From the moment of our conception, a multitude of experiences influence the story of our life. Our significant others, birth order, nurture and nature all play a part in how we view our self as we mature.
In every traumatic circumstance, Satan plants his lies, which weaken our concept of who we are and what we are meant to do as adults. He cripples us with self-doubt, fears and insecurities.
Negative issues, spoiled plans or broken relationships color our view of life and may give us a pessimistic attitude, as well as unrestrained or reclusive behavior.
In adulthood, we rely on the stories we built up in our mind about our self, more than we rely on the story, which God wrote for our life before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:13).
We can change our life by living God's story for us, rather than one of our own making. In God's story for us, His presence gives us hope (Colossians 1:27), and His Spirit guides us each moment of our day (John 16:7, 14:26; Acts 1:5).
As we walk in the Spirit, we do not follow rules, ritualism or regulations, we live in a reciprocal relationship with God and obey His Word and Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25; John 14:15).
We cooperate as the Holy Spirit replaces our old, carnal nature with His fruit; and we learn to depend more on God than the stock market, our employer or the sales at the supermarket (Galatians 5:22-23; Proverbs 3:5-6).
We experience one divine appointment after another, even if we do not realize it. God uses our smile, a kind word, a helping hand, a bouquet of flowers or an interested question to change another person's life.
We are just the nudge they needed to change their mind and question their plans. We will never know until eternity how God uses us through each moment of our life.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for our salvation through Christ's sacrifice on Calvary's cross. We appreciate Your plans for our life, and we want to live by Your Spirit each moment of our day.
Remind us not to depend on our self or to make our plans, but to depend on You and to decrease so that You can increase within us (John 3:30).
Heal us from the lies, which the devil uses to control our thoughts, words and deeds. Help us to walk in Your Truth and to live out Your story for our individual lives as members of Your Body, Your Bride and Your Church.
Thought for the Day:
When life goes our way, we tend to rely less on God and more on our self, coasting in our prayer life, neglecting Bible study and missing worship services with fellow Believers; until the next trauma or catastrophe sends us running back into God's waiting arms.
