“New year, new hope, same Jesus to walk with us every step of the way.”
And that’s the truth, right?
How many of you actively seek a ‘word’ from God for each new year? Or does God somehow give you a word or phrase to encourage you in whatever it is you wish to accomplish through the next 365 days? Many do. Last year, I did neither: no word whispered in my ear, nor did I specifically seek one.
But this year, on Saturday, one word kept niggling at the back of my mind: PERSEVERE
It’s a good word, especially for me at this time in my life. I didn’t come to writing until after I reached the half-century mark, and didn’t see my first book published for almost 20 years after that. Now, having passed the three-quarter-century mark, I’m feeling the crunch of time closing in on me.
Through all the intervening years, there were…and still are…so many times I felt like giving up, telling myself:
- I’m wasting my time
- Nobody will want to read this
- I’ll never be able to compete with other writers
- I can’t write like [fill in the blank] so why bother?
- There are so many great books out there, who’ll read something from an unknown?
- Writing is too hard…too much work.
- Where will I find new ideas.
And so on—all the lies and self-doubt the enemy throws at us, and not only writers. Anyone who wants to find purpose in their lives, their career, other responsibilities…that old wolf keeps prowling, seeking whom he may devour.
I’ll bet you can add to the list above.
Yet, because I didn't give up, in the last four years since my first book debuted, I’ve had one more novel published, five short-stories in several compilations, and am currently writing a series of my own…the first two published, the third in edits, and am one-third of the way through the fourth.
So, take that, you big, bad wolf. Your lies won’t stop me nor deter me from doing God’s work with the stories He gives me.
Here’s a closing scripture to think about:
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
Yes, God is good…all the time!
Blessings to you and yours in this Year of Our Lord, 2016
Don’t forget to leave your comments. I love reading them. If you wish to contact me privately, use the Contact Me button above.
TWEETABLES:
[bctt tweet="Don't let satan's lies deter you from God's purpose for your life. #writing #persevereance #amwriting"]
[bctt tweet="God has a #purpose for your #writing life. If you believe that, satan can't stop you. #amwriting #persevere"]
Hi, Peg! You are the second writer who encouraged me to find a word. I, too, thought of persevere and how Paul encouraged us to keep on going, not matter what. But, I'm not too sure it's the right word for me. Last year my word was 'power.' He gave me the power to do certain things in my life, and gave me powerful people to help me. One of the pastors at my church suggested we find the first place our word is mentioned in the Bible. Good idea. I'm still praying for my word for 2016. So glad you found yours.
ReplyDeleteLooking for the word in the Bible is a great idea, Bonnie. I haven't done that yet, nor even thought of it before. Now I'll haveto haul down my huge
ReplyDeleteStrong's Concordance—AND a magnifying glass!—and see where, and how many times, it appears. Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment, my friend.
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