The end of 2018

Well, the end of 2018 is almost upon us and I look back over the year and see how well I did abiding in His love.

Well, it wasn't easy.  There were times that I couldn't wait to spend time in the word, sitting and soaking in His Presence.  Yet, there were other times that I struggled.  Depression has a way of sneaking back into my life, now and again, and the last thing I want to do is abide.  I would rather go off and have a pity party.  Not cool.  I did find one this different about this year though.  Whenever I would have a bad day and feel the depression creeping in, I would take a stand against this tactic of the enemy.  I wouldn't put up with it.  Before, I would wrangle with depression for a couple of days.  Not this year.  I would recognize it for what it is, and would fight back instead of giving in, waiting for it to pass.  I found success in that this year.  Abiding helped.  I grew stronger.  I grew closer.  I am on a journey from hell to heaven.  It doesn't get any better than that.

In this day and age of 'me first', life can get quite frustrating....if you let it.  Spending time with God is never wasted....ever.  The more time you spend with Him, the more you get to know Him and the more He has an impact on Your life.  I know this to be true.  The words from Amazing Grace, "I once was lost, but now am found, 'twas blind but now I see" are so true.

I think back to the dark days of my life and that is somewhere that I never, ever want to go again.  I never had any joy, just hopelessness.  But, in a split second, He removed that hopelessness and restored by hope and my joy.  I am still on a journey and I have not arrived yet...but I am not where I used to be.  That is a good thing.  I look forward to what He has in store for me next.

It's the end of 2018, but it's not the end of abiding in His Presence and His Love.

The Year is Winding Down

Well, the year is winding down and I haven't posted in a while.  It is not easy to keep focussed on certain things in this day and age.  It's all so fast paced and busy.  It's the way the enemy keeps us from focussing on God and turns our focus inward.  Well, it's not about us.  It's about God.  He sustains us.  He heals us.  He is our fortress, our shield in times of trouble and if we haven't been abiding in Him, He can feel distant.  Yet, he is always near us.  The bible tells us so.  If we live in faith, we feel Him, yet if we get caught up in the busyness of life, He seems distant from us.  But, what is the distance?  The distance is us listening to the world and not to the Voice of God, because he is right there with us, in the midst of our mess.  We need to be intentional.  I know what it feels like not to abide in God for a week or two....impatience, anger, frustration, anxiety.  Where did the peace go?  God doesn't remove our joy or our peace...we choose to give it away by not spending time with HIm.  So, the year is winding down, yes it is.  But my focus is on my Heavenly Father.  He is my rock, my shield, my strength when I feel week.  He loves me, unconditionally, and that is a big comfort.  As we come into the Christmas season, I am more determined to focus on Him than on what is happening in the world.  It's not always easy either, but to be intentional makes a difference.  Do I care about what is going on in the world?  Absolutely.  But, I don't let it steal from my relationship with God.  Abide.  Sit and wait. Soak.  Worship.  Pray.  It is definitely not a waste of time, that I know from experience.  Know this. God loves you.  Doesn't matter what you have done or what path you are on.  God loves you.  He is there wherever you go, whatever decision you make.  Maybe you just need to finally meet Him so you can get to know Him.  Open your bible and He will meet you there...a great place to start.

Am I Still Abiding?

Well, it's been a long time since I wrote in this blog.  Summer seems to come and take over. I must confess that my morning devotionals and abiding turn into afternoon sessions because I golf and my tee times are very early in the morning.  Last year I didn't seem to have an issue getting out of bed early, but this year seemed a bit laboured.  Perhaps it was because I didn't get up earlier and spend time with God and I usually did.  His word fuelled me for the day.  I actually missed doing that, but my love of golf took priority.  Hmmm....something to consider for next year.  What is my priority??  Good question.  I would like to think that God is my priority but I know that is not the case on many occasions. I constantly think of Him, but do I spend the same amount of time?  No.  They say confession is good for the soul and I do feel better sharing here.  Maybe it's a struggle many go through.  In my previous church, I would feel condemned and that is not God.  He does not put condemning thoughts in our hear.  In my current church, I am learning what it is like to be loved and not judged by what I do.  If I miss a Sunday, I don't get grilled about where I was last week...I get hugged and told that it's good to see me.  That is family in my books.  I am learning not to listen to the voice of the enemy that tells me I have to 'religiously' go to church or I am a bad Christian.  I don't feel guilty.  So the first part of the year, when I was abiding in His Presence more, I have learned not to strive to be accepted, not to feel guilty and certainly not to judge.  Do I screw up...absolutely.  But I am quick to ask forgiveness and move on, just like the Bible says to do.  So, as the days grow shorter toward the end of summer, I get up just as early and spend time with Him.  That makes me happy.  Starting my day with God is the best thing that ever happened to me.  I have tried over the years, to do things my way, and there has always been something missing.  I would rather have joy and peace in my daily routine than stress and anxiety.  Abiding is the best way to reach that goal.  Let's see how I do for the rest of the year!  Be blessed today, I know I am blessed just to be alive for such a time as this!

