“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.” Deuteronomy 30:15 NIV
Lord,
Please, forgive me for thinking I could control today’s events by manipulating environmental conditions. I desperately wanted to expedite the timing and possibly the outcome(s) of all my circumstances. Help me trust in your character instead, and in your faithfulness, promises and most importantly in your eternal masterplan.
You are the One who has control over our lives!
You orchestrate the details of all life happenings then map out how new beginnings unfold.
You created the heavens and the earth, and every living creature in today’s world. God even breathed ‘the breath of life’ into the man’s nostrils at the very beginning of biblical times! (Genesis 2:7).
Without you, I would not be alive today. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 NIV- I praise you for the miracles and blessings in my life today. You are in control, not I.
Control is an illusion!
If I think I am in full control over my life, then I am living a lie. It is a subtle, recurrent strategy from the father of lies, our enemy, who wants for us to disregard God’s will. He is crafty in drafting an illusion; he is a con artist. He wants for us to remain in bondage to our sinful nature and be apart from you, Lord. The enemy is jealous of our intimate fellowship and wants to steal our joy, destroy our present and future and enslave us once again!
But, Christ has defeated the enemy on our behalf.
We have the gift to make a choice, thank goodness Lord! We have free will.
Our ability to make a decision is a heavenly treasure. God wants us to be intentional and prayerful when making choices. The Holy Spirit, our eternal companion and coach, will guides us in decision-making if we pray first.
Thank you, Lord, for being a reliable and trustworthy Helper.
It is our decision whether we surrender to God’s will or not, whether we are obedient to His commands or not, whether we partner up with Him in our day to day activities or not, whether we choose to engage in earthly distractions or fruitless habits like ‘retail therapy’ or not.
Ultimately, God wants us to partner with Him in today’s journey and in all of our decision-making opportunities.
God encourages us to choose wisely so we may not be enslaved to idols ever again. Idolatry is anything that pulls away from our intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Everytime I spend time in frivolous spending or complaining or even perfectionism, the Holy Spirit convicts me of what truly matters.
I need to repent, surrender my desires, and follow Him!
His desire is for me to be always free and alive; “Let me be clear, the Anointed One has set us free—not partially, but completely and wonderfully free! We must always cherish this truth and stubbornly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.” Galatians 5:1 TPT
Jesús is the light to our path; “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV)
We do not have control in Life.
When tragedy occurs, God is already there on our behalf!
Several years ago…
My sister and I had it ‘all’ planned out prior to her international trip. We had mapped out the ‘perfect’ plan, the projected timeframe and all of the details for the action plan. We had explored all available options together in the best interest of our elderly parents.
We thought “we were ready to go.” We were wrong!
I was consulting 90 minutes away from home and was about to take a lunch break when I received a phone call from my sister. I was intrigued yet surprised by her unexpected call and even had a fleeting thought, “she must have forgotten to say something else about her trip…” I was calm and relaxed.
When I answered the phone, I heard her trembling and high-pitched tone of voice, “Dad just had a heart attack and died…” She was still in shock and I was too!
Our lives were drastically altered by the unexpected and overwhelming sense of grief and loss. She was in Venezuela and I was in the United States, many thousand of miles apart.
I felt helpless when I realized my passport had expired, and there was no available international flights at the time! I was unable to attend dad’s funeral. I was heart-broken, grief stricken and alone. Many even judged me for not being at dad’s funeral and only a couple of people reached out throughout the painful journey of loss and loneliness.
In my walk thru the valleys of emotional distress and sorrow, God was my only source of refuge, comfort and hope. The Lord is near the broken-hearted and to those whose spirits are crushed (Psalm 34:18).
Praising Jesus! He truly understands.
He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).
He even weeps with us (Luke 22:62).
God does not waste our emotional pain ever!
The only control we have is in our decision-making process when we make choices today. We can believe in His promises rather than feeling hopeless, choose Hope over despair, be with Jesus instead of being lonely, and choose meditation rather than fruitless habits such as retail therapy.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
After dad’s funeral, the intensity from family estate planning and challenging, work demands led to anger, fear and despair. My needless shopping spinned out of control for another season.
I did not handle my grief well at the onset of this major loss until I brought this hardship to the Lord’s attention one afternoon. I knelt down in front of the Cross, surrendered my heart and trusted Him with the healing process.
Out of angst and helplessness, I chose to dig into the book of Psalms one day at a time. I inscribed His verses at Sunrise and Sunset, recited selected verse throughout the day, journaled my mixed emotions and believed in His eternal promises one moment at a time. When I entrusted my emotional distress and grief to the Lord, my soul was refreshed. Only then, I was able to get a grip of my needless spending habit.
“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” Psalm 61:2-3 NIV
Praising Jesus for His healing!
How did I let go of control?! When I realized I did not have control over my circumstances and allowed the Holy Spirit to guide me thru chaos, confusion and hatred one event at a time.
I was flexible and receptive to the soft whispers of the Holy Spirit and did not hold too tight my daily schedule, routine or agenda for the day.
When we choose to follow His ways, He sets us free.
I am choosing Life and Prosperity today, Lord. I want to be free for the rest of my life and not be enslaved ever again.
‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change… the courage to change the things I can… and the wisdom to know the difference’ (Reinhold Niebuhr)
in Jesus’ name I bravely pray and boldly praise you,
Amen.
Let us sit at the Lord’s feet:
Inscribe and meditate on 2 Peter 1:1-12
Memory Verse: 2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
Weekly Challenge: Consider a budget for Holiday shopping this year and add it to your household budget. Review budget goals weekly. Track your daily expenses.
Tip for the week: Do not spend more money than you earn. Pray over your finances daily.
Photo courtesy: Iong Sitaula @Splasher
Photo credit: Victoria Sereda @ Unsplash
