Today is January 1st, 2024 and 2023 blew by at record speed. In fact, since the pandemic it seems time just moves at speeds I had not really noticed previously. My husband and I marvel how the time between noon and 6 pm seems to take about 25 minutes. Much of this delusion is driven by distractions, lack of focus and personal frustrations. Have you ever noticed how the closer you get to what God has asked of you, the more the world quivers and quakes and tries to knock you off your game? So, if 2023 was the year of misdirection and frustrations, then 2024 is going to be the year of the Lord.

This is a big statement, but it isn’t just me rambling on. The world around us is literally quivering and quaking with discontent, violence, anger, hatred, division, vitriol and delusion. Though I truly avoid watching much in the way of television, I do try to stay on top of current events and news. Frankly, much of that simply turns my stomach. If it upsets me, then can you imagine what God must be thinking. Holy moly folks, what in the world is wrong with us?

The answer is in the question. It is what is in the world that is the matter. What matters to the world? Status – power – lies – selfishness – whatever feels good – money – greed – lust – things. The list is probably much longer, but what the world distinctly does not seem to care about at all is peace, love, joy, kindness, and definitely not God. The world has been pushing God out of the equation for decades. He was pushed out of government, schools, businesses, and now even churches and synagogues. Not all – don’t panic, but definitely we see a growing trend on pushing aside scripture for the sake of placating man’s sinful nature. Some of this may well be a fill the seat and save them later mentality, but some has been simply ignore the parts we don’t like or don’t fit our lifestyle and embrace the rest if it works for us.

I always find the idea of trying to humanize God funny. God is not human that he should lie or change his mind (Numbers 23:19). On a personal note, after spending many years trying to improve my personal relationship with God, spending years in scripture working on Go Godly and hour upon hour in scripture studying and attempting to apply scripture in my life, I will be the first to tell you all, it isn’t easy. Moreover, it isn’t intended to be. God is all powerful, all knowing, and so very very good. When I say, all by the way, I am saying it in human terms, but that doesn’t begin to cover it. God isn’t described on human terms, and cannot be. We try, but fall so very short, because we can only understand what is humanly comprehensible to our brains. We are limited. Our limitations is what always get us in trouble too, might I add. Think back to Eve and that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She desired to be “like God”, when in reality the knowledge she and Adam gained made them even less like God. Knowledge does little to make us more like Christ. Even wisdom, see Solomon for lessons, does not necessarily make you more like Christ. The things that do are faith and obedience. Pity because these are the two areas we all seem to struggle with the absolute most. – Speaking from personal experience here.

Which brings us back to 2024, and Go Godly’s direction for the year. This year our goals are to move forward with book content, game mapping and finalizing bits and pieces needed to build the Kingdom. And while all that sounds lovely, the number one goal of the year is Faithful Obedience. This involves DAILY prayer every single morning – not just for guidance and direction but for focus, empowerment to complete the tasks laid out for us, and provision of all we need to succeed. I am also using a planner. I love planners – the idea of them and the prettiness. The actual practical use of them daily, is an area that eludes me. However, God has clearly laid out some hourly goal patterns for the upcoming year that will require me to lay it all out on paper and to set alarms each day as we go, for ending one area and beginning another. It is interesting and I am hopeful. I just need to keep my “Faithful Obedience” in check, because I also am a squirrel and everything is a disco ball.

So, while Go Godly’s mantra will always remain “God first in all things!” (Matthew 6:33). The scripture for this year is from Romans 1:5 ^“…through Jesus we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.” The whole concept of faith guiding your obedience is so fascinating to me. Certainly you can have faith without obedience. Not that we should, but we certainly can. You can also be obedient without faith. Yet, when these are combined something profound takes place. All arguments and obstacles are of no consequence.

“Come on Debbi, you know that isn’t at all right.” I see you and hear you friends, but it is right. Think about it. When we are obedient and doing what God has asked us to do, we often struggle and sometimes what we are doing fails. Immediately, we assume we didn’t hear God correctly or wonder why God wanted us to do something that wasn’t going to work. Funny, human thinking. Backing up to God is God, let’s instead understand that God doesn’t fail. Nothing God has given us will fail because of God’s involvement. In fact, God doesn’t need us to do things. We are talking about the God who spoke the universe, every star, every planet, every black hole, ever moon, every solar system into existence. SPOKE and it was so. God involves us because God created us with his hands. Molded us to resemble Himself. Breathed his own breath into our lungs. God loves us. God sent Jesus, His only Son, to die in order that our sins can be washed away and resurrected him so that death would be overcome. This is HUGE LOVE.

