God’s Word for Our Year - 2016

If God has not already shown you your word for the year, do not give up hope.  Please, continue to pray and keep your eyes and ears open.  The revealing of your word can come from anywhere, people, a song, a Bible verse, or even a book you are reading.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” Psalm 37:7

Be patient, in His time, or when He thinks you are ready, He will reveal it to you.  We are significant to our God. How awesome is that?  God designed each of us in our mothers’ womb to be different. The God that designed the universe, cares for each of us, and has enough love and words to go around.

Think about this for a moment. The sun, moon and stars, God spoke, and they were in existence.  The birds of the air and the fish of the seas, God spoke, and they were in existence.  Most everything He created, He spoke and it existed.

Yet, when it came to man and woman, He formed us.  He knelt in the dirt, and got dirty. He formed a human from the dirt of the ground and breathed life into him.  God’s breath made a clump of dirt come alive.  God still comes down to us, forms us, gets dirty, and breaths into us life.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the starts, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him and the son of man that You care for him?”  Psalm 8:3-4

Our God is a loving God, and He will continue to knock on the door of our hearts. He doesn’t give up on us, because He wants us in Heaven with Him.  God loves you and me. Isn’t that awe-inspiring?

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

On the freeway that I have to travel to get to work, John 3:16 is carved in the lawn along an overpass.  Every day it reminds me that whatever challenges or problems I am having I need to give to God, because He loves me.  He is someone that I can rely on.  He will not fail me.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

Each day in January that passes, I am more assured of the word that God has chosen for me. The word confidence, is more than just self-confidence. I love the meaning that I found for the last blog post. Confidence, it means the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something.

“Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5.

In other words, I need to have confidence in the Lord with all of my heart, and not my perception.  Yes, I use my faith and logic, but we see such a small view of everything.  We don’t get the big picture. We are biased because of our upbringing or past experiences.  I have to be confident in the Lord to guide me.

“In him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12

The more we get to know our God, the more we can have confidence in Him.  The more we will be able to listen for His still small voice, or hear Him when He shouts through our pain. Did you know that God whispers to us, laughs with us, and yells above the noises if He needs to?  Whatever He has to, to get our attention.

“Pain insists upon being attended to.  God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” C S Lewis

So, God will give you the word He wants to help define and shape this year, or this month or this day.  He has a theme for our life. We just have to be open to listen or see what He wants to do in us.  Do not give up hope.  God is there.  God is here.

Dear Father, 

Thank you for all the wonders that you have shown.  Thank you for person reading this.  I pray for them as You reveal to them their word for the year.  I know that You will use a megaphone if needed. The devil is trying to derail our journey with all the evil in the world, but in the name of JESUS, the devil has zero authority over us.  You are an awesome and powerful God.  Thank you just is not enough, but for us mere humans, it is the best word we have. 

AMEN

Laura Maxson

God’s Word for My Year - 2016

This month, we have again decided that we are going to pray about the one word that will define or shape this year.  I know that it helped me last year.  It shaped, defined, and effected my year last year.  I hope that it did the same thing for you.

This New Year, the pages are blank.  It is our new book, our new journey.  It is an opportunity to start over, and try something that we haven’t ever done before.  We do resolutions, and then stick to them for about two weeks.  Well, that is not going to be this year of the word.

So, for 2016 what word does God want for me to define my year?  I have prayed, and kept my eyes and ears open to God.  He gave me the answer. It came on December 31, and again on January 1.  

God was making sure that I got the word that He wanted to define and shape my year. Confidence.

I looked up that word.  “Confidence – the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.”  God wants me to have confidence in Him, in other, and in myself.  It is very similar to my word last year, trust. 

Yet, I feel that God is wanting me to have confidence in not only Him, but myself, and others.  Last year, He impressed me that I need to write a book of my story of God’s Amazing Grace.  I feel so unconfident undertaking that task. I kept putting it off, and putting it off.  He wants this year for me to be confident in myself, and allow Him to shine through me.

So, that is what my year will be.  I will not only be confident in my God, but in myself that I can do what God is calling me to do.  Through God, I will be confident. Through God, all things are possible.

I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

How did God show me that word?  Well, it was in an evaluation that I got from my boss on December 31. He said that I was very strong in the things that I already know, but that I needed more confidence in the things that I don’t know as well.  I need confidence that I am able to do them, answer #1. 

Then, on January 1 in church the pastor was preaching, and something was mentioned about David and Goliath.  The pastor said that David had confidence that God would show His glory, answer #2. So, I wrote the word on the bulletin.

I don’t know how God is going to show you your word for the year, but I do know that if you pray and are open, He will show you.  He wants us to grow in Him. So, open your eyes and ears and watch and listen for God to show you what He wants for you.

This year is the start of something new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (or she) is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Dear Lord,

Reveal Your word to those reading these words.  Show them what You want for this year for them. You have a special word for each of them.  You have shown me my word, and I have confidence in You that You will show each person their own.  Thank you for amazing grace.

Amen

Laura Maxson

Reflection on Our Word for the Year Part 2

I continue to reflect on my word for the year, and the changes that it brought.  God is showing me how He has used that word in my life this year. Prayer is a powerful thing. It has the power to mend the broken. It has the power to transform a person. It has the power to show you God’s wonder. That is how powerful it is. That is God’s Power!

Whatever your word for the year was this past year, I hope that God shown you His Power.  I pray that you had your eyes open to see the awesomeness of God this year and every year. He definitely wants to show you His Wonder.

I have learned something about God this year that I don’t think I ever really thought about. I think God loves to show off for us. It is to show us how much He loves us. Some of you may not realize that God loves you so much.  Do you realize that God loves you?

