Yesterday I decided I wanted a statement to define my goals for 2009. I asked God to show me the direction He wanted me to take in 2009.

This morning I watched Joyce Meyer on T.V. while I worked out. I wasn’t able to watch the whole program because I had to stop halfway through to shower and get ready for work. However, in the brief fifteen minutes I watched, I felt God providing an answer to yesterday’s prayer–a defining statement for 2009.

Live purposefully.

Two simple words.

Joyce Meyer was speaking about people wanting to do God’s call for their lives, but they had no idea what He wanted them to do. Here are some thoughts I jotted down from her message:

Live with purpose and direction.

Don’t wait until you’re ready because then you won’t lean on God.

Change & rearrange.

Don’t be wishing; be doing.

Look to the future. The past is gone and you can’t get it back.

Stop complaining; be thankful.

And my favorite:

You don’t need a wishbone, you need a backbone.

She went on to say Jesus stated His purpose in 1 John 3:8–He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

Jesus was focused. His diversions were from Satan. We need to be focused. Each day needs to have a defining purpose. Wasted minutes can’t be regained. We need to deal with people and situations in our lives that are stealing our destiny.

I’ve been so busy with other things in my life that I haven’t taken the time to stop and listen to what God was saying to me. God spoke to me through Joyce Meyer this morning, so my statement for 2009 is to Live Purposefully. Instead of being a wisher, I’ve become a doer. Instead of making resolutions, I’ve made solutions to achieve goals set for 2009. With my focus fixed on God, I can live purposefully and achieve His will for my life.