Sustainability

Isaiah 40: 28-31

How do we maintain or sustain our faith in life?  Life continually hits up against and tries to beat our faith.  Oftentimes, faith seems like a boat in the middle of a storm tossed to and fro, unanchored, directionless. and hopeless. Trials, drama and unfairness seem to beat at our door continuously.  Choosing how to respond versus reacting in the moment is the mark of a life anchored by Jesus.  The constant pull of life circumstances can be draining and exhausting. Peace can seem like a distant object in the horizon, but it’s closer and more attainable than we realize. God’s Word is our avenue to hope.  It’s in His Word where we find strength.  It’s through His Word that He gives us power and it’s in speaking His Word that our strength is renewed.

Being successful in this life depends on our ability to invite God in to overtake our reactions, our feelings and our heart. How does He want me to feel? How does He want me to respond? He is inviting us to take those moments that seem challenging and using them as an opportunity to release our natural reactions and replace them with wisdom, discernment, direction, hope and peace so that He can renew our strength and give us power to fight another day.

Unstoppable

The most valuable tool we have when it comes to learning from others and their experiences are the words and stories given to us in the Bible. The Bible is our greatest asset when it comes to taking the messages, stories and experiences of others and using those things to grow us into more successful people.

 

What is THE THING that holds so many of us back from success and happiness?  We pray. We wait on God to move and then, while we wait, we do nothing.  Because we do nothing in the gap, we get so nervous that He won’t come through for us. We doubt and worry and speak words of negativity. When we pray, does that remove all responsibility from us? Is all of the responsibility at that point God’s?

 

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”  The study notes say the following:  We must maintain a delicate balance of trusting God as if everything we do depended on Him while working as if everything depended on us. Commit your ways to God. Pray. Ask Him to direct your steps and give you favor in all that you do, but then GET BUSY and believe... have hope that He will actually come through for you. Pray. Work your hardest and hope that God will come through. Now, hope is not crossing your fingers that God will come through. The Biblical definition of Hope is Confident Expectation.  It basically believes that it’s a fact, so we need to walk around with that kind of attitude.

 

Prayer + Hard Work + Hope = Faith

(Talking with God/Reading His Word)  + Hard Work + (Waiting on God/Speaking Positive Things into Our Lives) = Faith

 

Learning to be proactive in life is essential to maintaining our peace.  Being proactive in our faith means cultivating a personal relationship with Christ that carries us through. Spending time in His Word arms us with ammunition to combat our natural reactions.   Talking with Him throughout the day connects us with His Spirit so that we can submit to His Will. It’s through His Word and our ongoing conversations with Him that we have the power to work our hardest to achieve the dreams He has laid out before us.

 

God has a divine purpose for you. He wants you to grow. He wants to give you favor and to be a blessing to others. Staying stagnant and the same in your faith is not an option. You’re His and He has great things in store for you. You need to move through life looking for ways to grow, and one of the best—easiest, non-painful and stress free ways to grow is by leaning in to His Word.  Working together with God, there’s not a more powerful force on the face of the earth. The two of you are a dynamic, unstoppable force.

 

To Win

Ya Gotta Have Faith!

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Faith doesn’t come by osmosis. As much as we would like it too, faith is refined and cultivated through the tough times.There are seasons in our lives that circumstances and events happen that will present us with a life defining choice: is this going to drive me away from God or is this going to propel me toward Him? One choice is life and one is death.  One of these choices happen unconsciously because it’s our human nature to defeat ourselves. The right choice or the wise choice takes intention and purpose. That’s the harder, but only real choice for us.

So, as we lean toward God, our faith will draw us closer to our Savior and we will learn new and incredible things about His sovereignty, compassion and love for us. God promises to give us strength to meet challenges but He doesn’t promise to eliminate them. Each of life’s trials is an opportunity for our faith to become real, something tangible and life affirming. Our goal is to not be diverted from our faith, but to hold tightly to the belief that God will sustain, protect and give us favor. Be at peace. He never leaves us alone in the midst of everything. He stands with us, teaches us and strengthens us to face each obstacle.  That doesn’t mean that it won’t be hard, but embrace those moments with joy because that’s where God shines through! That’s the place where we can experience His glory in action. That’s the place where our faith is alive!

Be a fighter.

Peace doesn't arbitrarily fall in our lap as a right. 
It's not a feeling that passes through the night.  
Peace is a prize from the Son.
It's sought for, fought for and won.
Don't just sit aimlessly on the sidelines whining about your life.
Get up.
Get in the game. 
Fight.

Direction and Purpose

I was challenged this week to think about the big picture.  It’s not something that comes naturally.  I’m a list and schedule kind of gal. I love getting lost in the intricacies of the details and building processes.  I also function each day based off of my calendar and the task list that I have to accomplish. Big picture thinking?  I typically don’t have that on my schedule. However, I realize that it is an essential ingredient to an abundant life.   I remember a few years ago when our small group went for hike in the woods with all of the kids. It had just finished raining. The water droplets were dangling on the leaves and there was a light mist in the air. There were streams, waterfalls, and the sounds of nature all around us. The scenery was so beautiful! It was truly one of the most amazing places I have ever been. However, I found was that I was so focused on my next step that I totally ignored the beauty around me. Since it had just stopped raining, special attention had to be paid toward navigating the terrain. I found that I was so focused on my own footing and helping the kids take their next steps that I had no idea where we were going nor was I enjoying the experience. It was just work.  Once I realized what was happening, I changed how I approached the hike. I decided to walk a few steps, pause to take in the beauty of my surroundings, and then determine which direction we needed to head toward next. It was only then that I was really able to enjoy the experience. An added bonus? I was still able to make sure that I didn’t tumble down the mountainside. That would not have been pretty.

