There are so many things we build our lives upon.
Many of them are given to us by God, like our family, jobs,
ministry, and church.
But even “good things” can get in the way of a
relationship with God.
And to have a Framework
of Lasting Hope, you need a relationship with God.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have
trouble.
But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”
Notice the “IN ME” part of that?
In order to have peace, you must be IN
Christ.
That requires a relationship.
And a good relationship takes more than a “sinner’s
prayer”. Just like a good marriage goes beyond saying the vows.
Hopefully
since my last posts you’ve taken the time to figure out where you are RIGHT NOW
in your relationship with Christ and you can identify what you’re building your
life upon. I pray you recognize where your priorities are and you realize there
are things in your life keeping you from having a deeper relationship with God.
Let’s continue the journey of discovering what motivates our
decisions and actions as these will further reveal our hearts true desires.
Think about your previous week…the decisions you faced, the
problems you solved, the things you let slide, the things you made sure got accomplished
and what kept you awake at night.
Keeping these in mind:
What motivated your choices?
Necessity (eating, bathing, etc.)
Priority (bills, deadlines, people depending on you)
Want (leisure activities, family time)
Where did God fit into all this?
Did you consult Him before making decisions? Did you thank Him for problems solved?
Did you ask Him what HIS priorities where and where HE wanted you to focus
your time and energy? Was He involved…or an afterthought? (If you’re
feeling guilt or shame, please refer to 1
John 1:9. Satan uses these emotions to cripple us and keep us from moving
forward in our maturity)
Digging deeper—Do you make decisions based on comfort?
What I mean is—Do you take the easy way or are you
willing to go the extra mile?
Are there things you’ve put in place to make your life
easier?
I’m NOT saying comfort and ease are bad—but they can be
if you’ve put systems in place that minimize your need of God.
What worries and coping mechanisms do you indulge in that
show your lack of Spiritual peace with God?
I’m asking this
because in order to MOVE forward and grow in Christ, we must remove anything
that hinders our seeking God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
Let me give you an example from my life:
I like making lists. They make my life easier. They give me
order.
The downside(s) to this is that I’m not always open to
listening to God’s promptings.
I might hear the Holy Spirit prompting me to pray, but I’m
in the middle of another task. I don’t want the interruption so instead of
stopping what I’m doing—I multitask. I continue my “to-do” list as I pray.
While this isn’t necessarily bad, it can stifle my
communication with God.
Look at it like this—would your spouse be happy with you if
he/she called you with a very important need and you continued typing on your
computer as you half-heartedly listened? Would they feel like they were
important to you? Would this behavior, especially repeated continually, enhance
your relationship or diminish it?
My “To-Do” lists can also increase my anxiety if they aren’t
accomplished and this makes me less than pleasant to be around. I rush through
important things, like family time and Bible reading in order to check off
something far less important on my list, like laundry.
On a good day, when I’m ahead of schedule, I feel a sense of
accomplishment—“look what I can do!”
ALL of these things keep God from being front and center
in my thoughts, heart, and emotions as I rely on my own strength and talents to
get through my day.
Your turn:
What motivates your decisions? Do you have systems in place
that keep you from depending on God and including Him in your day? Are there
things you need to let go of, or re-evaluate, in order for you to be “IN” Christ?
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