P

1 . T R U S T I N H I S P R O M I S E S T O Y O U

Know the plans I have for you, plans for a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Nothing in all of creation will ever separate you from my love Romans 8:35-39

I will provide what you need every day. Matthew 6:11

I have made an everlasting covenant to only do good things for you. Jeremiah 32:40

One of my favorite Bible heroes is Caleb. Out of the million or so men Moses led

out of Egypt and across the desert on an 11-day journey, that evolved into a 40-

year quest, Caleb was one of only two men who actually stepped foot across the

Jordan River into the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30). Just two. Out of a million.

Caleb, in particular, had a different spirit. When, at age 40, Moses sent him to spy

out the land, he came back with a wholehearted report. “We should go up and

take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it’” (Numbers 13:30).

Everyone else was negative and fearful. They saw giants and felt as

small as grasshoppers in comparison (Numbers 13:33). But not

Caleb. And because of that, God promised him something:

“Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and

follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the

land he went to, and his descendants will inherit

it” (Numbers 14:24). God rewarded Caleb, and Caleb

never let go of what God promised. Forty-five years later,

at age 85, he was just as wholehearted. God had promised

him Hebron, and he wasn’t slowing down, losing heart, or giving

up until he acquired it. He survived 40 years of people grumbling and

complaining in the wilderness. He survived 40 years of laps around Mount

Sinai with the most negative people. And none of those difficult years quenched

the fire of God. None of them stopped the flow of living water in his soul.

He still believed his best days were ahead of him. He believed the

truth: God wants us to all possess the promises He’s given to us. I

believe that too. God’s word is full of promises to you and me. And

God keeps his promises. As you take off running in 2017, like Caleb,

trust what God has said…

2 . P R A Y T H E M A N D S A Y T H E M T O H I M

When I read over his promises, oftentimes he shines light on a

verse or passage just for me. Speaking to me from Proverbs

4:25 for 2017, is a perfect example: “Let your eyes look

straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”

He’s telling me how to live through the year,

and if I do, I’ll accomplish the directives

he’s placed in my heart, reach the people

he’s passionate for, and fulfill his will. What has

he illuminated to you recently? He wants his words

to be more than ink on a page. He wants them living

through your life making every day better. If you aren’t sure

of a specific promise for your year, start with this one found in

Philippians 1:6. It’s a beautiful promise from God to every single one

of us: “He who began a good work in me will continue to perfect it and

complete it.” When God saved you, he began a good work in you. He filled you with his goodness, and he

promises to continue perfecting it and completing it all the way through 2017.

Trust him, and trust his promises to you.

Part of flourishing in God’s promises for your life is praying them and saying them. He wants us to give voice to his

word in our lives. There have been times when I’ve had post-it notes everywhere reminding me of God’s promises to

me. When I see them, I speak them. I pray them. I declare them. I remind God of his goodness. Caleb never forgot

what God had promised—and we should never forget either. So, you can be assured in 2017, I’ll be saying over and

over, “My eyes are straight ahead, Lord. I have fixed my gaze directly before me. I am laser-focused.” And because

I’m doing this in faith, because I’m committed to staying focused as he’s directed me, I trust that he will lead me

and guide me into all the places, experiences, and relationships I’m to encounter in 2017. So, again, what are you

longing for? Pray and say God’s promises back to him. If he’s promised you promotion, be faithful, as well as pray

and say Deuteronomy 15:10 and Colossians 3:23, “Because I am generous, and I do everything as unto the Lord,

whaat I put my hand to prospers. I am blessed in all of my work.” Matthew 5:14

Philippians 4:19

Corinthians 4:4

3 . G E T I N O V E R Y O U R H E A D

Jesus promised us all: “If my words abide in me, and

my words abide in you, ask what you will, and it

shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Get into

his word and get his word into you.

Find your promise. Personalize it.

Say it to him in prayer.

Every year should be a year that we stretch

and enlarge and increase our capacity for God, our

relationships, and our careers. And the only way to grow

is to get in over our heads. When the opportunity comes that

will challenge us and change us, we should take it. When the

Lord began speaking to me about starting A21, I was perfectly content

ministering the word in churches and gatherings around the world. I

wasn’t looking for a way to fight injustice. But he wanted me to stretch. When

the Lord began speaking to me about starting Propel Women, I was very busy with

A21…but he wanted me to stretch. He wants us to get in over our heads, because that

is the very place where we grow and enlarge our capacity for ministry, for leadership, for

relationships, for innovation, for creativity.

We often want more, but we resist what it takes to be more. So, as you step out in faith, full of New Year’s

resolutions and enthusiasm, don’t resist the stretching and growing God wants for you in the coming

months. Isaiah 54: 2-3 encourages us: “Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread

out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. You’re going to need lots of elbow room for

your growing family. You’re going to take over whole nations; you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.

Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed. Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.”

Don’t be afraid. Don’t hold back. Spread out. Think big. Grow into all your new opportunities.

2017 is your year!

P