Goodbye, 2022…Hello, 2023!

Dear Readers,

Good morning! It’s New Year’s Eve of 2022. If you are like me, you can hardly believe how fast the year has passed.

My Christmas week was nothing like I expected or planned. Life has a way of doing that. Our family has had illness change our holiday plans for the last three out of four years. We are actually getting a bit used to it…! But, through it all, I am reminded that God is working out all things for His glory and our good. And there is always an abundance of things to be thankful for. We are all so blessed in Christ.

Because I had a bit of extra time that I wasn’t planning on, I had the opportunity to read a book and listen to a podcast. They couldn’t be more unrelated or different in their goals, scope, and purpose. But they both led me to an important—even crucial— conclusion that I hope to write about more next week.

But I wrote a bit of a synopsis on Facebook a few days ago and thought I’d share what I wrote with those of you who aren’t on social media—

I have spent the past week reading a book about persevering and witnessing for Christ through circumstances none of us can possibly even imagine. The Bible was their only guide as they navigated impossible situations, war, and deadly illnesses.

And I’ve spent some time today listening to the failure of a mega church whose focus turned from the perfect Word of God to a fallible man. This particular story could be repeated over and over with just a change in names and details in this celebrity-driven culture we find ourselves in.

The two stories are as different as night and day and yet…they both make one thing clear: For a true believer, it’s all about the Bible. We stand or fall spiritually based on our view of and immersion in the Bible.

It is God’s only source of protection, guidance, comfort, and strength. If we read and study it with submission and obedience in our hearts to God, He will make our paths straight. And if we don’t read it at all or if we think we can choose what we want to obey, then we will inevitably end up misguided or deceived.

And so this is why I want to invite you for one last time in 2022 to join me in reading and studying the Bible in 2023.

And, honestly, it doesn’t matter what plan you use. The 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔4𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 plan was created for anyone who wants an easy, doable plan that fits into any lifestyle. But there are many good plans out there. What matters is that, if you call yourself a Christian, you dedicate yourself to consistent, organized study of the Word.

I am a living testimony of the difference this can make. I gave little time to Bible study for years and years and I lived a rather lackluster Christian life. It wasn’t until I finally made time to study the Word that things really started to make sense and I began to understand not only what I believe but WHY I believe it. And, let me tell you, that fills you with incredible awe for our amazing God and a heart that desires to share His love and grace with the world!

I can think of no more important thing for me to do with the platform God has given me than to encourage others to dig into the treasure of God’s Word and discover this same thing for themselves.

The temporal things of this life will end. But the Word of God endures forever.

(You can find more information about the 2023 Bible Reading Challenge at this here.)

As we head into 2023, I cannot think of anything more important than studying the Word of God in these confusing days. As the church removes its focus from the Bible more and more and, instead, turns its focus to the philosophies of man, may we be a people who are committed to and focused on the infallible, inspired, and inerrant Word of God, in its entirety.

And I also want to thank you for reading this blog. Sometimes I still find myself surprised that this is where God has led me. My only hope and desire for this blog is to encourage you to keep your eyes on Christ and His Word as we navigate the minefields of apostasy, heresy, worldliness, and wickedness that we find ourselves living among in these last days.

God loves us and He will keep us. The days may grow darker and our path more rocky, but, through it all, Jesus will never forsake us. His promises are true.

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Love in Christ,

Leslie

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Isaiah 40:8



For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12



The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;

Psalm 19:7-8