Hello Reader,

Within our household, with an odd number of children, we often have to make a final decision about who is going to rotate through something, get the last piece of dessert, share a bed with a brother in a hotel, or have to do the unwanted chore in the rotation of days. Sometimes it is just Mom who decides, sometimes we play a game of guess the number while Dad chooses the number, or sometimes the boys play a round of "rock, paper, scissors" to decide.

These arbitrary games may suffice in a family dynamic where we have deep abiding relationships with each other and games in jest are often played, but what about the difficult and painful decisions in life, what becomes the deciding factor in conflicts and crisis? What becomes the deciding factor when we face hard decisions?

Monday morning I thought to myself how smooth the month seemed to be going. Wouldn't it be nice to skirt through January unscathed. By mid-week we were met with some surprising and deeply painful circumstances. So much for smooth sailing through January. 🥴

As my husband and I had a conversation with one of our pastors yesterday I said, "I struggle to understand how parties who all claim to love the Lord, to pray for His will, and to seek the good of others can behave so differently in conflict?"

Maybe you've been in a conflict or circumstances yourself where you've scratched your head and wondered, "How can we possibly see this so differently?" Ever been there yourself?

Our pastor's words to us reminded me of the deciding factor, "Not everybody bases their behavior on the truth of Scripture."

If there is one thing I could say the Lord has been repeating to me over and over this month is to focus on the power and priority of Scripture. God's Word is our deciding factor.

When Scripture holds a priority in our lives the pressure of decisions lessens. It doesn't mean everything becomes easy, but it does mean there is more clarity in the difficult decisions and challenging situations. As my husband and I faced challenging choices this week and responded to conflict, rooting everything in Scripture gave us clarity and confidence. The pain of challenges doesn't lessen, but Scripture certainly has a way of guiding us well.

In teaching His disciples, Jesus offered the following outline for successful living when He said,

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

-Jesus in Matthew 7:24-27

The year ahead of us will be filled with all manner of decisions. We will face joy and sorrow, comfort and crisis, but regardless of what we face, when we ground our lives in the power of God's Word we can remain rooted through the storms we face. The storms are going to come, they may look different for each of us, but they come to all of us. The question isn't will storms come and impact my life, rather we must ask, when storms come my way is my life rooted in the Word of God, and have I put His word into practice in my life so I will be able to stand firm in the face of the storms?

This January affords us an opportunity to evaluate the foundation of our faith. Are we focused on practicing the words of Jesus? Are we familiar enough with His Word so we can practice it? If the answer is yes, wonderful! Press on and be encouraged. Remain steadfast and faithful. If you find yourself answering hesitantly to those questions, or answering no, today's the day to start changing that.

We must be women who know God's Word, who live out God's Word, and who share God's Word with those around us. When faced with decisions and having to know which way to turn, we can rest assured that God's Word is the deciding factor and we would be wise to walk in His ways and obeying His truth.

Father, help me not be caught up in the ways and whispers of this world which tell me to trust myself or to follow my gut. Give me a mind and heart open to Your voice through Your Word. Grant me a hunger for Your Word and a heart willing to obey Your ways in all things in my life. In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Spirit I pray, amen.

In His Grace,

Want to step up your study time in Scripture this year?

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Natalia Drumm is a wife, homeschooling mother to three boys, and graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary with a passion for women's ministry and sharing the Gospel. Seeking to glorify God through equipping women to study Scripture and grow in their faith, she is the creator of Girlfriends in the Word™ Bible studies for busy women. To learn more, or connect with her online you can find her on Instagram @nataliadrumm or check out her website www.nataliadrumm.com​

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