When Storms Come...and They Will!

No matter what storms are raging around you in life, it is Jesus who can bring peace. No matter what tempests are thundering within your own mind and heart, it is Jesus who can calm you deep in your soul.

We all have trials, temptations, storms in our lives.  No one is exempt.  If you think you will go through life happy all the time, think again.  The inevitable will happen.

But God...

John 16:33 The Passion Translation (TPT)

33 And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous,[a] for I have conquered the world!”

Note in the verse "you will experience trouble and sorrows".  He didn't say MAY experience, He said WILL experience.  We just need to stay fixed on Him, rest in Him, rely on Him.  He is our strength in tough times.  It's not easy either.  Sometimes I have gone through tough times and my eyes don't turn to God, they turn to things like "if only I were dead I wouldn't be going through this", "no one will miss me", "I can't do this anymore", "what is wrong with me".  Encouraging words in a dark time....NOT! I am learning, as I abide more in His presence, that He is the first thing I think of, more often than not.  I recognize those other words, and who delivered them and I won't partake anymore.  Sometimes thoughts creep in, but I recognize works of the enemy and I give him a boot out the door.  It can be a struggle to boot him out, at times, but persistence with God's help, always wins.  God has all the authority, which Jesus passed on to us.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came close to them and said, “All the authority of the universe has been given to me.[h] 19 Now go in my authority and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 20 And teach them to faithfully follow[i] all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.

What a blessing.  So, when we abide in Him, we get close to Him, we have relationship with Him and ultimately, we have His authority.  If Jesus has all authority, then satan has NO authority.  Don't let him bully you, boot him out with just one word "Jesus"!  

He Is Risen

Happy Easter Everyone

As I reflect back on my journey of abiding, I land on Resurrection Sunday.  Such a special day in history....His Story...without His sacrifice on the cross, I would not have the opportunity to abide in His presence.

I grew up in a religious home with good values.  My mom always hoped her kids would follow God.  I dutifully went to church on Sunday mornings and even sang in the choir.  We went to an Anglican church at the time, because our neighbours went there and invited us to attend.  I think it suited my dad better, because I don't remember him going to the Pentecostal church that we had attended, Queensway Cathedral in Toronto.

I gave my heart to God at a retreat centre called Bezak Centre which was located out in the country on a small county road, just outside of Campbellville, Ontario.  Bezak was my first encounter with the Charismatic movement and I remember loving it right from the start.  It always felt like home to me, it drew me in.  I made a number of friends there and look back over the years on how I lost touch with each and every one of them.

Over time, I back slid in my faith.  I found new friends after we moved to a small town called Paisley, Ontario.  These friends loved to party and I was drawn into that world so easily.  I didn't even want to do anything else.  It became more important to me than school.  Needless to say, my marks were not high enough for university, and I ended going to community college taking a subject I really wasn't that interested in.  But, college was good...lots of parties to go to there!

