Hope For The New Year

“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6) . . .

My favorite Christmas verse EVER!

Now . . . guess what my favorite New Year’s verse is?

“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11)

I LOVE new beginnings, clean slates, fresh starts, and new mercies for a new year. What could be better? This feeling of bliss does however have great potential to be a dejavu of years past if I don’t commit to intentionally do things different THIS YEAR. The pages of my calendar have the potential to quickly take me right back to where I started, or even further back, as I’d then be riddled with regret, guilt, shame-on-me and an overall sense of yuck!

The revelation that my DESTINY is in my DISCIPLINES has compelled me to up my game in 2017 in ways I’ve only dreamt of!

There is so much I want to share with you . . . so much going on! I do not however want to overwhelm you with information that may or may not be relevant to where you are personally. I’ll keep my blog simple and specific, as my personal goal for us this year is to grow line upon line. I will however, for those who want more, include a recommended reading list of books that are currently altering the way that I navigate this journey. Some are so life changing that I’m re-reading with greater desire & discipline for personal application.

We begin 2017 as we do every year with prayer and fasting. In this week I’ve quieted my flesh and fed my spirit with the luxury of being still and knowing He is God . . . something I quite honestly don’t afford myself enough of. I sat, quieted my soul, pondered, made lists of areas I’d like to resolve this year and began like I do EVERY YEAR in my daily devotional readings. Maybe it’s because of the EXTREMELY difficult, soul searching, painful year it has been for our family as we continue to process the absence of our Wesley Ravenhill or may it’s because I’m so doggone human? Or maybe it’s a bit of both? I REALLY DON’T KNOW?

Whatever the reason, I found my reading had become laboring, distracted and most often a bit boring. YIKES . . .  #timetoredirect!

THANK GOD I was reminded of a book I had read many years ago called “Devotion Explosion!” It’s a pretty small, easy reading book packed with great info. I encourage you to read it. However, if you’re in that season where you want to climb through this blog, grab me by the shoulders and scream, “Mrs. Michelle, DON’T YOU REMEMBER the busyness of those days raising six children?!? I’m just thankful I have time to read this blog as I really want/need to be more like Jesus” . . . TRUST ME! OMG, I got it friend and YES I do remember (how could I forget)?! Here’s a cliff note of the simple scientific concepts. We retain a fraction of what we read, more of what we speak out loud and read, but our memory bank takes a quantum leap of what we read, speak and write! It’s the way our brains best process & retain info. In seasons of wrestling, I’m always compelled by the passage encouraging us to hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we won’t give into temptation and sin (Psalms 119:11).

In short, I invite/challenge you to join me on this really personal journey! Here’s what I do –  takeout my iPad, pull up the free version of the message Bible (different from what I’ve always read but good for this study as same-same becomes boring), put pen to paper and begin reading out loud and penning my very own copy of scripture . . .

I began in Proverbs and to pace myself, I’ve committed to five verses a day. Thus far, I’ve written no less than two chapters a day as I’ve become lost in the intimacy of it all! In all my years of reading and studying the Word of God I’ve never felt such a tangible connection as when I read, speak and write it. As I flip through the many pages I’ve written, it’s like I have actual evidence of time well spent hiding God’s word in my heart . . . BEAUTIFUL!

This mighty God is showing himself fresh to me as we join with the Wonderful Counselor in exploring fresh manna, daily bread! I personally am in a season of needing the Prince of Peace to help me in renewing my mind in Christ, and this journaling through the actual Word of God is a most practical way of accomplishing it.

My friends, the older I get the more I realize the reality that EVERYTHING in this life is organic . . . changing . . . unreliable. Scripture tells us it’s here today, gone tomorrow. Not sure why we hold so tightly to all that is so apt to change and often find it so labor intensive to do what it takes to walk in loving relationship with our UNCHANGING, ALWAYS THE SAME, EVERLASTING FATHER!

As we journey together, I wish you the happiest of New Year! A FLOURISHING 2017 that by God’s grace we will look back on and smile with a sense of accomplishment and growth!