I have the disturbing problem of wanting to stop. Sometimes it is just not worth it to me to keep moving forward with God.

Now, I don’t want to lose my salvation. I don’t want to lose my relationship with God. I just simply want to stay where I am at and have no one including God expect any more of me. The visions I have been given, the promises I have had prophesied over me don’t seem to matter at these moments.

Are you this way? Do you ever have the tendency to go to the middle, average, acceptable, or status quo position?

Here are 5 things I have to do to try to stay out of drifting into mediocrity:

1. Never Say, “This is Enough”

When the battles come, I find myself saying something like this, “Well, what I have done is good enough. It’s better than most others do. I have been fighting for a long time; maybe this is all that I am supposed to do. I am getting older and it’s only right to sit back.” Have you ever said something like this?

I call this going into maintenance mode. Take appropriate time to rest and dream. But don’t lose your mission. I know when I am at the end of my life I will regret having ever lived in a maintenance mindset.

2. Never Say, “I Give Up”

Usually when I say, “I give up” it means I need a rest. Say, “I need a rest instead.”  Never say, “I give up.” It is the first step to going into maintenance mode. These 3 words start lubricating the mind to get ready for its slide backward.

Faith says I don’t know how I will get through my problem, but I will continue to take risks, move out, and look for new opportunities to stretch my faith and allow God to move.

There always comes a point in every leader’s life when everything is stripped from him. Faith is what you have left.

Use the ‘I Give Up’ times to get some rest and let God build your faith.

3. Banish Wrong Thoughts

We process many thoughts per day. Some of them help us in our journey forward some of them definitely don’t. These types of thoughts can wear me down if I am not careful. Here are some thoughts that I have to avoid as much as possible: I am a victim, worry, fear, perfectionism, and negativity.

I have to avoid as much as possible people, places, news casts, magazine articles, etc. that plant fatalistic negative thoughts in my mind.

I am a child of God with a hope and a future! It’s hard enough to remember this without entertaining all of the other negativity in the world. I can’t avoid the negativity, but I can minimize it through what I watch and read and try not to become negative over my own life’s circumstances.

I need to remember what every mother says over their children, “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.” Still great advice.

4. Banish Jealousy

It is often a great discouragement when I notice someone else doing what I want to do and they seemed to get there so easily.

One word of advice: Jealousy is a momentum stopper. It takes my eye off my mission and kills me slowly.

I need to thank God for where I am at daily and trust in Him that He will do me right. I am just as much a favorite son as the other guy.

5. Banish Distractions & Diversions

I have so many things trying to come into my life and demanding attention? How about you? Distractions and diversions almost never help us to move forward. They simply distract and divert us.

I constantly finding myself becoming “tranquilized by the trivial ” as Soren Kierkegaard once said.

I want to become a ruthless killer! A killer of things that don’t help my get me to my mission. So help me watch my words and thoughts. I need the help!

Bye Bye Mediocrity. Hello Mission!