in the middle of practice for the game. What we see in the visible is first apprehended in the invisible. In a football game, what we see visible on the field is the result of hundreds of practice hours that are invisible to us…but were achieved by people who were fully committed to becoming better players and athletes.
Paul said, “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 took hold of me” (Phil 3:12 NIV).
What Jesus did in the spiritual realm becomes visible in the physical realm as I pursue Him. This must be our primary goal for 2019.
Conduct a realistic review of your life. What is the actual state of your spiritual, physical and mental health? Make an honest decision to move toward action in the areas you need to strengthen.
Muscles don’t happen overnight. They are the result of time, effort, planning and stamina. Your emotional and spiritual muscles need the same thing, so start corrections now to have results this year.
This is key: Large victories are the result of a series of small decisions.
What you feed becomes stronger, so feed good habits. Create a personal atmosphere of leaning into God, a behavioral response what will sustain you when the storms hit this year. Storms will hit and they will hit hard. (The Book of James promises that.) But your enlarged spirit is large enough to take the hit and keep charging.
Paul said, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). Discipline is an internal commitment with external results.
Build a daily ritual and stick to it. You will feel better and your attitude will be more positive. Get up thirty minutes early, read your Bible, pray, do a physical workout, write two positive texts to friends, and so on. Build habits that build your life.
Remember, your life is not about your present circumstances. Those will change, but how you conduct your life throughout the circumstances comes from developing and practicing spiritual habits that connect with God…habits of godly response.
You are going to crush 2019…by His strength.
