In the previous article, I outlined the promises of God for this year. Why is it essential for us to know the promises of God? It leads and directs us on the path He has already established for us. We can be confident that He goes before us. Once we take action, we will receive what God has for us.

Strategic Positioning

Our first act must be to position ourselves in Him. Positioning is all about our relationship with Him. Deliberate actions must be taken to build that relationship. It is not a quick thing. Not something achieved in a day. Lots of time must be spent expressing our love for our Heavenly Father.

³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

~ Matthew 6:30-33 (NKJV)

He provides for everyone, especially His children. Even the unjust receive the sunlight and rain from our Heavenly Father. To receive the fullness of what He has requires a relationship. Parents give to their children. Bosses give to their workers. People do not readily give to a stranger. There must be a connection. Some sort of relationship. The reward of our relationship with God will firstly be our love for Him and our neighbors (Mark 12:29-31). Love that is expressed through our obedience to His words.

You must also acknowledge that He has already equipped you with all you need. The gifts and talents are already in you. You must also rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You need the Divine Counselor on your journey. We can learn our lesson from the first generation of the Israelite nation. The children of Israel would have been the greatest nation on earth. There would never exist before them, or after them, a greater nation. When they were freed from slavery in Egypt, God set them up for success. He rewarded them with the wealth of their slave masters. He also promised them further wealth. A land rich in resources. It was fertile. Filled with large houses, orchards, a large variety of fruits, vineyards, and fields filled with crops. He also promised them the gold and silver of the many nations that inhabited it, and much more. Unfortunately, they became fearful when they saw the giants they had to overcome to conquer the land (Numbers 10-12). Their lack of faith prevented them from receiving God’s promise. God did everything to prepare them for the battle to conquer the Promised Land. He revealed himself through signs and wonders. He showed his shekinah glory. He sent an angel to lead them along the way. Yet they failed to understand. They kept complaining and murmuring. It took 40 years before their children received the promise. (see Deuteronomy)

Finishing Strong

God wants us to receive all that He has in store for us. This need not be another year of failures. To guarantee your success, the Lord gave me these powerful keys that will allow you to see continuous success.

1. Break with old habits. Recognize that the current path leads to destruction. Your decisions. Your actions have slowly been eroding your life. The current habits have contributed to your stagnancy. Right now, resolve to change.
2. Ask God to release you from all bondages. Poverty, self-sabotage, hurt, rejection, bitterness, offenses, and everything that has kept you going through cycles of failure. Everything that has caused you to repeatedly look back in the past with regret, guilt, shame, or sadness. He will release you from them.
3. Decide to become the person God has called you to be.
   1. Get a vision of who you are in Christ and the future He has for you. Ask God to show you who He has called you to be. His vision is FAR greater than anything we can imagine. Anything we can hope for.
   2. Accept that success is a journey. Not a destination. Neither is it quick and easy. Success is more than material wealth. As important as that is. It can leave you empty and very unhappy. Define your success by the joy, peace, and happiness you feel as you undertake your journey. Measure success by the quality of relationships you have developed.
4. Become disciplined.
   1. Focus on getting results. Ideas are good. Results are better! Ideas lack value if they are not nurtured and grown. God always gives us an idea that contains our blessing. A business starts with an idea. An invention starts with an idea. Everything around you was an idea. The chair you sit in. The car you drive. These are ideas brought to life. These ideas are seeds. God always uses the principle of the seed. He normally gives us a seed. When you plant the seed, it unlocks many other opportunities. For example, Bishop TD Jakes was counseling women who were dealing with tragedies that negatively affected their lives. As he examined the issues they faced, God gave him a sermon.
      The sermon radically impacted many lives. From that sermon came a book. The book became a national bestseller. That spawned an annual conference. The conference became a movie franchise. The very first movie allowed him to partner with Devon Franklin, a young minister of the gospel and Sony Executive. That collaboration has led to the creation of an independent film-making company. It also opened the door for more Christian-based movies to go mainstream in theaters. Movie houses saw the profits and wanted in on the action. They became open to Christian films being shown in theaters. The principle of the seed holds true. A seed must be planted to produce a tree. A tree nurtured and watered will bear lots of fruit. Very often we want the tree before we have planted and watered the seed. And nurtured the sampling as it grows into a tree. Only a mature tree will yield a harvest.
   2. Set targets and meet them. You must determine what you want to produce for the year. Establish that as your vision for the year. Get pictures to help you stay motivated. Then break that down into monthly attainable goals. From those monthly goals, establish weekly and daily targets.
   3. Be consistent. Take small steps when you start. The small steps will lead to bigger steps. If you are consistent, you will eventually start running. Think of an Olympic athlete, for example, Usain Bolt. We have all been blessed to witness his many Olympic victories. These victories did not happen overnight. They were the result of being consistent. He trained regardless of how he felt. Irrespective of the weather. Each training was rigorous. His body ached and strained as his coach pushed him to be better. After years of relentless training, we saw an explosion of talent on the track field that decimated the competition. Studying or learning new techniques must be approached with this diligence. It is the initial, slow-and-steady pace that will allow us to start running. If we keep pushing, our speed will improve. Eventually, we will become runners.
5. Remove ALL excuses.
   1. Accept responsibility for your future. Only your actions will create the change you desire. “If it is to be. It is up to me.” God places the desire to be successful in our hearts but only we can make it a reality. We must fight for it. He is never going to snap a finger and we become successful. He is not a genie. He gives the vision. he outlines our destiny. We must fight for it. Only your actions can forge the future you desire.
   2. Recognize that God is your ONLY source. Everything comes from Him. Everything else is a resource.
6. Value time. It is the most precious commodity given to man.
   1. God controls time. Work done for Him or time given to worship is never wasted. He will redeem time for you.
   2. Make each moment count. Focus on attaining your goals. Do not waste it. Do not allow anyone to waste your time.
   3. Set aside time for resting and recuperation. You must take time to refresh yourself. God gave us the Sabbath to remind us that a day must be set aside for rest. Resting ensures you perform at your optimal energy and health levels. Constant hard work can shorten our lifespan. We must learn to slow down at times. I am fully convinced that Kathryn Kuhlman, a woman greatly used by God to impact her generation, would have lived longer had she consistently taken time to rest and be restored. After you have faithfully served others. Each day, set aside time to offload your burdens at the foot of the Cross of Jesus Christ. He will give you the solutions and direction you need. Refreshing will come from times in the Presence of the Lord. Likewise, start your day in God’s presence. Seek Him with your whole heart. Let him establish your day.
7. Serve others. To be great, you must love and serve people. Jesus said the greatest among us must be a servant to all. This is how you serve us these guidelines:
   1. Identify and fulfill a need.
   2. Manage your interactions. Do not become a dumping ground for others. Empower and turn them loose. Work with those who are committed to the process.
   3. Do not become someone’s God. Do not become their go-to whenever any little problem comes up. Ensure they are equipped to take on challenges as they arise.
   4. Honor your leaders. God loves honor. We must always be prepared to reciprocate to those who have poured into us.

Now begin to run your race. Only you can change your future.

The end of a thing is better than its beginning;The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.     ~  Ecclesiastes 7:8

“See you at the top”  ~ Zig Ziglar