rd | Setting Your New Year's Theme

Hello, everyone. Today is Tuesday, January the 3rd. I'm Ryan Hill.

I'm John Galantis. And you're listening to Clearview Today with Dr. Abbadon Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can find us online at ClearviewTodayShow.com. Or if you have a question for Dr. Shah or suggestion for a future episode, send us a text at 252-582-5028. You can also email us at contact at ClearviewTodayShow.com.

That's right. You guys can help us keep this conversation going by supporting the podcast, sharing it online, leaving a good review on all our platforms. That includes iTunes, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, probably somewhere else where podcasts go that the distribution networks don't inform me and Ryan of.

And yet, it's still out there. If you don't get your podcast from one of those four, go look from where you get podcasts on. Probably it's there. Leave us a good review. We're going to leave a link in the description of this podcast, so you can do that. And in fact, I'm actually going to read one. Please do. I was going to ask you if you had one. Yeah, man, I do.

I do. Keep texting these reviews and keep the discussion going because we love to do this on the air. Praise Music Mom. Praise Music Mom.

Absolutely. She says, wonderful content addressing issues and questions important to living biblically and victoriously. So thankful to hear this pastor speaking truth with courage. I had to edit that because there's some typos in there. Praise Music Mom. But I still appreciate the love.

I thought you were still going. No, that's it. Well, thank you. Praise Music Mom. That was wonderful.

That was a sweet review. Absolutely. You ready for the verse of the day? I am ready.

Let's do it. The verse of the day today comes from Matthew chapter five, verse 14. You are the light of the world.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. I like that because it reminds us that we do have an obligation to kind of do exactly what we're doing, which is talk about the word. It's not enough just to have the word, have it transform our lives and didn't do nothing with it. If we're truly a light on a hill, if we're truly the light of the world, then that light has to shine and has to reach people. And I've heard Dr. Shaw say this before, but the fact that we are the light of the world, the light does not come from us on our own. It is not light that we produce, but it is the light of Christ who is the light of the world shining from within us.

Yeah. A church family that doesn't spread the light. I would say even a church that does not produce is not fulfilling the commission that Jesus gave us, which is to go into all the world, shine that light, talk about it. That's what we're trying to do here.

And that's why we ask you guys for your help. At the end of every episode, we ask you guys to support the podcast, not because we want to just keep doing it, but because Jesus has commanded us to do it. Right. Absolutely. You have the opportunity to be obedient to what God has called you to do.

We want to give you every opportunity to do that. That's right. I got another one for you. People are really loving these, by the way.

I'm getting a lot of texts to the numbers. Really? Yeah.

People love these. So I got another one for you. All right. A million dollars. I'm going to give you a million, a million and one dollars just because I'm... A million and well... I'll toss a... Probably a... Toss a little... Affirmative.

A little extra tip in there. Okay. You have to go to every PTA meeting, as long as your kids are in school, and you can only ask questions pertaining to the last video game that you played. So what are you playing right now? Noah and I, my son, we've been playing a lot of Pokemon.

Pokemon Sword. Yeah. So you got to go up in there and basically... They're talking about lesson plans. They're talking about, you know, in this Friday, remember parents, we are having the bake sale this Friday. You got to basically raise your hand and be like, what did you use against the fire gym?

I'm stuck. 100% yes. You would do it? I would absolutely. What would you ask them?

Like, oh, Mr. Hill, you had a question. Yeah. I was just wondering if you could tell me where the best drops for Dynamax Raids were. I've been looking around in the wild area and I just, I can't seem to find a good one.

I'm sorry. Dynamax Raids? Dynamax Raids. You know where the Pokemon are like giant size. Is this a movie that you're... What is this? What's Pokemon Sword? No, I'm talking about questions pertaining to the school lesson plan and the... Yes. And I'm wondering why the school lesson plan doesn't include information on how to keep our children successful when they're raiding for wild Pokemon.

So perhaps you can explain that Mr. Administrator. By the way, I got a ganger. I got a Haunter that I'm trying to evolve. Does anybody want to trade?

Does anybody want to trade my Pidgey? Yeah. I mean, this is every... How often do they have PTA meetings up at the school? They don't really.

