God's Plan for My Life

I believe God's great desire for my life is for me to be fully alive no matter what I choose to put my mind and hands to. If I'm turning wrenches great, then do it filled with passion to fix what is broken. If I teach then I should teach with the full knowledge of that subject, if I build then I am to do so with skill and understanding of the design. No matter what I do, if it's something that is within me and I've made connection with the core of who I am then I must do it knowing that the Creator of all life has purposed this and ordained it from the beginning of time specifically for me and in this moment at which it has been revealed to me.

Just like large buildings have many different aspects and each piece must come together for the structure to be raised only the designer knows how each piece fits and the time for it to be placed so do we also have a Heavenly Father who sees across all eternity who knows the beginning from the end, for He is the Great Designer and He sets in motion each piece at the exact moment in time and each person's dream He has placed within them for a purpose that we cannot see or understand yet.

What I was reminded of this morning is that we can either struggle to obtain the dream within our own strength, depending upon our own measure and dealing with our own limitations and setbacks; coming to terms with circumstances set in place by rules and regulations made up by someone who has settled for lesser things and dealing with others who try to hold us back because they are concerned about how they might look if we do succeed or we can plug into the source of power that comes from the One who has destined for us to become this and more. Not only is His strength unlimited but His blessings are full; not only does He protect us but also the dream He has placed within our hearts. For what purpose do we struggle then? To prove our worth to others? Why does their opinion matter? For we do not run this race for the applause of the crowd but for the gold. We do not set our eyes on how many are cheering us on but our focus is undivided on the game. We must set our priorities on the things God says matter – anything else is a distraction. And how will we know what matters if we do not seek Him first? We must remember we are not the ones who designed all of this, we are not in control but it is the God we serve that knows how all the pieces connect and at what time. Do not allow yourself to be fooled into thinking because you have this dream, the desire, the skills required, even the passion for this thing your heart is set on is within your own reach. Simply put if it is then the dream is not big enough, if it doesn't take God to make it happen then you're thinking too small. Who gave you the dream, the desire, the skills, and this passion? No to become fully alive you must get your strength from the Source. Just like the battery in our mobile devices hold a charge for a little while so do we have the strength to accomplish some things but like that battery we must be plugged into the source of power on a daily basis if we are to serve our intended purpose.

My Security, My Anchor

It’s funny how God can speak to you through relationships with others if you are practiced in listening with spiritual ears and know His voice. I wonder how many times the things that look like faults in others are not my own relational issues with my Heavenly Father?

One such thing was brought to my attention early this morning just as clear as rays of sun shining through tree branches deep in the dark woods as it rises in the morning. His mercy is new every morning the question is will I receive it? Sometimes the things I hold onto for the purpose of security are the very things that keep me from knowing Him better and therefore impact my faith, my ability to love unselfishly, even my spiritual vision and purpose. My ability to give away freely that which has been given to me requires that I remember this. I am reminded those things that make me feel secure keep me from growing and anchor me. The familiar often is the enemy of faith and the freedom that comes from knowing Christ Jesus.

Christ is to be my anchor in the storms of life, for that is who we’ve all been made to be and also the reason why we sometimes feel the need to anchor to lesser things (if we don't chase after Him with all of our hearts we are left to our own devices). You see we want to anchor to things we trust in and the battle is this - our flesh tells us to hold fast to our careers, retirement plans, bank accounts, the cars we drive, even what seems good and right like giving back to the community with "our" time and money. Yes the enemy of God is sneaky and his plans are only revealed when God shines His light through the trees in the woods of our spiritual lives. All these things give us a sense of security and they tell us, “I’m good and of value". Like the rich man who tore down his barns to build bigger ones (Luke 12:18) I have a plan for the future but without Christ the value I bring is worthless and one might even say this way of thinking stirs God’s wrath against us, at least in the parable of the man who trusted in his money more than God as Jesus told.

Our value is not in what we do but who’s we are (if you belong to Jesus). When we are saved our value changes and no longer depends on how good we are. This morning I think God is telling me, “My son let go of these things then trust and follow me.” For I know the place I want to be can only be found by following the unseen. Yes I must walk with my eyes closed and learn to listen to the footsteps of the Master in order to see where I am going. It’s not easy but this one thing I know, my Redeemer will not crush me for trying and failing. If I belong to Christ then I must harbor hope within me at all times for this hope is the prerequisite of faith and we know without faith it is impossible to please God.

Spiritual Maturity

Spiritual maturity does not come from how long it’s been since we’ve received Christ Jesus as savior but instead spiritual maturity is only made known by the fruits of the spirit being developed and displayed in our own life. What are these fruits?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

In this life we face many trials and test, most often these come about because of our own sinful desires. If we choose to stand for Christ Jesus then our spirit is strengthened and we mature but should we give in to the ways of our flesh with bitterness, strife, envy, greed, unforgiveness, anger, hatred, and lust then we tear down the very thing which God has purposed in our lives for good and we do not know Him. It is for this reason there is a falling away from Christ Jesus.

Being spiritually mature does not mean we are never tempted but instead it means when these temptations come we choose to feed the spirit and not our flesh. What we feed is what becomes stronger. If you want to be spiritually mature then feed your spirit and there will come a time when these temptations will no longer have the same pull on you; no the temptations will not leave us in this life but if you feed the spirit and not the flesh they will lose their power over you.

You want a strong prayer life? James 5:16 “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” The earnest prayers of the righteous has great power and produces wonderful results, are you hearing this, for this is good news! The Holy Spirit gives understanding, is the Bible difficult to understand or is it that we’ve been feeding the flesh for so long we have starved our own spirit and its in a daze and can no longer comprehend what the Spirit of God is saying? How can the blind lead the blind? For if we are to make it home in the spirit realm we need a guide.

Wake up you mighty men and women of faith! 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Do not let the enemy of God hold you down any longer. For it is faith that moves God to action. When you pray do it as a child of the King, do not beg or plead but simply ask and by faith and with expectation look for God’s hand to move in your situation. How would it make you feel as a parent if your child continued to beg you for something yet you told them you would do it? You might be sad that they don’t believe you will do what you said or it could cause you to wait until they were ready to receive. The waiting is a test to see if we will trust, are you passing the test? Turn it around how would you feel as a parent if your child asked, you said you would, and before they received what they asked for every time you saw them they were thankful, even though it had not come to pass yet. Would that not make you want to give it to them all the more? How much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask? (Matthew 7:11). James 1:6 “But when you ask, you must believe that God will do it. You must not doubt and think, `Perhaps God will not do it.' A person who doubts is like a wave on the sea. The wind drives it this way and that way.”

We must understand when our heart is right (earnest) and we have put ourselves in alignment with God’s will (we know His will by our relationship with Him, which comes through prayer and the reading of His Word) it is His great pleasure to answer those prayers, for it is by this that our faith grows but understand He loves us too much to always say “yes”, our hearts must be set on pleasing and following Him even when the answer is “no”. As our Father He knows what's best for His children, again are we trusting Him?

Always be thankful and with humility and boldness live life expecting God’s favor, all the while understanding our need for His provisions, for I am desperate for His presence in my life, at all times. When God’s people live in the favor of our Lord, our Father, and God the world will take notice and by this His name will be glorified through out all the earth. You are the Master's vessel and when we are serving His purpose we are fully alive and He is glorified.