2020 Vision - It's Time to Execute!

I think it’s kind of in our nature to reevaluate things and have an idea of what we would like to change or be better whenever we go into a new year.

That’s good. Actually, its great, but if we don’t give ourselves a true strategy for getting there, it will probably never happen. GOALS are essential. I was reading some random posts on social media last week, and I saw several people talking about NOT making plans for the new year because they want to leave everything in God's hands and rely on His plans. I understand the heart behind it, but this is a misunderstanding of the way God works. Having GOALS and making plans is not in opposition to "letting Jesus take the wheel." You should set goals and have plans according to the voice of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 46:10, God says that He declares the end from the beginning. He shows you what’s to come so that you have something to stand on and believe Him for.

If you aim at nothing you WILL hit it every single time. I personally don’t do the new years resolution thing, because to me, resolutions fall into the category of HOPING and WISHING for things…millions of people set resolutions and abandon them by January 15th.

I fully believe in GOAL SETTING… but I realized recently that setting goals isn’t enough. You need GOALS, but then you also need a strategy for reaching those goals AND you need to have a level of conviction about reaching those goals… otherwise you will start off great and then go back to normal before you know it.

It’s easy to get pumped up for things. It’s easy to make big decisions…but the hard part is making all the small decisions consistently to back up the big decisions. It's easy to decide that you want 6 pack abs or to have a more powerful prayer life or be more productive, but if our behavior doesn’t MAP to those results, then we are just taking shots in the dark.

Before you get mad with me, I am not discounting the sovereignty of God. He can do anything He wants, and there will be times when He will bless you randomly in 2020. Praise God for that… but if you really want to sustain increase and blessing in you life, you need a picture of where God wants to take you in the new year and then go after it. Set some measurable goals and go after them.

I highly recommend having a vision board for 2020. My wife, my eight year old son, and I all made vision boards last January. We put them up in the house where we were able to them several times a day. About halfway through the year I realized that I hadn’t accomplished very much at all. So I decided to make some changes. I drastically altered my lifestyle. I realized that I had GOALS, and I was looking at them but I hadn’t really set myself up for success by having a strategy in place to actually take small, manageable steps toward accomplishing those goals. I decided to change that, and while I didn’t accomplish everything, I got more done than I thought I could during the second half of 2019.

Unless you are a natural born planner, you probably tend to underestimate the power of the planning process. By the way, I’m not a planner. I like to wing it, but I’m learning and I think I’m getting better at following a plan, setting the vision for what God is leading me to do, keeping it in front of me, and going after it.

That’s the whole point…what is God leading you to do in 2020? What’s on His heart for you? This is that time of year when you go into the supermarket and there are ZERO vegetables because EVERYONE is fasting. People all over the world are seeking God’s direction for the new year. It’s awesome, but how many people have made the mistake of getting direction, getting pumped up about what God is saying, AND THEN putting it on a shelf and not keeping it in front of them after January 21st?

2020 VISION is a play on words. You have got to be able to SEE with clarity the vision that’s in front of you.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the JOY set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus…for the JOY set before Him, endured the cross.

He was able to go through HELL and the pain and the struggle and the temptation and the mockery and the torture, and everything He went through for us…because He had JOY set before Him. He wasn’t stuck looking at the junk and getting distracted and depressed. NOPE. He saw something else. He saw something better.

If you and I could simply focus on the promise and trust Him through the process we will have a beautiful 2020.

I like things to be neat, but I recognize that life is messy. There’s good mess and there’s bad mess. Bad mess is MESS for the sake of mess. First of all, we probably ALL have clutter in our lives that we could stand to get rid of, and we would be a lot better off. Clutter comes in the form of literally too much junk in the way; it also comes in the form of people. Some people have too many negative influences in their lives and it leads to a cluttered mindset. Some people have so many people around that are constantly trying to get something out of them. If that’s you, you need to learn how to say NO sometimes. It’s a noble thing to always want to be there for other people, but sometimes the Godliest thing you can say is NO.

You’re dreams matter. You’re desires matter. You’re time matters. Guess what, you’re leisure matters! Some MESS comes in the form of other people around you that just like to be messy. I’m here to tell you, YOU don’t have time for that in 2020. Remove the clutter. Take an inventory, and Remove the stuff that causes you to WASTE one to two hours every single day that you could be spending on things that actually matter.

So, there’s BAD mess. But, there is also GOOD MESS. This is good mess...

Proverbs 14:4 say, “Where there are no oxen the trough is clean. But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.” Good mess is the kind that brings you increase – whether its an increase in wealth, happiness, family time, memories, healthy friendships, power in your life and ministry – It does’t just happen by accident. Sometimes you have to shake things up. It usually gets messy before it gets pretty. It gets messy FIRST because you are putting yourself out there. Too many people would rather keep up the facade that comfort provides than shake things up and deal with temporary mess for the sake of moving on to something better.

I think we often don’t see increase because we are afraid of the "mess" that comes first. Oxen create mess, so it would be easier to just not have any! It would be easier to stay where you are. It would be a lot more comfortable to stay where it's safe...but sometimes the very thing that creates discomfort is the catalyst for your increase.

If God showed you business, go after it. If Its on your heart to produce music or whatever it is, GO AFTER IT.

Planning is great, but don’t plan plan plan and never execute. Reading books will tell you HOW to get a six pack or HOW to eat better, but reading the book won't get it done for you. You have to EXECUTE. It’s time to take the plan of God, take the vision, take what has been a desire within you for years now and go for it. It doesn’t matter if you have EVERYTHING in place or not.

So many people never move because they are afraid of failure. They make excuses.

When I started my podcast a few months ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't have equipment. I had a cheap computer, a borrowed microphone, and I recorded in my closet. If you saw my setup you would have laughed at me!

BUT eventually I had to realize something. If God said GO… who I am to say NO?

If God gave you a promise, who are YOU to make excuses?

Ladies and gentlemen… it is time to execute. It is time to stand in agreement with God and take some steps of faith, some steps outside of your comfort zone, and go after the plan of God for your life. Stop putting so much equity in what other people think. The major problem I see with making decisions in life based on what OTHER people think is that some of those OTHER PEOPLE are not interested in your advancement. Actually, they would love for you to stay exactly where you are, because it makes them feel better about themselves for not going after THEIR dreams. Now, that’s not everyone, but if you’re making decisions based on what other people THINK instead of what GOD SAID, you are working on a recipe for something that 10 years from NOW you’re going to be really tired of eating.

This is your year. Go after your dreams, and EXECUTE in 2020.