I mean, not at the school that the kids go to. All right. Then once a quarter, there will be a PTA meeting that you got to go to. Yeah. I'd take that. Really? Easy. 100%.

Unbelievable. Yeah. I know most of the administration at the school, and I know for a fact, there are at least a few of them that are Pokemon fans. But I mean, I'm a Pokemon fan too. And yet, there's sometimes where it's time to work. Like I love Pokemon, but then when it's time to work and it's time... Like if we were doing like the devotions during worship team and one of the kids or one of the adults, God forbid, was like, where can I go to get like a shiny Mewtwo?

I'd be like, now's not the time. What level does Charmeleon evolve again? It's 34, dude. Come on. I want to see if I'm right. Hold on.

That was just off the top of my head. I thought it was 36. It might be 36. Maybe it's 32. I don't know.

It's something in the low 30s. Oh yeah. Hold on.

Level of evolution. I want to see if we're actually looking this up on the podcast. 36. You were right. 36. All right.

Okay. Well, I guess I owe you a million dollars. A million and one. A million and one. That's right. A million and one.

That's right. A million and one. Cool. Give me my money.

Let me have to pay this guy. Well, we've got a great topic planned for you guys today. We're still kind of in that new year's mindset.

We're going to talk some more about what it looks like to set goals and things related to setting a theme for the overarching year. This is actually a chapter coming from Dr. Shah and Nicole's new book, 30 Days to a New Beginning, which is available in John's shot. Yes. I've got it right here. I've got it right here.

If you're watching the podcast, you're looking at it right now. This is, and fun fact, this is the last copy on campus because every single copy got sold out this weekend. We've got more coming. We've got more coming?

Lots more. Wow. But it is currently the last copy on campus. That was kind of cool to say that we sold out, so I was hoping that... Yeah. Well, we've sold out twice now. Really? Yeah. We've got two shipments in and they've both sold out. Oh my goodness. I didn't know that.

We're on the shipment number three. This is the only copy in existence. Yep. Well, that's not true either.

It's the only copy on this campus. Yes. That one is true. You can say that. Okay. I'll say that one. I'll say that one.

We're going to talk some more about what it looks like to set a theme for your year, but if you have questions or suggestions for new topics, send us a text at 252-582-5028 or visit us online at clearviewtodayshow.com. We'll be back after this. Hey there, listeners. My name is Jon.

And I'm David. And we just want to take a second and talk to you about Dr. Sean Nicole's new book, 30 Days to a New Beginning, Daily Devotionals to Help You Move Forward. No matter who you are or where you are in life, you're going to get stuck.

You're going to have goals that you just can't seem to reach and you're going to be looking for some new way to start over. Unfortunately, life does not have a restart button, but here's the good news. God's mercy is new every day, right? And so that means every day is a new chance for you to start over. Now, Dr. Shah and his wife, Nicole, have written a new 30 day devotional in their 30 day series designed to give you practical tools for starting over.

No matter where you are in life's journey or what pitfalls you've encountered, this devotional is going to help you move forward, refocus your mind on God's truth and meditate on his word. And you guys can pick up a copy right this second on Amazon.com. Unless you're driving.

Yeah. Don't shop and drive unless you're driving, in which case, wait till you get home. But we're going to leave a link for you right here in the description of this podcast. So it'll be waiting for you when you get home. That's 30 days to a new beginning, daily devotionals to help you move forward. For the remainder of November and all through December, we'll be sending a free copy to anyone who supports the podcast by visiting us online and donating to the show at ClearViewTodayShow.com.

That is a very, very good incentive, gang. That's 30 days to a new beginning, daily devotions to help you move forward by Abaddon and Nicole Shah. Thank you guys so much for listening. David, you want to jump back into the show? Let's go.

All right. Welcome back to Clear View Today with Dr. Abaddon Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can visit us online at ClearViewTodayShow.com, or if you have any questions or suggestions for Dr. Shah, make sure you send us a text at 252-582-5028. Dr. Shah, welcome to the studio today. It's good to be here. I hope you guys are doing well in the new year. Amen.

Doing well, living large. A whole nother year. A whole nother year has gone by. That's right. Wow. Hard to believe we've been doing this show for two years, technically.

