We are ending another year quicker than ever, and we must have value in our lives in order for us to end it in joy. A large percentage of people end the year in depression, discouragement and agony. They feel like things didn’t go their way, or like they could’ve been more effective. These are barriers that the enemy puts in our lives in order to diminish our hopes and dreams for 2017. We cannot end the year like this, because it will become a stumbling block for us to reach or attain our purpose.

There were many people that lost someone that was close or valuable to them. I am grateful to God that I wasn’t one of those people. However, there are men and women in the world depressed because they lose someone close to them, and they are sad because they contemplate the moments that they spent with those people.

Many people detracted from the faith. A lot of people gave up on God this year. Although Christianity increases every year, there are people that also fall astray and decide to leave the will of God. Some feel like God didn’t show up on them, others feel like it’s not worth persevering, others experience apathy.

Other people ended in suicide, went to jail, or experienced a tragedy. The holidays are a time to be in joy, not in depression. These are the times when people kill themselves the most, because they are without family members, or they recall on decisions that they regret doing. Whether you lost friendships, ended in the wrong path or experienced difficult circumstances in your life, Jesus said to be of good cheer in John 16:33.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — 1 John 16:33

The joy of the Lord is our strength. The word teaches us to be empowered and to push to move forward despite what we went through. We can still turn it around next year. The Bible says that to everything there is a season; we must experience both the good and the bad. We become who we are today because of what we went through in the past. These are some things that help me end every year strong:

• Every year I push for more in every area.

I dislike being in a place of comfort. Even in my resume, I demonstrate that I like to move up with every position. I am always seeking new challenges, and aiming to be at my best with everything. I love the fact that my potential is being stretched, and I unlock new skills that I never thought that I had. That is the attitude that we should have in life. If we are in a place of comfort, it will be difficult for us to see ourselves in a different reality, or for us to be in a better position.

• I must have the right relationships and add the correct people to my life.

I have realized that every year, I end up with new friendships or connections that add onto my life. Before I make the decision to add a new person to my life, I make sure that I check the heart of the person. If their heart is in the right place, or if they have a humble heart or passion for God, I make sure to keep the person close. If there is pride, arrogance, or spiritual dryness in the things of God, I distance myself from those people. I realize that my destiny is determined by the people that I place in my life. I try to keep a close relationship with my spiritual leaders, my parents, other family members, and close friends in church that share a strong passion and hunger for God. They keep me up when I need it.

• Learn from my mistakes, and not repeat them in the next year.

None of us can say that we’re perfect; we’ve all stumbled into boulders this year. However, we must learn from those mistakes so that we don’t repeat them again. I hate mistakes, but I can’t avoid them. I wish I had made better decisions this year, but it is at this time that we get to evaluate the mistakes and see where I could have done better. The less repeated mistakes we do, the less we delay the purpose and the call that is over our life.

• Honoring God at another level and dimension.

For my finances to increase, I need to increase in my giving. My giving needs to represent my status in order for me to advance in my finances. How can God bless me with money if I’m not going to give him a tithe of the money that he gives to me? We must give higher so that God can give us higher. We must give him more of our time, our money, our worship, and our words so that he can completely manifest his presence over every area in our life.

• Writing down my goals and self-assessing them.

Without goals, there is no progress in our lives. How can we advance if we’re not aspiring to move in specific areas in our lives? A person that’s not aspiring will get depressed after a certain period of time. When the fun and games stop and they reach a certain age, they will regret not doing things with purpose. That is why some people end up in depression, or even consider committing suicide. They live the life for their young adult years, and decide to never live a life of purpose.