Something that's been on my heart for a little while. Let me know what you think.
Are you seeking?
One of my favorite verses to read when I need encouragement is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We often stop reading there, but what follows is incredible. Jeremiah 29:12-14 “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.”
Do you see what’s going on here? God wants to fulfill the plans that He has set us apart for. Are we willing to seek Him out so that He can? Or are we going to stay in our comfort zone and make Him come to us? In order for God to move, we must first acknowledge that we need and want Him. We must set aside our selfish ambitions and worldly desires and look to Him first, with our whole heart. We have to be willing to step out in faith and lay aside our preconceived ideas that God has a magic wand and will give you everything you want. There has to be a price, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth it. What is it in your life that He’s asking you to lay aside? What is the distraction in your life, whether big or small, that’s keeping you from seeking Him and all He has for you?
Are you trusting?
When we lay our burdens and junk at His feet, He is faithful to remove it from our lives. So often I find myself doubting that He wants me to give all of my cares, hurts, and stress (the list could go on) to Him. I find myself not believing that He wants me to give Him the desires of my heart and letting Him take control of it. Basically, it boils down to trust. I’ve always had a hard time with trust. Ya’ll know how it is; everyone has been hurt or burned by someone at one time or another in his or her lives’.
God showed me this weekend that by not giving Him my whole heart and all of my cares, worries, failures and successes that I was breaking His heart by not trusting completely in Him. Instead, I’ve been holding onto little, in some cases big, pieces in order to keep control of things. He reminded me of His promises and told me that no matter how things look on the outside that I must trust Him and His timing.
Psalm 37:3-6, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
Two words really stick out to me here: He will! If we believe the Bible to be the truth, which we do, and we believe it is the word of God and is never wrong, then how can we ever doubt Him and the promises He’s made us? We can trust that He is faithful and that He will do what He says He’ll do.
I want to encourage you to set aside a few extra minutes tonight before bed and really search your heart and ask yourself these questions:
- Am I seeking Jesus, or my own wants and desires?
- Am I trusting in Jesus, or am I living holding onto the things of this life because it’s comfortable and all I’ve known, and can’t let go of them?
Get on your knees before God, seek Him out, and give Him everything, even the little things. You’d be amazed at how freeing it is! Ask Him to change your heart and help you to trust in Him. Thank Him for all He already has done and the things that are to come. Chances are the plans He has are a lot bigger than you can imagine. God is calling us to a deeper relationship with Him. It must start with us calling out to Him and trusting who He is.
Be blessed,
Kenzie
