Five Decisions In 2023 That Had A Negative Impact On My Life

What decision did you make that had a negative impact on your life in 2023? 🤔 Here are mine:

1 - In meetings, I cared more about the path to least resistance than faithfulness to Jesus.

When you walk into a meeting, do you care more about being obedient to Jesus while presenting your most authentic self? Or do you focus on achieving a desired outcome?

Too many times, I took the path to least resistance and manipulated an outcome rather than faithfulness, no matter the result.

2 - I doubled down on what I knew was not working.

What’s not working in your ministry? Why are you still doing it?

We’ve had a lot of success at SSM, but one area that was not successful was our online courses. Sure, we helped some people, but the time invested just wasn’t worth it. So you know what I did? I doubled-down.

Don’t do that. If camp, bible studies, or live streaming, your preaching ain’t working…be like Joey and PIVOT!!!

3 - I stayed out late with friends at the expense of time with Jesus.

Every time you say YES to staying out late with the bros is an intentional decision to say NO to waking up early to meet with Jesus.

I know myself, and if I am not up early within the word, I am a distracted disciple the rest of the day.

Remember — you are always “choosing to cheat” someone.

4 - I did not stretch myself in the area of generosity.

I intentionally push myself in a lot of areas.

I did not push myself to be more generous financially last year. Yes, life got stressful, and moving in 2023 is expensive, but I did not stretch my faith in the area of generosity.

In the new year, I did not stretch myself in this area, too.

5 - I did not vacation before the vacation.

I love vacations. But I struggle to settle into them.

Often, I schedule vacations for the end of a stressful season. Therefore, I walk into my vacation at peak weariness. The problem is, I am on edge and usually not a delight to my family.

In 2024, I need to personally schedule a day or two before the vacation to decompress before we unwind and decompress.