Over time I grew restless in my career and desperately looked for a change.  And change I did...I joined the military.  I was always drawn to a uniform and when I joined the military, it was the best thing I ever did.  I had so much fun in basic training that I didn't want it to end. It was a great confidence builder.  But, we all know that life changes over time.  I met the love of my life in Edmonton and we got married.  We tried to have kids, but it wasn't meant to be.  At times, I thought God was punishing me, but today I know that was not the case.  Spiritually I was lost and a small crisis caused me to start searching and eventually I found God.  He has always been there, I just chose not to listen to Him.  I returned to my faith, got baptized in water, then by the Holy Spirit.  It was been a roller coaster journey, but now...as I abide in His presence, as I sit and wait on Him, He is near me, comforting me, encouraging me.  It's not always rosy.  He even told us that "When you have troubles...".  Troubles are a part of life, they are what make us stronger.  When you abide with Him, troubles are a tad bit easier to deal with than trying to do everything in your own strength.  To be able to go through hard times, completely at peace, is worth it.  Don't get me wrong...I sometimes go through troubles by my own power and it's never easy that way.  When I choose to surrender to Him, to His ways, it's the best decision I could make.

So, abiding...helps me get closer with God, helps me know Him better, helps me keep my peace no matter the circumstance.  Are you abiding...or going solo?  How's it working out for you?  Are you at peace?  Is there conflict?  Do you have your joy?  

I am not where I need to be....but I am certainly not where I was and never want to go back there.  I am on the best journey of a lifetime.  Abiding is ultimately very rewarding.  

Happy Easter!

A Billy Graham Tribute

I know this isn't part of my one word blog for this year, but with Billy Graham's passing, I thought I would share his last devotional he wrote, which came in my e-mail this afternoon.

God is Love by Billy Graham

Who can describe or measure the love of God? Our Bible is a revelation of the fact that God is love. When we preach justice, it is justice tempered with love. When we preach righteousness, it is righteousness founded on love. When we preach atonement for sin, it is atonement necessitated because of love, provided by love, finished by love. When we preach the resurrection of Christ, we are preaching the miracle of love. When we preach the abiding presence of Christ, we are preaching the power of love. When we preach the return of Christ, we are preaching the fulfillment of love. No matter what sin we have committed, no matter how black, dirty, shameful, or terrible it may be, God loves us. We may be at the very gate of hell itself, but God loves us with an everlasting love. The proof? Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, went to the Cross for us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

More on abiding...from someone else!

I am currently reading a book by Wendy Blight called "I Am Loved".  It is essentially a book that references the scriptures of John and how God loves us.  It has questions that challenge your thinking and scriptures to look up and places to write notes.  It's a little Bible study and I am really enjoying it.  

Finishing day 5 of week 3, she made some profound statements about abiding, and I will copy them here.

"John closes this chapter by again reminding us of Jesus’s words on abiding. Jesus spoke thoroughly on this topic so that we would comprehend the value He placed on investing not only our hearts but also our time in our relationship with Him (John 15). 

Abiding is key to walking in the confident assurance of God’s love and His Word. We comprehend the depth of His love through the sacrifice He made. 

Abiding helps soften our hearts to His words, even the hard words. 

Abiding tenders our heart to respond in obedience to the Spirit’s conviction. We desire to please Him. We want to obey Him. 

Abiding continually exposes our hearts to the character, purposes, and voice of God. It’s the daily, systematic feeding of truth that helps align our decisions, our emotions, and our actions with His standard of truth. We filter every decision through the lens of His Word. It helps to ensure we walk in light rather than darkness, to live motivated by love not hate. 

Abiding gives us the weapons we need to detect, defeat, and disarm the enemy. To recognize darkness, expose it to light, and claim victory over it!"

Blight, Wendy. I Am Loved: Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love (InScribed Collection) (p. 153). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

I am amazed that, since starting this blog on abiding, I run into all kinds of devotionals on abiding...and now...in a book that I happen to be reading (which I bought before doing this blog).

I hope this blesses you!  Until next time...

Wallowing With God

Today, as I was doing a Bible Study I had signed up for called I Am Loved, the beginning of the week video had the author and 2 of the ladies from the Proverbs 31 Ministry talking about abiding in God and what it meant.  This is what stood out to me.  Abiding in God is like wallowing in God.  I am sure most of us have heard the expression 'wallowing in self pity', but I had never applied that to God.  Wallowing:  indulging in an unrestrained way.  Imagine that for a minute.  Synonyms:  luxuriate, bask, glory, indulge (oneself), delight, revel.

