We need to trust in the Lord with what is going on in our life all the time. It isn’t always about trusting God to do what we ask but to trust Him to do what is right because that will accomplish the most.
Our view of the situation may not be what is best for all that are involved. If we would get our answer the way we wanted, we could be selling ourselves short or selling others short. God may have better plans for us so let’s trust in the Lord to the point of trusting Him to work out the details and bring about the right outcome.
Why would we want to believe what we understand of the situation when God has so much more understanding of what is going on and what the future holds. Let’s lean on what He knows.
Let our ways be His and let Him lead us down the path He has planned. Ask Him to let us know when we are straying off that path that He has planned for us. It is the path that will give us the most we can get out of life. When we wander from the path we miss the blessings that were planned for that time.
It is amazing how many people won’t make a commitment to God because they don’t want anyone telling them what to do. They want to have control over their own life. They even think those that are walking with God need a crutch. They are afraid they would lose control if they asked God into their life. This is so ironic because if you look around, you see people controlled by all sorts of internal and external “stuff”. A few that come to mind are substance abuse, activities, people, emotions.
When we consider substance abuse, we seepeople that can’t function with whatever substance they have allowed to have control. There is alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. It is hard to imagine what kind of life this must be for them. They are missing the whole purpose and joy in life. They can’t function without it and they don’t function very well with it. Of course, they don’t see that. For some reason, they can’t see beyond themselves. They think what they do doesn’t affect those around them but while they are destroying themselves, they are hurting and sometimes destroying the very ones they should be loving.
We allow ourselves to sit in front of the TV, the computer, the games system, on our phone and listen and look at stuff that is doing us harm. We say it doesn’t affect us. I bet if we made a change, we would recognize the difference. The lives portrayed on TV is not reality. Most of what is viewed cannot benefit our life. The time we waste doing unproductive activities will do us no good. We use the excuse that we need to relax or escape for a time from the stresses of life. We need to take a good look at how much time is really needed for this and what type of material is being fed into our brains in order to escape.
Pornography has been noted for being more addictive than drugs and alcohol. The pornography that people allow into their life does so much more that people even realize. Marriage and homes are being broken and they can’t even see the cause. At its extreme, it will destroy one’s sex life when they believed it at one time was enhancing it. This is typical of Satan to entangle you in a lie. He invites you into something that you believe will help and then entangles you to where you see no way out and then it begins to destroy you.
We would probably not want to admit that other people control us. But how often do we explain our actions by telling someone what they did to us? How often do we allow what someone else did or said ruin our day or our mood? Why do we let individuals have that much power in our life?
This takes us to emotions. Some of our emotions come from the fact that we allow people to determine how we feel. We get into a state of mind and we don’t know how to change it. We turn to doctors and medication or just choose to wallow in the moment. We can choose to change how we feel.
We have a God that can overcome all of this for us. Yea, He wants control but who better to give it to? It is the only control that will bring us anything positive. If we need a crutch, God is willing to be that crutch. He is the only one that can hold us up during our healing and the only one that can bring complete healing. We are talking about a God that created the universe, the God that brought us into existence, the God that created us for a purpose. Where else can we get the most satisfaction?
This brings about another ironic point. When we give God complete control, that is when we really begin to feel like we actually have control of our life. Life becomes doable. We gain a joy that we never knew, a sense of being able to accomplish something, a purpose. We can now have a dream, a hope, a future. We now have something to feel good about. We will have more than we have ever hoped for or imagined could be possible.
There are probably plenty more. These are just two true examples of a father that chose to sacrifice his son for the sake of others. The ultimate story is the one where God chose to sacrifice His son for the lives of everyone. In the two examples, the people were saved without a choice in the matter although I am sure they were still grateful. As in the ultimate story, people have a choice to be saved or not. What a shame it is for someone to not accept something that has already been done for them. You can read one of these stories on utube below and the other under the video. The third story can be a reality in your life based on your decision to accept Christ’s salvation.
THIS WILL GIVE YOU CHILLS
AFTER A FEW OF THE USUAL SUNDAY EVENING HYMNS,
THE CHURCH’S PASTOR SLOWLY STOOD UP,
WALKED OVER TO THE PULPIT &
BEFORE HE GAVE HIS SERMON HE BRIEFLY INTRODUCED A GUEST MINISTER
WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE THAT EVENING.
IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE PASTOR TOLD THE
CONGREGATION THAT THE GUEST MINISTER WAS
ONE OF HIS DEAREST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AND
THAT HE WANTED HIM TO HAVE A FEW MOMENTS
TO GREET THE CHURCH AND SHARE WHATEVER
HE FELT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SERVICE…
WITH THAT, AN ELDERLY MAN STEPPED UP TO THE PULPIT AND BEGAN TO SPEAK.
“A FATHER, HIS SON, AND A FRIEND OF HIS SON WERE SAILING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST,” HE BEGAN, “WHEN A FAST APPROACHING STORM BLOCKED ANY
ATTEMPT TO GET BACK TO THE SHORE.
