Are you excited about another New Year? Wondering how to make it your Best Year Ever?

I want to ask you three short but powerful questions:

What do you believe – no matter what?
What do you do – no matter what?
 Who are you determined to become – no matter what?

The most important words in each question are the same: no matter what.  And the progression of the questions is intentional, too.

Believe. Do. Become.

Your character — and therefore your destiny — unfolds in precisely that order.What you believe forms the foundation of everything else you will ever think, do or say.

First and foremost, of course, is what you believe about God.  Notice I didn’t say “whether or not you believe He exists.”   I’m assuming you believe that since you are reading my words right now.  And you’d be unlikely to do so if we didn’t have faith in common.

But what do you believe about God? Do you believe He’s actively involved in your daily affairs?  That He is pro-actively working all things together for your good, because He loves you and called you for a specific purpose?

Or do you believe He’s a passive observer?  Maybe you even believe that God is sitting on His throne befuddled by the mess you’ve made, declaring “Well, I did have a good plan for that girl but now, after everything she’s done, there’s no way I can bring it to pass.”

Put differently:  Do you believe God is bigger than your mistakes?  Or have you believed the lie that your mistakes are bigger than Him?

Do you believe God is for you?

Because if you truly believe that, then you know nothing is impossible.  

If God is for you — no matter what.
And God can do the impossible — no matter what.
Then ALL things are possible for you — no matter what!

Now let me jump to the final question before coming back to the messy one in the middle.  Who are you determined to become — no matter what?   

We’ve already established that anything is possible.  So now you have permission — an open invitation — to dream big because you are loved by the God of the impossible.The bible tells us plainly that without a vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18).   We can read that verse in more ways than one.  Because there’s more than one type of death.  There are those among us who are, in many ways, the walking dead. 

If we’re honest, we all have had seasons in our lives when we’ve felt much the same way.We may be going through the motions, but the faith, hope and love that should energize our lives seems to be in short supply.

A Vision for the New Year

Without a vision, coupled with an absolute determination to press toward it — to press and keep on pressing, no matter what — without that, a vital part of us will die a little every day.

Fifteen years ago, when God first gave me a revelation on this, I wrote the book,Becoming the Woman I Want to Be, which dives deeper into these issues.   I recognized that, every day, I was either fully alive, fully engaged and pressing on toward the prize — or missing out on God’s highest and best will for my life.

I realized that receiving from God a clear and vivid picture of His original design for my life — and then holding onto that vision with both hands and all my heart — was a sacred trust. 

God's Part. Your Part.

God had a part.  And I had a part.

God’s part?  Handcrafting me in my mother’s womb.  Setting me apart from birth.  Blessing me with irrevocable gifts and a calling.

My part?  To bring the absolute determination to walk into the fullness of that calling and to demonstrate the maximum expression of those gifts.  No matter what.  

When I fall short.  Even when I fall flat on my face — as I’ve done many times — God will pick me up and invite me to ‘get back in the game.’   But I have to make the choice to step back up to the plate one more time.

The same is true for you.

What If You Stumble in The New Year?

In the coming year, you will stumble and fall.  At those moments, you’ll have to decide what to do.  Get up or give up.  God gives you the freedom to choose. Now we come to the messy middle.  And honestly, this is where most of us miss it, including me:  What do you do, no matter what?

The only difference among God’s children is our answer to this critical question.  He loves us all.  He has a destiny for each one.  We have ALL been gifted and called according to His purpose.  The full power and authority of our loving Father — the God of the impossible — is available in equal measure to every believer. Yet, truth be told, most of God’s kids settle for far less.

Of course, no one wakes up and says, “I think I’ll settle for less than God’s best.  I want to stumble through heaven’s gates empty-handed, having nothing of eternal value to lay at Jesus’ feet as I kneel before the Throne.”

No one says that.  No one.
No one consciously decides that.  No one.
Not me.  Not you.

Daily Decisions Will Decide Your New Year

Our Daily Decisions decide it for us.

Our Christian character and Kingdom contribution are shaped by one thing and one thing only: what we do daily, no matter what. The Holy Spirit stands ready and able to transform you, more and more, into the image of Jesus.  But the process — what theologians call sanctification — requires your full cooperation.  

Again, the Christian life is a partnership.  God has a part, which we cannot do.  We have a part, which He will not do. 
God won’t drag you out of bed at a decent hour so you can have your quiet time.
He won’t turn off your television.
He won’t log out of your social media accounts.
He won’t cancel your Netflix subscription.
He won’t read the Bible on your behalf.

He could. But he won’t.

The only way to close the gap between all God has for you and your current experience is to change your answer to all three questions, but especially that messy one in the middle.

The one that stands in between what you believe and who you actually become:  What do you DO — no matter what?

It would be good for you to grab a piece of paper and make a list of what you already do each day – both good and bad habits.  Then evaluate:  how many of the things I do each day are moving me closer to the person I truly want to become?

Then make another list of godly habits you are committed to cultivating in the New Year.

Some examples might include:

I awake before anyone else in my household to spend time in God’s presence first thing each morning — no matter what. 

I read His Word before reading anything else.  Before text messages, before Facebook or Instagram, before checking the news or the weather app — no matter what.

I could continue, but I’m sure you get the idea.

This can be a year of divine acceleration.

It can be the year when you receive from God more than you previously dared to ask or imagine.

Our God is willing and able.
You ARE able!
Are you willing?

Commit right now to 3 things you will do daily — no matter what.  Also, be sure to join me as we kick off the New Year with my free class, 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever

>>  Click Here to Register Now <<

Love & Prayers, 

~ Donna 

You might also enjoy my popular Self-Management Forms.

If one of your goals for the coming year is to write a book, be sure to check out my free guide, “10 Steps to Write Your Book in Just Days. “

If you plan to read through the Bible, be sure to check out my free video on How To Get the Most Out of Bible Reading.