FINISH STRONG

FINISH STRONG

As our world experiences the closing moments of 2014, we corporately embrace and enact a meaningful metaphor for this wondrous journey called LIFE.  In the wise words of King Solomon, “Better is THE END OF A THING than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8)  This sage axiom is mission critical to achieving positive results as we trek through the unknown territory of 2015.  Finishing strong, i.e. succeeding in every arena of life, requires VISION, PATIENCE and PERSPECTIVE.

According to Dictionary.com, VISION is defined as “a vivid imaginative conception” (or) “the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be.”  To be sure, what we SEE is a determining factor of what we will BE and, by extension, what we will DO.  Solomon declared, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)  As we navigate through 2015 with the help and direction of the Lord, extraordinary vision will be required.  That is, we must look beyond any unexpected situations, temporary circumstances, or occasional barriers in this coming year in order to visualize and actualize our God-ordained purpose and destiny.

Dictionary.com tells us that PATIENCE is the “ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay” (or) “the bearing of provocation, misfortune, or pain, without complaint” (or) “quiet, steady perseverance.”  Key Questions: Which mountains are you now positioned to scale?  What barriers are you prepared to handle?  What delays are you determined to ignore…in order to achieve your life-dream? 

Finishing strong in every God-given task necessitates PERSPECTIVE, which according to Dictionary.com is “a visible scene extending to a distance” (0r) “the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one in meaningful relationship.”  Therefore, perspective is the first cousin of vision.  It sees the future, but does so in a very practical and proactive manner.  That is, perspective allows us to objectively visualize the key connections between our past, present and future.  When the Apostle Paul spoke of “forgetting those things which are behind,” he did so in the context of a personal recognition that 1) “I count not myself to have apprehended,” 2) I am “reaching forth unto those things which are before,” and 3) “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

Remember this.  Past is prologue to present.  As such, your past is not your enemy; neither is your present, no matter what either one looks like or feels like to you.  Both offer significant insights that will ultimately birth and develop the vision, preparation and realization of your future.

When God created us, He foreordained our future out of a clear foreknowledge of our character and calling.  That is to say, God ended us in the same moment that He started us.  As such, we believers are elected “according to the foreknowledge of God.” (I Peter 1:2)  Therefore, we can be “confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in [us] will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)  There can be no doubt.  There IS no doubt.  We will finish strong!

How so?  How can we be filled with faith and confidence about FINISHING STRONG – today and always – especially in the presence of challenging problems and setbacks?  In a word, we must capture and cling to these indispensable prerequisites: Covenant Faith.  Unshakable Focus.  Unceasing Prayer.  Word Knowledge.  Eagle-Eye Vision.  Enduring Patience.  Spiritual Perspective.  Life Consistency.  And, don’t forget this one…Tenacity. 

You can do it!  You WILL do it!  In the coming year, my intercessory prayer is that your life, your health, your family, your ministry, your career and every single person that you touch will be highly favored and immeasurably blessed!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!