Why are you following Jesus?  Is it to receive blessings and all the things you want in life?

Do you assume if you follow Jesus you will get all the desires of your heart and live a happy and content life with no problems?

American Christianity means going to church and having an emotional experience, but not actually seeking a relationship with Jesus who is Head of the church.  It’s an act of sacrifice one day out of the week in the name of Christianity, but not surrendering to what He actually says to do.  It’s listening to a pastor or priest accepting what they have to say, but never opening your bible and reading what God actually says.

“BUT GOD HATH REVEALED THEM UNTO US BY HIS SPIRIT: FOR THE SPIRIT SEARCHETH ALL THINGS, YEA, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD.  FOR WHAT MAN KNOWETH THE THINGS OF A MAN, SAVE THE SPIRIT OF MAN WHICH IS IN HIM? EVEN SO THE THINGS OF GOD KNOWETH NO MAN, BUT THE SPIRIT OF GOD.  NOW WE HAVE RECEIVED, NOT THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD, BUT THE SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD; THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS THAT ARE FREELY GIVEN TO US OF GOD.  WHICH THINGS ALSO WE SPEAK, NOT IN THE WORDS WHICH MAN’S WISDOM TEACHETH, BUT WHICH THE HOLY GHOST TEACHETH; COMPARING SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL.” – 1 CORINTHIANS 2:10-13

When things start going South in their lives people are quick to ask where God is and how He would allow certain things to happen.

But, what does God say about this?

“MY BRETHREN, COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YE FALL INTO DIVERS TEMPTATIONS; KNOWING THIS, THAT THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH WORKETH PATIENCE.  BUT LET PATIENCE HAVE HER PERFECT WORK, THAT YE MAY BE PERFECT AND ENTIRE, WANTING NOTHING.” – JAMES 1:2-4

Do you want Jesus or do you want what Jesus can give you?

That’s what this comes down to.  Being a true believer is laying down your life for Him.  It is giving Him ownership of EVERYTHING.  You no longer want what you want for your life, but what He wants.  You learn that you are a sojourner and are going where He leads you to go.

“NOT THAT I SPEAK IN RESPECT OF WANT: FOR I HAVE LEARNED, IN WHATSOEVER STATE I AM, THEREWITH TO BE CONTENT.  I KNOW BOTH HOW TO BE ABASED, AND I KNOW HOW TO ABOUND: EVERY WHERE AND IN ALL THINGS I AM INSTRUCTED BOTH TO BE FULL AND TO BE HUNGRY, BOTH TO ABOUND AND TO SUFFER NEED.  I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENETH ME.” – PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13

There are two tragic things in life:
1. Not getting what you want.
2. Getting what you want.

Someone gave me a really good analogy recently…

A woman wanted to buy a house she saw and fell in love with.  Her plans to purchase it kept falling through, but she was persistent and kept praying and praying for this house. She finally gets the house of her dreams and starts realizing the plumbing is bad and the whole house needs repairing.  She kept having to pour money into this house and finally asked God, “Lord, if you knew this house had all of these problems why did you let me buy it?”

God said, “I kept trying to tell you not to buy it, but it’s what you wanted.”

Sometimes, God’s no is His blessing for us.  We may not see it at the time, but He knows what is best for us and can see ahead of the situation that road may have for you.  He’s leading you somewhere else.  You are not missing out on anything, but the road He has you on is actually leading you where you’re supposed to be.  What He has in store for you is greater than you could ever imagine for yourself.

In the meantime you are learning to trust Him.  You’re giving up what you want most and putting your life in His hands.  He owns you.  You are marked as His.  He is the potter shaping you into the image of Him.  He is using whatever situation you may be in for His glory and to draw you closer to Him.  You can either choose to accept that or fight it.

“BUT WHAT THINGS WERE GAIN TO ME, THOSE I COUNTED LOSS FOR CHRIST.
YEA DOUBTLESS, AND I COUNT ALL THINGS BUT LOSS FOR THE EXCELLENCY OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST JESUS MY LORD: FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, AND DO COUNT THEM BUT DUNG, THAT I MAY WIN CHRIST, AND BE FOUND IN HIM, NOT HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH IS OF THE LAW, BUT THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE FAITH OF CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH: THAT I MAY KNOW HIM, AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS, BEING MADE CONFORMABLE UNTO HIS DEATH; IF BY ANY MEANS I MIGHT ATTAIN UNTO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.”
– PHILIPPIANS 3:7-11

Sometimes, our situation doesn’t change and it feels like God has forgotten us.  Waiting on His timing can be frustrating and painful.  But, He’s in the waiting.  What if you’re where you’re supposed to be?  What if you actually are learning what you are supposed to be learning and doing what you are supposed to be doing?  You don’t have to march around blasting a trumpet or serving in other countries.  Sometimes, God does His best work and has you planted in a mundane situation.  You’re a witness right where you are just being yourself and proclaiming the God who saved you to those around you.

