What would 2020 look like if you had 20/20 vision?

Meaningful? Productive? Creative?

What will it take?

Change

Ahhh… the word nobody likes or very few do. Whether you like it or not the seasons change, your body changes, your hairstyle changes, your food tastes change. If you want the kind of change that helps you to live a life you love you will need to:

Change your thoughts. How do you change your thoughts? Renew them every day with the word of God. Catch the lies before they take root. (Romans 12:2 KJV). Why do you need to check them every day? If you do not capture your thoughts and hold them up to the word of God, lies are just as easy to take root as truths. They become embedded in your thought processes. You will speak those thoughts. Your behaviors are your words put to actions. Ever try to change a habit? It’s usually a “bad” habit that we are trying to break right? It’s because we believed a lie: i.e.: smoking cigarettes helped with losing weight, problems are solved at the bottom of a bottle, and there are plenty more. Once lies take root, it takes time to dig them out to replace them with truth. Go with God’s word! It brings life. The enemy’s lies bring death to your life - to your dreams, your relationships your hope. (John 10:10 NIV) Stopping the insanity is testing everything you hear with: “we are to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2Corinthians 10:5 KJV)

Change your words. Ever wonder why the same thing happens all the time? Listen to what you say to yourself. That’s because your words have power. They can either bless or curse your life. Every time you hear yourself saying something negative - replace it with a positive. Change an "I can't - into a I can". Keep a gratitude journal. It’ll help you keep track of the wonderful ways God is blessing you each day. Maybe you’ll see more than one! Think about how the Israelites who wondered in the desert for 40 years because they complained about their life. God was feeding them manna every day, quail when they wanted more, (Exodus 16:6-8 NIV) He appeared as cloud by day and fire by night (Deuteronomy 1:33) and their clothes or shoes never wore out. (Deuteronomy 29:5) They could have entered the promised land within a short time, but they said that it might have been better to still be slaves! (Exodus 14:12) Imagine that. Whew! - God heard those words and waited for everyone who said them to die before they entered the promised land. Change your words and you’ll be able to see your way clearly for all that God has for you.

Change relationships. There are those who don't want you to change. They usually say no or try to control you by making you feel you are not enough. Find someone who will want the best for you. Connect with those family or friends who will pray for you, know how to listen and will be honest with you – a good honest the kind of honest than see you make a big mistake that would cause you many years of hardship. Relationships are tied to your feelings. Feelings are fickle. What you can’t live without today-  is old news tomorrow. Ever remember sleeping on a decision only to wake up and realize you don’t feel the same way? Same is true with relationships. Take some time to think about what healthy relationships would look like for you.

Change is always a choice. When your eyes are tested, the doctor calibrates the equipment to make sure you have the best possibility for 20/20 vision. If you want your life to have 20/20 vision, you’ll need to adjust your thoughts, your words and your relationships. Focus on moving forward. Don’t be anxious - God wants to bless all that you are and all that He hopes you to be. You have a Promised Land too!

May this be your best year yet!

Xoxox

Deborah