How do you indulge in God in an unrestrained way?  I can think of a few.  Worship....you can certainly be unrestrained there.  Put on that wild worship song and dance with abandon.  Sounds like fun to me! Prayer is another.  God loves to hear us pray no matter how long or how short or what our words sound like.  He wants to hear our heart, which comes out in our prayer.  His Word.  What better way to wallow (bask) in God than delving into His word to get to know His character even more.   There's no restraint there at all.  You can skim the scriptures or you can unpack them with the tons of study tools available out there on the internet.  The possibilities are endless.  There's one more way to wallow with God, to abide with God, that I absolutely love.  Spend time out in nature.  You can spend endless time looking at plants, animals, clouds, stars and marvel at the work.  The intricate details of a tiny butterfly.  The way that tides work relative to the moon. The masterful work ethic of ants.  I even look at my little Yorkie and think, how tiny yet how perfect she is.  Her personality is large and unique.  There is no big bang theory that could ever explain how the millions of things in nature were formed. Just read up on the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.  Not just it's birth, but the migration it goes through.  Phenomenal.  I can't get enough of that.  I amazes me to no end....I could go on and on and on.  Find what appeals to you and find God in that place....wallow with Him for a bit, bask in His Presence...sounds like a very rewarding thing to do.  For me, it just sounds peaceful, like basking in the sun....or should I say, basking in The Son!  

The Reward for Abiding

Ok, so this is a little sensitive to talk about, but because of the outcome I have to talk about it to get to the end of the story.

Yesterday I got a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)….they are not fun let me tell you.  Constantly feeling like to have to go to the bathroom  and when you do…the feeling doesn’t go away.  It’s like walking on pins and needles.  To top it off, we had Connect Group and it was at our house, so it’s not like I can just leave.  I sat there, hoping the evening would come to an end, even though I was enjoying the conversation.  Let me back up a couple of days….3 days ago, I was watching a video on Youtube, put out by Bethel TV.  It was the last day of the Healing and Impartation conference, featuring Randy Clarke.  As I was listening to his message, what stood out to me was the story of the women with the blood issue.  I have heard that a thousand times and understood it to be a moment of great faith.  It went a little further, because of her testimony, other’s just wanted to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment to be healed.  This time, this little message imprinted on my brain.  So…back to last night.  At the end of the evening, people were listing what they wanted to pray for and I was not going to say anything, but really felt God impress on me to speak up.  All I could think of was…if I could just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.  So, I shared in a vague way, my issue and got some prayer.  I felt nothing.  But this time, I was believing, and every time I had to go to the bathroom, I was doing spiritual warfare over that bacteria and infection.  After everyone had left, off to the bathroom once again, but this time….when I finished…it felt like I finished.  So, I just started praising God.  He gave me a gift of healing.  By the time I went to bed, everything felt normal.  The catch….when you receive a gift of healing, it is up to you to keep doing maintenance to ensure this issue doesn’t return.  This is different from a miracle.  A miracle is a complete healing with no chance of it coming back.  A gift of healing, requires something of you…so I have changed a few things already because I told God….I DO NOT want to go on antibiotics again…and He heard me.  He heard my petition of faith, and I stand on that this morning, claiming my healing and walking it out.  If I feel anything different….the warfare starts again.  I refuse to allow the negative thoughts of the enemy convince me of anything other than it was God who brought my healing on.  What does this all mean…well…it all has to do with abiding with God.  Getting to know Him intimately, to know how He thinks and what He wants of us.  I decided to abide with Him over my issue and He showed me He required me to humble myself and speak up, asking for prayer in our group.  I was obedient, and it was easy to do, but ultimately, so rewarding.  You don’t have to sit and be still to abide, you can abide 24/7.  I keep Him in my thoughts at all times, and rest on his promise that he wants me to live an abundant life.

This quote is from the Book and Study "I Am Loved" by Wendy Blight.  It inspires me...I hope it inspires you.

Life transformation flows from the time we invest in the Word, not from the teacher’s lectures or commentary. It’s sitting and soaking in our Bibles, allowing God to work in our hearts in and through the reading and the homework.

