Define Your Reality - Day 21
***This post was part of a Define Your Reality Devotional Series during the 30 Days of Prayer for Family Life Church in March of 2020. It was written by Robbie Ashlock.***
“Humble, yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
-1 Peter 5:6
What if we trusted in the mighty hand of God so much that we were able to consistently rest in His presence? Here is a thought that I have been struggling with for a while now, but I wasn’t able to put it into words until recently. “Trust is the truest test of faith.” I’ve always struggled with trust. You could say that I have trust issues. Especially, when it comes to God. So how does someone like me trust a God who is calling us to rest in His presence on a daily basis, not just once in a while.
The only answer I can find is more time with Him. Spending time with God is so important. It is a daily opportunity to be refreshed and revived. It is an opportunity to grow in our weakness by gaining and understanding His strength and character.
When you trust someone, you are at ease with them. You find rest just being in their presence. Resting in God is not a time in which we do nothing, but a time when we humble ourselves before the Lord. But what does that even mean? When we humble ourselves before the Lord, a few things have to take place.
First, we must relax. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast your cares on Him because He cares for you.” There are so many things that demand our attention: social media, finances, school, family, activities, work, friends and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Much of these things recently have come to a screeching halt, but they still demand our attention only indifferent ways.
Maybe now social media is your only link to the outside world, or at least you think it is. Maybe your finances are looming over your head because you fear losing your job or shutting down work. Perhaps, school gets all the attention because we aren’t just moms and dads anymore but teachers, administrators, and principals. What about our families who are now our only source of personal interaction or our friends and family that we can’t see? The stress of these things can keep us from something greater. We can focus so much on these things that God gets pushed aside. We must clear our minds of distractions and things that keep us from making God the main thing.
As we relax and cast our cares on God, we begin to build trust. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Today, trust that your time with God is not a waste. Believe that He is big enough to handle all of life’s circumstances, even COVID-19. Know that He won’t allow things to spiral out of control while you spend time totally focused on Him. Give Him control of your life. Now this is an easy thing to say, but it’s a difficult thing to do.
Since the moment sin entered the world mankind has begun to see itself as the center of the universe. “It’s all about me,” and “Give it to me now,” have become the unspoken mottos of the human heart. We must find a way to remove ourselves from the throne of our lives placing God where He belongs.
Together, let’s begin to magnify God, making Him greater! Let’s begin to look into who He is and discover what He has in store for us. We often praise God at church, but once we leave that’s where it ends. What are we doing with God now that we can’t even enter the doors of the church?
The church is more than just a building. We are the church. Believers scattered across the city, socially distanced, but united in love and faith. It’s time that we, as the church, magnify God in all things, making much of Him in all we say and do. Will you make the most of your time with Him? Will you rest in His presence? Will you trust in Him? Begin to magnify the name of the Lord.
The last step in the process of humbling ourselves before the Lord is, we begin to truly know and listen to His voice. Humbling ourselves allows God to speak into our lives. God speaks to us in three distinct ways: His Spirit, His Word, and Others.
Read Ephesians 1:15-2:10. Underline key words and phrases where you feel God speaking to you. Then use those words and phrases to write out a prayer to God. Be honest with Him about areas of your life where you are struggling. Find rest in the Lord. Begin to allow His mighty hands to work in and through your life. Allow Him to speak life into you. All to Jesus, I surrender…All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him…In His presence daily life. I surrender all. Our surrender frees God to speak in our situations, it opens our hearts that He might pour His life into ours, and it moves us to trust Him more. Trust is the truest test of faith. Will you trust Him today?
Keep the Son in your eyes, Pastor Robbie.
“Humble, yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
-1 Peter 5:6
What if we trusted in the mighty hand of God so much that we were able to consistently rest in His presence? Here is a thought that I have been struggling with for a while now, but I wasn’t able to put it into words until recently. “Trust is the truest test of faith.” I’ve always struggled with trust. You could say that I have trust issues. Especially, when it comes to God. So how does someone like me trust a God who is calling us to rest in His presence on a daily basis, not just once in a while.