Yes, we have heard the song “Jesus Loves Me”, but have you really let the words sink into your heart?  I myself have had that struggle of how can God love me?  I have messed up so many times, and felt like “how could God love me.”

Reflecting on my word and praying that God would show me the reflection He wants to show me, I have come to several realizations. The realizations, all of them, have to do with Jesus loving me, and even if life is not always easy, He is trustworthy.

My word for this year is trust. Jesus loves me so much, and He has shown me over and over that He is trustworthy.  There has been so much hurt in my life and I felt so broken and incomplete.  Jesus loves me so much, and made me whole and made me new.  Thus, showing me that I can trust Him.

By trusting God, He is transforming my life.  My trust in God is changing me from the inside out.  I no longer fear the past.  I cherish the present, and I look forward to a future that God has planned for me.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

I have learned that I have to Trust in Him.  He is the One who is giving me a transformation to love myself and others.   I thank God for directing me on my journey.  I would be lost without Him.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2

With all the wickedness that is happening around us, our eyes must be focused on God.  The devil is all around us, but if our eyes are fixed on God, then the devil has no power over us.  God is our past, or present, and our future.

I pray that God is showing you His glory.  My prayer for you, is that your eyes are open the amazing love of God.

Dear Jesus,You have shown me how trustworthy You are.  I am so grateful that You have shown me Your love and grace and continue to do so on a daily basis.  Without You, I would be lost.  Without you, I would be broken, and feel incomplete.  Thank you Lord for saving my soul. Thank you Lord for making me whole.Amen

Laura Maxson

Reflection on Our Word for The Year

In January, we prayed and chose our word for the year. The word that would help define the year 2015.  Well, the year is almost over. This month, I want you to reflect on what changes have occurred in your life based on your word for this year.

 What was your word?  Has God opened your eyes?   Has He shown you His glory?  What difference has that word made in your life?  Has it made a difference in your life? Did you allow God to show you his meaning of that word for your life?  What changes did God make in you because of your word? 

As the end of the year is fast approaching, I want us to pray that God will show us what He has done in our lives this year.  Make this a month of reflection and prayer for what God has done in your life. You will then realize that God is in control, if we allow Him.  So, that no matter what happens, with God in our lives, we can get through it.

My word for the year was trust.  That word was something that I didn’t do very well. Now trusting God has changed me from the inside out.  My reflection of my word over this year and the changes that it has brought, has been eye opening.

Through my reflection of that word of the year, God has opened my eyes, and showed me His glory.  I realized that I could TRUST God.  It was that trust that helped me truly realize the grace that God has for me. It was my trust in God that helped me give grace to the people that hurt me. 

I trust God with all my heart, and with that trust He is showing me His love and grace daily.  Every day is a battle, but right at this moment, I have given up control of my issues, anxieties, and fears to Him.    They are all God’s now, and He is so much bigger, stronger, and more capable then I am.  I have given Him my life.

I learned that His way is the best way. I trusted Him with all of me, and gave up control. There was never a told you so, or a too late.  He is cleaning me up from the inside out.  He made me new, and made me whole again.  That is what my trust in God did and continues to do for me.

My journey with God is far from over.  It is a trusting relationship that grows more and more every day. Given up control of my life was the most difficult part.  However, I was done fighting.  God was there through it all.  He was waiting for me to come to Him. He doesn’t force His way into our lives.

My trust in Him allowed me to face the person that so many years ago hurt me.  The baggage that I had been holding onto, I had given to God.  So, when I saw that person, I did not see that person in my human anger.  I saw them in a new light, and saw them as a child of God who needed God’s grace just as much as I do.  When I saw that person, I realized that they were not the same either.  God is working in their life too.

My trust in God, I can truly believe and realize that there is nothing that we can do that will separate us from the grace of God.  As long as our hearts are open to Him, God will always try to reach us.  We can trust him with our lives, and all the darkness as well as the light.  God is trustworthy.

How do you trust someone?  The more you get to know them, the more you trust them.  God has   I have learned that my God is to be trusted.  He is a God of His word.
shown me time and time again that He is a God to trust.

I never realized that a word could change me completely.  It isn’t the word that changes my life, but the meaning of that word. If I am truly allowing God to work in me, then my word will change my life.  To just know that I can trust my God is an incredible feeling.

Life won’t always be perfect, I know that.  Yet, with my trust in God, the mountains don’t look so impenetrable.  With my trust in God, my fears, anxieties are now His, and they are no longer fears or anxieties.  With my trust in God, He is in control, which is so much better than me being in control.

God has control.  I trust that He will be my GPS in my life.  I am no longer afraid that God won’t do what He promised.  He has already proven that He is a God of his word.  I trust God, and that trust has manifested itself into my life in many ways.

By my allowing God in, I have also let in good people.  My heart is open. I used to be scared to let people, but now I trust. I trust God. He is such an amazing God that changes people if we allow Him access to our hearts.

God has a plan for our lives, and He wants to show us that plan.   If I trust God, than He will lead me step by step along our journey together. To me that is cool. 

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

He is giving me the desires of my heart, only my desires have changed. What I used to want have now grown into something more.  God has given me new desires, and a new focus.  He is guiding my journey.  I trust God to guide me, to show me his plan for my life.  I trust God.

Dear Lord, continue to guide me on our journey.  I trust you to lead the way. Each person on this blog, bless them, and continue to guide them on their journey with You.  You have done such an amazing thing in my life, and I can’t take credit for any of it.  It was all You.  If we allow You, You will change us from the inside out.

Amen

Laura Maxson

NOTE: If you want to comment on what God has done for your life during this year, please do.  There is a comment section on this blog, feel free to use it.  We want to hear what God is doing in your life, or if you don’t feel comfortable, just share your word for this year.  Thank you for being on this journey with us.