When we let go of our carnal expectations and desires of worldly success, and instead, cling to serving King Jesus, the shackles and chains of bondage fall off our spirit, soul, and body through spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12). We joyfully walk in the guidance of God’s Spirit each moment of every day.
If we are only interested in getting on with life as is normal in this world, walking with God does not have the significance it normally would. Attaining earthly success, filling our days with irrelevant hobbies and endeavors, and focusing only on our calendar filled with material pursuits is pointless when we take our last breath of air on this earth.
By praying God’s Word and by obeying the Spirit’s direction in each present moment as we experience it, we deal with spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Peter 5:8) and successfully navigate each trial we experience with the minimum of effort on our part (1 John 5:4-5).
If we rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4-8), this helps us to keep our eyes on Jesus rather than on the troubles in our life (Hebrews 12:2). We hand all negative issues over to God instead of attempting to solve them in our own way.
We place our burdens and cares and anxiety in His capable hands (1 Peter 5:7-9). We trade His yoke for our man-made yoke, because His is easy and light since He is yoked with us, helping us to carry it (Matthew 11:29-30).
We usually want to make our own plans and ask God to bless them, rather than to walk in His ways for us (Psalm 5:8, 119:3, 128:1). This humanitarian focus causes us to come up against satanic strongholds that harness us to this life as it causes us to live in pride and rebellion against the will of God for us (Ephesians 2:10).
Prayer:
Father God, You care about the downtrodden, discouraged, weary, heartbroken person, and You call us to walk in Your principles by Your Spirit’s direction. As we seek Your face each new morning, You guide us with Your eye (Psalm 32:8; Isaiah 55:6-7; Deuteronomy 4:29; Hebrews 11:6). Our life gradually turns around, as the weeds we planted in our garden are removed one by one. Then, we have only verdant rows of crops that You planted in us instead.
Teach us to walk in step with Your Spirit and to keep our focus on You and Your perfect plans for us. You are our God of grace, and You call us to abide in Your eternal glory both now and for eternity. After we graduate from this school of hard knocks that we call “life,” we enter into Your presence forevermore. You restore us after each trial and make us stronger and more resilient with more peace and joy than ever before (Psalm 23:3-5).
Thoughts for the Day:
When we live by the Spirit of God, we are wiser, stand firmly through the gales of defeat that assail us, and remain steadfast in our faith in God’s faithfulness to us in every area of our life (1 Peter 5:10). Life is difficult and filled with tribulation, but we do not fear, because Christ, who is in us, (Colossians 1:27; Galatians 2:20) already overcame the world, death, and the grave (Revelation 1:18). ... kat
