Chase God and the Rest Will Follow

I realized the times in my life when I was the most blessed was when I wasn't actively trying to make it happen.

Now that seems counter to the world and it should. The world says, create a plan, work the plan by any means necessary and meet your goal. And if you didn't meet the goal you didn't try hard enough.

God's Word says,

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. Philippians 1:6 ERV

It says nothing about a plan, it doesn't list out steps, it doesn't say if you work hard enough. It says if God has placed something in your heart to do He will complete it.

 

Since I was young God placed in my heart the following things.

1. Get married
2. Have kids
3. Have a home

My priorities in life have changed over the years but these three never did. And I worked hard to make it happen in my own strength and that didn't go too well. 

Remember: IF God places it in you, HE will complete it. Not you. 

God has given me the first two and He will provide the last. His timing is perfect even if its not the timing I have in mind.

And now He's add a 4th, Lead. Although I think that one was always there too I just ignored and suppressed it because of who I believed and was told I was.

Do not let others take from you what God has placed in you. The loudest voice in your ear should be God's, not the fear and lack of understanding from others. So many times people (and even inner me) have tried to take my dreams from me and for a time I let them. I let them convince me that they were more powerful than God and that God wouldn't do it because I did XYZ thing. Thats a lie.

God's vision is for you and you alone. You're portion of oil is for you and God will pour it out for you (1 Kings 17:10-16). No one can take it away, no one gets your portion. God will give it to you . Your sin can't stop it (Romans 8:38-39). You don't need to be perfect to receive it. In fact God's strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) and to receive that which He has, we need to not cover up our weaknesses to Him but expose them, give them to Him and allow Him to do His Work in and through us.

All my life I was taught to cover up weakness, to believe what you see and step out on faith only when you can see the finish line. That's not faith at all. I need to throw out the artifacts (old memories, past hurts, disappointments, etc) in my museum and thank God for His blessings, for fulfilling His promises, for never leaving me, for never forsaking me.

In the Believing Bigger devotional the first pillar is trust and I believe that all of what I just spoke about above is determined by whether you trust God or not. There is a reason why God says to have faith like a child (Matthew 18:2-5). They start out with complete trust. My kids trust me for everything. No questions ask. They know I've got them. In the same way that's how God wants us to trust Him. Eventually life comes in to try to shake that trust and in adulthood you can wake up asking yourself, When did I stop believing that God would work it all together for my good?

I have been encouraged and reminded over the last 30 days to trust God with my dreams again. Not just pay lip service to it - I've been a Christian most of my life, I'm well-versed in churchese - but I've been actively practicing it. My alarm on my phone in the morning even says Trust God. A daily reminder to put my faith and trust in Him. To take Him at His Word. To believe that He will complete His work in my in spite of me. 

Are you ready to believe with me? Are you ready to believe for yourself? Let's take Him at His Word. If you chase God your dreams will follow.

The Unlikely Missionary

Damaris