First misconception: The meaning of faith is not just "to believe." It goes far beyond that. Faith is not only believing in God and in his plan, but it is constantly acting out that faith. Sometimes we feel God urging us to do some things that may seem uncomfortable and scary to us. It's natural for us to be nervous, but we should never let our insecurities hold us back from doing His will. Our trust in Him and our desire to fulfill His purpose should outweigh any insecurities we have. Why worry what the world will think of you if you do bold things when all that matters in the end is how you lived for God? Why does it matter if people think you're crazy or "goodie-goodie" if you're pleasing your Heavenly Father? Why let the opinions of imperfect humans hold you back from trusting a perfect God? Matthew 6:26 tells us, "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" Nothing good comes from living for the people of this world, but numerous treasures come from living solely for the Lord. If you feel God wanting you to do something, don't let anybody (yourself or somebody else) tell you you're not good enough. God chose you for a reason; He created you and knows you're good enough. So have faith, act out that faith, and always let your trust and confidence in God overpower any doubt in your mind.
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. " Psalm 118:8
"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36
Second Misconception: We were made for God; He was not made for us. This sounds like a ridiculous thing to be deceived about. Everybody knows the story of the 6th day when God created mankind like Him and for Him. Everybody has been told since they were toddlers that God created us for Him. And while we may believe that or say we do, we often don't act like it. We act as though He was made for us. When we're going through struggles we ask Him to help us and when we need something we ask Him for it. Now that's not all wrong because it is a perfectly good thing to lean on God and pray to Him, but that's essentially not what it's all about. The most important thing is that we do absolutely everything to follow His will and do exactly what He wants from us, because we were made for Him. He created each and every one of us for a specific reason and our life isn't any good if we don't fulfill that purpose. When we ask Him to help us through hard times, we should ask with the intention that he will strengthen us and teach us so that we may be more effective at doing His will. When we ask Him for things like strength and courage and healing, we should want those things so that we can be better warriors of God. We shouldn't just ask for things from God so that our lives will be better, but so that we can be better at doing His will. This brings me to another point. This one is extra hard to hear and to ask yourself: Are you in love with God or just his stuff? Are you in love with who God is and His beauty or are you in love with the stuff He could give you? I'd love to say that I'm more in love with who God is over what He can do for me, but unfortunately that isn't always the case. I am absolutely in love with Jesus and who He is, but sometimes I find myself pursuing God because I know that He can give me peace and He can heal me and He will someday give me an amazing husband and He can do all these things for me. I hate to admit it, but I can be so selfish at times and get so caught up in what God can do for me when it should be the other way around.
And finally, the sweet, sweet truth:
You have the power to live boldly! You have the strength to whole-heartedly follow His purpose for you! Whatever God plans for you to do, He gave you the exact talents and skills you need to do it. He created us all for a purpose and He doesn't believe the lies that the world tells us and we tell ourselves. If He didn't think you were able to do something, He wouldn't call you to do it! Don't let your insecurites, doubts, shameful past, or brokenness hold you back. Devote yourself to Him and start living radically today! You are perfectly capable and qualified to do His will.
So here are my challenges for myself this week and throughout life:
- Stop letting my insecurites get in the way of acting out my faith and being bold.
- Constantly ask God, "What can I do for you?" rather than "What can you do for me?"
- Let my heart dwell in Him rather than in worldly things.
- Do EVERYTHING to follow His will.
Just a picture of my dog that's too cute not to share:)
"Why let the opinions of imperfect humans hold you back from trusting a perfect God?"
ReplyDelete^^^^^^ On point, girl! Keep them coming please!