January is an unusual month. It’s a time of inner reflection on 2018, juxtaposed with personal vision casting for 2019. It’s having expectancy for your dreams this year whilst being possibly frustrated with what you did not manage to achieve last year! It’s a time where many new ideas can start buzzing in your head yet you want to move forward with a beautifully simple and uncluttered mindset.

I find that my January’s are all of the above. There is a distinct aura to this month which I find quite challenging. So one thing I have determined is that renewing my mind is top of my priorities for every year I live and breathe. Because the state of my mind is directly connected with all my goals and dreams.

So here are three empowering thoughts to help you as you work on the landscape of your mind in 2019 and to keep your mind both positive and faith filled!

#1   Refuse to bow down to the negative that you see in front of you.

Instead turn to gratitude. It has helped me CLIMB out of many dark holes, days tinged with frustration or moments when I have dwelt too long on what I DON’T have! We can enter through the doorway of gratitude or keep the door firmly closed because we would rather whinge and complain. I am determined to keep mine wide open. Because when I express my gratitude to God in the details of my day and for who He is- it keeps my heart soft and my mind alive with perspective and a sense of lightness. And most importantly – He LOVES it when He hears my thankful heart. I heard this spoken once and it has always stayed with me:

What I have in God is greater than what I don’t have in life

#2   Spend time with the Holy Spirit and ask Him for ONE word for this year.

One simple word that you can spend the year ‘unpacking’. A word in season for you. A word that you feel Him speaking over your life to both encourage and challenge you. A word He wants you to walk in, to etch into your thinking, to breathe life into as you journey through the year. For me in 2019 it’s the word RENEW. To bring fresh life into. To give strength to. To take what feels old and pour into it a new lease of life. What is your word for 2019?

#3   Make sure you are positioned well at the beginning of this year.

By that I mean POSITION yourself in His word, POSITION and plant yourself deeper within your church, POSITION yourself in a small group where you can do life with other people. God calls us to be deeply connected. Our futures are wrapped up with one another. Our roots intertwine. Everything about Beautiful Minds is about TOGETHER because we are stronger as we unite and more powerful for Him when we are connected.

Believing for an incredible 2019 for you. That you stand firm no matter what may try to knock you down. That you use His Word as your weapon to defeat the enemy. And that you choose to renew your mind away from the things that keep you captive so you are led into a new spacious place.