When God gave me my word for 2017, I scrunched up my face in confusion. What on earth was He doing or suggesting? Release? Release what? Others expectations? Our finances? What?

Now that we’re two months into the year, the word makes a whole lot more sense and is shaking the foundations of my world. There was one last, big I’ll never on my list, and it looks like God is asking me to lay that one down. I kind of hoped He’d forgotten about it, but no such luck. So while I’m getting a sense of where God is going, I’m still not 100% certain, and that’s part of the fun on the journey.

So now that you’re in the middle of your word journey, here area few ways to evaluate and see if the word still fits.

• Take notice. This might seem unnecessary to say, but life moves really fast. If you don’t intentionally stop and evaluate your word and whether it still fits, you may miss some of the work God is doing in you. Now that you’ve spent a couple months with your word, does it still fit? Does the meaning have added significance? Capture those thoughts in your journal. God is speaking to you all the time, but if you don’t slow down to listen and notice, you’ll miss Him.
• Spend time with the definition. What new insights do you have from the word? For me, I have a better sense of what I’m being asked to lay down. It’s elements of my identity and where I find my worth. Partly he’s asking me to simply reexamine who I am and why, but there’s a deeper work going on, too. So when I look at the definition of release, I see two things: God wants to set me free, but I also have to open my hands. I’m still praying about what that looks like.
• Where is God speaking to you about the theme? Just about each devotional speaks to the theme of release…and I didn’t know that when I bought them. There is this reinforcement of the word from all angles. It is downright eerie. However, that’s a detail I could miss if I didn’t slow down and pay attention. Look around you. Where is God speaking to you? Is the theme coming from multiple directions.
• Where do you still have questions about the theme? Where does it still seem like an ill-fitting garment? Maybe the word isn’t quite right. If it just doesn’t fit, ask God if you have the right word. If not, that’s okay. Switch to the new one He’s showing you. It’s your word. It’s not something you have to share with others. Instead, let it adjust as God reveals new things to you. Think of it as a creek that winds and twists rather than a road set in concrete. You can adjust.
• Are you willing to act on what God is showing you? A word is great, but I’ve found there’s usually something God wants to do in me that is attached to the word. Now’s a good time to ask yourself if you’re cooperating with God in the process. Or are there parts of you that are resistant to the changes He’s asking you to make?

Now remember, anything I write here is a suggestion. In this case, it’s learned from years of having a word and letting God use it to direct our encounters for a year or two. Not that you’re in the process, how is it going? What has surprised you in the journey?