There's No Need To Strive

We all have goals and dreams that we'd like to see come to pass. Our natural inclination is to strive towards our dreams and not waste any moment. While striving may seem like the best option to accomplish our dreams, it's not the best way and it's not God's way. With God, there's no need to strive.

In the beginning of this year, God revealed to me how he was going to expand Living Revelations' reach and use me more in speaking. I got excited and the first thing I did was plan, plan, and plan. The glimpse of my future made me excited.

But my excitement soon turned to anxiousness in just a matter of weeks.

I got declined to speak at events that I had planned to go and the people who I thought would help me in the ministry ended up saying no.

I remember telling the Lord, "How are your plans for me going to happen if none of my plans are working?"

But it was in that moment when God reminded me that it's not my plans that will get me to God's destiny for my life. It's only through His plans and His ways that I can get where God wants me to be.

I remember my pastor telling me,"You can't grow faster than how much God wants you to grow." It was then that I realized I was getting ahead of God and taking things into my own hands. I was striving instead of resting in God.

The vision that God gave me seemed so great and I became anxious wondering how I will get there. But it's in those moments when we must remember that if God gave the vision, he will bring the provision to make it happen.

God will give the vision and the provision to lead us into our destiny.  

Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." This verse reminds us that we can plan our future, but how we get there is established by the Lord and not by our works.

While it's good and necessary to work hard towards our dreams, we must realize that at the end of the day it only God who can bring us to our destiny.

We don't need to strive to get where we want to be. If God spoke a promise over your life, know that He is faithful to bring it to completion. Philippians 1:6 reminds us, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

A couple months have now gone by and I can already testify in God's faithfulness. I didn't get to speak at the events that I originally wanted to speak at, but God has opened other doors for me to speak at. I had the opportunity to start a Talk Show with the Singles Ministry at my church, I got invited as a guest speaker at the Christian Entrepreneurs Podcast, and was accepted to lead a workshop at a retreat.

God has also been faithful in bringing the right people I need to establish and grow Living Revelations.

This only showed me that God knows best. I learned that I don't need to be discouraged when faced with closed opportunities because it only means that God has better opportunities for me.

Closed doors do not mean closed dreams. Closed doors mean God has better doors for you to walk through to reach your destination. Trust that God knows best and that He who will establish your dreams.

Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." God wants us to entrust our lives to Him and surrender our plans for His plans.

What does surrendering your life to God look like? Will you trust that God is leading you towards your destiny and what's best for you?

Surrendering your ways to the Lord may mean letting go of pursuing what God never intended you to pursue. While our desire may not be to surrender and wait on the Lord, we must believe that God knows better than we do.

When we understand that it is God who will establish the plans He put in our heart, we no longer need to strive but can rest in Him. God doesn't need your convincing. His understanding is beyond what we can comprehend. He sees the future when we can only see the present.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." We are called to rely on God's strength and provision. 

We see God leading Joseph into his destiny to be the ruler of Egypt, but it didn't happen the way Joseph expected it to happen.

God had given Joseph a dream that He would be the ruler of Egypt and all would bow down to him (Genesis 37:7-9). You would think that royalty and favor would then follow all the days of his life, but quite the opposite happened.

Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and he was stuck in prison for years. It was God's favor and blessing that opened the door for Joseph to walk into His destiny. Genesis 39:2-4 says, "The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered...When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant."

It was God's favor that allowed Joseph to be entrusted by the officers of Pharaoh and eventually Pharaoh himself. God was working behind the scenes of Joseph's hardships and opened doors for Joseph to be the ruler of Egypt.

Just as God led Joseph to His destiny, God is also leading you to your destiny.

Don't be discouraged if your journey doesn't look like it's taking you to your destination. God is working even in the midst of your hardships and disappointments.

God takes us through the impossible to show us that He can do the impossible. God is more than capable to turn our dreams into reality. He will walk us into the right opportunities and people to take us where we need to be. So remember, there's no need to strive.

God Provides

Money is a concern that we all have. We know that God is faithful and will provide our needs, but when our bank account tells us otherwise, will we still believe that God provides?

There I was 39 days away from my wedding with a large bill that I couldn’t shake off my mind.

In all of the chaos and preparation for the wedding, there was one bill that had been hanging over our heads. This bill was a large lump sum with accruing interest, to say the least.

This isn’t a bill that my fiancé and I took on irresponsibility since we both fervently prayed about this purchase before pulling the trigger. Still, we were uneasy about paying such a lofty sum off, especially with all the extra expenses to come.

However this morning, I received a check in the mail that made all the difference. The check was from an insurance claim that I had made almost two years ago. My car had been broken into and all of my personal items were taken. Through the lengthy process, I had almost forgotten about the pending refund. When I opened that letter, it contained a check covering the full amount owed for the wedding item as well as the money that I had already spent to replace the items taken from my car.

