I suddenly pray all the time, pop open the Bible whenever I can, and when I think I've found the answer, my Bible suddenly is less important and my prayer life slowly dwindles.
Sound familiar? You aren't the only one.
I'm guilty of doing this a lot. Maybe this is just me, but I feel like I'm not the only one ... Don't get me wrong, sometimes I'm in His word and soaking it up like a hot day by the poolside. However, more often than not, I find myself with the first scenario. So how do I get out of this cycle?
Well, first things first: Be a real Christian. Not to call myself a fake Christian, but Christians are supposed to live everyday for HIM. Unfortunately, I find myself constantly stressing, focusing on finals next week, making sure I have a plan for my life before it changes within the next 5 minutes, etc. But one thing Christians seem to water down is ...
FAITH. Sure, we read Matthew 17:14-20 and think, "Well why can't I move mountains? That's ridiculous." But the disciples said the same thing! We are supposed to have faith in everything we do. Faith to rid of us of our worries, to move the demons we face daily, to accept He is who He is and will do as He wills!
I love knowing the game plan. So I often hope that I'll just have a revelation and BAM I'll know the plan and I can go on living my life. But faith is required to truly live with Him. A lot of times we complain ... "I don't understand why God can't just write in the sky MAJOR IN THIS and do this and that in your life, and I shall be content with you." First off, Jesus is what makes Him content with us. We have no right to think we're ever going to be in the perfect spot. We always have to squirm or work our way to where He wants us; it's an eternal struggle between who gets the seat: you or God. Second, if he really did reveal to you in a dream, how could you know it was really Him? Thirdly, we paralyze ourselves by not moving and just sitting around waiting for Him to answer. This is a big one ...
DON'T PARALYZE YOURSELF! Seriously, don't do it. You're not sure what God's will is? Have you been reading the scripture regularly and praying? Good, that's a great start. Now get off your lazy butt! As Proverbs 6:9 says, "How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?"
Now you need to make sure it's not immoral. This requires being in His word so you're continually cleansing your mind of your own thoughts. There is no special technique to approaching this.
For example, if there are tons of dots all over a blank page, we usually attempt to go for one little dot out of the many because we believe God wants us there. However, if we look to Adam and Eve, they did WHATEVER they wanted, so long as they didn't eat from the ONE tree God commanded them not to eat from. Essentially, we have it backwards ... So don't be afraid to make decisions, because that is lacking trust in God. We need to be with Him so often that He truly is your best friend. Your best friend can finish your sentences or read your thoughts before you even voice them. This is the sort of relationship we need with God. We have to be so in tune with Him that we become like Him. Obviously we need to accept advice and consider it, as well as work out the plan. We just have to be ready for a change. In the Bible, nobody prays, gets a revelation, then acts upon it. Instead, they are living within God's commands, making plans, carrying them out and THEN God changes the plan. Don't worry, He has it under control!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Proverbs, chapters 16 and 21 is also super applicable ... Just don't forget to test that it's His way, not yours or anyone/anything else (1 John 4)!
Also, don't worry, I'm totally the preacher talking to herself right now. I'm very guilty of always trying to plan my life until I'm 80 years old. Yeah, that's gonna work ... But seriously it will because I've told myself enough that it fits perfectly ;)
Anyways ... Stepping off the pedestal now ... I'm just a college kid trying to figure life out. No amount of education can prepare me for that. However, it's really nice to know you're not alone. Other kids have the same problems and God has it under control ... I just have to remember that.
Anyways ... Stepping off the pedestal now ... I'm just a college kid trying to figure life out. No amount of education can prepare me for that. However, it's really nice to know you're not alone. Other kids have the same problems and God has it under control ... I just have to remember that.
Hopefully this brought greater understanding to you like it did me when I was first told this. :)
