2024 has been flying by and if you haven’t been intentional, you can find yourself in the same place you started the year off.

But I’m willing to bet if you’re reading this blog, you are someone who hates being stuck and is always looking for ways to grow and be better.

I believe the first step in becoming who you want to be and getting to where God wants you to be is to take a pause and be honest with where you really are.

Sometimes we’re not as good as we portray ourselves and sometimes, we’re actually doing better than we give ourselves credit for.

I believe we can all do great things and make an impact in the world, but I believe there is a joy and a grace that comes with being the person God created you to be and doing the things God called you to do.

In our society where it seems like everyone is trying to build a platform and become an influencer, I just don’t believe everyone is called to do that. I do believe we’re all called to influence, but you have to ask yourself “how is God calling me to influence?” and even more importantly “who is God calling me to influence?”

Maybe for you this season is all about influencing those precious children God has blessed you with or maybe you are called to be the light on that job.

Ultimately, we all should have the same mission and that is to have a personal relationship with Jesus and help others to do the same.

But how we do that is going to look different for all of us and so my goal today is to help you get clearer on what that looks like for you.

I want to walk you through five steps to help you do an honest assessment of where you are (not literally, but figuratively), so that the process of getting to where God wants you will be a little easier.

1. Fast & Pray– I don’t want to assume you’ve ever took part in a fast before, but I will assume that you’ve at least heard about fasting and know the basics. I am talking about a biblical fast where you abstain from all food for a certain period of time. Fasting is such an amazing spiritual tool that has numerous benefits. One of the biggest benefits is that you often hear God much clearer in a time of fasting and praying. This is a great place to start because even when we lie to ourselves, God will never lie, and He will make it very clear exactly where you are- in all areas of your life.

2.  Ask God– Just in case you didn’t get my reasoning behind praying and fasting, I want to make it clear that during your fasting don’t forget to ask God to show you where you are. We often assume because God already knows everything that we don’t have to come out and ask, but we do. Of course, you should use your time of prayer and fasting to pray about multiple things, but let’s remember to make sure our foundation is solid. Use this time to ask God about any character flaws, habits, or distractions that you have been blind to.

3. Count the Cost– When you ask God to show you the truth about your present state, be prepared for some hard truths and I’m going to be very blunt, do not ask if you know you aren’t willing to make the changes He requires. God may tell you that you have to end certain relationships. He may tell you that you need to get up every morning at 4am to pray. He could tell you that you need to go back to school in order to do what He wants you to do. The point is you have no idea what your ask may cost you and if after God reveals what He requires, you don’t do it, you’re now living in disobedience. I don’t believe ignorance is bliss. I’m just saying be prepared to pay a cost.

4. Seek Wise Counsel– As I mentioned earlier, some of us are not doing as good as we portray ourselves and then some of us are actually doing better than we give ourselves credit for. This is why community and accountability are so important. We all need honest, wise people in our lives who we have given permission to speak truth to us when we want to live in a lie. Those same honest, wise people can also let us know when we’re being too hard on ourselves. I didn’t just say to have honest people around you because we all know people who can speak truth, but there’s no love that comes with it. You need people who can speak truth with wisdom and love.

5. Check Your Motives – This one step is one that can be very difficult to do, but I am telling you if you take the time and be brutally honest, it will change your life and truthfully free you of a lot of the unnecessary burdens you’ve been carrying. I can say this because this has been the step I’ve been working on for most of 2024. You see as a reformed people pleaser, a lot of the things I did were because I cared what others thought or I wanted to help others, or I never wanted to disappoint anyone. You could be doing a lot of really good things in fact you could be doing exactly what God told you to do, but if your motives are wrong you have just wasted precious time. You see God cares about the heart and although people may not see your motives, God does. There are so many people out here doing things to prove something to others, to feel like they are worthy, or just because they believe something is a good thing to do. But if you are wanting to see supernatural impact, let your motives be because God told you to and because you’re pointing people to Jesus. You can’t go wrong with those two reasons.

I hope you take the time to walk through these five steps and do an honest assessment of where you are. I believe if you do, this last half of 2024 is going to blow your mind.

God doesn’t need a whole lot of time to do what He wants to do in us and through us. One example is Isaac in Genesis 26:12-14 where God blessed him to reap a hundredfold harvest in the same year after many plantings with no results. There’s also Elijah who God allowed to call down rain after a three-year drought which started after Elijah gave the word in 1 Kings 17.

So, as you can see no matter where you find yourself literally or figuratively, when you go with God, you can’t go wrong.