A Man’s Heart, and Gods Direction

This post was written by Pete

To some of us this might come as a strange realization but, God ultimately chooses the life we are to live. Most of my adult life I pursued things that came natural to me without ever giving thought that God was the one leading me the whole time. Only later did I come to find out that God had been planning my course in spite of my efforts. Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.??? We, in all of our wisdom, can’t even imagine what God’s knowledge and wisdom even looks like. We can’t even grasp perfection and His all-knowing understanding. My understanding is so limited compared to Gods and when my pursuit of things is without seeking and waiting on Him, I end up doing things without seeing Him or His Grace at work. But once I surrender all to Him and His ways, my eyes are then opened and I begin to experience great joy in knowing that He has always been there.

If we are chosen by God to take on His Grace, to live a life of freedom from fear and worry, we are then in the hands of a creator that already knows the beginning and the end. He is the one that has taken every action needed to guarantee our salvation and protection. He has basically given us the opportunity to live a life with full authority and power, but only in Christ Jesus. So if Christ did so, so can we. He says in Mathew 6:33 “to seek ye first the kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto you.??? Well I don’t know about you, but to me all means all. If he already knows all and is in control of all, then everything we need is embodied in “seek first His kingdom???. The rest is history.

The question then becomes; how are we able to fully experience all God has for us without us getting in the way? If you’re like me, you are constantly tempted in doing things contrary to what Christ is telling you to do. Anything we do that has a control aspect to it, is against God’s will. So, how do we get to a point of decreasing our self-will and increasing Christ’s will? I believe it begins with learning contentment and yes, the key word is learning.

As it says in Philippians 4:11, “not that I speak in regards to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.??? Christ’s message is to rest and be content with His timing and His leading. Our culture has taught us to make things happen. In God’s kingdom, patience is celebrated. Waiting on God to initiate things and let things happen as He brings them is revered. Our impatience and false expectations have caused us to live a life that is in bondage. Living a life in bondage is a life that is never filled with joy, but filled with resentments, pressures, and stresses, and this kind of life is not what God intended for us. Hebrews 13:5 says, “let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.???

No matter where we are at in life God is fully aware of it, whether we are the one controlling it or if God is. Our contentment in knowing God is fully in control and recognizing that He knows what is best for us will determine if our eyes can see Him at work or if we are blinded. My control has altered my life and my ability to rest and to be content. It has also wasted many years of my life in not seeing Jesus clearly. Jesus is moving mightily in your life and He has a greater purpose for you and with that said it will always point you and others to Him. Is your life an instrument and reflection of Jesus or is it inconsistently lacking contentment and full of control? If so there is so much more for you and complete peace is waiting for you. Let God open your eyes today to the path He already has for you!

 

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