Finish Strong

Finish Strong

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As we approach the end of year I want to remind you that it’s still not over. It’s not over to fulfill that New Years resolution. It’s not too late to finish that project you started and left unfinished. It’s not too late to seek the Lord with all your heart. It’s not too late to lose the weight you needed to lose. It’s not too late for anything. I said in the beginning of the year that 2017 was an important year for believers and I was right. The recent natural disasters that have taken place was an attention grabber for believers to not lose focus or get distracted. In fact it was a call of action for unity in the body of Christ. We need to return to prayer, fasting and seeking the Lord’s will for our life. We tend to drift away from what is important accidentally. In an article written by Maria Popova titled “Brain Picking”, she states: “I frequently worry that busyness is the greatest distraction from living, as we coast through our lives day after day, showing up for our obligations but being absent from ourselves, mistaking the doing for the being”. Wow! You know I always write from experience or a current situation I’m facing. Distractions are all around us and it even comes in the form of something that is important to us. Work, kids, family or even friends. But you know I get pulled back to the same Scripture in the Bible where Jesus tells Martha, “Martha, Martha (insert your own name here) you are worried and distracted by so many things, But only ONE thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) . What are you allowing to steal your focus? Martha was worried about serving food dishes and other household duties which are also important but she was missing out on something even more important: Sitting at the feet of Jesus. (It just dawned on me Jesus, the Savior of this world was physically in her home, OMG). We find balance, perspective, focus and direction there, most of us meander away from the initial path we were intended to go because of this very same reason, being focused or distracted on the wrong thing. Once the enemy has found a way to distract you, he has won. So as we wrap up on the 9th month of 2017,what is that “thing” you have left unfinished? Is it a vision God gave you? Is it an assignment you aborted before the process because of fear or lack of focus?
Distractions will steal your life and cause you to avert your attention to something less meaningful. Trust me I know. We need to be a step ahead of the enemy’s devices, his tactics, and tricks. We each have been given a gift by God. As I sat one day the Holy Spirit reminded me of my writing talent, something that was buried under the weight of life’s burdens. But God helped me to uncover this gift, dig it out of me in a sense. He also reminded me that He gave me a huge imagination and the gift of creativity (Which I actually won awards for in school, creative writing to be exact). Now I pray you are not like Martha, being pulled away by distractions and be like Mary fully attentive to what God wants to say.

I recently watched this movie on Netflix titled “Reality High”. It’s a cute, young romantic movie based on two highschool students falling in love. I watched this movie over 10 times primarily because the star actor Keith Powers is so handsome but also because of the message. The girl, Dani, is a geeky nerd who was always made fun of because of how she dresses. The boy, Cameron, was a handsome popular star athlete. But Cameron loved Dani just the way she was.  It kinda reminds me of the way God looks at us, He sees past our imperfections and accepts us just the way we are. If He gives you an assignment it’s because He is confident you can accomplish it no matter how unqualified you may feel. But back to the movie, Dani begins to hang out with the “IT” crowd trying to fit in and completely loses focus on what’s important and loses her own identity in the process. She begins to forget important assignments, starts drinking and partying eventually losing her dream guy. The people who she tried to fit in with turned on her. She is left in a slump until her dad gives her a pep talk reminding her to “focus” on what is important and everything else will fall into place. Paul speaks about this in Philippians 3:13-14 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Once Dani began to focus on what was really important she found herself again, got her dream guy back and finished her assignment at the dog rescue she did volunteer work for. It took a decision and a changed mindset.
So do you need focus, motivation, and direction to finish the year strong? The Bible tells us in Psalms 145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth”. Get back into focus and let’s finish the year strong.

5 Comments

  1. Wendy - September 27, 2017 Reply

    Amen Thank you for reminding me that God is not done and I can FINISH STRONG!!!!Bless you

    • cmontour - September 28, 2017 Reply

      Thanks Sis! Love you

  2. Ayasha George Cox - October 1, 2017 Reply

    Amen! Finishing strong ????????

  3. Jaseena - October 1, 2017 Reply

    Amen. Well needed

  4. Natasha - December 6, 2017 Reply

    Love this and I couldn’t agree more!

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