He didn’t forget you.  He will never leave or forsake you.  It can certainly feel like that when we take our eyes off of Him and start on our own path that He didn’t say to do.  You start thinking you’re not where you’re supposed to be and making your own plans.  That’s where the stress comes in.

Waiting on God is hard, but look at Abraham and Sarah.  Sarah wanted a baby so badly that she took matters into her own hands and had Abraham sleep with Hagar.

She looked at the physical instead of the spiritual and put her trust in her own perception to what she could see.  ‘This is where the covenant will come from.’  When Sarah saw Hagar DID have a baby she was jealous and asked Abraham to cast her out.

God said, “Yeah, I see what you did there, but I’m still going to go with the barren, old lady like I said I would.”

What came from Hagar?  Ishmael.  He led his own nation that rose against Israel and God’s people.  It wasn’t nice.

Isaac was the child God promised to Sarah.

Sometimes, we think we know best and find out that it was disaster and destruction.

All we are supposed to do is trust God.  That’s what Christians are called to do.  We don’t have control over everything.  We hand over our control.

That is so hard to do as a control freak.

I am in the same situation I appear to be in for the last 30 years of my life.  What has changed is my heart.

I do not handle things the same as I used to.  God has cast down my idols.  He has taken my “coping mechanisms” and burned them.  I cannot return to the things I used to use as a way to have a false sense of “control”.  Those things were just a distraction and temporary way to make me feel better and appear to have everything in order.

But, my life was actually out of control.  He has taken these things away and I am left alone.  But, I’m not.  He is my peace.  I am learning to trust Him in everything.  Has it been easy?  Not for me.  Some people seem so easy to say, “Ok, God….I trust you.”  I have taken the passage “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” and brought it to life.  You can’t do the things you once did.  You can’t run to the comforts you once ran to.  It’s you standing in the middle of a tornado watching everything fly around chaotically around you saying, “Ok, God, my only Hope.  My feet are planted.  It’s You and me.  I won’t be shaken.”

‘In Christ, the solid Rock, I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.’

I get it.  I only need Jesus.  I do not need a false sense of security.  Those things never helped me.  They only appeared to give me peace.  Jesus has stripped me bare.  He is jealous for me and always calls me back when I go astray.

How do I know God has changed my control nature?

Last week I had a terrible week.  Everything that could’ve gone wrong seemed to all go wrong last week.  It took a week to settle me down.

A small example is I usually freak out when I have a cake order because I worry so much about it being perfect.  If 1 teaspoon is off in something I’ve been known to throw an entire cake away.

This time God said, “You want to see perspective?  Remember last week’s woes?  Does baking a cake seem as stressful now?”

Nope.  It was just a cake.  I didn’t stress over it.  I just did it.

It was for a bridal shower at the House of Blues.  When I delivered it the chef took the cake from me and I said, “I have trust issues and am really scared for you to be holding that cake!”

He just took it in stride and continued being nice and helping me.  Grace.

He even walked outside with me to help with my other layer.

We put it in the cooler and when I transferred the top layer some of it stuck to the box.  I did not want to have a meltdown in front of this guy so remained professional and said, “Nothing a little icing can’t fix!!”

“JESUS ANSWERED THEM AND SAID, VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, YE SEEK ME, NOT BECAUSE YE SAW THE MIRACLES, BUT BECAUSE YE DID EAT OF THE LOAVES, AND WERE FILLED.  LABOUR NOT FOR THE MEAT WHICH PERISHETH, BUT FOR THAT MEAT WHICH ENDURETH UNTO EVERLASTING LIFE, WHICH THE SON OF MAN SHALL GIVE UNTO YOU: FOR HIM HATH GOD THE FATHER SEALED.  THEN SAID THEY UNTO HIM, WHAT SHALL WE DO, THAT WE MIGHT WORK THE WORKS OF GOD?  JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THEM, THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YE BELIEVE ON HIM WHOM HE HATH SENT.” – JOHN 6: 26-29

Youtube: Mandisa – Unfinished Lyric Video

“Not scared to say it, I used to be the one preaching it to you that you could overcome.
I still believe it, but it ain’t easy ’cause that world I painted where things just all work out…
It started changing and I started having doubts.
…And it got me so down…

But I picked myself back up and I started telling me,
“No, my God’s not done making me a masterpiece.
He’s still working on me.”

He started something good and I’m gonna believe it!
He started something good and He’s gonna complete it!
So I’ll celebrate the truth …His work in me ain’t through.
I’m just unfinished.”