Living in the Will of God

Living in the Will of God is not difficult, but it does take practice. The biggest hindrance is that we humans want to do things our own way.

We make a pros and cons list in our head about any action before we do it; and that usually causes us to miss God’s will. Human logic has no place in walking in the Spirit.

As we live in God’s will, the only consideration we make, when a thought enters our mind, is do we feel complete peace about it and is it aligned with God’s Word.

If we have any reservations or if the thought is not scriptural, then that thought is from the world, our flesh or the devil. In this case, we need to continue to wait on God in prayer.

Did you ever notice that God is never in a hurry? God also never gives us a detailed plan for His will ahead of time. He rarely tells us what to do until the moment He is ready for us to do it.

This is for our safety more than anything. Otherwise, if He revealed His will before His timing, we would jump ahead of Him or attempt to do it for Him.

Even if the task God calls us to do is unpleasant, His joy is our strength and His peace is our confidence (Nehemiah 8:10; 2 Corinthians 3:4).

Satan may attempt to distract, discourage and derail our attempts to walk in the will of God (Luke 4:13; 1 John 2:16). However, God always helps us to discern His truth over Satan’s lies (Galatians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Living in the center of God’s will is the happiest place on earth.

Prayer:
Father God, we have so much assurance that we can trust You with the specifics of our life. Thank You for keeping us in the palm of Your hand and that no one can deter us from living in Your perfect will for our life (John 10:28-30).

We are so grateful that our security and our future do not depend on our human capabilities, but on You and Your faithfulness to us. Remind us not to rush ahead of You, or to work for You, but to follow Your Spirit each moment of every day.

Thought for the Day:

Our future is in the capable hands of our Creator and our hope is secure in Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:19

Confidence in Christ Alone

So many Christians still fall into the trap of attempting to gain their esteem through self-effort. We want to feel good about our self, because of the belittling, condescension and criticism we receive. Life positions us for this tendency by giving us praise for our successes, good behavior and accomplishments; and then rejecting or punishing us for our failings.

The good news is that, in Christ, our failings are not failures. They are simply lapses in judgment, over-reactions in a situation or misinformed decisions. The solution to this is to walk in God’s Spirit each moment of the day, with our focus on His direction and not on our human thoughts, plans and goals (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Walking in the Spirit requires thinking with the mind of Christ, rather than relying on our human observations (1 Corinthians 2:16; Galatians 5:15-25). God’s plan for us started before our birth and continues to our last breath (Psalm 139:13-14; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 2:10). At salvation, we died to our human mind-set, and Christ is now our whole life (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:3-5).

Through God’s Spirit, we have the ability, confidence, love and self-discipline to live a successful life (2 Timothy 1:7; Proverbs 3:26; Psalm 138:8). Our self-esteem comes from Christ in us, and God’s unconditional love for us. Even during trials, our confidence in God and His promises remain steadfast and true (Hebrews 10:35-36; Matthew 6:34; James 1:12).

We boldly approach God’s throne to receive forgiveness and grace in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). Christ and His Spirit within us strengthen us to walk in God’s will all the days of our life (Philippians 4:13; Acts 1:8). This gives us more confidence than anything we could ever accomplish through our own self-efforts.

Prayer:

Father God, no matter what we face during our lifetime, we have no need to fear, because we rely on Christ in us rather than our human capabilities (1 John 4:18). Even if the most horrendous issue ever known to mankind comes against us, we have confidence in Christ abiding within us (Psalm 27:3). You are with us no matter where we live, what surrounds us or what occurs in our life (Joshua 1:9). We have all of our confidence in You, rather than in our self, because we know that You work out even the negative issues of life for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:

We find joy, even in the most trying difficulty; because when we pray with gratitude in our heart, surrender to God’s will and have faith in God’s faithfulness, He guards our heart and mind through Christ in the most miraculous ways. - Philippians 4:4-7

A Place of Abiding

We have certain goals in life, which often turn into an idol. We live, dream and breathe these goals, neglecting everything else in our life. 

We even neglect God in the process. This does not really help us to reach our goals, however; and everything starts to unravel after a while.

These idols also cause negative emotions to rise up in our soul. We get grouchy, intolerant and frustrated. We avoid anyone who threatens our agenda. 

Negative emotions are a clue that our soul is out of balance. We are either neglecting some aspect we need, or we are pursuing the wrong goals.

When broken dreams, heart-wrenching desperation, and a loss of appetite and sleep wear us down, we finally come to the end of our own resources. 

We look beyond our human capabilities and we finally trust in the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. God is intimately acquainted with our deepest needs.

God's Spirit cleanses us and accomplishes His will in our world. He will deliver us from our self, and His Spirit will exchange our carnal nature with the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4). 

When we make Jesus Lord, He always give us more than we could ever imagine. When we totally surrender to the work of God's Spirit in our life, we arrive at the place of abiding.

Prayer:

Father God, bring forth Your Spirit's fruit in our life until we exhibit them to the world around us, instead of the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:22-23, 5:19-21). 

Once we surrender our idols, which are causing us to sin, Your intimate presence fully returns to our life. Remind us not to lower Your Word to our level of experience, but to elevate Your Word as life-giving Truth.

Thought for the Day:

Temporary disappointments are not failures, but stepping-stones toward the ultimate mountain top experience of abiding in Christ.