Tips for Abiding with Jesus This Christmas

Last week, I shared with our community of subscribers my personal struggle with learning to abide in Jesus.

I began this year with a clear feeling that ABIDE was my word for the year, and I started in January spending quiet time with Jesus and seeing how it changed me.

But soon the busyness of life began to distract me from the things that mattered most—including my abiding time. So, as this year comes to a close, I am recommitting to focus on abiding. Even if it’s only for a few moments each day.

In the email, I asked you, my faithful readers, for your tips. What helps you avoid distraction and maintain a focus on abiding with Jesus? A few of you sent me your tips, and I am so grateful that you chose to share your thoughts and ideas with me. Here are some helpful tips for those of us who want to make the most of our time spent with Jesus this Christmas season and beyond.

Begin your quiet time by reading a Psalm.

Merry emailed with this idea: “A new discipline I have adopted is to begin my quiet time by reading a Psalm. I go to the same Psalm each morning for a week. This prepares my heart to focus on God's presence.”

I absolutely love this idea from Merry and plan to implement this as a spiritual discipline in my life! Reading the same Psalm each morning for a week will help seal God’s Word on our hearts as we read and spend time with him.

Create a purposeful page of JESUS NOTES on your laptop.

William sent me this innovative idea for starting the day focused on Jesus: “When I open my laptop...I have purposely a Page of JESUS Notes (useful words, devotionals, prayers and commands); so before opening my mail, it enables me to see/view a reminder of being close to JESUS...first.”

This is such a great tip! William also added that every time he closes his laptop, he sets his Jesus Notes document to be the first thing he sees as he re-opens.

I could see how this would work with a phone or tablet, too. Maybe even use a tool like Canva to create an image to set as a screen saver, so a Jesus-reminder is the first thing we see when our phone wakes up!

As you talk to Jesus, remember that he is your friend.

Linda reminded me of an old hymn I love, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” What a difference it makes when I think of Jesus as my friend when I am spending time abiding with him. I find those are the times when I hear his voice most clearly. Jesus himself says:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 ESV

As we spend time with him, we get to know him and his Word. We know his voice when we hear it and gain clear understanding of his presence and guidance in our lives.

Read an Advent devotional.

Last week, I signed up for a “free” advent devotional from an advertisement in my inbox. From the time I submitted my email address, a crazy thing happened. I received email after email asking me to buy something. The free devotional was buried beneath so many advertisements, I got frustrated trying to find it. I ended up unsubscribing.

During the holiday season, we will be bombarded with ads claiming the latest and greatest thing. We may try to block out the noise, but that’s hard to do. Distractions abound at Christmas, so we must be intentional about turning off something that is causing a distraction from our quiet time.

There are many sites out there offering daily devotionals with little or no distractions. The YouVersion Bible app offers a variety of Advent devotionals, ranging in length from 5 days to 4 weeks. You will also find quality devotions from Your Daily Prayer on Crosswalk, like this one I wrote recently, “A Prayer of Gratitude for the Gift of Jesus.” You may see a few pop up ads, but nothing excessive. You can also listen or watch a video version on their YouTube channel.

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Christmas is the best time to re-center our hearts on the reason we celebrate. May we continue to seek him with longing hearts by abiding in his shadow. Merry Christmas to you!

What to Do When Worry Becomes Fear

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3 NIV

I’ve walked the same path a hundred times before, but this time, the rustle in the bushes stopped me cold. The stillness of the street at that hour of the morning magnified the sound, sending signals of fear from my mind to my heart.

I immediately began sizing up the fear. What could it be? Is it really something to be afraid of, or am I just overreacting? Should I keep moving forward, speed up, or turn and run the other direction?

By the time I’d sorted through whether this fear was worth fearing, I’d reached the bush. No turning back now, the only move was to forge ahead.

I glanced into the bushes without slowing and discovered the source of my fear. It was a robin, scurrying from branch to branch. Not anything to fear at all.

The Danger of Sizing Up Our Fears

There are times in life when we size up circumstances to see if they are worth fearing. If we decide this ‘thing’ is big enough and scary enough, we have time to turn back. If it’s small, then we may decide we’re strong enough or big enough to face it. Often times, when fear comes upon us, we forget that God is bigger than every fear.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3 NIV

Friend, I can say with all certainty from my many experiences battling fear: Analyzing, or sizing up, our fears is a waste of time and energy. It only ends up affecting our peace and joy. The above verse from God’s holy Word tells us what we need to do when we come face to face with fear. If we can turn our thoughts to Him first, fears shrink away.

Is It Real or Imagined? The Difference Between Our Fears

It would be wrong for me to imply that all fears should be ignored. My friend and hope coach Carmen Horne spoke about healthy fears in her short podcast episode, 3 Ways to Combat Fear.

Some threats are very real, and in many cases, our instincts to seek a path to safety should not be pushed aside. Whether what we fear is a real threat or an imagined worst-case-scenario, we can always begin with prayer.

Fear comes in many forms. Most of my fears come from my lack of control in a given situation. I fear the future for my loved ones, my health, or our finances. Through my own journey with the ups and downs of fear, I’ve discovered a pattern. What begins as a seemingly innocent worry will escalate into full blown fear, if I do not address the worry from the beginning. Because the more I let worry linger, the more it grows. Before I realize it, the worry has worked its way into my mind and heart. It has gotten a foothold.

I created this list of verses to help me deal with worry first thing in the morning, before it has a chance to take hold. But rest assured, even if a small worry in your life has already escalated into fear, God’s Word is powerful enough to extinguish fear and replace it with peace.

Best Verses for Winning the Battle Over Fear

Committing a few powerful verses to memory will help get our minds and hearts settled on peace in the face of fear. Here are a few easy, memorable verses we can write down and draw upon when worry has escalated into fear.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Proverbs 29:25

We can prepare our hearts in advance with these truths. Believing our God is bigger than any fear will lead to a life of freedom from worry and victory in the face of fear.