Markee Johnson, Dell Technologies Global Sales Consultant
Beautiful sister, hello! Can you believe we’re 1 month into 2019?! I feel like I blinked and there went 2018. At the start of the year, there is an electricity of expectation and flurry of planning the first few weeks. We make declarations of all the changes to come: unhealthy habits we’ll stop, healthy habits we’ll start, lists upon lists of all the things we’ll accomplish, outlines of everything we’re expectant for. “New year, new you.” I have no idea where this catchy phrase originated, but for a moment it instills an exciting sense of empowerment…like, “Yes! New me, indeed.”
But then, if history is to repeat itself, the end of January hits and we’ve fallen short of some of our goals, so we rework our lists. February kicks-off, and before we know it, it’s May and our plans have long been abandoned or forgotten. “New year, same you” seems to be a more accurate phrase for resolutions I’ve made in the past. #hardtruth
Why is that? What keeps us from having the fullness of God’s plan for our year?
Looking back on 2018, what habits, people, things stalled or stopped your forward movement all together?
Please don’t miss this, if God is in your year, no matter what, there will be growth, adventure and amazing moments of breakthrough. He’s faithful and ever-present, even when we lack follow-through. BUT, sister, there is more.
God wants to do something miraculous in and through you this year. A new year with new possibilities, room for miracles, and heart desires to be realized…so much potential. He wants to pour out direction and vision for the year to come. He wants to be a part of the journey of our 2019 plans coming to completion, not abandoned halfway through or partially completed. He is a God of the impossible and chooses to partner with us to bring the miraculous into existence. We have a critical part to play. How incredible is that?!
God dreams and the change we long for in 2019 should be unbelievable, amazing and not without challenges. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a woman entrusted to bring God’s miraculous plan into existence. If anyone understands what it’s like to carry an incredible, challenging plan of God into fruition, it’s her. Looking at her story, she models 3 key principles for us to steward the miraculous this next year.
Step 1: Her heart was for God.
After she’s greeted by the Angel Gabriel, as a young woman “anointed with great favor,” (Luke 1: 28) and told of God’s plan for her to supernaturally conceive His Son, she responds saying,
“This is amazing!…As his servant, I accept whatever he has for me. May everything you have told me come to pass” (Luke 1:38).
Her heart and posture towards God and His will, was one of joy and complete surrender. We’ll never know the plans she had for her future, her fears, her doubts. What we do know is her immediate response was from an overflow of amazement and trust in God and what He had planned.
Checking our heart condition and posture towards God is a critical step to have vision and faith for the miraculous in 2019. As you spend time preparing, what is your posture towards God? Are you open to what He has for you? Are you listening to hear from Him and gain direction? If there’s an experience or hurt in your heart that’s keeping you from fully trusting God, be encouraged. He knows…He isn’t surprised or offended. He wants to hear from you and work through it. His heart is to overwhelm you with His peace, grace, and healing so you can freely receive the vision He has for you. Don’t wait to put in some heart work with God. It’s the first, most critical step to a phenomenal year.
Step 2: She surrounded herself with people who spoke life into her.
After Mary received this incredible assignment from God, she went straight to Judea to the village where her cousin Elizabeth lived. What God was doing through her was supernatural and must have seemed crazy to everyone around her. With a call like this, she had to be in an environment where she could be encouraged and strengthened to bring God’s plan to pass. At Elizabeth’s, she was prophesied over, encouraged and spurred on to sing her own prophetic song.
The people you surround yourself with in 2019 will either speak life or death over the God dreams in your heart. Like Mary, we’ve been entrusted to carry out a God assignment in this next year and cannot underestimate the influence of those around us on our God dreams. Once you’ve prepared for the year ahead, with vision for the miraculous, who are the people you’re surrounded by? What is your community like? Are your friends quick to encourage or dishearten you? Are they willing to come alongside you and believe for the impossible? Those you share your heart with should build up the God-call on your life. As you take inventory of your relationship with God, checking out the relationship health of your friendships is a must.
Step 3: She treasured God winks.
Once Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph were visited by shepherds who came to see this miraculous baby the angels spoke of. Luke 2:17-19 tells us:
“Upon seeing this miraculous sign, the shepherds recounted what had just happened. Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was astonished by what they were told. But Mary treasured all these things in her heart and often pondered what they meant.”
God was SO faithful throughout this birthing process for Mary. He encouraged her with His Holy Spirit while she was pregnant and sent her people to testify to the miracle right after Jesus’ birth. Surely, He must have wanted her to know that He was in the midst of the beauty and challenge He’d called her to.
His faithfulness is constant. While you and I are not called to physically birth the Messiah, we are called to bring miraculous plans into existence. He doesn’t give us visions and dreams for our year to just leave us alone to attempt to figure it out. He is with us every step of the way. God knows choosing Him and saying “yes!” to His plans costs us everything, but life without Him isn’t living at all. I love how He’s so kind and thoughtful to give us God winks – moments when we’re reminded He is with us and for us. When you get a God wink this year – a word of encouragement, an encounter with someone, a song that awakens your spirit – write it down! Write down the God moments so you can meditate on them to stay focused and encouraged.
Do you sense what He’s about to do in your life?! Something new and miraculous no doubt. As you plan with God for this year, may your heart be completely His, may you be surrounded by uplifting friends, and may you treasure heaven-sent encouragement to step into the new He has in-store. Praying this is your BEST year yet!
With love,
Markee
Over her 6 years with Dell EMC, Markee has held various sales, sales enablement, and team management roles. Most recently, Markee helped build and lead the expansion of the Romsey Inside Sales Program into a dual-site model for the Americas. She acted as a lead in recruiting, developing, and coaching Dell EMC’s next generation of sales leaders in the first two phases of their career! Markee is the Global Lead for Governance & Member Engagement with our Interfaith ERG . Additionally, she sits on the American Board of Directors for the HopeFund supporting the Mundia Academy of Excellence in Kenya, and the Board of Directors for ConnectCommunity.tv, a church-plant in Stamford, CT. She is currently on the core team for Celebration Church Mueller Campus, leading the Guest Experience Team. Markee is passionate about community service, faith, and family. Living and loving her season of singleness, Markee Johnson is writing quite the legacy history will undoubtedly praise generations from now.