Left unchecked, my life can easily be like that trip in the woods. With schedules, work, kids, and family obligations, I am so easily distracted by the next thing that needs to be done on my list. I have to constantly remember to lift my head up, enjoy the experience and think about the big picture. Thinking about the big picture will help ensure that I have direction and purpose in my life.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
                                                                                              John 16:13

Book Thief

I’m a reader.  I love books.  I usually have a stack on my bedside table and I have just as many waiting for me to read on my Kindle.  There are two reasons why I like to read:  I value learning things the easy way, and it’s an avenue that God uses to speak to me.

Have you ever found yourself saying that you like to do one thing, but are making the choices that support another?  Discipline; it's so easily lost.  I think it's time for me to start reading.

Full Speed Ahead

December is a time when my schedule is jammed packed. The list of things to do often seems endless. Planning meetings, Christmas preparation, kids’ concerts, kids’ recitals, and family gatherings are just a few of the things that are typically added to an already crunched schedule.  When that happens, I tend to start operating in task mode.  Let’s get these things done. I put my head down and get to work. The sooner I can get them done, the quicker I can release the stress that has accompanied the tasks.  It’s full speed ahead.  Full speed ahead is a great notion if you’re commanding a boat. It’s probably not such a wise mode of operation for any other endeavor.  And in reality, it didn’t do the Titanic much good either.

Submission and Control Top Pantyhose

There is no doubt that as adults we do not like to be held accountable or submit to authority. I think there is something that is ingrained in us to fight against it.  Even as a young child, I tended to push the boundaries of authority. My only saving grace was that I wanted my teachers and bosses to like me.  I knew that in order for them to like me, I should do what they asked me to.  However, I often submitted with the wrong attitude. 

As I have ‘matured’ or gotten older (gasp), I have recognized that there is a deeper, underlying core belief that I must grab ahold of in order to have access to God’s rich blessing in my life.  That’s submission.  Just the mere mention of that word makes me cringe.  Right?  I am a fully competent woman who knows how to do stuff.  I am surely capable of making things happen on my own. Why do I need to listen to someone else tell me how something should be done? 

I once heard a radio commercial for the air force that has stuck with me:  “Every choice I make has a benefit or a consequence.”  Every choice.  Every single choice. If you were to ask me for one lesson that has framed my life the last 2 years, it would have to be learning the true value of my choices particularly in relation to submission.  The blessings that flow out of a submitted heart are so powerful.  And I’m not talking about the kind of submission that says, “Sure, I’ll do it,” but then grumbles behind the boss’s back.  I’m talking about owning your boss’s idea like it was your own.  I’m talking about realizing that by embracing submission, you bring the favor of the Lord to your life and your work.  FAVOR.  How can we strive for less?   

Submission is a conduit for unity.

The easiest and most common thing for us to do when we get a ‘suggestion’ from our boss is to say ‘yes’, but then grumble and/or not do it once the meeting is over.  I am going to be very bold and say that if you’re doing that then you are wasting your time there.  Don’t fool yourself into believing that God will bless your work.  You are marking time until your replacement gets ready.  I have seen evidence of this in my own life.  I don’t know how many times I have met with my boss, and he has asked me to do something I disagree with.  After I have argued my point and lost :-), I have a choice to make.  What am I going to do? What will my choice be? I have chosen to be submitted. Most times, others don’t even know it’s his idea. I own it like I birthed that baby myself.  And one other thing, on my task list, it’s at the top. I don’t doddle. I am effective and efficient. Then, I call him to let him know it’s done and how I did it. I have made myself irreplaceable and valued.  And in that area of submission, God has blessed my efforts. I have seen because of how I have chosen to act and behave that I have been a conduit for unity in my work environment. To me, that‘s much more valuable than having my own way.

Submission channels humility

Proverbs 18:12

Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor. 

God has used this verse in my life more than any other. Oftentimes, we want to go to others when we feel like we’ve been wronged or misunderstood by our bosses. We need affirmation that they are crazy and we are right.  I believe that when we submit our concerns to God and truly act with humility by keeping our grievances to ourselves, it opens a door of favor (honor) in our lives that is unparalleled.  When we actively engage humility, its trusting God to handle the big stuff. It’s giving Him ultimate control over our lives. And let’s face it, that’s where He wants us to be.  Then, when we ultimately trust Him with that kind of humility and submission, He will bless our socks off.

Submission opens the door for blessings

Most fundamentally, God is not a demander; God is a giver.

When we work with God, God works through us.  You bet I want to work with God.  I have learned that most of the time that means I have to embrace submission.  Really embrace it, and trust that He will work things out through me and in me for His divine glory.