My husband Philip often says, “People usually aren’t running from God, they are running from what He has asked them to do”.
So often we know what God asks of us, but if we don’t like what we know to be true or have had revealed to us we can choose to switch off, ignore or even harden our hearts. Instead then of having a willing heart we begin to cultivate a stubbornness and resistance to God within us.
All of us will face situations where we have to choose…my way or God’s. To be honest it seems easier and a lot more gratifying to follow my way a lot of the time – I can then let people have a piece of my mind when they’ve hurt or annoyed me. I can only think about and do what I want rather than being sensitive to others and doing what I know is the right thing. I can choose to gratify my flesh and do, say and go wherever and however I choose.
This all sounds like fun and freedom until we realise that everything we choose doesn’t just affect and at times damage just our life and future, but will also have ramifications for everyone and everything around us. Whether we like it or not our life does have a ripple effect on others for better or for worse.
God knows how He has created us and that we so often want to have our way, so He gives us a choice, while informing us of the ramifications of those choices in His Word. If we take the time to read it we’ll see that He has purposely recorded the stories of other men and woman’s lives to teach and guide us on how to live and how not to. People like David who had stunning high points in his life, like when he bravely ran into battle to fight the giant Goliath and won. And historic lows where instead of being where he was meant to be he was looking at and lusting after a woman and ended up committing adultery, organising the killing of her husband and suffering the loss of the resultant baby. David’s life and story are full of accounts of obedience and outright rebellion and we can learn the consequences of both. (2 Samuel 11) As we also can from the stories of Jonah, Moses, Joshua, Esther, Peter and Paul to name a few.
God is not a party pooper and He really does desire and plan the best for our life. (John 10:10; Romans 8:32) Sometimes that plan takes time to organise so that the right opportunities, people and blessing can enter our life. But if we keep walking and following what God asks and requires of us His best will always be fulfilled in our life. It’s when we choose to constantly rebel, ignore or persist in doing our own thing that God’s plan is messed with and we can seriously hold up or even miss all of what God is doing.
Today I encourage you not to miss or hold up what God is doing because you are running away or ignoring what He has asked. What He has planned for you is far more than you could ever think up, dream, ask, or pray for (Ephesians 3:20) Set your heart and mind to do what He asks and remember God doesn’t ever ask anything of you that He will not also empower you to do – His grace is sufficient in our weakness and you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12 NLT)
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”(Romans 8:32 NIV)
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”(Psalm 84:11 ESV)
Prayer: Lord thank you that your grace is sufficient even in my weakness and I can do all things because you give me strength. Please forgive me where I have been doing my own thing and have caused damage not just to my life but to other people’s as well. I want to stop running from what you ask and I choose your way and not my own today. In Jesus name Amen.
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