Moving Forward in Faith

How exciting that today is the first day of a new year.  I woke up and checked twitter and immediately saw a tweet from Beth Moore (a wonderful author and Bible Study leader) who is about to embark on a few days of ministering to college-aged kids at the Passion Conference here in Atlanta. She, among others, will encourage them and hopefully get them fired up about the Lord.  It's crazy to think what we can do with modern technology.  I never thought I'd be following people on twitter, but pick the right people to follow, and we can get some pretty good inspirations in the morning.

Beth Moore's tweet was a praise to God on this first day of a new year: 

  

Glory to a great and merciful God who knew we'd need lots of new starts.  

To you, Lord!  You have carried us.  Carry us on! 

Isn't it true?  I am sure that throughout 2012 we had mess-ups, wanted some do-overs or simply are happy to have a new beginning today.  I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for 2013.  

Interestingly enough, I finished 1 Samuel this morning.  And, at the end of 1 Samuel, if you don't know, Saul (who ended up not honoring God with his life) killed himself, the Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites and won, and David, well David is still fighting for and loving the Lord with all of his heart!  I am excited to learn and study David's life over the next few books of the Old Testament. 

Also this morning, I came across some pretty good life lessons in my Bible True Identity: The Bible For Women.  I want to share them, as they reflect whole-heartedly how I want to live my life for the Lord. 

While the myth that we should "know" God's plan for our lives still floats around Christian circles, the truth is quite different.

• We live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  If we knew every aspect of God's plan for our lives, clearly labeled in triplicate form, why would we need faith?

• The moment of absolute certainty rarely comes.  Consider Abraham.  He didn't have a clue where he was going.  But he went anyway.  Think of Samuel, whom God called as a child.  Do you think a young boy understood the scope of God's plan for his life?  Certainly not. But these people moved forward in faith as did all the spiritual heroes.

• We must move forward.  In preparation, we pray and seek godly counsel.  We search the Scriptures and meditate on God's truths.  And then it comes time to decide.  To make a move.  We may not feel ready or certain, but God lovingly gives us a chance to flex our faith and trust him for the outcome.

Finally, my hope for 2013 is that I, along with my believing friends and family, will remain faithful to God and His plan for our lives by staying in His word and in His will.  I pray that we will keep our eyes open to where He is leading us and that we will not stray away from Him just because we don't fully understand His plans for us. And, I pray that we will keep seeking Him in every aspect of our lives! Amen.

Jeremiah 29:13  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart!"