I’ve been looking at my To-Do list all day and, being that it’s Friday afternoon, most  everything is scratched off. Refill the offering envelopes? Done. Print and organize mailings? Done. Print tickets, programs, and postcards for upcoming events? Done! There’s just one little thing on my to-do list that’s been glaring at me all day (actually, since Monday): “Write this week’s Victory Call.”

I love writing devotionals every week, but I have to be honest with you all… I’ve really been coming up empty lately. For some reason, I’m finding it hard to think of something to write about, which seems crazy because the Bible has SO many topics and verses to speak on. Lately, I’ve been writing and rewriting and deleting and restarting my Victory Calls so many times that I actually get frustrated. Today, I bent my head down and said “Lord, please give me the words.”

Then, I realized something. I’ve been struggling so much because I got caught up in the lie that my Victory Calls were about me… and I don’t say that to be sacrilege. Of course I know they’re all about God, but I got caught up in the lie that I needed my Victory Calls to be entertaining, so people will like what I write and I will look like a good writer. I felt like I needed to come up with a really good analogy, share a funny story, and hook people in in order to engage my readers. But then I felt the Lord laying something on my heart: stop trying to perform, it’s not about you.

Performing for God… yeah, I kind of try to do that a lot – especially in ministry. So I decided to see what the Word of God has to say about performance.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for human masters. – Colossians 3:23

God taught me that when I try to perform for Him, I’m really building up the Kingdom of Self. I don’t want to write my devotionals for prideful gain, but for the glory of God. How do you try and perform for Jesus? Could it be that you’re doing such hard work in ministry and experiencing burn out? Could it be that you’re always putting on the “everything’s perfect” mask so you look like a “good” Christian? Whatever it is – remember, you don’t have to put on a performance to see your worth in Christ… He loves you, flaws and all! Just be with Him.

Erin Culleny serves as a Marketing Assistant and Staff Writer. She loves encouraging women through her Victory Calls and finds such joy in praying for her sisters in Christ. Her favorite activities include reading her Bible, encouraging others with scripture, buying new makeup, buying dresses, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory… In that order!

The morning dawned and there I lay in bed thinking (not good!). Regrets, failures, disappointments and missed opportunities. It started simply enough with a single thought – then another and another until it snowballed.  The day was not off to a good start.

I got up and took care of making coffee and such, but the discontentment hovered in my spirit.  I was having a good ‘ole fashioned pity party and no one else showed up.

I knew the only way for me to crash my own party was to sit at the Savior’s feet for an attitude adjustment.

What follows is the conversation I had with God[i]:

“This is where I sit this morning. God, You are gracious to remind me: ‘I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.’”

Life is not about me – life is about You. Life has a broader scope, meaning and purpose and I am not at the center.

One generation shall commit your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

Sometimes I must first declare Your works to MYSELF!

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate.

What am I meditating on this morning? The last number of days? ME, and the effect has been predictable, unpleasant and sinful.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Lord, You are good, gracious, loving and merciful.  My life circumstance is not by mistake or oversight. I know you have a plan and purpose.

Father, You have chosen good for me – change my heart, my mind, my attitude.

Repent, Diane.

Father, forgive me for loving anything more than You and allowing it to inform my day.

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. (NKJV)

I will trust in You with all my heart, and lean not on my own understanding; In all my ways I will acknowledge you, And You shall direct my paths.

The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

Lord, I pray that describes me – forgive me.

You open your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Lord, I know You have a grander purpose for me and new loves, new desires that please You.

The Lord is near to all who call to him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

Hear my cry, Father- Rescue me from my own idols, thoughts and intentions; give me new loves and new desires.  I am ready to face a brighter day with the hope that only You can give.  ~ Your Daughter, Diane

Where do you find yourself today?

Sometimes we race from one thing to the next, carrying the burden of our negative thoughts or feelings of self-pity having not taken the time to sit at Jesus’ feet to tarry in the Word.  Spending time in the Word, conversing with God, realigns our thoughts with His thoughts so we think His thoughts after Him.

On December 31^st, Bill Welte posted this prayer on Facebook:

Father, we surrender this past year and give it up to you. We give you our failures, our regrets, and our disappointments, for we have no use for them.
Make us a new people, forgetting what lies behind and pressing on toward that which lies ahead of us.
As we stand on the threshold of another year, encourage us by our successes of the past, challenge us by the power of Your Word, and guide us by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Amen
From Our Daily Bread –Great is Thy Faithfulness

How about you? Do you need a sit-down with God today?