I don't think so. Your math is not correct. We've been doing it in 2022. We did it in 2023. I think we're... Two years in. Two years deep.

We're two years in. The math checks out. Only 40 episodes, but still.

I think we're in the 50s at this point. Someone is furiously scribbling on a paper somewhere like, I don't think that's right. Let me double check those numbers. I've missed so many episodes.

It's not right. We're kidding. Well, if you guys have never heard the show before, if you're brand new to the show, you're unfamiliar with Dr. Shah and his work, Dr. Abaddon Shah is a PhD in New Testament textual criticism. He's a professor at Carolina University, author, full-time pastor, and the host of today's show.

If you want to familiarize yourself with his work, you can do so on his website. That's AbaddonShah.com. Well, I'm not done. I'm so sorry. I got excited. Here's why.

Speaking of his work, tell them about the book that's in your shot. Oh, I didn't even know that was still here. No, I'm just joking.

No, for real. This is the last copy. I think we said this before, but this is the last copy on campus because you know why? Sold out. Sold out. Two separate shipments, both sold out. Third shipment is on the way. I didn't know it was two. I thought we had one big shipment that sold out, but it was two. That's crazy. Sold out. Three days to a new beginning.

Daily devotions to help you move forward. I have officially completed the 30 days in my own. Oh, really? Very nice. Yes.

Yep. Ellie and I walked through it together. It was an amazing time. We've grown closer together.

There's just a lot of ways that it helps not only Christians, but I think anybody can glean from this that there's a point in your life to start over, and only God can help you do that. Actually, I wanted to talk about two of the chapters today that don't really conflict with each other, but they're different methods of starting over. Yeah.

I think that's great, especially as we're starting the new year. People are thinking about setting goals or resolutions, things like that. We want to talk about two of the chapters in the book. One of them is... Let me pull up my notes here.

One of them is chapter 11, which is game plan. Dr. Shaw, you can talk more about this, but having a game plan, a strategy on how to move forward, and the other one, which we'll get to in a little bit, is on setting a theme for your year. Right.

Right. One of them is having a plan, an idea, a strategy on what are we going to do, where we're headed, what do you want to accomplish? In our book, we talk about how Abraham sent his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for his son Isaac. It was amazing how he gave him some very specific instructions on how to find the woman who should be the right one, not just any woman, just pick anybody there, and what are the instructions?

He was given very specific instructions, and he followed them to a T. It was a wonderful example of building a game plan on convictions, maturity, prayer, those kind of things to accomplish what we have in our hearts. If you're going to work out, here's my game plan. It's not just enough to say, this is the year that I'm going to work out. No.

I mean, talk to people who are experts. Get an app. I work out with an app. So I have my day one, day two, day three. This is what I'm going to do. This is what happens next, how I'm going to eat, those kind of things.

There's a plan behind it. If it's a plan to get your education, then set some deadlines. Put some dates on your calendar on, OK, by this time, I should have my registration done.

By this time, I should be going ahead and checking out the website to see if the course syllabus has been uploaded. By this time, I should be reading. This is a game plan.

This is what you have to do. In other areas, I can go on and on talking about a relationship. You want to date somebody. You want to have somebody in your life. Can't be just sit back and say, I'm just waiting. No. Sometimes it's like, ask the Lord, who is that person out there, God?

Can I throw a little word of advice here on this game plan? You want to find a godly person in your life? Go where godly things are happening. Hell. Oh, man. Look to your left and look to your right, there's got to be somebody there.

He said, no, not in my church, there's nobody there. I understand. I understand. Look around a little more.

Yeah. That's good advice, man. It's something that people don't want to do because I think we're just content to daydream. You actually say in the very first line of your chapter, a vision without a game plan is just a daydream. And I think back to all the things that I've wanted to do in my life, it's just fun to dream about. But once it's time to start putting stuff on paper, start making practical steps, it always seems to fall off and always seems to fall away because there's no actual plan in place. There's no next step. You know the end goal, you know the destination, but without the first step on how to get there, you're just spinning your wheels. You're just daydreaming.