What Abiding is Doing For Me

From today’s devotional short snippets:

Beaten Up

If you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. — Deuteronomy 28:1

We all have those days when we feel like the stuffing has been beaten out of us. Without even realizing we’d entered a boxing ring, we’ve been punched in the gut and our nose has been bloodied. How can so many things be going sideways all at once when we have been diligently trying to obey God and follow His commandments? Rather than trying to formulate an answer, we remember that He who committed no sin had it even worse: He was betrayed, flogged, mocked, and crucified.

When we are feeling bruised and beaten, we need to remind ourselves that the Lord has been in the boxing ring with us.

He knows the blows we’ve taken, some because of our obedience to His commands. He has taken His own blows, as His hands and side attest. Yet even now He — who defeated sin and death — is lifting us up and will set us high above all nations.

Lord, when I’m feeling bruised and beaten, help me to remember that You are in the boxing ring with me, which gives me peace. Amen.

Targeted

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. — Matthew 5:10 NIV

When we are doing something good — when we are choosing wisely, doing the job that no one else will do, helping someone at a substantial personal cost of time, energy, or finances — why do we suffer? It doesn’t seem fair that the people who treat others as they themselves would like to be treated are the ones with a target on their backs. But

persecution doesn’t care about fair.

Jesus taught that His followers who are persecuted for His sake and because they are living according to His ways are blessed. Yet when we experience persecution because of our faith, we feel anything but blessed. When we’re lied about, framed, betrayed, or mistreated, we can still find peace in God’s presence with us and peace as we look to the future. After all, His promise is that those who suffer for Christ’s sake possess the riches of God’s kingdom.

So take comfort, for the result of this battle is sure: God wins. And when He does — when Jesus returns as King of kings — the Lord will bless you greatly and give you an abundance of peace.

I hardly feel blessed or at peace, but I cling to the Matthew 5:10 promise: Your Kingdom is mine because I’ve suffered for Your sake. Amen.

I think these are 2 key devotionals to help us with our day.  We get beaten up and persecuted, but we need to remember to keep our eyes fixed on Him.  Just reading these 2 little devotionals, I felt a sense of peace come over me and any worry I had just fell away.  I am learning to trust in him, abide in him.  When I think of the word ‘abide’, I get a picture of me cuddling up with Jesus, His arm around me, and listening to all that he has for me.  I feel His peace and feel contentment, safety, security.  When I take the time to sit, be still, and listen for His still small voice, I abide a little more.  It is becoming something that I look forward to every day….simply abiding with Him in a quiet, peaceful environment.  It helps me to abide with Him all day, even during busy times and hectic times and times when I don’t feel like it.  Abiding helps me remember Him at all times, putting Him first and foremost in my mind and I love that.  I never feel alone because He is always near me, even when I fail.

I had the privilege the other day, to be prayed over by our church interns.  Before I went, I said a prayer to God, asking Him to confirm to me that I was on the right path, that I had chosen what he wants me to be doing for such a time as this.  5 young people laying hands on me, prayed things over me that they could not have naturally know as some of it was from before I moved to this area.  My words to them were "you guys nailed it" and I sent the recording to my good friend, who knows my spiritual walk for the last 15 years.  She even commented that they nailed it big time.  What better way to get confirmation from my Daddy that I am doing the right thing, than have a group, hungry for God, pray over me in such a tangible way that builds, not only my faith, but theirs too.  I never get bored of moments like that.  It just makes me hungry for more.  Why settle for less, when you can have so much more, just by doing something simple like....abiding.

What's Your Focus On? Are You Living in the Past?

Focus on progress, not perfection.  Focus on Grace, not guilt.

That’s a good word!  It really jumped off the page for me.  If I miss a day of prayer, or reading the bible or doing a devotion, my Heavenly Dad doesn’t get mad.  He’s happy to see progress, and that is the main thing.  He doesn't want to see religious behaviour. If I grow a little closer to my Dad, that’s progress.  If I pray every other day instead of every few days, that’s progress.  Sometimes we need a word like this to encourage us, when we live in a day and age that likes to focus on the negative.  Focus on the positive, it will go a lot further in life. 

Phil 4:8 (TPT) So keep your thoughts continually fixed (focused) on all that is authentic and real, honourable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.

The enemy would like to keep my thoughts focused on my failures, leading to a typical guilt trip of which I sometimes feel I won’t ever get out of.  The verse in Philippians is great reminder on what we should focus our thoughts on.  When I keep my thoughts on the good things, I feel more peace, more freedom, more grace.  I abide with Him a little more.

