The Listening Heart ~ Finish Strong

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (James 5:16)

Confession is necessary to live a life of peace the way that God intends. It will make our own spirits quiet and easy so that we can help each other by our prayers to obtain the pardon of our sins and power against them. Those who make confession of their faults one to another should pray with and for one another. God did not create us independent of Him and He doesn’t expect us to do life without others - we were created for relationship! The Gospel is about the message and the ministry of reconciliation - which has everything to do with relationships!

It was about thirteen years ago when I realized the important value of a dependable and faithful accountability partner. Our family was going through a lot of transition. Many times it seemed like we would be sucked in to the bad attitude that comes with the uncertainty of changes that were facing us.

My husband, Scott and I both had accountability partners who met with us and prayed for us. But Scott’s accountability partner said two words to him every time they met. These words were, “FINISH STRONG!” In other words, get over yourself and do right anyway! They have left a lasting impact on us and we have issued the same challenge to many others over the years. Scott and I wrote these words in our planning calendars in big, bold letters everyday for the duration of those transitions! No matter the challenges that we faced, the things that we felt, or the painful but important lessons that would come - we were called to be obedient to God and His word...NO MATTER WHAT!!! Some days were easier than others but we were determined to love and pray for everyone involved and everyone that would be affected. We wanted to build bridges and not burn them!

Since then we have endured MANY changes in both our personal and professional lives. We have asked each other that same question that Scott’s accountability partner asked him, “Are you finishing strong?” Sometimes the “yes” would come through gritted teeth! But God’s grace, honest effort, being intentional and a faithful accountability partner did help us to not only finish strong, but to finish well!

While I am not your accountability partner, I want to encourage you to find one who will pray for you, encourage you, speak truth to you (even when it’s hard to hear), and challenge you to be the best you can be. I also encourage you to be that for someone!

So allow me to ask you: “Are you finishing 2019 strong?” Why or why not?

Here are some areas that might help you:

FAITH

(How is your relationship with our Father? With your church? What will you do differently in 2020?)

FAMILY

(How is your relationship with your spouse, children, parents and other family? What do you need to do to make it right?)

FINANCES

(Are you being a good steward/manager of your resources? What are your financial goals for 2020?)

PHYSICAL HEALTH

(Are you taking care of yourself - diet, rest, exercise? Where do you need to improve?)

FRIENDS

(Are you spending time with friends who share your values?)

PROFESSIONAL

(Are you serving well - customers/clients: edifying boss, encouraging co-workers?)

Two things you can do :

1-I invite you to watch our FREE: RESOULUTION SOLUTIONS Webinar at 1vla.com, to help finish 2019 well and start 2020 strong!

2-You can share these with your accountability partner so that they can help you make forward progress in your 2020 Vision & Goals!