MY THEME FOR THE YEAR 2025

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;    

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,    

and lead me in the way everlasting.

I was reintroduced to these verses at the end of 2024. It was shared in a Bible Plan of in the YouVersion Bible app titled “Dangerous Prayers” by Pastor Craig Groeschel (Pastor G). The title was curious to me, and I knew that my prayer life needed to change in that it had been rather non-existent when I was in my alone time with God. As I skimmed over the devotionals for this plan to get an idea of what the plan would be like, I was gripped with fear. I did not understand why I felt this way, but I knew that I did not want to back down in seeing how God would help me in my prayer life. What God had taught me in 2024 was that I always needed to go to him to process my feelings and not run away from them, so I felt a great need to face this fear.

The author stated that the reason he needed to change his approach to God was because someone once told him that his prayers were “lame”. He said that though we can always have great intensions when we pray, it was easy to get distracted or bored and that we often tolerated faithless prayers. Pastor G had put it plainly that many of us are praying those prayers which are just predictable, safe and comfortable.

As I reflected on this, I also knew that in my earthly flesh, I am designed to do things to always protect the self and seek comfort. As a follower of Jesus though, I am called to deny the flesh as the Bible says in Matthew 16:24 (NIV), “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”” I have also seen how my flesh just seeks to satisfy only itself and this in the end, only serves to make me very depressed and miserable.

I believe that God, who has created us and always knows what is best for our souls, has put within each of us a conscience that does not want to be selfish and that finds great joy when we give to others. I also believe that we are all designed for something more than just to meet our own needs.

I have seen the love and beauty of being unified with others as we work together to serve each other and our community. I have felt the peace of God which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) as the Holy Spirit gives me the confidence that I have surrendered to do God’s will as I serve others.

So, I knew that God was calling me then to deal with this fear and make a major change in my prayers so that I could live a radically changed life for him.

As I am now choosing to live as God intended while embracing these new theme scriptures, his Spirit had prompted me with 2025’s theme word: BOLD.

As always, I ask for prayers because I understand that I can never live the way that God intends for me to live without his help. This I believe is what God has put on my heart starting in 2025. It is not a New Year’s resolution, but a lifestyle that God has called me to adopt as best as I can for the rest of my life. I believe that this is one of his many solutions to helping me to face one of my “negative” emotions that I tend to try to ignore or run away from. Fear serves a purpose, and my emotions will always be valid neither “right” nor “wrong”. My emotions come about based on what I believe at that moment regardless of what is the truth. Despite what I feel though, God calls me to be self-controlled, alert and sober-minded (1 Peter 5:8) and to only fear and worship him, remembering that he is the one who is in control of ALL things and that he loves me dearly.

1 Samuel 12:24 (HCSB)

24 Above all, fear the Lord and worship Him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things He has done for you.

Matthew 10:28-31 (NIV)

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

To God be all the glory. Amen.