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

Let's not focus on the past, but focus on the future.  Phil 3:13 (TPT) I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this;  however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.

Have you had problems forgetting the past.  Are you still living in a moment in the past, be it good or bad?  I found this message by Christine Caine to be quite compelling.  Take time to watch if you feel led to.

Click HERE for video.

Peace: Abiding in the Chaos

We drove to Ottawa yesterday, although not my favourite thing to do.  Somedays, the thought of getting in a car and driving on a road makes me cringe.  I don't mind driving at all, but it's the other people.  People are always in a hurry and angry.  If you get in their way, they honk, or cut you off, or send you all kinds of wonderful finger gestures.  Who wants to be a recipient of that?

There was a time that things like that would bother me, I would want to get back at them in some way or another.  I remember a time when I was one of those people on the road.  Always in a hurry, impatient, saying things as if they could hear me.  I look back on that time and realize that I have come a long way.  I rarely get impatient, I rarely feel any anger and I do my best not to speak anything against someone.  When I do (because I am far from perfect), I repent.  I am trying.  I remember when I made a change and decided that I was going to slow down and not be in a hurry.  It was in Petawawa where I lived for 22 years.  It was almost instant, the relief I felt, the weight off my shoulders.  I found more peace while driving and I wasn't concerned about getting from A to B as much.  It was a quiet time that I could spend in conversation with my Heavenly Father.  It was a time to abide with him.

When you spend your career with the military, you develop a lifestyle.  You are more work driven and performance driven because that is what the military demanded of you.  This is contrary to what God wants for us, and certainly isn't peaceful.  He doesn't want our performance, he wants our heart.  So, when you spend over 20 years being performance driven, it is very difficult to slow down.  When you live your life at a thousand miles an hours, what does it take to pause, sit, relax, abide.  It's hard to do.  You have to shut your 'production' brain off and be able to listen for that still small voice.  I confess, I struggle with this every day.  I feel I should be doing something all the time. It's hard to abide when the 'to do' list keeps popping into your head.  So...if I just get this out of the way, then I can sit and relax.  Yeah right...it doesn't work that way.  I need to learn how to turn off the conveyor belt of thoughts and just sit and wait.  What helps?  Soaking music.  Something that has no words, just soft quiet music that causes me to pause, relax, wait and listen.  I can do it for about 10 minutes, then the 'to do' list pops up again. But, 10 minutes is a start.  I can abide for 10 minutes for now and see if it will expand to 20 and 30.  Like a lot of things in life, start small, develop that habit, and see where it grows from there.  

And So, The One Word Journey Begins

Well…it is 2018.  I have decided that Abide is going to be my word.  I read the latest devotional of the author of the “One Word’ idea and he listed the top 10 words chosen by his readers.  

Trust

Patience

Love

Discipline

Focus

Faith

Surrender

Peace

Listen

Joy

I look at this list and see that I could pick any of them and then I come back to Abide.  If I abide in Him, I learn to trust him, love him and others, gain more discipline from His wisdom throughout the scripture.  I learn to focus on Him all day, my faith grows and I surrender more and more to Him.  I have much peace, I listen for Him daily and my life is full of joy, even in the dark times.  So I will learn to abide daily.  Abide in Him, in His word, in His love, surrounded by His peace. It’s going to be an interesting year.  I look forward to checking in now and again, sharing snippets of what I have learned!

If you haven’t gotten a word, that’s no problem, you just have to decide what you want to be this year and follow this little chart, also provided by the author of the “One Word” idea:

Reflection Questions:

• What kind of person do you want to become this year?
• What drives your desire to be this kind of person?
• Describe the characteristics of this kind of person. Make a list of words based on this description.
• Reduce your list to ten words or less and research those words. Use the dictionary and your Bible, perhaps a thesaurus.
• Choose one word from your list to be your one word for this year.
• Also choose a Bible verse that speaks to you about your chosen word and memorize it. 
• This will provide a foundation of truth you can continually return to and will fuel your hope to change.
• What initial expectations do you have regarding the impact of your word?

Happy New Year!  Enjoy your one word!!

John 15:5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing.