My Word for 2024

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I've really taken my time and sought the Lord diligently about what He wants my word of the year to be for 2024. As I came to my blog to share what I feel He has shown me it should be, I read the opening lines of my last blog post, and I felt a confirmation in my spirit when I saw these words,

"I face this new year with a sense of faith-filled anticipation. Just the thought of walking forward into new territory with Jesus fills my heart with a sense of adventure and excitement. I am looking forward to seeing all the good things God has in store as we cross the threshold into a brand-new, untainted year and walk through it with Him leading us and winnowing the path of every single day."

Yes, dear friends, that is exactly how I feel, and I think that whole feeling can be summed up in one word—like last year's, my 2024 word contains four letters. As I pondered this new word, it was such a pleasant discovery to find that the last three letters of this year's word are the first three letters of last year's word! As you may recall, last year's word was OPEN, and if you've been reading here for very long, you probably know that along with my word for the year, God always gives an accompanying acronym to provide an explanation of what exactly the word is to mean to me. Last year's acronym for OPEN was~

O - Opportunities

P -      Promotion

E -    Experiences

N -              New

So, if the last three letters of this year's four-letter word were the first three letters of last year's four-letter word, do you have any idea what this year's word will be? Any guesses? If you remove the "N" at the end of last year's word and add a particular new letter before the "O" of last year's word, you will have figured out that my word for 2024 is HOPE.

Once that was established in my mind, of course my next thought was, well what is the accompanying acronym? And almost instantly I knew. The "H" is to represent "Health" for some very specific reasons, and the remaining letters "OPE" are to remain the same as last year.

H -           Health

O - Opportunities

P -      Promotion

E -   Experiences

As it all began to sink in, I realized that I did not feel ready to let go of the "OPE" of last year, and in addition to diligently focusing on my personal health in 2024, God wants me to continue to live wide OPEN to His will, to the opportunities He wants to bring to me, to the promotion He has in store for me, and to all the experiences He wants to introduce and allow to unfold in my and my family's lives. I remember how the "promotion" made me squirm last year when the Lord gave it to me. I talked about that at the end of this post. It bothers me a bit again this year because it feels boastful, but it is all God's. I am God's. Promotion is the word He gave me. Promotion it will remain.

I said, "I face this new year with a sense of faith-filled anticipation," and I realize that is what hope in God is all about. It is a sense of faith-filled anticipation in Him, His ability to take care of me and my life, His knowledge of what is best for me, and His total control of every detail that affects me. What peace, and yes, hope, it brings to let go and trust in Him!

Some of you may think HOPE is a crazy word to choose for 2024 as the world goes off the deep end over political hype and all sorts of shenanigans during election year, but I choose to refuse to allow any of it to infiltrate my life, and I choose to keep my eyes on Jesus in 2024. A few years ago, I completely eliminated mainstream media from my life. I will not watch it. I will not listen to it. I will not get caught up in it. It will not rob my peace. I will keep my eyes laser-focused on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of my faith. 

Feeding on a steady diet of what is going on in this world is extremely unhealthy, and once I figured that out and purged it from my life, I have seen great improvement in my mental, emotional, physical, and mostly my spiritual health. It is all a choice. We can stay laser focused on the hope we have in Jesus, or we can frenzy-feed on the lies, fear tactics, and psychological manipulation of the prince of the power of the air. So much of the airwaves are under his domination and control, and he operates and spreads his agenda through so many channels, methods, and platforms, but guess what? We don't have to listen or watch or participate in any of it! Praise God for freedom from it all!

You probably know that I strongly prefer the King James Version of the Bible, and in that I find the word HOPE 121 times, sometimes repeated more than once in a single verse. Of those verses, these are the seven I am focusing on for this year. I want to keep them front and center as the days unfold and I continually look to Jesus, my Source of hope and all other things.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:13

"And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in Thee." Psalm 39:7

"Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee." Psalm 33:22

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in Thy word." Psalm 119:114

"The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him." Lamentations 3:24

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." Psalm 31:24

"I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope." Psalm 16:8,9

I choose to set the LORD always before me—not the news, or the prince-of-the-power-of-the-air-driven mainstream media—the LORD, and because of that, my flesh shall rest in HOPE. What a glorious, wise decision! 

Did you know that Psalm 16:8,9 is also repeated in the New Testament? I love when we get double confirmation like this! In Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he referred to Psalm 16:8,9 and pointed out that the Psalm 16 passage included a prophecy of Jesus when he said, "For David speaketh concerning Him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope." Acts 2:25,26.

Resting in hope. Such a peace-filled, beautiful way to live right in the midst of this chaotic, upside-down, irrational world! Thank You, Jesus!

Whatever you are facing or going through today, I pray that you find rest in the hope that is in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Remember that HE is in control, and you are His child. Lean into His everlasting arms and trust His power to take care of you and see you through the turbulence of life's storms. Rest in the shelter of His arms.

"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27

May you feel Him holding you extra tight today as you yield your all to Him, trusting Him completely with every worry and care, and finding Him your Source of hope.