There is nothing new about setting goals for the year, but have you ever chosen a word for your year? The first time that I heard of this concept, I thought it was weird. Asking God to speak ONE word over you for the entire year seemed a little crazy. But then I went to a women's gathering where the speaker was talking about this very same concept. She challenged us to think of one word that we wanted to focus on and grow in over the course of the year. We were making cute
scrapbook type pages to hang up somewhere in our home to remind us of our word, so there was a little pressure to pick a word and not just skip the whole thing. I went with the first word that popped into my mind, but I stuck with it throughout the year. Well, the next few years.
The thing about having a word for the year is that, well, first it should come from God. It should be spirit led and not chosen by the flesh. If we chose our own words they would have more to do with wealth, success, physical health or fitness, or involve significant others. If we chose them on our own they would look more like.... well, resolutions. When we allow God to give us a word, it is a word that, while it might grow us in one of those ways, it will also grow us spiritually.
It is also important that we understand our word. It's difficult to focus on a word and see how it applies to our lives if we don't understand it. The word that I received this year is "measure". At first I questioned God. I mean, it is a strange word, am I supposed to walk around with a tape measure and measuring cups all year? But then, I started looking into it. I looked at ALL of the definitions of the word and then I looked it up in a concordance to see where and how it was used in scripture. I quickly found that there is more to the word "measure" than just scales or rulers. God spoke some pretty intense things to me as I studied my word and He gave me some expectations for my year as I watch how this word will play out in my life. I have to do my part to see it "measured" out in my life.
If you have never had a word for your year, I would encourage you to try it out in 2020. Ask God to reveal a word to you, study the word and gain an understanding of it, then pray for God to reveal how it plays out in your life. Use a dictionary, a thesaurus, a concordance, google, most importantly use your Bible. Take notes and pray over the word to see what God reveals to you. I promise you that if God gives you a word, you will not be disappointed at year end. God never disappoints.
In the podcast episode "Word", Kristy and Amanda discuss the impact that past words have had in their lives and reveal what their words are for 2020. You can listen to the episode on any podcast platform, or on our website at www.thesendhelppodcast.com/podcast
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