from December 2023 Thought Compilation
“As a New Year’s resolution or a year of trust, the call remains: Pray and trust in Him at all times.”
We aren’t big on New Year’s Resolutions but I do want to do something in this season:
Ask More Questions, Listen More, Draw More Answers. Speak Less, Look Less. I wrote that to this end, I would work towards less Tabs open in my Desktop and Mobile Browsers. I would clean my YouTube Watch Later list, and really go through my unread emails I kept saying I’d go back to.
I took out all the games on phone… And I should probably take out any games on the laptop as well. Oh, and whatever games do remain on the Desktop? Well, I should at least organize my… ‘consumption’.
All of this is in the name of recognizing a pattern in this Season: That is, a pattern of Rearrangement. There’s been rearranging when it comes to individual relationships. There’s been the end of certain ventures, and the opening of fresh opportunities. I’ve intentionally been rearranging stuff where I work, and where I sleep, even what I drive… I’ve also noticed that there’s been rearranging when it comes to my food intake.
I don’t feel the urge of stuffing my face just as much anymore, because it seems to have been replaced with a mindset that ultimately dictates the quality over quantity, and actually quality in quantity as well; that is, don’t just eat a lot of what’s good, but take a step further by eating a good amount – not necessarily a gargantuan amount, but a ‘just right’ amount – of good food.
Ultimately, I’ve found that an opportunity that we do have in the body of Christ is that we can pray. Prayer is a privilege for us… and keeping in mind what I’ve been talking about here, it’s a privilege in the sense that it’s just as much for us, as we think it is for God, or for the people we’re praying for.
I just recently watched an Instagram reel featuring Dr. Frank Turek where I take away that prayer doesn’t change God, but it certainly changes us – He quotes one of my old-time favorite verses, affirming that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, where I understand now that the ‘availing’ here is much less the answers of our prayers according to our expectations, but (fortunately) more changing our said expectations – and the rest of our being, which our Creator knows much more than we could ever know.
In this season of rearranging, we need to appreciate prayer – prayer is God reprogramming, rearranging our minds, and our entire beings.
New Year’s Resolution? Pray.
Year of Trust? Season of Trust? Pray:
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalms 62:8
#SeasonOfRearranging #SimplifyLife #QualityOverQuantity #ThePrivilegeOfPrayer #BenefitsOfSalvation #TrustInGod
One-Liners and Quotes:
There will always be someone. You don’t pray for someone. You pray for wisdom and revelation to choose… wisdom and revelation to commit.
Unforgiveness is dead weight. One way of understanding how other brothers and sisters in the body of Christ seem to put extra emphasis on our ‘denying ourselves’ is letting go of dead weight. That sits well with me.
Every high civilization decays by forgetting obvious things. -G.K. Chesterton
“The measure of wealth is freedom.
The measure of health is lightness.
The measure of intellect is judgment.
The measure of wisdom is silence.
The measure of love is peace.”
– Naval Ravikant
Scripture I found meaningful along the way:
Psalm 4
Answer Me When I Call
TO THE CHOIRMASTER: WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A PSALM OF DAVID.
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Luke 1:46-49
Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”
Psalms 126:2-3
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them. The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.”
ChatGPT: “The overarching theme connecting these texts revolves around the transformative power of prayer, the importance of seeking wisdom and revelation, and the need to release burdens such as unforgiveness. This spiritual journey is complemented by insights from G.K. Chesterton, emphasizing the societal decay caused by forgetting essential truths. The scriptural references, particularly Psalm 4, Luke 1:46-49, and Psalms 126:2-3, reinforce the themes of trust in the Lord, rejoicing in His greatness, and finding joy in His blessings. The unifying thought centers on embracing a life marked by prayerful transformation, wisdom, forgiveness, trust, and joy in God’s faithfulness.“
#Psalms #Bible #BibleStudy #Magnificat #JoyfulHeart #FaithIsAction
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