So when things fail, we are why. Most times, this failure is tied to lack of obedience. I don’t want to say disobedience, but really it is just that. At some point, we ran ahead with our own version of God’s plan and tried to do it our way. We stopped consulting God for directions. We stopped bothering God for each detail. We thought we knew what God wanted to forged ahead. We cut God out of God’s own plan and tried to make it our own. The other thing that generally happens in this scenario is when we hit a wall whether it be financial, time, distractions, or other issues, we stop and refocus on the issue and not God. That fast, the evil one has defeated us. It doesn’t take much either. For me the past year, was financial. I kept thinking – human problem – that I needed the financial provision and that somehow I was supposed to figure out how to raise the money. We are talking a couple million by the way, so how or why I thought I could or would be doing that is laughable, but back to human thinking. So I set up the fund site and Pay Pal and website and video and yadayadayada. I thought that was 100% the plan. It was not the plan. I had not discussed the plan at all with God. I found out the costs and assumed that was my thing to do. This year, in a fit of accomplishing little and struggling much, I discovered if God requires me to do it, it will be part of His instructions to me.

Imagine if Noah had just said, “Yes, Lord.” and started building a boat without listening to the lengthy and very detailed plan God had for the ark. We would probably be less elephants, giraffes, and a few dozen other animals. And look at the directions God gave Moses for the Tabernacle. It’s page after page or ornate and intricate details. God even told him what labor he’d require, where to find the trees, every tiny detail was outlined. Yet, we, human as we are tend to think we can figure all it out without asking. Then when it is complicated we try to figure it out even more. All the while we are fighting battles and breaking walls that are most likely not even part of God’s original vision. We are wasting time. We are wrongly focused. We are not listening. And when I say we – I mean I am doing all those things as well.

I realized this a few days back. Don’t misunderstand, I did get quite a few things accomplished this year. Eight books were published and a few more are in the works. I did manage to blog a few times. I did start a vlog – which is one of those things I don’t need to do yet. I wandered back to God many times in frustration. God is good though. God isn’t letting me fail, because I believe this project is huge and important on a global scale. God has big plans for Go Godly. My job in it is “faithful obedience.” This isn’t just have faith and do it anyway.” This is do what God instructs and when temptations, distractions, frustrations try to trip you up, they cannot. They cannot if your faith is in God’s ability and not your own. God is working through me. I am not out there all alone, God is with me. No wall cannot be broken down. No mountain cannot be moved. It may not be moved as fast as I think it should be, but God’s timing is perfect. And if in the midst of this year, we can all focus on what God asks of us and be obedient to the specific direction given, going back for more specifics and not thinking we know what God wants next or what God means without checking, we will all see God’s hand in it and how perfect and wonderful things will be.

The world around us is a mess. I pray to God for peace and love to be restored to this planet and that evil is thwarted in the hearts of mankind. I truly hope that more and more people will see how unimportant all the things they think are important truly are and that God’s plans are beautiful and overwhelming with love and goodness. I cannot control that outcome, only pray for it. In fact, I am working on not controlling me and just allowing God to work in me and in my heart all the time. For now though, we are starting the year fresh, with new direction and a restored faith in all that God has planned for Go Godly. This is the year of Go Godly Worldwide! If all goes well with my faithful obedience. Keep me in prayer for health, focus, and continued growth of my personal relationship with God and God’s continued provision for Go Godly.

2024 is going to be quite a year! In the world, I think we should all buckle up and hold tight to our faith. Mankind is not acting very well – neither humanly or kindly. Yet, God’s love even for those creating the chaos and quaking is still there. As God’s faithful people, we need to pray, we need to continue to share the gospel, and we need to continue to exude God’s love – even to the hate-filled and horrible humans in the world. We need to call evil, evil and not partner with it, but sometimes those ensnared in evil, can still be released from it’s grasps and saved through love and sharing scripture.

Meanwhile, any sharing about our website and social media channels is always appreciated. God has not instructed me to be concerned about content on these right now, because they are not a focus right now. However, I do believe there will be some really great bible forward content coming for all of you. So check back. I am so blessed to have so many people who care about this adventure, who love God so much, and who are huge supporters of this project in my world. My family and I are blessed in so many ways, and send you all wishes for a joyful, love filled, peaceful and God-filled New Year!! May 2024 be blessed for you and yours.