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt serves part-time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

[i] Psalm 145:1-3, 4, 5, 9; Psalm 25: 4-5; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 145:14, 16, 18-19

Have you ever been asked to do something that you feel is beyond your expertise?  It has happened a few times throughout my life.  I love to teach, but one year I was asked to teach Sunday School in Spanish.  I thought that there was no way I could teach in Spanish, but feeling that was what God wanted me to do, I did it with His help.  Then, to stretch me more, I was asked to teach a Sunday School workshop.  Yes, in Spanish.  I really wrestled with that one, but God helped me again.  It was a good thing I listened to God, because soon afterward, they were teaching the classes.

Now, a new challenge has come my way, to write for the Victory Call blogs.  At first, I was again saying, “I cannot do that.”  But God said, “You can do it with My help.”  It reminds me of Moses when God told him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3, 4).  He had so many excuses, but it came down to God saying, “Who made you?  I will be with you and help you accomplish what I set before you.”

So, when an opportunity of ministry comes to us, we have a choice.  Will we say, “no” and miss the opportunity and all the blessings?  Or, will we say, “Yes” in obedience and see how God will use us for His glory?

Denise Zambrano

Written by Denise Zambrano: Denise loves to teach the Bible and sing. She teaches a women’s Bible study and a high school Sunday School class.  Along with her daughter, Linda, she is an advocate at A Baby’s Breath (a crisis pregnancy center). She loves being a grandmother to Tim, Becky, Alexander and William (who is with Jesus).  She was a missionary with Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador for 35 years.

Christmas is over and the wrapping and bows are cleaned up and stored, but our spirit of generosity need not be put away till next year. I was thinking about gifts we can give that don’t cost us a dime.

Long after the gifts we gave or received have been used up, set aside, or even stored, these priceless gifts keep on giving week after week, month after month.  Dare I say, the value of these gifts far outweighs the most costly gift given this Holiday season?

Consider giving these priceless gifts in 2018.

Gift #1: PRAYER –

Everyone needs prayer whether they know it or not.  It doesn’t take up space or need to be stored.  A promise to take your friend or family member before the throne of grace every (pick a day) for 2018 is a precious gift and all it will cost you is time.

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:16-21

Gift #2: ENCOURAGEMENT –

Even the most upbeat person has times of discouragement.  It doesn’t take but a moment to encourage another person. It may take just a simple, genuine smile or perhaps a word or two.

Try to give encouragement that is specific.  Rather than, “You have a beautiful voice” perhaps, “When you sing I can understand every word and that allows me to worship.”

Who do you know that could use encouragement today?  Perhaps a quick phone call or even a text or card.  Encouragement is a wonderful gift that often has long-reaching effects.  Can you remember specific words of encouragement you have received in the past?  I can.  Encouragement is a gift that keeps on giving.

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Gift #3: BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS –

We all have them… burdens.  Whether it is ailing parents, wayward children, mounting medical bills or health issues – we all have issues of concerns.  Having someone come alongside of us to bear those burdens with us lightens our load. What a precious gift we can give someone else.  Come alongside them and bear their burdens with them.  Give a listening ear, pray with them, reminding them of God’s promises.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Gift #4: LOVE

What does the gift of love look like?  I’m not talking about the warm fuzzy feelings; I’m talking about loving when it’s not easy or even natural.  The gift of love will not cost you a dime, but it will cost you. It will cost you giving up what you want to meet the need of another with what they want or need. It may be sacrificially giving to a missionary family in need of medical funds or serving a meal to a homeless family.  It may be choosing to listen rather than talk or compromising rather than demanding your own way.   It may be seeking unity rather than making your point.  I realize this list could go on and on but the gift of love is as unique as you and your situation.

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. James 2:8

Gift #5: FORGIVENESS

This is the most costly gift of all. Forgiveness will not cost you a dime, but it will cost you everything.  It will require you give up your record-keeping, your bitterness, your grudge, your anger, your justification, your self-righteousness, your indignation, your self-pity, your pride and resentment. You will have to release that which you hold so tightly.