The only answer I can find is more time with Him. Spending time with God is so important. It is a daily opportunity to be refreshed and revived. It is an opportunity to grow in our weakness by gaining and understanding His strength and character.
When you trust someone, you are at ease with them. You find rest just being in their presence. Resting in God is not a time in which we do nothing, but a time when we humble ourselves before the Lord. But what does that even mean? When we humble ourselves before the Lord, a few things have to take place.
First, we must relax. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast your cares on Him because He cares for you.” There are so many things that demand our attention: social media, finances, school, family, activities, work, friends and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Much of these things recently have come to a screeching halt, but they still demand our attention only indifferent ways.
Maybe now social media is your only link to the outside world, or at least you think it is. Maybe your finances are looming over your head because you fear losing your job or shutting down work. Perhaps, school gets all the attention because we aren’t just moms and dads anymore but teachers, administrators, and principals. What about our families who are now our only source of personal interaction or our friends and family that we can’t see? The stress of these things can keep us from something greater. We can focus so much on these things that God gets pushed aside. We must clear our minds of distractions and things that keep us from making God the main thing.
As we relax and cast our cares on God, we begin to build trust. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Today, trust that your time with God is not a waste. Believe that He is big enough to handle all of life’s circumstances, even COVID-19. Know that He won’t allow things to spiral out of control while you spend time totally focused on Him. Give Him control of your life. Now this is an easy thing to say, but it’s a difficult thing to do.
Since the moment sin entered the world mankind has begun to see itself as the center of the universe. “It’s all about me,” and “Give it to me now,” have become the unspoken mottos of the human heart. We must find a way to remove ourselves from the throne of our lives placing God where He belongs.
Together, let’s begin to magnify God, making Him greater! Let’s begin to look into who He is and discover what He has in store for us. We often praise God at church, but once we leave that’s where it ends. What are we doing with God now that we can’t even enter the doors of the church?
The church is more than just a building. We are the church. Believers scattered across the city, socially distanced, but united in love and faith. It’s time that we, as the church, magnify God in all things, making much of Him in all we say and do. Will you make the most of your time with Him? Will you rest in His presence? Will you trust in Him? Begin to magnify the name of the Lord.
The last step in the process of humbling ourselves before the Lord is, we begin to truly know and listen to His voice. Humbling ourselves allows God to speak into our lives. God speaks to us in three distinct ways: His Spirit, His Word, and Others.
Read Ephesians 1:15-2:10. Underline key words and phrases where you feel God speaking to you. Then use those words and phrases to write out a prayer to God. Be honest with Him about areas of your life where you are struggling. Find rest in the Lord. Begin to allow His mighty hands to work in and through your life. Allow Him to speak life into you. All to Jesus, I surrender…All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him…In His presence daily life. I surrender all. Our surrender frees God to speak in our situations, it opens our hearts that He might pour His life into ours, and it moves us to trust Him more. Trust is the truest test of faith. Will you trust Him today?
Keep the Son in your eyes, Pastor Robbie.
Recent
Archive
2020
February
March
Define Your Reality - Day 1Define Your Reality - Day 2Define Your Reality - Day 3Define Your Reality - Day 4Define Your Reality - Day 5Define Your Reality - Day 6Define Your Reality - Day 7Define Your Reality - Day 8Define Your Reality - Day 9Define Your Reality - Day 10Define Your Reality - Day 11Define Your Reality - Day 12Define Your Reality - Day 13Define Your Reality - Day 14Define Your Reality - Day 15Define Your Reality - Day 16Define Your Reality - Day 17Define Your Reality - Day 18Define Your Reality - Day 19Define Your Reality - Day 20Define Your Reality - Day 21
June
2019
2018
September
2017
December
2016