Right. I'm thinking about the project that we're doing with the first gospel. If there wasn't sermons already in place, it would be like, let's just write a book. Let's just start writing it. A lot of people do that. And I just, I don't understand it because I've done that so many times where I'm like, I'm just going to start writing or a song.

But then you start writing and it's like, this is an incoherent mess because I didn't have a plan. Yeah. Yeah.

I, you know, there are pastors who are listening or staff members and you want to write, don't just daydream, get a plan together, you know, pray and see what is it that God has you know, given you a burden for and then plan it, prep it, pray over it. Right. And then preach on that series or teach it or whatever you're doing. And then refine it and see where this may go. Right. There's gotta be a plan.

Cannot be just like, well, I hope one day I want to write a book on how, when, where. So game plans are very important when it comes to moving forward. Yeah. Yeah. What was Eliezer's thing? Like he had the game plan about going in and finding, cause Isaac did, I mean, Abraham didn't want Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman.

Right. What was Eliezer's plan? Well, his plan was, you know, to get to Nahor, you know, this is a city where Abraham, his master had sent him and he did not immediately launch into like, okay, is this a girl? Is this a girl? Oh, she's pretty.

Or she, this, she is beautiful. No, that's not how he began. He prayed to God very specifically, and this is in Genesis 24, if you want to check it out. He said, behold, here I stand by the well of water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that a young woman to whom I say, please let down your pitcher that I may drink. And she says, drink, and I will also give your camels a drink. Let her be the one you have appointed for your servant, Isaac.

I mean, very specific what he wants. Yeah. Right. And now the game begins.

Okay. That was a prayer he had, but now the game begins. All these girls are coming to the water, to the well, to draw water. He has to sit there and watch them. And then he has to know which one to ask to drink.

He does, but it's not enough that she says, oh, here you go. Some, some water. Okay. I'll get out of your way.

Go get some water. No, she has to say back, not only for you, but also for your camels. I'm going to give some water and she's not getting paid for this.

She's not saying how much you're going to pay me. Yeah. I'll do it. But you know, I'm on the clock too.

So how much do you want to pay me? Right. She's like, I'll do this.

I'll help you out. I mean, it's just a genuine, kind, gentle spirit of this woman. And that was his test. That was the game plan.

So also with you guys, I mean, if you're, if you're looking at moving forward in your life, pray and ask God to give you a game plan. Yeah. I think it, I think it speaks volumes that, and this is something that you point out in the book as well, but that strategy wasn't just a specific, like, all right, God, I'm going to ask for something super specific.

So I know it's you. It was, it was building a game plan on like personal convictions and maturity and, and, and very precise expectations. And I think that's something that we often misinterpret.

I know I do for sure. Like, why are they getting so specific? I guess it's just so they don't want it to be no mistake at all, but it's showing how much, we said this yesterday, it's showing how much they understand God in the heart of God and what he wants for their life. The thing about who must have trained him to do this kind of stuff, Abraham, I mean, Abraham was a friend of God. Abraham made some huge blunders early on in his life until at the age of hundred, he gets it right or 99 that it's his wife, Sarah, who was going to bear a child. So imagine someone like that, that Eliezer had the opportunity to sit under and listen and learn and grow. So when he does what he does, that's really Abraham's life that is coming through, you know, his instructions.

I love what you, what you pointed on in the chapter as well. This line just jumps right off the page of me every time I read it. It says, God is sovereign, but he won't just hand things over to you. He wants you to dream and he expects you to plan. Yes.

Yes. So many times we just kind of sit there and we're like, I'm just, I'm ready, God, whenever, whenever you want, you want to give me whatever I'm going to get, I'm ready to receive it. Can it be that God wants you to have a game plan together? Can it be that God wants you to like plan and take a step in obedience? I think that's something very popular, especially in like worship. We really, really over-hype this like hyper spirituality of just, I'm not going to plan anything. The Holy Spirit is just going to lead everything at all.

