Getting on the Same Page With God - #10
Trusting divine direction, trusting God, and trusting yourself
There are times in life where we feel stuck.
Really stuck.
Is this because our life’s story has concluded?
Perhaps God is tired of us?
Maybe we’ve lived up to our full potential?
The answer to all of these questions of course, is no.
God is able to supercharge your progress but it’s going to cost something.
Your heart.
When you place your heart on worldly riches it becomes more difficult for God to reach you.
I’ve experienced this in a very small way when I have some kind of win and then get caught up in myself - and in the moment forget that His fingerprints were all over it.
Your heart is attached to basically everything else - and it’s a lot to give.
Matthew 6:21 in the KJV says the following about the heart:
21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
God can do wonders with that thing, though - He really, really can.
I said it in my last post, and I am going to say it again.
The ultimate success comes in walking, being, and working with God.
God can provide material, emotional, and mental wealth - but a lot of it flows when we are finally able to surrender and accept that God is worth trusting ALL the way, ALL the time.
In getting to that place, let’s briefly dive into 3 concepts I wanted to share.
You Already Have God’s Attention
God Wants to Talk to You
You Are God’s Instrument, NOT His Puppet
You Already Have God’s Attention
There were times in my growing-up years when I wondered if God was really aware of me.
One clear moment that stands out was while shooting hoops outside at about 13 years old.
My whole family was inside the warm house, and I was still outside in the cold, shooting around.
I remember setting a shot clock in my mind and counting down the last seconds of a game.
…3
My imaginary teammate got the ball to me just in time to take one more shot.
…2
We were down by two and needed a three to win the game.
There I was, standing on the three-point line.
…1
I let the ball fly, and even though the shot was from far away - it was nothing but net.
I got very excited and then felt some internal pain - literally nobody had been outside to see the shot but me.
This is how a lot of my teenage years were -
Put in tons of work that nobody sees and it takes a long time to see the fruits of it.
Later on I came to understand how God’s ways are much, much higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
It seems nearly every time that I thought my efforts were all for naught - God has reached down and picked me up through some kind of opportunity.
This has always been a wildly encouraging and unexpected occurrence (God is very good at surprising us in the best ways) and I’ve learned to appreciate it.
It is when this happens that the proverbial “scales fall from my eyes” (Acts 9:18) and I am able to see: God is aware of every rep, and He’s been cheering for me silently this whole time.
You already have God’s attention.
When you shine He’s aware of it.
When you shine in the dark He’s aware of that too.
The key is to keep on shining for Him - because He’ll always help you get where you need to go.
God Wants to Talk to You
When I graduated from college, I felt SO off the “right” path in life. It felt almost criminal.
I imagined God being so, so upset with me.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Of course He was proud of me, I’d just graduated from college!
I’d lifted up many, many of His precious children.
I was going to church every week, had great grades, and was seeking to become a better person.
What was the main struggle then?
There were several, but one of the main ones was the stories I was telling myself.
I was caught up in this script that God wasn’t pleased with me because of missing this opportunity and that opportunity, not letting my gaming YouTube channel go earlier, etc.
These are the kinds of things that I let eat me alive.
I was an all-you-can-eat buffet when it came to my insecurities in this area.
A few months later when I got in a gnarly e-bike accident in a parking lot (story for another time, although I did talk about it in this podcast episode) I had to be in a wheelchair for about a month.
I also had many of my limiting beliefs challenged.
I learned anew that God could use me in whatever mental state and condition I was in - He just wanted me to trust in Him and His plan.
Poem #11 in “God is Trying to Talk to Me” speaks to my feelings at this point. Here’s a stanza from it:
…”The youth push me around
Talking with them has helped me see the truth –
That I am precious to you, healed or in pain
You can use me whether I am in a desert or pouring rain
You just want me…”
I talked to God a lot during this time, and He surely used me.
I had words come to mind that I then shared with the youth that I knew God has trusted me to say.
He was trying to talk to me.
I am confident He is also trying to talk to you.
You Are God’s Instrument, NOT His Puppet
This has been one of the biggest struggles of my life to understand.
There have been times where I have felt God moving me from one place to another - and I seem to have no say in the matter.
Yes, things do work out, but there are times where I feel I’d really like to live a more “normal” life.
I’ve had times where it seemed like God was directing me throughout most of the day.
I sent this in a text to someone a month ago and it just came to mind so here you go.
We are God’s children, NOT His puppets.
Satan would love for you to think that though - to think that you don’t have a choice.
You always have a choice.
“It’s [God’s] work. I am like a … pencil in his hand. … He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used.
—Mother Teresa
2 Timothy 2:21 says the following on this:
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
YIELD to God Today
Life gets a LOT better when you’re working to be on the same page as God.
Here’s a quick summary of what we talked about:
You already have God’s attention - and He will come through for you
You are God’s child - not a puppet. He will treat you as such always
Getting on the same page as God helps you be a sharp instrument for Him
Sharing this post goes a long way. As of today this newsletter has 14 subscribers. There are so many more people it needs to reach - I can feel that for sure.
“Don’t forget to YIELD to the good and it’ll be a better tomorrow.” 😉