OMG, it’s 2016! What are you doing with your life? How are you fulfilling your destiny? Are you living or simply existing? Are you living life on purpose? Some time ago, I made a promise to myself that I would not make any more New Year’s resolutions. Reason being, I don’t keep them and I realize all I was doing was setting myself up for perpetual failure. For me, it was better for my inner self to actualize my current situation and began to benchmark my steps towards living my best life with my best self. Too often we focus on achieving goals that are attainable but we have a hard time getting there because our heart has not caught up with our behaviors. We have great intentions, however wrong motives. The Word of God reminds us that if we are going to truly achieve greatness for ourselves, we need to “Break with the past and reach towards the mark.”

Listen to what the Bible says: “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. In essence, we cannot move forward in life if we continue to focus on our past hurts and pains/pangs or what didn’t happen, what friend or family member disappointed us, mishaps, failures, or anything you had no control over in the first place. The only thing we can control in life is ourselves and our destiny. The only hope we have in life are God’s promises. As Christians, no matter how hard life may seem or how chaotic your world is, if we simply press towards a better tomorrow and believe that God has created us with purpose, we can achieve anything.

Last week, I saw an amazing clip on Facebook by Steve Harvey of “Family Feud.” He was sharing with the audience after a taping. It was so awesome. Steve Harvey explicated that “In order for you to live life and live it abundantly you are going to have to jump.” Harvey suggests that everyone was endowed with a gift from God at birth and if we can simply tap into that gift, we can become what He called us to. For the Word of God says that “Your gift will make room for you.” Your gift leads you to your purpose in life. Your purpose is directly connected to your passio – what drives you, what angers you to the point you want to affect change. Do I have your attention? I thought so. Listen, Steve Harvey says jump. I say take a leap of faith, believe in yourself, pray that God will let you see yourself the way God sees you. The Bible says “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can tell that mountain to move.” It only takes a little faith to move and press towards the mark. The Bible also says “Without faith it is hard to please God.” Faith jumpstarts and reignites our passions in life. Some of us may have one while others may have a few. Whatever the situation, press forward. Some time ago, I stopped focusing on my circumstances and turned more towards my promised future. I began reclaiming my faith through Jesus Christ. Rather than regurgitating resolutions, I focus on key elements of life that will help pull me through it and to it. For we walk by faith and not by sight. Therefore, in 2016, I am living life abundantly by being consistent and intentional. If I fall, I will simply get up, if I make a mistake, I learn from it, and if giving the opportunity to maximize my hope, I will PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens) and press forward towards the mark.

Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” In order to reclaim your faith, trust God.

The author is senior pastor, Metropolitan Community Church of Baltimore