I couldn’t be more overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness that morning. Through this experience (and many others like it), He took what the enemy meant for harm, like a break in, and worked it together for my good. He blessed my fiancé and me with more than enough to cover past expenses relating to the incident. God’s timing was perfect and it couldn’t be more divine.

God always provides more than enough. 

This miracle reminded me of Ephesians 3:20 which speaks of God’s ability to do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” Time and time again Jesus has shown us that this is not just a nice scripture to hang on the wall but a promise that He enjoys acting out. It isn’t always natural to rest in this reality or trust that He will provide, but every time God shows up in our lives or when we hear testimonies of His provision in others’ lives, our faith grows. It reminds me again that our good Father is often waiting for us to believe in Him and expect more from Him.

It’s easy to think that miracles are a thing of the past and not for today’s world. But just as Jesus was able to supernaturally provide for the disciples, He is still our provider today.

Jesus was able to turn water into wine (John 2), fill an empty net full of fish (Luke 5), and feed around 5 thousand people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (Matthew 14). Jesus has the power to take what you have and multiply it for your good and His glory.

Jesus was able to do miracles then, He is still able to do miracles in your situation now.

We must believe that God can do a work not only in our lives but also in our finances. It pleases God when we believe in Him and live with expectancy. Jesus says in John 11:40, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

It starts with believing to see God revealed in our lives. Once we believe, the next step is to take the step of faith to see His faithfulness come through.

Are there areas in your life where you doubt God’s faithfulness, provision, and promise? Will you believe in God’s faithfulness despite what your circumstance may be? 

In the midst of your worries, hold on to God’s truth. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” God knows what you need and He plans on giving you above what you can ask or imagine. Make this verse your proclamation over whatever financial situation you may be facing.

Nothing is impossible for God. Believe beyond what you can see and trust that God’s abundant plan is unfolding every moment. So remember, God provides.

Hidden In Christ

Do you have a bad habit that needs to change? Habits are triggered by circumstances and it takes a life hidden in Christ to overcome them.

I'm not sure what your bad habit is, but mine is getting worried easily. I find myself getting worried about things that are not to be worried about. God has been faithful in showing me that my worries were all false and in my head.

A while back I had fears that I was going to lose my job but the next day the complete opposite happened - I received a raise and promotion. Recently I also had fears that someone close to me might have forgotten about me and moved on due to some challenges we were facing, but soon enough I received a card that made me realize my fears were not true at all.

In both instances, I was worried for no reason.

Maybe your bad habit isn't worrying, but whatever it may be, the solution to solving any bad habit is to be hidden in Christ.

Colossians 3:2-3 says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

To be hidden in Christ means to be so consumed with His truth and presence that we leave no room for anything that is not of God to enter into our hearts.

We have the choice where we want to hide our lives in. If we choose to hide our lives in gossip and negativity, then our lives will be full of gossip and negativity. If we choose to hide our lives in our worries and fears, then we will always be worried and fearful people.

Where we choose to hide our lives is what our lives will look like.

If we want to look like Christ and walk in His freedom and joy, we must choose to hide our lives in Him.

When we are hidden in Christ, nothing can move us. 

God's truth will protect us from being shaken no matter what our outside circumstance may be. When our lives are hidden in Christ, His peace guards our hearts. Jesus promises us in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Many times in the midst of our fears we run to solutions that the world gives, but Jesus warns us that His peace is not as the world gives. The world gives wisdom based on events that have happened before, but God is able to understand all things before it ever came to be. On top of that, we can trust God's wisdom 100% where nothing else in this world can guarantee us anything. 

Are you choosing to hide your life in God's truth or in what the world has to offer?

There is no better option that abiding our lives in Christ. 

The first step to living a life hidden in Christ is to consider our thoughts. Every habit starts with a thought, which is why Colossians 3:2 reminds us to set our minds on heavenly things and not on earthly things. 

I found myself in fear and doubt because I was replaying scenarios in my mind that were not of God but of my own insecurities. Philippians 4:8 reminds us, "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."

What thoughts are you dwelling on? Will you choose to think of pure and admirable things despite what you may be facing? 

Colossians 3:12 gives us a glimpse of what a life hidden in Christ looks like:  "Therefore, as God’s chosen people..clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Accepting Christ means choosing to neglect our old human nature for our new nature which is in Christ. This will require us to put to death our old habits: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed (Colossians 3:5).

Living a life hidden in Christ also requires us to be immersed in His word. Jeremiah 31:33 says, "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts."

When God's word is hidden in our hearts, nothing can strip away His truth from us.

A life hidden in Christ makes the world grow dimmer and Christ grow brighter. So remember, be hidden in Christ.