“When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.” Hudson Taylor

The Word of God says, “Keep in step with the Spirit.” Now, let me ask you, “What if He stops walking and stands still?” Are you going to run up his back? You will if you don’t stop.

I ran up His back this past week until I finally stopped. This stopped was why there was no blog last week; and, this week’s is coming on Friday. It wasn’t because I was lazy, either.

It was about the lesson the Father wants us to learn: Busyness doesn’t equal godliness. Our God is self-sufficient, which means He doesn’t need anything from us to make Himself complete. We do. He doesn’t.

Doing stuff for God doesn’t make you anything more or less in the Father’s eyes. He loves and accepts you in Christ, PERIOD. We now do out of being with and love for Him. And, in some cases that’s standing still and “doing nothing” even though it’s on your to-do list to get done.

Doing comes from being in Christ. We do whatever He wants done while being with Him and sometimes that doing is standing still and enjoying the moment in His presence.

You might have heard, “I’d rather burn out for Jesus than rust out.” Where are either in Scripture? Jesus is the rock. The Spirit is the fire. The Father is the power. Can any of those ever rust or burn out?

This walk with God is about being with Him while doing, even if that something is nothing, while being in His presence. This apparent “nothing” allows those around us to see Him in us and ask, “How can you be at peace in such hectic days?”

“I’m glad you asked. Let me tell you about Jesus.” Oh what a witness that will be!

“Faith and fear have one thing in common. They both ask you to trust something you can’t see or don’t already know.”

It’s uncanny how the Spirit works. We “just happened” to be in Jude for my Bible Impact reading this week when this phrase jumped off the page, “Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord (vs.4).”

I’m in the midst of heavy warfare going forward in a direction Jesus asked me to go. But, I have fought a sense of insecurity my entire life. And insecure people don’t take risks as that can only enhance their insecurity, right?

Following Jesus, though, means taking steps of faith trusting that what He is telling you to do will work out…in the long-term. In the short-term, though, it can get a little harry. Faith steps take you out of your comfort zone to where and to become someone you are not in the moment.

Yet, Jesus is the Only Sovereign. There is no one higher, stronger or wiser than Him. Thus, I can’t lose by taking this step of faith to enter territory I’ve never been.

Jesus, the Sovereign, reminds me of how He got me to this point in time. And if I’m honest with myself, He is speaking truth. I couldn’t have gotten where I am without Him and I’m better than okay because of it.

So what is there to be fearful of, nothing right? Wrong! There is plenty to be fearful of. This, however, is where faith enters. I can focus on the fear of my insecurity or the faith of His Sovereign control over all creation, including other’s choices that affect me. He, as Sovereign, will finish what He started. No one can thwart His plans for the life He gave and has for you and me.

Follow your Sovereign Lord into victory over whatever is holding you back from the direction He wants to take you. You can overcome it as you are an overcomer in Christ. Victory is promised in where He is taking you. Your Jesus story can only get bigger.

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” C.S. Lewis

I was part of a group that was hiking a trail down to Ein Gedi. You can see the Dead Sea in the background of the picture, which is how far we had yet to go.

After a smooth beginning, the trail started getting quite a bit more difficult. This was a trail for experienced hikers with hiking shoes. The trail at times was covered with rock slides, had very narrow sections to pass, and had deep steps requiring hold holds to get down.

We kept praying. “Lord give us peace as we continue and for those who need strength, please supply it.” We then had experienced hikers helping others as there was simply no way we could take them back up the “hill.”

Yet, it was so awesome to watch this group of Jesus lovers working together. Some climbed up and down the trail many times while others were overcoming fears as they continued with the encouragement of others.

And though tired, what a sense of accomplishment we all had! God worked in and through us that day. How we ended up on the trail didn’t matter once we were on it.

We get where we are by our or others’ choices. We can’t go back and change that. We can, however, choose to go forward in the power of God who more often than not supplies that power through other Jesus travelers.

You can’t change the past. You can only change the future. Choose to take hold of the truths that God has covered your past through Jesus’ death and that He gives you the power to go forward through the same power that rose Jesus from the grave.

Experience life today as you let Him transform your life while going forward in Him and with His people.

“Where you’re going might not be what you were made for.” Anonymous eXtreme Tour artist

This same person wrote: “Why compromise for less than God’s best?/Just do what you do and don’t tell others./What you were made for is so much better than where you’re headed./Today is another opportunity to get it right.”

The moment you placed your faith in Jesus, the Father had a divine plan for your life (Eph. 2:10), which will include struggles and difficult times. Jesus’ life is our example.

The Father’s direction, however, will take us in the only direction that brings fulfillment now with lasting eternal effects. Any other direction, though noble and good, will never fulfill us the way the Father’s direction will.

Are you telling the Father your direction and asking Him to bless it? Getting your direction from others, even “godly” people? It doesn’t work that way.

Follow Jesus’ example. He listened to the Father and did what His Father said to do, even when His buddies rebuked Him for doing it!

Feeling frustrated? It may be that you are going in a direction for which you were not made. Maybe it’s time to slow down and lay out your direction before the Father and let Him tweak or change it completely.

Sound scary? What other option do you have if you want the Father’s best for your time here on earth?

It’s time to trust and put into action going His direction, the one He made you for. And guess what, each day is another day to get it right!

Tell people they are victims and they’ll act like victims.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a huge statement in both the seen and unseen world.

It told the unseen world they are delusional to think that they can ultimately win the war for this planet. Jesus took away their ultimate tool – the fear of death and the unknown of what’s on the other side of this plane of existence.

Jesus as God entered the world like all humans do – conception and birth. He grew into adulthood. Fulfilled His Father given purpose (Jn. 3:16). Was murdered on Passover; and then, rose again on the Feast of Firstfruits or Resurrection Day.

This is crucial. He died physically and came back to life physically, scars and all. He is alive and victorious. We now have physical and historical proof that there is life after death due to Jesus’ victory over death. The unseen world is defeated, though still delusional.

His resurrection also affects the seen world. His resurrection and life can bring dead marriages back to life. Give dead-end jobs purpose. Breathe life back into deflated dreams. And, bring hope where there is none.

The words you tell yourself each day have a huge impact on your attitude and your choices. You are not a victim!! Christ is alive and so are you! Jesus is victorious and so are you!

So start waking up each day with a victorious attitude. You can win today through the position you hold as God’s child due to Jesus’ victory over the grave. You can win today through resurrection power due to God living inside you. You can defeat the enemies in both the unseen and seen realms of life.

You are a victorious child of God. Think and act like it…today!