Just give up...

Many times we have been in situations where we would like to see the Lord work; maybe in a relationship, work, or possibly your own life, you name it. These things are constantly popping up and it's not a fun journey either, because it causes life to kind of drag or even become toxic. It's usually when we come to this place that we tend to keep half a mind on what we can do to fix the problem, and actually end up pulling our hair out because of it. This mindset is not only wrong, it inevitably leads us to a burn out or even worse. We need to realize that the real stressors of today aren't necessarily caused by outside influence, even though they can surely start that way, but that's not what I'm getting at here. The root of the problem is us, we are people that live off of being the one who has the right fixes for the toughest jams, and refuse to surrender simply because we are afraid to just give up.

I know that I am always the one that is constantly finding myself in situations where I am against the ropes just getting crushed by what the devil is throwing at me, and usually losing in the end. I know that my battles aren't against flesh and blood, they are against my spiritual adversaries that not only live to make me stumble, but seek to destroy me. The biggest advantage they have over me is that I am a fallen finite being and it's through this that they only need to start the process, because they know that I will finish it. Sometimes the problem doesn't even come from something bad, it comes from something good that the Lord has given to me or called me to. Initially the devil is always quick to point out the little flaws in what I am doing and cause me to dwell on them instead of focusing on the one thing that's important (God). From this stems a little tweak from my personal magical "fixit box" that initially makes me feel better and sometimes (okay, most of the time) pumps up my pride. I cling to this one change in hopes that it re-routes the whole situation putting it back on track giving God the glory. This is always accompanied by me praying that this works - fasting and giving burnt offerings (not really, but adds a drama to it) in hopes that the Lord will prosper my ideas. Unfortunately since this idea initially isn't working the way I want it to I usually try to find different ways to change it stringing myself out thinking of more ideas. Little by little my feeble mind becomes overwhelmed and cashed out eventually leading me to my knees begging for mercy from God and guidance to completely fix what was his in the first place.

I hope that I'm not the only one doing this sort of thing, because if I am this blog is going to be a very lonely place, only populated by yours truly. Now, don't get me wrong coming up with ideas is a good thing, it's where you start and finish that's important to know. As life continues and changes we have to understand that what the Lord allows to happen to us is never to destroy us, but to bring us closer to him. The main problem with being a human that lives on this earth is that relying on something that isn't seen is almost impossible to us, and this isn't new for today, this has plagued us since the beginning (just read the Old Testament)! When the Lord blesses us it's not based on what we did or how well we are doing in life, it's solely based off of his love for us and if you still believe that this is because of our works then just read Matthew 5:45. We need to understand that the Lord is not only good, but sovereign over everything including the problems that the devil gives us. We can't be the one that always has the solution, because we don't have any solutions that can save us. God is the perfect one and his ways are sufficient for us, so why am I waiting until the problem is beating me to kneel before Him begging for mercy? It's funny how the battles that are won are usually the ones that we have no way of even stepping to the plate for, that's because the only one that can win is the one who controls the outcome. I strongly believe that if I fight on my knees from the very beginning before any punches are thrown, everything from there falls into place. I'm not saying that problems wont come my way, they will just be faced with more joy and peace instead of stress and contempt.

God does not call the already equipped, he equips those whom he as already called and he can only do that when our heart is in complete subjection to him and his will. We have to look at ourselves and understand how destitute we really are, and how we are unable to bring anything to the table. It's a very interesting concept that we are finite imperfect beings that are so perfectionistic, but God is a perfect being that is never perfectionistic. The only true solution that can come to this prevalent problem is the fact that we just need to give up and surrender everything - give up to receive so much more - surrender to become adopted.

A light in the storm

We all come across times in our lives when we feel as if things are becoming more stressful, more chaotic, and where things continue to fall apart. These "storms" in our life usually comes more often than we would like and more frequently than we would like to admit. It's also during these times that we feel as if God has stopped speaking and started to let us go, when in reality it's the complete opposite.

If God is love and has openly admitted to us that he loves us enough to send his only son to die in our stead, then we can't say that he has let go of us or just stopped speaking, especially when it's really us who have done just that. When we look to God and ask our questions, we think that he hasn't replied, but really he just pointed to his word and said, "I already answered it." God speaks to us all of the time and has even had a book written about just that. He shows us his heart and reveals that he stands in the middle of our struggles, in the middle of our darkness and turns on the light.

Jesus was sent into this world as a light for all amidst the darkness, and for those caught up in the storms of life to lead them to glory. When a lighthouse beams its light across the dark stormy waters, it sends a message of life and hope. Its foundation is neither overcome nor broken from the waves that crash into it, the lighthouse is a fixed object that draws lost boats to it. Jesus Christ is the fixed object, unweathered by the biggest storms and unbroken by the harshest waves and he stands as the brightest light in the storm. This man who delivers us from our darkness and provides life to the lifeless calls us into the same life and charges us to do the same for all around us.

Being a Christ follower means much more than professing his name in Christian settings, but instead it means living his life out loud for all to hear and letting your actions speak louder than those words. It is in the darkest places where the light you bring has the most significance; if my life hadn't had the light invade I would still be walking in darkness. This is where God reveals to us that it's only where light is absent that the darkness prevails. This year I charge anyone reading this blog to do just one thing: become a light in a person's life no matter what cost it is to you, because God wants them just as much as he wanted you.