A Life Of Security

We're all drawn to things that say 100% guarantee. It gives us a sense of security with no risks involved. As much as we desire security in our jobs, school, relationships, and life, there is no 100% guarantee in life. So how can we have a life of security?

A friend of mine recently got a speeding ticket and was looking into using an online legal service that helps people refute their tickets. The first question she asked was, "Is this service 100% guaranteed that I'll get my ticket refuted?"

Of course, she didn't want to pay their service fee without knowing for sure her ticket would be refuted. Luckily for her, their service did include 100% guarantee or your money back.

If only life was like that. 

If only we could have 100% guarantee that we'll always be financially stable, or that we will graduate with a good job lined up, or that our partner will always be faithful to us.

I'm sure there are more if only's that can be added to this list.

For me, I was struggling with trusting in God's plan for my life. He was calling me into singleness, but fears started running in my life. "What if I become single my whole life? What if I never meet the one?"

I felt like I was walking into a life of insecurity as I did what God asked. I wanted 100% guarantee that if I followed and obeyed God, I would have a blessed and joyful life.

But it was in that moment when God reminded me that I do have 100% guarantee that his ways are always good. God has a track record of never failing and always staying faithful.

Deuteronomy 7:9 says, "...He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments." We can be sure that we will have a prosperous life when we obey God.

God has never failed and will never fail.

The Bible contains thousands of promises that are guaranteed to be true to those who love him. To love God means to put him first before our feelings and desires. It means to follow God despite what we see and feel.

The great thing about following God is that we have 100% assurance that his ways are always the best for us. Psalm 18:32 says, "It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure." God's ways will always lead us to a secure future. 

Don't let the enemy lie to you and make you believe that God's ways are insecure. God's ways may feel insecure, but we must hold on to his promises as truth. John 10:10 reminds us, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." 

God promises to give us a life to the fullest, but it is the enemy who wants to pull us away from God's blessings. The enemy will use fear to stop us from pursuing God's will, but we must remember that only God's way brings us security.

Will you put your trust in God's faithfulness and follow him? Will you believe that God's ways are always good and secure no matter what you see or feel?

No job, person, or circumstance can guarantee you anything in this life. You can only hold on to God's promises as truth and know he is faithful.

Be confident that all your needs will be met when you surrender your life to God. God loves you and wants to take care of you, but you must let him by surrendering your ways. Nothing in this world can give you security except for God. So remember, a life of security comes from God.

Prayer: Lord, I will follow you and trust in your ways no matter what I see or feel.

What's Missing In Your Life?

What's missing in your life? We all have our own perceptions of "if I had this then I'll be happy." But why do we still feel incomplete even after obtaining our desires? There's only one missing piece in our lives that will complete us and that is God.

If I were to ask you what's missing in your life, I'm almost positive that you will have at least one thing in mind. 

Maybe for you, it's "If I had the perfect spouse then I'll be complete". Or "if I can just get a good job that pays well then I'll be good." Or "if I can reach my dream career then I'll be settled."

For me, my list could go on and on. 

But once I had checked mark one thing on my list, another thing would be added to the list. It's like an endless cycle of always feeling like I'm missing something. 

Can you relate? 

For the longest time, I thought these things on my list could complete me. But God showed me that only He can complete me. I kept feeling like I was missing something because I was filling my missing piece with the wrong thing.

God is our missing piece to complete us. 

Our problem isn't acknowledging that we are not complete, but knowing what will complete us. Lamentations 3:24 says, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." This verse reminds us that God is our portion - He is our missing piece to complete our soul. 

A portion is a part of a whole. God is that part we are missing to make us whole. Not a successful career. Not a spouse. Nothing but God who can make us whole. 

What have you been trying to fill your emptiness with? What's holding you back from experiencing God's fullness? Will you seek God and make him your portion? 

We can rest knowing when we put our hope in God, he will never fail us. He is good and will never leave us empty but filled. Lamentations 3:25 says, "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him."

Will you look to God and nowhere else to fill the emptiness in you? Don't let the enemy lie and tell you that anything else but God can fill you. Chasing anything other than God will leave you weary and wanting more. 

God is better than any other desire you have in your heart. It doesn't mean that God will not fulfill the desires of your heart, but he wants you to learn to delight in him first. 

Proverbs 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." We must understand that God is what we need, and everything else are desires. Once we have this truth down, everything else in our lives will fall into place. So remember, God is the missing piece to your life. 

Prayer: Lord, you are my portion, the missing piece to complete my soul. 

What's On Your Replay?

What's on your replay? I'm not talking about your playlist on Spotify, but about your thoughts that run through your mind. Just as music is able to affect our emotions, so are our thoughts able to affect our state of being. What are we replaying in our minds?

I was feeling weak, doubtful, and anxious.

Fear of loneliness started to creep in me again. I kept thinking of how I was missing out as I saw each of my friends get happily engaged.

