Out With the Old (2010) and In With the New (2011)

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (Prov. 16:9). God must give us the vision for what He calls us to do. After we have the vision, we must ask Him if He wants us to take action on that vision and what the action steps entail. The Lord wants to direct each step of the planning process. David learned this lesson when he went to battle against his enemy, the Philistines. One day he inquired of God as to whether he was to go up against the Philistines, and the Lord said, "Yes, but only when you hear the marching in the balsam trees." It is a mistake to reason and analyze in order to come to a decision on a matter. The Lord already knows the answer. It is our responsibility to seek Him to find out His mind on the matter. Our planning must be established in Him. Only when we remain so connected to the source can we be assured of putting God's plan into place. Also, getting that plan confirmed through others will assure that we are not following the deceit of our own heart." (Taken from Os Hillman's Marketplace Leaders: Plans for Success)

As I head into the New Year, I want the above to ALWAYS be on the forefront of my mind!  With that being said....For the last three years, I have been specifically setting aside the weekend between Christmas Day & New Year's to quietly seek God and His wisdom, direction, and vision for the coming year.  In year's past, I have outlined every area of my life and then attached specific scripture verses that I could fall back on throughout the year to help sustain me and remind me of God's faithfulness in each of those areas. This year, those same areas & scriptures are still very relevant, however, I'm taking a different approach--I'm just openly and freely saying "YES."  The Lord knows the desires and dreams of my heart (for He's the one who has placed them there in the first place!) and He wants to direct each step of the planning process. My only real responsibility is to remain so connected to Him so that I can be assured of God's plans for my life--that is why I so appreciated God sending me the above devotional. It was the affirmation that I needed. Not only does God want me to stay intimately connected, He wants me to say "YES" to his leading. So, Lord--here I am.  Not exactly sure of what you have in store, although I know its' going to be good because you are Good! (However, I now have tears streaming down my face because I know that in saying "YES" may lead me to places that I may not want to go or to situations & circumstances that may be painful and hard, but I have to continually trust that it is during these times, that I see God move in miraculous ways and where the majority of my growth and maturity will take place). So again, with somewhat of a  trembling heart, I say "YES" to what you have in store for me in 2011.

Before I completely move on to 2011, let's take a look at 2010.  My verse for 2010 was found in 2 Peter 1:3 & 4 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." I cannot begin to tell you how many times that those specific verses would lull me to sleep at night. I had to continually remind myself that everything that I needed--whether it would be for physical & emotional strength, direction, wisdom, finances, protection, healing, etc. were found in His promises (which led to me to track down those promises in the scriptures). Now, as I find myself at the conclusion of 2010, His Word and His promises were indeed faithful! God' promises were faithful through such times (in chronological order) as: our house being burglarized (which continues to be an on-going saga), through Mike's shoulder surgery, and through Mike's work transition (a transition for both of us & thankful that it appears to only be for a "season!"). His promises also proved to be faithful during times of celebration--family vacations, favor within our occupations, great grades as an adult student, and specific dreams coming to pass!

For me personally, 2010 also brought two specific "defining moments." The first, within my employment. My career has always been very important to me and continues to be so. However, looking back for many, many years, I let my career define who I was as an individual and I based my self-worth on my ability to "climb the corporate ladder." A particular ladies' Bible study (Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge) in Care & Share brought my misconceptions (& sin) to light. In a nutshell, all along, all God really wanted from me was my heart--not necessarily additional items to add to my resume. This realization (& repentence) has brought great freedom. Guess what happened once I relinquished control of my career to God? You guessed it--significant accomplishments and responsibilities that look fabulous on my professional portfolio!

The second defining moment was in regards to relationships. I guess if I would have listened to Mike in the first place (after all, he does have the spiritual gift of discernment!), this area might have not been so painful. With that being said, his advice is somewhat stern & definitely not "warm & fuzzy" like we women tend to like it! Let's just say and I'm going to take James' word for it when he states in Chapter 1, verse 19 "My dear brothers (& sisters), take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." The realization (as much as I hate to admit--LOL!): When dealing with specific relationships, I need to heed the advice of my husband!

Now, back to 2011. In looking ahead, there seems to be a recurring theme that has been affirmed through many methods (& for obvious reasons, has left me very curious!)--my 2011 verse, which is a familiar one, is found in Proverbs 3:3-4 "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man." In addition to continually saying "YES" (which is a pretty hefty goal in itself!), the only other goal or resolution for 2011 that I'm going to set for myself is this: To choose to live each day passionately and as a positive reflection of God in my world. I'm going to choose to put actions behind my faith and leave a lasting legacy for my family and my world.

As always, may Mike, I, and our families, not only survive 2011, but THRIVE!