Hi how are you today? Happy new year! We just had a week at the coast as in my country it is summer. It was a fun week of relaxing and watching the fireworks on New Years Eve. What did you do?
As I was praying about the word for 2026, the only word that came to me was consistency. It is not an r word like many previous years but I believe it is a significant word.
Too many of us are consistent until whatever the thing we are doing consistently becomes boring or too hard. So what is it about consistency that we struggle with? I believe it is because we have been brought up in a rules based society- don’t speed, attend school, get a job, be kind, don’t hit others etc. Whilst these rules are not bad, they make a bad master to follow if they become our motivation.
So what should our relationship with consistency look like? It should look like relationship- either with others or ourselves. What do I mean by this?
We are told to eat right but we will not do it consistently if we have a love/ hate relationship with our body.
We are told to read the Bible but if we don’t desire a closer relationship with God, then it will feel like a chore and consistency will be hard to maintain.
Let’s look at the definition of consistent. In the Oxford dictionary it means acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate or compatible or in agreement with something.
I like the second meaning of the word consistent as this is what happens when we read the Bible, pray, love God, love others etc. it means that over time that consistency in our lives means our lives become compatible or in agreement with the Bible.
This is good news for the Christian. It is the way we are changed to become more like Jesus.
One of the most consistent people in the Bible was Daniel and was evident from chapter 1 of the book of Daniel.
In verses 8 to 10 in the Message Bible, it states:
8-10 But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet. The head of the palace staff, by God’s grace, liked Daniel, but he warned him, “I’m afraid of what my master the king will do. He is the one who assigned this diet and if he sees that you are not as healthy as the rest, he’ll have my head!”
Daniel was chosen to be one of the young men who was going to receive training in order for him to work in the kings court. In order to do that, the men were required to eat the same as the king. However this diet was not consistent with what Daniel was used to eating so he asked for exemption.
This was a big deal especially to those serving the men. They could lose their lives if they didn’t obey the king.
Daniel however was wise and in verses 11 to 13 in the Message Bible, in part, stated:
Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see.”
At the end of 10 days what did the steward find? In verses 14 to 16 of the Message Bible, in part, it states:
At the end of the ten days they looked better and more robust than all the others who had been eating from the royal menu. So the steward continued to exempt them from the royal menu of food and drink and served them only vegetables.
What was the consequence of their consistency?
At the end of three years, in verses 17 to 19 in the Message Bible, it states:
17-19 God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life. In addition, Daniel was gifted in understanding all sorts of visions and dreams. At the end of the time set by the king for their training, the head of the royal staff brought them in to Nebuchadnezzar. When the king interviewed them, he found them far superior to all the other young men. None were a match for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Not only was Daniel blessed but also his friends who joined him in the consistency.
When we decide to be consistent in the little things in our lives, God comes through extravagantly. But remember this took three years, not three hours.
So as we start this year, what does God want you personally becoming more consistent in. Whatever it is start small! I can’t wait to hear the testimonies that come through as we keep on being consistent.
Bless you and keep living the life God intended.
Karen
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