As we get ready to embark on a new year, I bet you are already thinking about what you will do next year whether it be traveling more, saving up, getting in shape, or even prioritizing yourself more. Whatever the case may be, I want you to realize that there is power in thinking ahead.
Breaking Down What It Means
We have heard the saying before that if you fail to plan, then you are indeed planning on failing. Let’s dissect what planning ahead means. Merriam-Webster says that “thinking ahead means to prepare for a future event or situation by thinking about what might happen.” So, in this definition, we see that intentionality is needed because we have to prepare, we see that prioritizing time is needed, and we also see that we have to anticipate some things while preparing for the future. If I had to break this down into a formula, I would say thinking ahead is equivalent to Intentionality + priority + anticipation. Being intentional means to be done on purpose; to prioritize means to put tasks, problems, etc. in order of importance, so that you can deal with the most important first; and then anticipation means to expect, foresee, or predict.
Why am I breaking all of this down? Because thinking ahead is critical if you are going to be successful. If you are not looking ahead, you can cause yourself to become stagnant and possibly not open your mind up to where you can go.
If you have a vision or a dream for your life and you are not taking the time to stop and evaluate where you are and what else you need to do to get closer to your dreams, you are honestly kidding yourself into thinking that you are going to move the needle to get to the area you want to me. The Bible even tells us that faith without works is dead!
Questions to Ask When You Feel Off-Track
Listen, I am guilty of this because life happens. It is easy to allow life to stunt the progress you have been making or the momentum you may have found yourself on. It can take losing a loved one or a different major life event like the loss or gain of a job that takes your attention off of what you were doing. If your mind is completely consumed with daily tasks or a new routine, it makes it hard to be intentional and prioritize your dreams, especially in the beginner stages. And that is completely understandable! But if you cannot prioritize what’s before you….it can make it difficult to anticipate what’s next. When this happens, you can find yourself feeling hopeless, in a dark place, no longer feeling like you will achieve your dreams.
I have even had to ask myself when I got off track with my podcasts due to life’s events, where do we go from here? How do I get back on track? I have tons of topics that I can talk about but can I make out time to record them? I believe we all find ourselves at this point and if that is you, I want to ask you a question, what has God shown you? I’m talking about when you go to bed at night and that dream pulls at your mind and heart …..what has God shown you? I’m talking about when you may be at work and your mind reflects on that passion project. I’m even talking about when it seems like you cannot escape people asking you to render a certain service that you are gifted in. What has God shown you?
Have you taken the time to be intentional, whether it be meditating, seeking God, or maybe even fasting so He can reveal His plans to you? Ask yourself this, what is on the inside of me that is lying dormant that now needs attention so that it can be awakened? Scripture tells us in Philippians 3:12-14 to forget about the things that are behind us and press towards the goal, which is the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. By pressing towards what is ahead of me, I am beginning to walk into my purpose.
Addressing Distractions and Roadblocks
Let’s go back to the formula and say that Intentionality + priority + anticipation = purpose.
At this time in your life, you are bringing everything with you that happened this year and in the years previously. Whatever is not aligning with what God has told you or shown, you have to rid that from your mind, put it on the back burner, or make up in your mind that you are not going to allow that to be a hindrance that will deter you from what you are pressing towards. Every time you are trying to walk in your purpose, adversity comes…distractions come…roadblocks come. I’ve heard Steve Harvey bring up the point that the road to success is always under construction, which means detours will come…. slowdowns will come….and all of this can be very frustrating.
I remember my dad made a point in church before about how it’s the momentum that we often find ourselves wrestling against. I want to encourage you to keep pressing forward. The more you have to press forward, I promise you will get stronger and become more resilient towards reaching your goal.
Remember, everything starts in the mind. It can be hard to mentally shift ourselves into moving into the spaces we envision ourselves, but you have to see it in your mind first so that when that obstacle comes you have already mentally prepared for it. Now, you cannot be prepared for everything, but some things you can prepare for or control. Honestly, it may be something as simple as waking up earlier, staying up later, or trade watching TV or going out to focus on your purpose. That goes with the intentionality and priority factors.