Forgiveness is a precious gift that you give both the offender and yourself.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14

Let’s make 2018 a year of generously giving priceless gifts to one another.

Blessings,

Diane

Diane Hunt serves part-time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

“But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” – John 11:22

Martha got a bum rep to some degree. This is so much so that one can easily find Christian writings on topics such as the “Martha syndrome” or hear sermons on how to not be “a Martha.” She is notoriously remembered for being detailed-fixated, busy, bossy, and self-pity prone. And all of this seems to be generalized from a snapshot of her life. Ironically, many who critique Martha for over-focusing on the wrong thing may be doing just that when they look at her life. While she surely had her faults (like the rest of us!) as evidenced in Luke 10, her demonstrated faith in John 11 is often overlooked.

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Martha and Mary’s brother Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Upon hearing that Jesus had arrived, Martha went to Him and stated something that even her sister, Mary, said to Jesus upon seeing Him shortly thereafter: “If you had been here my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Albeit mixed with a rebuke, her statement also clearly evidenced faith – and that’s not all that she said. Martha’s subsequent words are reflective of her maturing faith as she told Christ that “even now… God will give you whatever you ask” (vs. 22). Her faith was in the process of being stretched to a new level. Isn’t God doing the same thing with us? I know that He is doing that in me; I hope He never stops!

So what is your “even now?” What is dead and needs resurrecting in your life or in the life of a loved one? What new sphere of life is your faith being stretched or tested in: finances, health, work, relationships, or something else?

Whatever it is, may we be real with the Lord like Martha was, knowing that He meets us where we really are – not where we pretend to be, as God only works in the realm of truth. Yet let us not end there because we too know that even now God will give us whatever we ask in Christ’s name and according to the Father’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. Remember Christ’s response to the burdened father of Mark 9 who exclaimed “I believe, yet help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24): “All things are possible to him who believes”!

Melissa Smith is the Women’s Enrich Counselor at America’s Keswick. She has the privilege and honor of ministering to the Colony men’s wives, fiancées and girlfriends, the Barbara’s Place women, and some women from the community who God brings to America’s Keswick for help or care. She and Bill, her husband of 18 years, have four adopted children ages 17 to 24. Her fervent desire is to point women to Christ and His sufficiency, provision, and promises.

On December 30^th, my niece got married in Upstate New York where it was very cold and snowy.  The wedding and reception were beautiful. As we prepared to leave in the evening it was apparent that it had snowed … a lot… while we were enjoying ourselves at the reception.  The car was covered and there were piles of snow around the car giving evidence that that plows had been around already.

I was driving my mother’s NEW car! As we made our way to the expressway the roads were slick and progress was slow.  Slow and steady we went.

The next morning Pastor Dave Daye started his sermon with a similar picture as above and everyone laughed.  He shared the story of his adventures trying to get home from the reception as well.  His message was relative to the mission of their church and staying on track by noting visible road signs.

I would like to share a simple related message about walking by faith when whiteout conditions strike in our lives.  Driving in a blizzard is a great illustration of trials and challenges in the Christian life.

There are times when we can’t see where we are going and in blizzard conditions we often just follow the person in front of us, which is great unless she is not on the road.  While I drove that night, I was searching for any marker that gave me an idea of where the road actually was.  Street signs, glimpses of road lines, barriers, flashing lights, tire marks, etc.  It wasn’t just in taking note of these markers but correctly understanding what they meant.

When we can’t see where we are going, how do we stay on track?  We don’t want trials and difficulties to derail us in our Christian walk. When we face trials in life, well-meaning people are fraught with advice. Some of it may be good, some bad.  How can we tell the difference?

Our confidence is well grounded in the unchanging, steadfast, immovable Word of God.  No surprise there.  Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89

Understanding God’s Word gives us truths that mark the left side of our path and the right side of our path to keep us moving forward in the right direction. How well versed in Scripture are you?  A friend once told me: What is true in the light is still true in the dark. It is a good reminder to keep in mind.

When the blizzard descends call to mind truths you have hidden in your heart to steer you in the right direction.

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Psalm 36:5

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:13

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

 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—  always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Pastor Dave made a great point. During the blizzard is not the best time to learn to drive in the snow but if that is where you find yourself, trust God to meet you there anyway.

I hope you don’t have blizzards in 2018 but if you do, hold fast to your faith and remain steadfast on the path.

