Posted on in Personal Reflection

Reflection: Abide in Him

Be Filled with the Knowledge of His Will

Wow, are we already at the end of another year! If you’re like me, making new resolutions or goals by January isn’t your thing, then don’t! I never project resolutions because they never lasted or were simply forgotten before the end of the month. Instead, my starting points are in two specific months in the year: September and December. I won’t go into all the details, but let’s say September is an excellent time to sum up all outdoor or indoor summer projects, and I was happy to jump into the fall-winter ones. So nope, I don’t get caught up in new resolutions, but I set goals where I want to be with my attitude toward life in general and how I will grow spiritually in a manner pleasing to Him.

 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Colossians 1:9-14

December is a month for reflection on what I have learned from Scripture. How did Christ’s wisdom help me to build up and be rooted in my relationship with Him and other believers? How has the word encouraged me? How does practicing the word affirm my faith? Has this blog reached at least one person who wanted to be more with Him in prayer and His Word?

As I flipped through the pages of my prayer journal, I was encouraged by all the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God’s word he so patiently taught me this year.

Praying Over Scripture: Romans

Praying over the Book of Romans taught me it was doable by simply reading and praying over a short section. If you’re wondering how to pray over one of Paul’s letters when there are many sound doctrines and teachings to be had. Then, study the letter first and then pray over it. That’s what I’ve done. I’m learning the book of 1 John and Colossians and may pray over it. God’s word will always be an excellent place to guide any believer. You cannot go wrong when seeking His promises, purpose, and rules for your life. It’s ALL good.

I was saved in 1995 and studied, read, and heard many sermons on the Book of Romans. But if you’re a new believer and unfamiliar with praying over a letter rich in sound doctrine and truth, keep praying over the Psalms. I used the acronym ACTS and underlined in green: God, Christ, Holy Spirit (any reference to God). His promises are highlighted in yellow and underlined in red.

The ESV Bible was purchased in 2020, and I’m using it primarily for bible studies, reading, and sermon note-taking.

Praying Over the Psalms

There is no going wrong if you pray over the Psalms. They are encouraging, comforting, and a pure joy to know that God is victorious and reigns in all situations. This past year, I read the psalm outline to understand the context of the Psalms.

Recently, I’ve used an older ESV bible to pray over His attributes. This idea originated from Sisterita Club by Jessica Jerris. I’ve kept my prayer book simple by adding only His attributes. (Eternal, Spirit, Just, omnipotence, love, immutability, self-existence, righteousness, transcendence, omniscience, immanence, mercy, holiness, goodness, grace, sovereignty). This is my time alone with God; my blog will not share those prayers.

Inductive Bible Studies

Besides wanting to be more in prayer with Him, I wanted to develop a good understanding and knowledge of how to study Scripture in an inductive way that was simple enough to comprehend the historical background and overall message of the book I wanted to learn. God heard my plea to Abide in Him (John 15:7). Amazingly, I found remarkable, reliable resources and even signed up for an online women’s group that teaches how to do it.

The workbooks are cheaper if you can purchase the download. I’ve done with many of them. But on occasion, I’ve purchased the paper workbooks through Amazon. To make it enjoyable, I added stickers or coloured with colouring markers. I’ve used affordable line notebooks, too.

The books I’ve studied in 2023 are Nehemiah, Ezra, Esther, Romans, 1,2,3 John (in progress), Colossians (in progress) and Not of this world (verse mapping). Memorization was a bit more pleasant as I kept it focused on a topic(not of this world).

I’ve kept all my present studies worksheets in an older binder decorated with crafty paper and stickers. You don’t have to be super talented in your craftiness (like me); don’t compare yourself to a super-talented crafty person. I desire to Abide in Him, not overkilling my time in drawing and crafting.

Let’s continue learning from Him!

Resources

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