Pursuit of a new year!

Well, here we are again. The end of the year. For many, a time of reflection and memories. For others, maybe a tremendously hard year makes you want to just go ahead and skip forward a few days into 2020.

Like I wrote last year, I am not really into resolutions. You can read my thoughts here. I really don’t set resolutions, because let’s admit it, most of what I resolve to do doesn’t happen lol!

But what can happen no matter what day of the year, is our pursuit of God. We can make up our mind to pursue the Father deeper on a daily basis and that we should do. I am honest with you in saying, I have not done that. There have been days and weeks where I have not pursued a deeper relationship with Him. I have held on to the status quo for me. Yes, reading my bible and praying daily. But to really dig in deeper, I have gone days without doing that. Now that is something I definitely can change!

It doesn’t have to look like a major overall. For me, I want to take my good habits and just go deeper with them.

Let me give you an example. I absolutely love the YouVersion Bible App. With this app, I have finally established a daily habit of reading the Word and reading a devotional. I have been a Christian since I was a young child, but had never developed the discipline of being in the Word consistently- every day- until I started on this Bible App. Now I have gone two years daily in the Word! This is huge for me! BUT…. it would be so easy to stop there. I will continue to be in the Word daily through the app, but this coming year, I want to interact more. I want to look up the verses in my paper Bible. I want to jot down scriptures that stand out to me. You see where I am headed? This will lead me down a deeper path in the Word.

Another example is in prayer. We can be in the habit of praying and sometimes it becomes just another thing to check off our to-do list. I want to change that. My pastor reminded us today of how important it is to pray the scriptures over ourselves. To personalize the scriptures and really take time to declare His Word over ourselves.

Romans 10:17 says:

So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

So I will increase my faith by hearing myself declare the Word of God! Applying God’s Word during my prayer time will ensure that I am praying according to God’s will and plan. It is so easy to get off track when I am praying as far as praying for my list of things that I need God to do. Prayer is a two way communication, so that also means that I need to listen to what He is saying as well.

So taking my Word time and my prayer time deeper are two things that I want to do going forward. I don’t have to wait till January 1st! I can start now!

What are some things that you want to pursue for the new year? In all of your pursuit, make sure your pursuit of the Father is the most important, for that is where the rest of your life will flow from!

May God richly bless and keep you in all your ways.

Chasing God, Renae