1 Peter 1:5-6 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness.
Well done! You’ve made it! We’ve got through a very tough and unprecedented year 2020. As we stand at the horizon of 2021 and hope that the next year would be better than this one, we must remember, our decisions today will determine our success tomorrow. It is not our wishful confessions but meaningful, insightful and purposeful decisions today that will decide the outcome of tomorrow. The important ingredients of turning our decisions into destinations are determination, focus, clean motives, Godly values, specificity, authenticity and discipline. Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. Discipline is not a spiritual gift; it is a trained mind. We cannot pray discipline into our life. We have to train ourselves to orderliness, Godliness and resoluteness. Most new year’s decisions fail, fall apart and are forgotten as we lack self-discipline. Motivational speakers and mentors can give us strategies, plans and ideas but it is our “self” (mind) that must put the ‘bridle of disciple’ on our daily schedule and routine.
Three simple steps to self-discipline:
1. Break: Lethargy, procrastination and disorderliness are like barriers that will make us trip and fall. If the fall is bad we will never recover for the rest of the year. Wrong habits must be broken. Get up when you feel like sleeping-in; do it now, don’t wait for tomorrow – for tomorrow never comes and organise your life, plan your day, week and month. Determination and discipline are the arms that get ‘decision’ on its feet. You cannot pray bad habits away, it must be broken with determination and discipline.
2. Starve: Appetites, unnecessary cravings and unholy hunger must be starved. The only way to strangle ungodly appetites is to starve it. Put a filter over your eyes, ears and mind. The way to wipe out unnecessary images is to stop watching distracting imagery or movies. The way to stop hearing distracting voices is to stop listening to disturbing, destructive or demonic music and the way to break wrong thinking patterns is to meditate on whatever is true, right, pure, noble, lovely, holy, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Stop going to places that will distract and drag you away from your decisions. Turn off the music, shut down the laptop, replace wrong thoughts and stave the appetites that would devour your decisions.
3. Feed: Strengthening core values is as important as starving distracting appetites. Increase activities that would add to your intrinsic value. Read more, pray more, exercise and have a balanced diet. Go to bed on time, rise early, start your day with the Lord and meditate on His Word day and night. Avoid spiritual junk food that gives you heartburn and indigestion. Feed on books, listen to messages and hang out with friends who will accelerate your decision and help you reach your destiny. What we feed on today will determine our health and wellbeing tomorrow in the natural as well as in the spiritual. Feed on His Word that will make you wise.
Our decisions today will decide our tomorrow. Our future will be fashioned by our decisions that we make today. So, be determined, focused, organised, methodical, rhetorical and self-disciplined to reach your destination. Make every effort to be determined, grow, flourish and thrive in 2021.
Matthew 24:13 But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for carrying me through a very tough 2020. I totally rely on you to make productive decisions and pursue them with determination, focus and perseverance. Help me to accomplish all that is in your blueprint for me and help me to reach my destiny. Amen
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