Thursday, December 7, 2017

Let God be God!


Can I just help you out today? I won’t take up much of your time but I want to tell you something and I really want you to apply it to your life starting this very minute. Ready? Let God be God. That’s it! That’s all I got! I know that may be difficult to really take in because your automatic response is “I do.” I know that because it was mine. But the truth of the matter is, you don’t. I mean, you say the right things, and do the expected things but sometimes you get in the way. Sometimes God’s timeline doesn’t line up with yours and so you make “adjustments”. Sometimes God’s decision isn’t quite what you expected and so you rationalize another way. Sometimes God’s instruction is a little too hard and so you decide to do things your way. The result is what matters, right? Wrong. You see, God has a purpose and a plan for your life. It’s intricate and detailed and it was written on a level that is so much higher than yours. It takes into account your free will, your bad attitude, your “no”, and your wrong choices. It’s even prepared for your fear and your disobedience. Does your plan have all of these contingencies? No? Well, let God be God!

I know, I know! This is supposed to be an encouraging holiday word that you can feel good about and that’s truly what I wanted to do but God thought better of you! God wants you to walk into your 2018 better than where you are now. He wants you to know that He can handle any and everything that you face and it won’t be hard for Him. But here’s the thing. He doesn’t need your help! He is God all by Himself and there is no one like Him. He has this plan for your life and it’s well thought out. Look at Jeremiah 29: 10 -14.

If you want the truth, this is what the Eternal has to say: “You will remain in Babylon for 70 years. When that time is over, I will come to you, and I will keep My promise of bringing you back home. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that. At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. You will look for Me intently, and you will find Me. Yes, I will be found by you,” says the Eternal, “and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations where you’ve been scattered—all the places where I have driven you. I will bring you back to the land that is your rightful home.” (VOICE)

Notice that I started with verse 10. You see, people don’t like to look at the hard stuff that often comes before the blessing.  But God showed me that in order to trust Him in the “future and hope”, you have to trust Him in Babylon. In the beginning of Jeremiah 29, God told the exiled Israelites how to live and survive in Babylon before He told them about what would happen in the future. If you let God be God in your life, He will show you how to prosper in your wilderness and then bring you back home RESTORED. Read those verses again! He’s telling you how to let Him be in control of your life. He’s telling you how to make it, how to trust Him. He’s showing you that He already knows what you’re going to face and He’s made provisions for it. He has not lost track of you. He has not forgotten what He told you or the hard places that He has sent you to. The issue is whether or not you will relinquish control long enough to reap the fruit.

“God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” (Num. 23:19 NLT) God is consistent and He is faithful. You can trust Him to handle your life. As a matter of fact, you’ve seen Him do it before. So here’s your chance…get out of the way! Step back, stop trying to carry it, stop trying to plan it, stop trying to figure it out. God is asking you TODAY to let Him do it.  HE is lining things up for you. HE is shifting things in your life. HE is putting things in order. And guess what? He has it all under control so just take my advice and let God be God…

Amen…

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