But, and I used to, I don't think I was ever really that way, but I just didn't really like the process of sitting down, planning things out. And then when I did start doing that, there was always, there was never really pushback, but then there was always those other voices on the internet and in worship forums and all this stuff like, Hey, you even got to do all that. You know, God is going to honor your heart. Could it be that God is honoring this planning, this time that's devoted to making the service excellent? Yeah. You know, if we're, if we're sitting down and you're sitting down with your pastor learning his heart, learning his vision, seeing what the sermon is going to be about, seeing what his heart is, what his convictions for that sermon are, and trying to make the service work within that, you're saying God's not going to honor that because it wasn't spontaneous.

I couldn't get the word out. No, you're right. And that's, we equate spontaneity with the Holy Spirit. That's not correct. The Holy Spirit is also in the planning process.

He's also in the game plan. Do you want to kind of switch over and talk about theme a little bit? Cause I feel like, oh, sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off.

No, no, go ahead. Well, I was just saying, I wanted to talk about these two in specific because they're very different, but they don't contradict each other. They don't conflict at all. Yeah. That's what I was going to say is that they seem, they seem opposed, but in reality, when you look at them, they, they work together very well. Right.

So the, the chapter theme, Dr. Shah, can you share a little bit about the heart behind that chapter, what it's about and what it, what it means for us? Because I, I, I can guarantee you there are people listening right now and going, yeah, that's easy for you to say because you know, you've done this before or you've been trained by the best or you know where the right books and the articles to read and you're telling me to have a game plan, I have no clue what I'm doing. Right. I don't even know where to start. I understand because for a long time I didn't know how to start either, but there is a way to do things that may help you get to the place where you can have game plans for life. And again, these are not like devoid of the Holy Spirit. Now these are game plans full of the Holy Spirit, but the way you need to look at it is, is as a theme rather than a game plan. Look at it as a theme. And by that I mean is think about the theme for the year instead of saying, this year I'm going to go out there and lose weight or get in shape and this is my exercise routine and this is the app I'm going to use or this is a trainer I'm going to work with or this is the class I'm going to join.

Let's say you don't have that. How about picking a theme for the year, right? Just like Jon said, these are not opposed to each other.

They complement each other. In fact, you can do both. You can have a game plan and a theme.

So how does that work out? You know, setting goals is not bad. Setting concrete markers of progress in your life is not a bad thing, just like Eliezer did.

But themes are also helpful because they are broad ways to accomplish your goal a little bit at a time. You know, there could be a theme verse that you could take, you know. For example, the one from Psalm 1, you know, blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. That could be your theme. But this year, you know, I'm going to make sure I don't associate it with people who are ungodly.

Oh yeah, I want to win them to the Lord, but I'm not going to go along with it. This is a year of walking with God. We talked about that a little bit yesterday in our intro. Our verse of the day was Revelation 21.5. I remember sharing with you, when you were writing 30 Days Through a Crisis, we'd put scriptures at the end.

And I remember sharing with you, that verse is like the theme verse of my life. And I remember talking to you about that, that mature Christians have a verse or a word, but typically a verse, that's their theme. That's what they identify with. And it sets them up for success because every now and then, it's broad.

It's a very broad and generic thing. And yet there are times throughout the year where I just think back to that and I think back to, okay, God makes everything new. I need to start doing things new because that's what God expects. That's how God operates. I can't do the same thing all the time and expect to make an impact in God's kingdom. Behold, he makes all things new.

Yeah, going back to the Psalm 1, you know, blessed is a man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but wait, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. So your theme could be, this is a year of delight in the law of the Lord. Yeah, I love that. Right? So I want us to think creatively, but also prayerfully as to what could be the theme for you in this new year. Grateful, obedient, surrender, right? That could be a good theme. So pray about it and see what God has in store.

Yeah. That's such a great outlook on how to move forward in the year. I feel like a lot of times the theme can help fill in the gaps of the game plan. Like you have a game plan, you know you're getting from step A to step B, ultimately to your destination, but your theme can help you when that next step isn't quite as clear.

It's an overall direction as you're taking that next step. Well, it also eliminates guilt. Like if I set myself up, like if I'm starting the new year and I feel like tons of people do, I've done this in the past, where new year hits and it's like, all right, now's the time to buckle down and get serious.

