Luke 8:22 "Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out."

Irrespective of where you are right now, God's plan and desire for you is to make progress. There is a Scripture that buttressed this, and it is Proverbs 4:18. It talked about the path of the just that shines brighter and brighter, until it is perfect. So, for a believer, there is nothing like "I have arrived in life."

Now, there is every possibility for one to be complacent about his her current state and position. You see, one of the greatest enemies of progress is complacency. Complacency is a feeling of being satisfied with how things are and not wanting to try to make them better. Even if things are better, according to your own taste, it can always be better.

I know the Scriptures teaches us to be contented as believers. But contentment does not negate making progress or moving to the next level. Contentment in this context is, is a feeling or sense of inward sufficiency (1Timothy 6:6) which means that although, you are not where you want to be physically, but you are grateful with what you have at the moment.

Here is another angle to the matter of contentment, and that contentment should never be taken to mean satisfaction with the status quo. Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, chapter 3:12-14, that he keeps moving on. He was not contented, until he reached that place where Jesus has called him to be. So, contentment is never against us believers moving to the next level. What contentment teaches us is satisfaction with whatever we have; and not where we are!

THINGS TO DO THAT WILL MOVE YOU TO WHERE YOU OUGHT TO BE

Thank God For Where You Are

Giving thanks may be a little bit of a challenge to some people because they find it difficult to really what God had done for them. Well, your thanksgiving to God should not based on the proportion of things that He has done for you, but must be borne out of the understanding that it is God's will for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 made this clear to us, that thanksgiving is the will of God for everyone in Christ Jesus, irrespective of the circumstances. Many may say, why should I give thanks? I don't have a car of my own, I don't have my own house yet, I am even in the hospital bed right now. What exactly is there to give thanks about?

Listen to Podcast: How to Move from Where You are to Where You Ought to Be In 2019

Well, there something that your thanksgiving does, and I am going to show you in the Bible shortly. Thanksgiving is a vehicle that conveys your prayers to God. Revelation 8:4 says: "And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand." But noticed the beginning of that Scripture, it says..."and the smoke of the incense..." What does the incense connote in that verse? It is your thanksgiving people. It must always precede your prayers. God doesn't eat your food, and He does not spend your monies. What He rejoices in is you bringing thanks and praises to Him' for what He has done, and even for the things He is yet to do.

This is why Apostle Paul admonished in Philippians 4:6, it says: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God..." Did you see that? No prayers is complete without offering thanks to God. When you do that, it is like having so many loads that you want to move from point A to point B, but there is no available vehicle to carry them. Every prayer that you offer to God must go with thanksgiving in order to be attended to.

So, if you want to move to the next level in 2019, you must thanksgiving a priority in your life. Thank God for your current position, and also thank Him for where He is taking you to. The Scripture says what God thinks concerning us are thoughts of good and not evil, to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Bless God for that future, while you are waiting for it. That is when you can see the manifestation.

Treasure the presence of the Holy Spirit

The reason many struggle today is because they want to move to the next level without the help of the Holy Spirit. Many are struggling to move to the next level on their own, with their own limited power and strength, forgetting that the 

scriptures says for by strength shall no man prevail. I mean, we all should learn from Moses when he said to God, we will not move an inch, except your presence goes with us (Exodus 33:15-19).
What the Holy Spirit does is that He goes before you into your future, into that next level, preparing the way for you. He removes every obstacles out from your way so that you can enjoy a smooth ride. This is why you must always treasure His presence from now on and forever. You see, what would distinguish you in 2019 from the crowd is the presence of the Holy Spirit in you. If you read verse 16 of that Exodus 33 very well, Moses told God, that if your presence does not go with us, how will the rest know that we have found favor and grace in your sight? So, the Holy Spirit separates you from the crowd, and then He moves you by His help into that glorious next level that God has prepared for you.

Run with God's divine vision for your life

Moving to the next level requires that you run with God's own vision for your life and not your own crafted vision. What vision are you running with: is it as captured as God gave you or the vision you created for your life? Moving to where you ought to be would be determined by which one you have decided to run with. You see, one thing about the vision that God gives us is that it leads to a pre-determined end, as planned it by God. When God gives you a vision, and you run with that vision; you can be rest assured that your destination would be that end.

The Bible recorded about Abraham, how he journeyed looking for that city whose builder and maker is God; and not men (Hebrews 11:10). There is a divine plan for your life, and it is your responsibility to look for it in 2019 and then run with it. Enough of running with your own vision, where has it landed you? You just need to settle these matters as you see 2019 approaching, so that you will not end up struggling all through the new year.

Source: [Centre for New Dimension Leadership]