THE WAVES WERE SO HIGH, THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FATHER WAS AN EXPERIENCED SAILOR, HE COULD NOT KEEP THE BOAT UPRIGHT AND THE THREE WERE SWEPT
INTO THE OCEAN AS THE BOAT CAPSIZED.”
THE OLD MAN HESITATED FOR A MOMENT, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SERVICE BEGAN, LOOKING SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN HIS STORY.
THE AGED MINISTER CONTINUED WITH HIS STORY, “GRABBING A RESCUE LINE, THE FATHER HAD TO MAKE THE MOST EXCRUCIATING DECISION OF HIS LIFE:
WHICH BOY WOULD HE THROW THE OTHER END OF THE LIFE LINE?
HE ONLY HAD SECONDS TO MAKE THE DECISION.
THE FATHER KNEW THAT HIS SON WAS A CHRISTIAN AND HE, ALSO, KNEW THAT HIS SON’S FRIEND WAS NOT.
THE AGONY OF HIS DECISION COULD NOT BE MATCHED BY THE TORRENT OF WAVES.
AS THE FATHER YELLED OUT,
‘I LOVE YOU, SON!’
HE THREW OUT THE LIFE LINE TO HIS SON’S FRIEND.
BY THE TIME THE FATHER PULLED THE FRIEND BACK TO THE CAPSIZED BOAT, HIS SON HAD DISAPPEARED BENEATH THE RAGING SWELLS INTO THE BLACK OF NIGHT.
HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED.
BY THIS TIME, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE SITTING UP STRAIGHT IN THE PEW,
ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT WORDS TO COME OUT OF THE OLD MINISTER’S MOUTH.
“THE FATHER,” HE CONTINUED, “KNEW HIS SON WOULD STEP INTO ETERNITY WITH JESUS
AND HE COULD NOT BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HIS SON’S FRIEND STEPPING INTO AN ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS.. THEREFORE, HE SACRIFICED HIS SON TO SAVE THE SON’S FRIEND. ”
HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR US,
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SACRIFICED HIS ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON THAT WE COULD BE SAVED.
I URGE YOU TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER TO RESCUE YOU AND TAKE A HOLD OF THE
LIFE LINE HE IS THROWING OUT TO YOU IN THIS SERVICE.”
WITH THAT, THE OLD MAN TURNED AND SAT BACK DOWN IN
HIS CHAIR AS SILENCE FILLED THE ROOM.
THE PASTOR AGAIN WALKED SLOWLY TO THE PULPIT AND DELIVERED A BRIEF SERMON WITH AN INVITATION AT THE END. HOWEVER, NO ONE RESPONDED TO THE APPEAL.
WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE SERVICE ENDED, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE AT THE OLD MAN’S SIDE.
“THAT WAS A NICE STORY,” STATED ONE OF THEM,”BUT I DON’T THINK IT WAS VERY REALISTIC FOR A FATHER TO GIVE UP HIS ONLY SON’S LIFE IN HOPES THAT
THE OTHER BOY WOULD BECOME A CHRISTIAN…”
“WELL, YOU’VE GOT A POINT THERE,”
THE OLD MAN REPLIED, GLANCING DOWN AT HIS WORN BIBLE.
A BIG SMILE BROADENED HIS NARROW FACE.
HE ONCE AGAIN LOOKED UP AT THE BOYS AND SAID,
“IT SURE ISN’T VERY REALISTIC, IS IT? BUT, I’M STANDING HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT STORY GIVES ME A GLIMPSE OFWHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP HIS SON FOR ME…
YOU SEE.
I WAS THAT FATHER AND YOUR PASTOR IS MY SON’S FRIEND.”
If you have an addict in your life, you know you can’t give up praying even if they are giving up. God heals and God can use whatever they go through for His glory.
If you are an addict, God has a plan for your life but you need to be willing to turn control over to Him. He can heal you and use whatever you have been through for His glory.
Shawn McDonald has a beautiful testimony. God has delivered him and God can deliver you or the addict in your life. God is bigger than anything we will ever face.
If you are an addict, what are you waiting for? Let’s see what great plans God has for you. Give Him a chance. See what the other side can do for you.
If you want to hear more, listen to another short testimony of where this song came from and then listen to the song again.
God will be faithful even when you fall down. He wants every part of you. What if you choose to just let go? What if you let God take full control?
It will help you understand this one. The testimony is about 25 minutes. It will be well worth your time. This one is only 2 minutes.
Forgiveness from our Father in heaven is the greatest gift we will ever receive. We all need to forgive and we all need to be forgiven not only by our Heavenly Father but other people. We will do things that will need to be forgiven. We will wrong people because we are not perfect. They will wrong us because they are not perfect.
Some may have to ask their children for forgiveness. People seem to think it is wrong to go to a child and ask for forgiveness. It may be as simple as not setting a good example in our behavior or acting inappropriately but our kids need to know that we are not perfect and people will fail them. They need to know forgiveness goes both ways and we can accept each other just as our Father in Heaven accepts us when we are not perfect.
Asking for forgiveness and forgiving someone is often a humbling experience but well worth it and it becomes easier as you realize its rewards.