Blessings,

Diane

Diane Hunt serves part-time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

“I haven’t had lunch today; I’m STARVING!”

“I have NO time to talk today, I’m way too busy.”

“I literally didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“I have such a bad headache I feel like I’m going to die!”

 “Today was the best day of my life!”

“I can’t do anything right.”

When we were kids, we learned about hyperboles – exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally. We speak in hyperboles so often that it has almost become second nature to us.

Today I was thinking about how cool it is that while we can speak in hyperboles about almost anything and everything, we simply cannot over-exaggerate God’s goodness, His power, or His love. They’re infinite, everlasting, and simply not things that we can fathom. We can’t wrap our minds around His complete perfection or His overwhelming affection toward us.

“When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, then I saw the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.” – Ecclesiastes 8:16-17

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” – Isaiah 55:8-9

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” – Isaiah 40:28

“Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” – Job 26:14

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, 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

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

God is so amazing, so beautiful, so powerful, and so unfathomable; He goes beyond all we can imagine. I speak in overstatements all the time, but I cannot overstate God enough!! LOVE HIM!

Erin Culleny serves as a Marketing Assistant and Staff Writer. She loves encouraging women through her Victory Calls and finds such joy in praying for her sisters in Christ. Her favorite activities include reading her Bible, encouraging others with scripture, buying new makeup, buying dresses, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory… In that order!

 

Tuesday, December 5th, 1984 was the cold winter afternoon into which my daughter so exuberantly entered the world. My first born. My one and only daughter whom my husband and I named Joyia Evangeline. We had no idea how she was going to become her name, literally.

I could tell you story upon story of the love of Joyia. From the day she was born until the day she died she drew my heart and soul up, out and away, always wanting me to look and see and taste and hear beyond myself; calling all my senses to embrace and engage life. I’m just beginning to grasp the root of wisdom she unwittingly or perhaps intrinsically sought to impart. Whether she fully grasped the intention of her soul or not, I know for sure God did.

He, our everywhere present God, sovereignly allows and permits moments, scenarios, circumstances, etc…to come and go, to be as they are naturally bent to be, even when He can see the end from the beginning. He ordains the ebb and flow of life to be the wheel that molds and shapes the beautiful vessels we could become. He leads us to the paths He would have us follow, all the while giving us the freedom to choose – right or wrong. Then, when we choose our way over His way, there is no condemnation. His perfect love doesn’t pause or skip a beat. It’s too deep for that.

Rather, He makes a way up, over, out and through the messes we make (wasting none of it) to bring us into deeper and fuller understandings, helping us to grow up; helping us to endure the harder things that are likely to come.

Things like the death of a child.

On her birthday this week I lit a candle, in memory of her being present here. Then I took a photo and shared the moment I was making on Facebook. My soul continues to be warmed by the responses of friends, of those who knew her, who were loved by her. It is a deep and wide and rich blessing that we got to do relationship with her; that we get to do relationship with one another. And deeper still – we are invited to daily enter in, to abide, to sit at the feet of the Lord in deep relationship with Him.

Beloveds, we are rich in love.

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-22

Stephanie

Stephanie served on staff at America’s Keswick for 14 years as Women of Character Program Director. She is married to Sesky; together they have 2 adult children-a son, James and daughter, Joyia, who abides in heaven.

Stephanie is daily learning to live and do life victoriously in the shadow of great loss.

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for very activity under heaven.”

On December 31^st, the year of 2017 ended. There will never be another year like it. It was the only one like it since the beginning of time. January 1 a new year will began, 2018. Not one of us has ever yet been a part of this new year. For some it’s a new beginning met with anticipation and excitement, perhaps with planned life or career changes. For others perhaps, the new year holds fear, anxiety or trepidation.

For me, 2017 held a tremendous change and I began a new season in my life. After serving for twelve years at America’s Keswick, nine of which were as the Intake Manager at the Colony of Mercy, I retired at the end of September. And I must admit, this was one of the most difficult things I’ve done. Leaving a ministry that I love…having become acquainted with it through having my son Daniel come through the Colony in 1998. The Colony and the many men that the LORD brought through my office will always hold a very special place in my heart. A season ends.