Speaking What You Are Thinking
I want to hit on something that I believe is also critical to your success and that is what you speak. The Bible tells us that the power of life and death is in our tongues.
I believe that you possess the power needed in you to call forth what is to come. Another definition of anticipate means to forecast or prophesy. Now, not trying to get too deep here, but I will say that you can envision where you want to see yourself first and then you begin to come into agreement with that, and the more you believe it, you can say one day I shall see it.
I’ve heard Tabitha Brown talk about how she is inhabiting some of the places that had once stated that she would be walking in. So, it’s like believing that you will receive the manifestation behind what you say.
There is power in hearing yourself proclaim something that not just shifts your atmosphere, but will cause you to live in that anticipation mode. Think about your daily affirmations. What are you telling yourself? Are you telling yourself good things?
I remember in 2021 when I was going through a little bit of uncertainty and God told me that this time next year, I would be in a different space mentally, physically, and spiritually. I did not know what that meant at the time, but it still gave me hope and it caused me to boldly believe that a shift will occur in my life and that shift will move me closer to my purpose. And every time I felt down, I would speak this into the atmosphere. Now that was 2021 and since then, yes, I have moved physically, grown spiritually, and shifted mentally. Allow me to say that some things from that experience/encounter did not go as planned. I’ve suffered loss but then gained some things. But overall, I lived in anticipation. And I want you to start doing that.
Anticipation to me is the easy part of the formula. Now yes, anticipation requires faith, right? I have faith that what I have been doing will eventually come to pass. If I am being consistent, then I am looking for the result or a return on my investment because I have put in the work.
Intentionality and prioritizing are the hardest parts. Those take more action and discipline.
How to Get Started
So, how do you get started? By answering the question of what has God shown me? What has God told me to do and then you run with that. You make a plan, you set aside the time to execute the plan, and ultimately you will have to make sacrifices to move closer to what you want. That may look different for everyone, but the goal is to not give up so that you can complete the equation and that is walking in your purpose.
Here is your challenge, make a vision board or even revisit a vision board. I still have a vision board from 2019 that I am working through. You can even just simply write down a plan. The Bible tells us in Habakkuk to write the vision and make it plain, so that he may run who reads it. Set aside some time each week to help check off that you have done something to move you closer to your purpose. You owe it to yourself to do this.
So, I asked you a question earlier, what has God shown you? The thing about it is we often know what we need to do and it most likely is at our disposal, but that part of putting things in action gets hard and that is why priority and intentionality serve as the foundation to get you to your purpose…the promise.
Do you know that there is power in something else other than just thinking ahead? It’s the power of moving forward in faith. To go from just envisioning it to moving into the space that God has commanded you to. But first, you have to see it in your mind. You have to determine that you are willing to go for the task set before you.
There is power in being able to see yourself beyond your current situation. There is power in believing that better days are before you. I told you about my dealing with depression a couple of times in my life when my life was not going as planned or when I lost a loved one, and you may find yourself in this same situation, but if you can just envision the future, you begin to tap into a space that allows you to say come what may, I believe that this situation will build me for my future.
Will you allow God to have access to your mind so that God can fill it with the visions he wants you to see? Now, if you are unable to answer the question I proposed to you earlier, I would encourage you to simply ask God. The Bible tells us in James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Now, It’s time to activate your strategy for how you are going to tackle your year. God has already gone before you…working it all out; he’s just waiting on you. Remember, faith without works is dead. So, let’s align with God, and feel free to use the formula that I have presented in this message, so you can walk into your purpose in the new year.
Believe in yourself; you got this. Don’t allow anyone, not even yourself hold you back from walking into your purpose.
For more encouragement, read our previous blog about Embracing your Season and Go After Your Dreams: https://intellectualbeats.com/embrace-your-season-and-go-after-your-dreams/
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