I am ALL IN for 2015. I am committed to make this the very best year it can possibly be. That, of course, is one big and scary commitment!

Photo Credit: Public Domain via Pixabay edited by MiltonFriesen.com

So if it is a big and scary commitment, why do it? Because I really believe that God has called each of us to be more this year than we were last year. It is called growth. Growth is not always easy. Stretching can be painful. But the purpose God has created me for, continues.

And God is still working on redeeming me for an expanded work in His Kingdom. That compels me to commit to that journey. That word is true for you too. Because all of us are called to be partners with God in making His will done on earth as it is in heaven.

The foundation for my conviction that we need to step up and make this the best year ever, is rooted in these simple truths.

God created each of us for a purpose

I believe that each of us were created for a purpose! And we were gifted with the talents and passions to fulfill that purpose. And we are continuously being equipped and empowered to fulfill that purpose.

Each of us were created uniquely. And each of our specific purposes is different. Even if the over all purpose of glorifying God’s name on earth remains the same. And the clearer we get on that purpose, the more effective we will be in fulfilling it. If we don’t, God’s will remains unfulfilled on earth.

We have an enemy that seeks to destroy us

Just don’t be surprised when you face obstacles that seem hard or even almost impossible. We do have an enemy. He is first of all God’s enemy. And because He is against God and everything God stands for, He is also against us, and against the purposes for which God created us.

And sometimes, the enemy uses other people to discourage us, distract us, and try to derail us. Those people are often our friends and families. That happens in areas where we still believe lies. Don’t get mad at your friends when that happens to you.

Recognise that we all believe lies, sometimes the enemy even has enough influence in our lives so he can use us against our friends just like he uses our friends against us.

We continue to be transformed

That is one reason it is so important that we continue to renew our minds with God’s truth. And as we continue to renew our minds, we continue to be transformed. You become a person with a clearer sense of who God made you to be. You get set free by the truth. And you recognise grace more with every revelation of truth.

The person you became last year was good enough for last year. Let last year be. But this year, God is calling us into the next level of transformation. New truths that will free us to greater partnership with Him in 2015. The cool thing is, God desires this partnership with you even more than you do.

God’s grace is sufficient

And because God’s eyes are already searching the whole earth for people on whose behalf He can show Himself powerful, He already prepared a new covenant for us. A covenant based on His faithfulness, not ours. A covenant that is ready for you to embrace it. A covenant by which He promises to forgive us our sins when we confess them. A covenant where He promises to send us His Spirit to live through us.

And His Spirit will work in us to will and do according to His purposes. And He will replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and He will write His laws on our hearts. And His Spirit causes us to walk in righteousness. All this in a covenant promise that is based on His faithfulness, not ours. Yes, His grace is sufficient. Abundantly so!

It takes faith to please God

It takes faith to please God though. Faith to embrace the forgiveness Christ offers. Faith to take hold of that covenant of freedom that the Holy Spirit works in us. And faith to move towards the dreams God has placed on our hearts.

When I do goal setting, I think of that as an exercise of faith. But it is only that if the goals we set are moving us towards the purposes God intended for us. If they do, we can trust God to supernaturally help us and empower us to work towards them. If our goals don’t do that, then we are labouring in vain, building a house God is not building.

In living our best life we overcome

God supernaturally empowering us doesn’t mean there won’t be obstacles though. In fact, He empowers us BECAUSE there are obstacles and an enemy bent on destroying us and everything that is God’s. God’s blessing doesn’t mean a life of ease.

Many people tend to think of their best life as a life where everything they wish for, just magically and easily happens. Truth is, that would be a life without purpose. Trust me, the best life we will ever live is a life where we are overcoming obstacles with God. That isn’t always a life of ease. It takes faith. But that is a life where you will find the peace of God that transcends understanding.

We are kingdom ambassadors

So if you are simply drifting though life without standing up for any of God’s purposes and plans for your life, you can be sure you are not pleasing God. Some people believe that God’s will automatically happens, so what they do doesn’t matter. That is simply not true.

We are ambassadors of God’s kingdom and purposes here on earth. And, surrendered to God’s will and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we usher in God’s will into our lives and the lives of people around us. God has chosen to bring redemption to the world through His church. And we get to be part of that awesome mission.

Determine to agree with God

Pleasing God is this cross between an all out fight and an incredible rest. It is syncing up our plans with His purposes. And then we find that His yoke is easy to bear. It is an everyday battle, that is already won in history.

It is not a struggle against sin, but a battle to renew our identity in Christ through the Holy Spirit. And by faith we bring Christ’s existing victory over evil, into our everyday world. It is bringing the spiritual victory of Christ into the world around us through truth. A truth that already exists and we simply need to agree with, by faith.

I have a simplistic definition of humility. Humility is agreement with God. If God says you have what it takes, humility agrees. To say, “no, but my tongue is too heavy,” is just as much an arrogant statement as claiming to have no sin. We often pretend false humility by putting ourselves down. That is a form of arrogance.

Making 2015 our best year ever needs to start in humility; in agreement with God’s pupose for our lives; in acceptance of God’s gifting in our lives; and faith of God’s provision towards that end.

Make 2015 your best year ever! It is God’s invitation to you, for a purpose filled life.

Man, I keep writing long articles… Congrats for finishing this one!