Change is not always easy. LORD, what’s next? It’s so hard to just take the time and be still before the LORD. I want to know in advance, what’s next? Yet, it’s not God’s way to tell us the future of what is next but rather He commands us to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). It is far more important for me to take the time to be apart from all the business of both thought and action and spend time with my Heavenly Father. He has no desire to tell me about the next season of my journey. But He does desire that I spend time with Him, seek Him with all my heart, to pursue a deeper relationship with Him, to just relax and trust Him for whatever the next season holds.

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

I am to “trust” God in all things. He already knows the new season He has chosen for me and He will reveal it in His perfect timing. Of this I have no doubt. I know His track record in my life and I know my Abba is worthy of all my trust. I am also to “lean” on Him, His wisdom, His Word. My understanding and wisdom is flawed and if I would lean on it, well, it wouldn’t turn out so well, I’m sure! I know because I have leaned on my “own understanding” in the past!

I’m also to “acknowledge Him.” Christ IS my life. I can do nothing without Him but do all things by asking Him to live His life through me. He wants to be invited into every part of my life. To not only “do” the things I can’t do but even the day to day things in my life. Trusting Him for the outcome of everything because everything in my life is His.

If I trust, lean and acknowledge then I can count on the rest of the verse “He will make your paths straight.” Abba knows the next season He has for me and I can rest in that knowledge. I have a good, good Father. So I know whatever path He has for me will be perfect.

A new season begins.

Mary Ann Kiernan

Mary Ann Kiernan is retired from the position of Intake Coordinator and Biblical Counselor at the Colony of Mercy. She and her husband John have been married 44 years, have two sons, two wonderful “daughters” and 6 amazing grandchildren. She is looking forward to what the Lord has in store for her in this next part of the journey.

 

Mary Ann Kiernan is retired from the position of Intake Coordinator and Biblical Counselor at the Colony of Mercy. She and her husband John have been married 44 years, have two sons, two wonderful “daughters” and 6 amazing grandchildren. She is looking forward to what the Lord has instore for her in this next part of the journey.

As an educator, I discovered that each of my students learns differently. Some learn best by hearing, some by seeing, and some by doing. Not only that, students process what they see, hear, or experience differently. A student may be considered an “abstract/random” thinker (the proverbial “out of the box” thinker) or a “concrete/sequential” thinker (like the mathematical prodigy or scientific genius). Most students, however, fall somewhere in between these analyses.

Despite the different ways people think and learn, Scripture indicates that God is a God of order. Paul writes about this attribute as it relates to the appropriate use of spiritual gifts in the church, “let all things be done decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40).

There is something to be said for order and consistency in our daily Scripture reading, no matter what our personalities or learning styles or spiritual gifts. We need an anchor, a methodology, if you will, in our study of Scripture. When we consistently, systematically study the Bible, we not only get the full context, we also sense the wonder and assurance that God is intimately involved in our day-to-day lives.

Often, I write out a short prayer before I begin reading. Usually it is an expression of my emotions, my burdens, or my concerns for the day. As I lay these things before the Lord, I can clear my mind and open my heart to “hear” the Word and accept what the Lord wants to teach me. Then, I open my Bible, and the Lord speaks to me through whatever passage I am studying that day.

This morning, I wrote about my fear. “I am terrified…” regarding some uncertainties in my life. My reading was in Psalm 34. God’s response to my prayer was in verse four. “I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” In this verse, my specific emotions were addressed. As I continued reading, the Lord reminded me of where my focus should be. Instead of living in fear, I should be looking to Him, seeking Him in all circumstances. In verse nine we read, “O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him, there is no want.” When we fear the Lord properly, He will take care of the human fears, because of Who He is. When we seek Him (instead of seeking to figure it all out), He promises that we will “not be in want of any good thing.” (vs. 10)

Oswald Chambers wrote in his famous classic, My Utmost for His Highest, “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else” at all. In this new year, no matter what your personality or learning style, no matter what fears you face, may you commit to consistently reading the Word of God, seeking the Lord, learning to fear Him, and finding that He is the good and perfect Father Who cares for you!

Written by Kim Olachea: Kim Olachea has been a pastor’s wife for 35 years. In 2017, she launched a new ministry for pastor’s wives, Pastor’s Wives, EveryDay Lives, and is the founder of ProverbWise. Kim and her husband, Joe, live in Medford, NJ, and have five adult children and seven grandchildren.