Hello friend
I am amazed at how fast this past year has gone by. So many good things and not so good things have touched my life. There were disappointments and heartaches. Times of confusion and times of doubt. There were also blessings and pure joy. Over all, this year was a year of healing and growth. How was your year? Did you learn any lessons? What are you taking with you in the new year and what are you going to leave behind?
Life Lesson – Trust
This past year I needed to get to a place where my insecurities weren’t going to get in the way of me pressing forward in my life. Through this years journey I realized that I cared too much about what others think of me and my life’s decisions. In this I took on other people’s doubts and judgment and at times viewed myself through their lens. How often do we view our live’s from the perspective that we believe others are viewing us?
God by His grace didn’t allow me to get stuck for too long in the trap of other people’s opinions. He taught me to trust Him to an even greater degree than I had previously trusted Him. In addition to trusting Him, I learned to trust myself and that I indeed was hearing (and can hear) from God.
Don’t Always Need To Understand
The only opinion that truly matters is Gods and I am trying to put that into practice. I don’t always understand why I am on the path that I am on and sometimes I don’t even understand what the next step is or why I am taking the step that I am taking. However, I don’t have to always understand it – just trust in His guidance. This is huge for me as I am always trying to figure out how people “tick” – even how I “tick”. I have always thought that if I can understand it, then I can accept it. God is showing me that there are certain things in life that I will never understand but that I need to accept so that I can continue to press forward in my life’s journey.
Square Peg in Round Hole
I also learned (well I have know this forever – but have greater understanding of it) that I don’t really “fit in well” with others – family – extended family – even friends. Whether in relationships with others or even work situations I never seemed to really ‘fit’. I have always felt like I am a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. It used to frustrate me and cause me to feel hurt. There have been many occasions in my life where I didn’t feel valued and sometimes even loved. Even over the past few weeks I struggled with hurt feelings as I felt excluded and in a sense unwanted. I am learning that it is ok to not “fit in” and that God created me this way for His purpose.
My dear friend Tammara shared the following with me: “My Dear lady… We are not created to fit in!! We are created to stand out! God has set us apart for His purpose & pleasure! Hallelujah that we are chosen vessels!!!” — These words of wisdom confirmed to me what God has been teaching me. Thank you Tammara!
It’s Ok To Be A Sheep
Lastly I learned that it is ok to be a sheep and that no matter where I am in life I have a Shepherd that loves and cares for me. Psalm 23 took on a whole new meaning for me and showed me that God values me, accepts me and loves me like no one else can.
Revive Refresh Renew
When I was thinking about this month’s scripture writing plan I initially thought of “new beginnings” as the theme. However I realized that every day we get an opportunity for new beginnings and it is not something that just happens once a year.
”The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” — Lamentations 3:22-23
In life we can get worn out and tired. Sometimes the curve balls of life hit us so hard that they knock the wind out of us. We all need encouragement and we all need to be motivated to continue to press on in our lives. This month’s scripture writing plan, “Revive, Refresh, Renew” is going to encourage our souls with God’s precious Word.
Your Invitation to “Sit with Jesus”
I want to extend an invitation to you to participate with me in this months Scripture Writing Plan – “Revive Refresh Renew”. This month I have gathered Scriptures that will nourish our souls and give us hope as we continue to press forward. We will be reminded of the vastness of God’s love for us and the grace that He willing gives us. These scriptures will encourage you and motivate you to thrive in Him.
I invite you to focus a bit of time everyday as we “revive, refresh, and renew” ourselves in His Word. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and grab your pen and notebook. Be encouraged and know that you are dearly loved and treasured.
What Is A Scripture Writing Plan
A scripture writing plan is basically spending 10-15 minutes everyday writing out a passage of scripture. It’s a plan that I have created that you can follow everyday to glean more from the Word of God. It is a simple and effective tool that can help you enrich and grow your relationship with God. In addition, it will help you to learn and apply more of God’s Word in your daily lives. This month we will be writing scriptures mainly out of the New Testament but I have thrown in a few from the Old Testament.
Directions
Each day read and write out the corresponding scripture with the day of the month. Keep the following questions in mind as you write the scripture down.
What is the Word saying?
What does this mean to me personally?
How can I take action on it?
How does this enhance my view of God?
You can use any bible translation that you like. I prefer using the Amplified, NIV, or NLT. Two fabulous websites that has numerous translations to choose from are Biblegateway.com and biblehub.com (click on the links). I enjoy reading from the various different translations as it gives me a deeper perspective and a greater understanding.
If you are needing some further instruction on scripture writing plans and how to follow them please read the post in the link – Scripture Writing – What is it and How to implement it.
Prayer
I encourage you to end your daily scripture writing sessions with a prayer. If you like you can pray the following:
Father God, Thank you for giving me Your Word. I pray that You will put a desire deep within my heart to dig deeper into it. Help me to not only read it, but to also apply to my life on a daily basis. Thank you for the lessons that You teach me – they aren’t always easy to walk through but I know that You are right beside me eager to assist me.
Thank you Lord, for all the blessings that You have gifted me with this day (you can spend a few moments and list them). I truly am grateful for all that You have done and all that You are doing.
Lord, I pray that You will help me see Your truths and that the truth will set me free. Help me with ……. (you can spend a few moments and list what you need from Him).
Lord, thank you for blessing me today and show me where I can be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ Name ~ ~ Amen
Additional Scripture Writing Plans
In addition to the “Revive Refresh Renew” scripture writing plan I have included several links to additional scripture writing plans that I have written.
What Does the Resurrection Mean to Us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am looking forward to this new year and am excited to see how the Lord is going to direct me. I don’t really have any New Year’s resolutions – just the same desire that I have every year — to continue to press forward into all that He has for me.
Blessings my friends and Happy New Year. I pray that you will see God’s love, grace and favor on your lives. May you see His hand in every aspect of your life and may it cause your heart to fill with gratitude. May the gratitude be so full that it pours out of you. I pray that you will walk in His love, safety, peace and protection. ❤️❤️❤️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you doing this months writing plan on “Revive Refresh Renew”? Let me know your thoughts about it. I would love to hear from you as well as pray for you.
Did you benefit from this post? Please pin it on Pinterest or share it with your friends on your social media so that they can benefit too.👍💞💻🤳🏼💞