"What about me God?" What if thoughts started to play through my mind. What if I end up all alone? What if I end up miserable?  

But it was in that moment when God told me, "You're not missing out, but you will be missing out if you choose to live like this." It was then that God opened my eyes to see that I was feeling miserable because of what I was replaying in my mind.

Fear was on my replay.

I needed to remind myself that God has never failed me yet and he will never fail me. We need to replace every fearful thought with God's truth. We can choose to either replay our fears or God's faithfulness in our minds.

God only has the best for us and he wouldn't give us anything less than the best. 

Don't expect the worse to come out from what God is asking you to do. The moment I started reminding myself of how God has never let me down, I found myself stronger, assured, and joyful.

Just as music has the power to affect our emotions, so do our thoughts. Our thoughts have the power to affect our emotion and soul. That is why Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:8, "..whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

When we choose to think about praiseworthy thoughts, things that are lovely and pure, we will find ourselves full of joy and peace. We can't change our circumstances, but we can choose to change our perspective.

If we let fear reign in our minds, we will be left with a fearful heart. If we choose to let God's truth reign in our minds, we will find our hearts strengthened and transformed into the image of God. Romans 12:2 says, "...be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

God's plans for your life are good, pleasing, and perfect - will you believe that? Will you replay this truth in your mind? Will you push pause and delete every negative thought that is consuming your mind? 

The first place the enemy will attack us is through our minds. If the enemy has a hold of our mind, he knows he can hold us back from pursuing God's will. Don't let the enemy take the best that God has for you. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Take hold of every negative thought in your mind and replace it with God's truth. Choose to believe that God is good and his ways are best. Nothing can strengthen us better than the word of God. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God's plans for your life are only to prosper you and to give you a good future. If you have any thought that speaks against this, that is the thought to throw away. Trust God and immerse yourself in his promises. So remember, what's on your replay?

Prayer: Lord, I want your promises to reign in my mind. I replace all my fears with your loving truth that you are always good. 

Live By Faith And Not By Sight

We're all moved by what we see. Our emotions, thoughts, and actions are processed through what our eyes tell us. However, the best decisions we will make are the ones made when we live by faith and not by sight.

I'm a very analytical person. I make decisions based on calculated risks and how my circumstances are based on what I see. While thinking through our decisions isn't wrong to do, we must ultimately put our faith above what we see.

There will be times in your life when God will ask you to step out in faith, and what I mean by that is he will ask you to do the very thing your eyes are telling you not to do.

So what do you do then? 

What do you do when God asks you to do what seems impossible to do? What do you do when God asks you to do something that sounds like a horrible plan?

The answer is, do it.

It's only through faith that we can see the impossible become possible. 

God has asked me to do many things that I thought was completely ridiculous. He has changed many of my life long plans and told me to do something else. But I can tell you that I have never regretted anything that God has asked me to do. The only regrets I have are the times I didn't step out in faith and trust in him. 

If I had chosen to make decisions based on what I saw, I wouldn't have a job that I enjoy today, I wouldn't be able to grow Living Revelations to what it is today, and I wouldn't have been set free as I am today. If I never chose to live by faith, I would never have seen God's mighty hand move upon my life. 

Faith leads us to see God's mighty hand move upon our lives. We see this happen throughout the Bible. A great example is found in Acts 9 when Peter sees a man who has been bedridden for 8 years and a woman who had died. How does Peter respond to these situations? By faith. 

To the bedridden man, Peter says in Acts 9:34 "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up." To the dead women, Acts 9:40 says, "Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up." The bedridden man was able to walk and the dead woman was able to come to life because Peter stepped out in faith. 

If Peter had relied on his eyes, he would never have the courage to try to heal a man who had been bedridden for 8 years and bring a dead woman back to life. But through faith, Peter was able to see God do the impossible. 

God wants to bring miracles to your life and show you his mighty hand, but will you let him? Will you choose to walk by faith and not by sight? Will you let go and let God do his thing? 

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Don't limit God's ability to do wonders by what you see. God will always ask us to step out in faith because it's only through faith that God can be glorified. If life always happened the way we expected it to happen, there wouldn't be a need for God to do miracles. 

God asked Peter to step out in faith and to restore the lives of Aeneas and Tabitha for his glory. When Peter healed Aeneas and brought Tabitha back to life, many people turned to the Lord. Acts 9:42 says, "This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord."

When we live by faith, our lives become a testimony to God's almighty power. God wants to bring miracles in your life, but we must step out in faith in order to see God move. If we continue to do things our way, how can we expect to see God's hand move in our lives?

We are all called to live by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we live by faith, not by sight." Will you step out in faith and trust God? It's only when we live by faith that we can see God real in our lives. So remember, live by faith and not by sight. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to live by faith and not by what I see. I know it's only through faith that I can see you move mightily.