You’ve come through a lot this year. Now, you’re getting ready for Christmas and for a new year of your life.

What better way to celebrate than to take a moment, take out your journal, diary, notebook or journaling Bible, and writing down a list of all that the Lord God has provided you throughout this year.

Remember God’s love and goodness by writing it all down. Make sure you bookmark the page so that you can always refer to it whenever you need some encouragement, and believe me, you will.

Begin with prayer

Like Mary’s Magnificat, begin by praising the Lord.

Open the Bible to help you along. Start with the Magnificat and go from there.

Turn to your favourite psalms and read them out loud to God. Read a simple one, like Psalm 23.

The Lord is my Sherphard, I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1

When you declare that God is your provider, you’re saying that no matter how dire your circumstance is, you know that God will always work it out.

So you’ve gone over your budget for Christmas, or you’ve got next to nothing saved over for the new year, remember this, the Lord God is your heavenly Father, your Saviour, your Provider, your Shephard.

Praise Him for His faithfulness! Thank Him for His love, mercy and grace!

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.

Philippians 3:8 NKJV

Write a ‘God’s Provisions’ list

Use your journal, diary or journaling Bible to write out a testimony of God’s provisions in your life. This is as simple as listing down everything God has provided you.

You can start a separate gratitude journal that you can add and refer to whenever you need some encouragement or reminding. Use it as a prompt for your next blog post.

Start with where you are right now:

• your senses
• your immediate environment
• you house and home, whether you live alone or with your family, whether you rent or own your own home
• your job and career,
• hobbies,
• friends, family and relatives,
• your health,
• your goals,
• your purpose,
• your church community,
• your prayer wall,
• your creativity.

List it all down. When you see it all written down, you’ll find that you have a lot to be thankful for. And that’s a good thing because a thankful, grateful heart is a selfless heart.

A thankful, grateful heart encourages a thankful, grateful mind and outlook, which will strengthen your prayers, and your prayer life for your heart and mind will be solely focused on Him, your God, and your Lord and Savious Christ Jesus.

Ultimately, our purpose is to love God with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength. We begin with a thankful and grateful heart.

Write your “God’s Provisions” list today.

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always! Amen