Happy New Year!
It’s January, that time of the year when you hear discussions of New Year’s resolutions, having a fresh start, and planning short & long-term goals. You hear talk of, “I want to lose weight…”, “I want to eat healthier…”, “I’d like to buy a car…”, “I’d like to buy a house…”, “I’d like to take a trip…”, and etc. The topics are endless!
At this point, there is an expectation that the year will be great but while you’ve been discussing your plans, have you added an important piece? God. Are you asking Him for guidance, wisdom, and what are His plans for you? He has them. One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11 NIV, although the next two verses include promises that are just as impacting:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
This post is a continuation of the Be Inspired series but before we move forward, I’d like to reiterate a couple of points addressed previously:
- In What’s Lighting You Up (12/1/2017 – https://lrmaddox.com/2017/12/whats-lighting-inspired/ ), I had asked… What inspires you? Who are you inspiring? Is your light being seen? If you didn’t have answers then for the first step, I encouraged you to pray for direction to help lead you towards the purpose you were uniquely made for.
- In Are You Ready? 2018 is almost here (12/27/2017 – https://lrmaddox.com/2017/12/are-you-ready-2018-is-almost-here/), the question to ask yourself was, “Who is God sending me to?” God uses us to impact, touch, and inspire the lives of others. Can you hear His still small voice? I encouraged you to spend time reading the Bible to know Him. Pray daily and get direction.
The key points are to daily; 1) Pray – Praying is talking to God, so have a conversation with Him about everything. 2) Read the Bible – When you build a relationship with a person, you would spend time with them and learn their likes & dislikes. It’s the same with God. Reading the Bible will assist you in “knowing” Him. Even if you can only spend a few minutes each day, it’s worth it.
I am expecting that this will be a great year, but I am seeking God (prayer, reading the Bible, & fasting) for His plan, His direction, His guidance, & His wisdom in all aspects of my life.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” – 1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
Put God into your plans, pray, seek Him, and then wait to see where He leads you & how He will bless you this year.
Thank you for your time! Be Blessed… LR Maddox
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Well said – At my church this week, this was the message the Priest sent in his homily. Spend quiet time to here how we are being called.
Our reading was 1 Samuel 3
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked.
“Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”
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That’s awesome! Thank you for your comments, Catherine.
I also like the earlier scriptures 4-8, where Samuel didn’t realize that God was calling him and Eli instructed him to respond the next time with, “Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.” (v9)
10 And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
There are two interesting points captured in these verses:
1) Many times, God is reaching out and trying to talk to us but we don’t recognize it’s Him. We’re not spending time to “know” Him (reading/studying the Bible).
2) It’s the point you mentioned, which is that we need to deliberately set quiet time aside to hear from Him, so he knows we’re ready to hear what he has to say.
We should all be in a position to say, “Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.”
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I always add the next two verses to Jeremiah 29:11 as well. They are so powerful!