Let me share a principle that has changed my life. In overcoming temptation, I always thought the secret was James 4:7.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Yet when temptation struck, I would frustratingly fall again and again, causing me to wonder what I was doing wrong. Then experience taught me an important lesson: We are not to merely submit to God AFTER temptation strikes, but we are to live a life of CONSTANT submission. When I would walk closely with God throughout the day and nurture a solid devotional life, temptation would simply fall flat on the floor when it tried to come upon me. If we habitually live a life apart from God, then we will find it almost impossible to submit to God in the time of sudden trial and temptation. That is not to say that you shouldn’t even bother trying to submit to God after temptation strikes, but if you think submission is merely an afterthought and quick fix tool, then you will surely be overcome in the end.
I know it has been forever since I touched my tumblr. I’ll try to get back into it. Here’s a comforting thought:
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19
How often do we view God as one who is so reluctant and unwilling to forgive? We often think that we must perform some amazing act before we can obtain His mercy, and that He grudgingly forgives us out of mere obligation. The passage unmistakably states that God delights in mercy. He is just anxiously waiting on the edge of His seat to comfort you and take the load off your back. God is on our team, working for our salvation. Let us then put away our pathetically low estimations of God’s love, realizing that the mercy and love that we could ever wish to show someone would still fall incomparably short to the mercy that God longs to show those who will come to Him in true repentance. If God has buried your sins in the depths of the sea, stop digging up your guilt and move forward in the sweet freedom of His forgiveness and peace -
Need counsel? Curious about my opinion? Ask just about anything and remain anonymous if you’d like. I’ll be sure to get to your question.
Life is full of choices, and some choices can have dire consequences upon our lives. Ultimately God has wonderful plans for each one of us, but it is up to us to choose those plans. In as much as God is our Creator who has had a purpose for our lives even before we were born, it would be in our best interests and ultimate happiness for us to know and follow the will of God.
Can God’s will for our lives really be known? Absolutely, and we need not wander in the dark throughout this cold and uncertain life. With whatever decision you are facing in life, allow them to pass through the following filters:
1. Living Sacrifice | Romans 12:1-2
Making yourself a living sacrifice means that your entire being is consecrated and dedicated to God. In every aspect of your life, you seek to please Him and make Him first. In doing so, we are basically saying, “Lord, I choose your will above my own.” With this kind of attitude, God is able to reveal His will to you. If we aren’t willing to live our lives for God, our minds will not be able to receive, accept, and follow God’s will. We must also give up every sin that we are holding on to. We are weak, but by God’s help we can come to Him just as we are, and He will be the one to change us by His power, not our own. Making ourselves a living sacrifice is the first and most important step in knowing God’s will. Without it, all the other steps will be corrupted to incline to our own sinful desires and we will be lead in the wrong direction. On top of this, we are to cherish a close, intimate relationship and connection with God as doing so will make knowing His will more automatic and natural.
2. Biblical Principles | Psalm 119:105, 1 Corinthians 1:25, Deuteronomy 6:24
God is the author of life and He knows what is best for our lives. We cannot rely on our own wisdom, feelings, or man made teachings to make the right decisions. We need divine and heavenly wisdom, which is above all wisdom to help us make the right decisions. We can gather such wisdom straight from the Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy, etc. By applying these principles to our lives today, we can be sure that our decisions will lead to happiness and success. Any decision contrary to the principles in His Word cannot be His will.
3. Prayer | 2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Peter 5:17, 1 Samuel 30:8
By beholding we become changed. Through prayer we are in God’s presence, and by being in His presence we become changed. Be becoming like God, we will know what His will is for ourselves. By talking with and reasoning with God, we come to discover God’s impressions and opinions. Instead of just asking God “What do I do?” a million times, actually try sitting down with Him and reasoning out your situation and options, even writing them down on paper if you need to while listing the pros and cons. Through prayer and submission we connect ourselves with Heaven, and God is able to impress our mind and take control of our lives.
4. Godly Counsel | Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 11:4, Proverbs 24:6
Solomon, the wisest man whoever lived saw the importance in having counselors. How much more the people living today? There are many spiritual people who have already gone before us. They have experienced all the things we are now experiencing and they have had victories and defeats. From these people we can learn from their experiences so that we may not make the same mistakes that others made before. After receiving counsel, we must be the ones to make our own decision with the help of their advice. People must not decide for you.
5. Providential Circumstances | Ruth 2:3
God providentially lead Ruth to Boaz her future husband. God leads us in the same way today. Providential circumstances are events in our life that seem to be opening the way for us to go in a certain direction, or events that may hinder us from going in another. Events such as God providing the financial means necessary to go a certain path, or God barring you from proceeding in a certain direction. We should not confuse this however with asking for signs. Signs are random, and are without basis like choosing who to marry based on how many shooting stars we see at night. Rather than asking for signs, we should seek for providential circumstances. God will send confirmations every now and then to show us that we are headed in the right or wrong direction if our eyes our open and consecrated.
6. Desire | Psalm 37:4
We serve a God who wants to grant us the things we love. He wants us to be happy. When He calls us to take a certain course, apply for a certain job, etc. He wants us to enjoy what we do. When He leads us to a certain person to be our life time partner, He wants us to love and desire that person. Perhaps one of the greatest lies that Christians often believe is that if it feels good or suits our desires then its probably a sin. Just be sure that your desires are consecrated to God and that you love what God loves. Since sin entered this world, our personal desires have been perverted, so we must give ourselves to God that God may change our hearts to love that which is good.
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Once you have gone through each step sincerely seeking His will, then make a concrete decision based on what you have discovered from the steps. Be very careful not to constantly waver between choices, often doubting whether you’ve chosen the right thing. We may not always have the ability to be 100% sure in our decision unless God directly speaks to us, but this should not prevent us from making up our minds. If in your sincerity to do His will you still make a decision contrary to what He wants, He will still bring you back to where He wants you to be by His providence. Do not be hasty, but do not needlessly delay because of your lack of faith.
“Long delays tire the angels. It is even more excusable to make a wrong decision sometimes than to be continually in a wavering position; to be hesitating, sometimes inclined in one direction, then in another. More perplexity and wretchedness result from thus hesitating and doubting than from sometimes moving too hastily.” Gospel Workers 134
Choose wisely, as you just don’t know where one path might take you.
So my nephew a few hours ago had an itch for drawing pictures. He draws a triangle, a nights sky with stars, and a pizza slice. He then asks me what he should draw next. Me not being able to think of anything, he then suggests to draw God. As I was so curious as to how a 7 year old would draw God, I gave my thumbs up with eagerness.
A few moments passed while I continued to carry on with my business. Out of the blue he stopped and said “I can’t draw God, the space isn’t big enough.”
How big is your God?
