Letting Go

“And we know that all things work together

for good to those who love God, to those

who are the called according to His purpose.”

   Romans 8:28-29 (NKJV)

To let go and let God’s will prevail in your life is the essence of faith.  To really trust and turn everything over to God means giving up the expectations of what your life is supposed to be like. When you commit yourself wholeheartedly to God, you don’t necessarily get what you thought you wanted or would have. 

You trust God and get God’s plan.  But you can be sure that Jesus knows your heart and your prayers, and is working things out for good.  You can trust that He knows your heartaches and sorrows, and that He loves you through it all.  Yield all to Him and His glorious plans will be accomplished for His glory and your good.

When you give your life to Jesus, you can trust Him with your dreams and your plans.  Even when your heart breaks because things seem to have gone awry, trust Him.  He will work things out in a way you might not expect, but His plans are perfect and better than any we have. 

There is blessing and contentment when we submit to His will.  Then we know the peace that comes from resting in God’s sovereignty. 

Thursday Devotional - Prayer Yesterday

Thank you to those who were able to join us at any of the locations yesterday!   

We in Ann Arbor were told to move See You At The Pole™ to an offsite location, so we met at the flagpole and walked to an off-property spot.

After a time of praising and thanking God, we read through the following passages before each section of prayer specifically for our company, leadership, co-workers and ourselves.  

Company

I Timothy 2:1-4   I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Leadership/bosses

Ephesians 6:9     And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Co-workers

Ephesians 1:18    I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

Ourselves

Ephesians 6:5-8  ⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. ⁶ Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷ Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, ⁸ because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

Closing

Ephesians 6:18    ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

We can use these verses (and others) to remind us to continue to pray for our company, leadership, co-workers and ourselves!

Alice

Celebrating Victory

“So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.  Then the land had rest from war.”  Joshua 11:23

Now hear is an interesting story.  I read the book of Joshua, and come across this verse.  After looking at it, I say to myself, “Good grief!  These guys go on for years (not to mention 11 chapters) fight after fight even after Moses delivered them out of bondage, and only NOW do they get to rest?”  You would think that God could have made it just a little easier, wouldn’t you?  I mean this is God that could take on the mighty army of Egypt and render them helpless!  Surely, He could have rid the smaller armies in Jordan in little time, couldn’t He have?  Certainly after the people of Israel had been forced to wander in the desert for years, they would have figured out that the Lord is God, and He will handle things, right?  Apparently not.

Now if we take a closer look into this story, there are a couple truths to be remembered.  The first is we know that God is always in control, and secondly, we should also know that God tests us on occasion just to see if we will remain faithful.  The book of Joshua was about one of God’s most faithful servants, and in every instance that God spoke to him, Joshua followed His instructions to the letter.  As a result, Joshua was allowed to lead the people to the promise land giving the people of Israel victory after victory over their enemies.  Thus, those who followed God’s law were entitled to Lord’s promise, and given land section by section and city by city.

It led me to think about celebrating our own victories.  If we as Christians are faithful to God and His word, do we fail to acknowledge the victories He gives us?  When we pray at night, does He not give us the victory of another day that we were allowed to serve him?  When we return from our job to our homes, did the Lord not give us the victory of safely reaching our destination?  When family, friends, and loved ones are in His care, does He not give us the victory of peace and tranquility?  I could go on and on about this, but hopefully you will have realized just how much God has given us.  Even at times where we feel our prayers are not answers, it is not about the prayers not being answered.  It is often that we are not patiently waiting for the right time.  If we truly trust in Him, we realize that what seems like ‘no’ really means ‘not yet.’

God is a good God.  When we commit our lives to the Lord saying that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and believe that Jesus was resurrected as proof of his overcoming death giving eternal life through him, it was the greatest victory of all.  I am thankful God’s truth allowed for me victory over the past, and as a result I have everlasting joy sharing with those truths with all of you each and every week.  The more we rely on the Lord and stay faithful to him, we, just as Joshua, will experience victory over our enemies, shortcomings and hard times, and despair and solitude.  If for nothing else, remember the words of Bear Grylls, who simply said, “Never forget how lucky you are to be alive.”  Let us remember that each day is a victory!  Could you imagine how much joy you would have in life knowing that every day you are a winner?  Don’t wait for it.  Claim it!  My prayer is that having God in our lives means we can celebrate victory every day.  Amen!

Hope through the suffering

Romans 5:1-4

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

Can you honestly say that you are happy in your sufferings?  I know that I find that hard.  At the same time, I truly know that the Lord our God has a plan for me so while there are times that I get frustrated through sufferings, I somehow also remain hopeful. I have had people question how I can be positive when I get the raw end of the deal.  I believe this scripture really explains it.  It is through suffering that perseverance comes and from perseverance that character comes and then from there comes hope. 

Today I want to encourage you, if you are suffering through something in your life, remember to remain hopeful as God is pouring out his love for you through it.