Five days a week, going to the gym. Well, of course I'm not going to, I mean, I might do that for a couple of weeks, but life is going to happen and things are, so now I've got this feeling of, okay, I failed. So now I'm probably not even going to go one day cause I'm going to wallow in failure for a little while.

But if this is my year of health, then I've got some wiggle room and it's like you said, Dr. Shah, it's a good way to get started because the game plan will follow once you start working yourself into that pattern. Yeah. And maybe you may not need a theme verse. That's fine. It's like there's a law out there that says thou shalt have a theme or a theme verse. No, you may not have one and that's okay. But just know that if you're struggling with a game plan or you don't have one, a theme is a good place to begin.

That's true. What is a theme verse for you, Dr. Shah? Maybe not that is this year specific, but someone that has been meaningful for you in the past. Galatians 2.20 has been a big one for me, you know, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. I'm crucified with Christ.

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. That has been a very close verse for me, you know, that it's not me, but it's Christ living through me. And I will, you know, I will admit that not every day I'm able to live out that life. You know, many times I'm trying to do things in my own strength and my own power and I fail. But that is a theme that I have, you know, adopted from my life and it has served me very well. It has really helped me live a life that is free. It's a life that is obedient.

I mean, free in the sense it's not me, it's Christ living in me, obedient in the sense that I can't be saying, you know, it's not me, but it's Christ living and then go out there and do things in my own strength and power and to satisfy my old sin nature. No, my hands are not my hands. My feet are not my feet.

My eyes are not my eyes. My ears, my mouth, my mind, everything I am is not mine, it's his. So I have to obey him. I have to trust him. So it has been a very, very helpful theme verse for me.

And there are several others I have as well. That's beautiful. If you guys enjoyed today's topic or you have suggestions for future topics, let us know by sending us a text at 252-582-5028. You can also visit us online at ClearviewTodayShow.com. And don't forget, you can support us financially on that same website. Maybe that's your theme for this year, not just supporting us financially, but making an impact for the gospel. Because that's what you're doing when you give to the Clearview Today Show, when you give in support of what we're doing here. You are partnering with us to reach countless other people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Think about that for a minute. What if this is your year of generosity? What if this is your year of giving? What if this is your year of obedience? That starts to change things, and I like how Dr. Shah put that. It becomes so ingrained in your life that that verse or that theme becomes such a part of your mindset that for that year, or even for the rest of your lifetime, it starts to navigate your actions. It starts to navigate how you act and how you behave.

That's right. And if you like what you heard today, remember that we are reading From 30 Days to a New Beginning, daily devotions to help you move forward. They're available now on Amazon. You can pick up a paperback or an e-book.

Audible should be available very soon, so make sure you stay tuned for that. We're actually working on it today. We're working on it later today. That's right. Very cool. We're coming in to record. So if audiobooks are your thing, keep an eye out for that.

But pick up a copy for you and for a loved one, especially starting the new year. It is a great resource. Tremendous help in helping you get out of a rut, get unstuck, and move forward in obedience to what God has called you to. Dr. Shah.

We have a user-submitted question. This is Larry T. What does your morning routine look like? My morning routine, so it depends on how the evening has been. It's been tough for me to have a set time because I would love to go to bed early and get up at five o'clock in the morning and hit the ground running. I wish I could do that. I've tried it.

It didn't work for me because sometimes it is late visitations. I'm also a chaplain, so I have to go see people. Sometimes it is like the World Cup happening.

So each night we were up late watching the game, so it was tough waking up in the morning. But once I get up, I'll get my coffee and I'll sit down and go over my scripture for the day. I'm reading from one passage in the Old Testament, one from the New, and then I will read from a devotional and then I'll spend some time praying and then just thinking, thinking for the day. What is it that God wants me to do?

What is it that he's doing? Sermons, articles that I'm writing, journal articles, things I'm reading, getting all things lined up. So when I leave my house, I am set. This is where I'm headed now. So that's how it goes for me.

Very nice. And I encourage people, if you don't have the time to sit and think, of course pray, but also think, you're missing out. I love that. I love that you've always put an emphasis on that. You've got to take time to actually sit and think and have that concentrated, focused time to devote mentally to what the day is going to hold. We love you guys. We'll see you tomorrow on Clearview Today.