Scripture: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8
Devotion: Each generation seemingly becomes better than the last. I always say your kids are multipliers. They can take your good and make it better or take your bad and make it worse. They are a 2.0 version of their parents. They have somehow broken the barriers of emotionlessness and created a space for all to speak openly about trauma. This freedom has brought many emotional healing. There is also the rising theme of self-care as well as being in touch with your personal needs and desires. We live in a time where silence is no longer acceptable.
There’s just one problem. We’ve become overly focused on getting therapy and guarding ourselves from pain; so much that we have unequivocally left God out of the equation. We have therapists, counselors, friends, and life coaches to talk us through some of the most difficult times. Once again, I applaud this generation because as a child my generation had no language or assistance for our struggles. You just sucked it up and kept it moving. You didn’t necessarily heal, you learned to survive until this generation stepped in and informed us all, enough was enough.
We’ve been riding the emotional freedom train for a while now but I hear the spirit saying, “What about me?” We were born of free will but God’s desire for us to surrender our will to him and his plan for our lives. I hear the spirit saying, “I know your desires and I also know my will for you. Are you willing to surrender your will in exchange for mine?” I can see it so clearly. The new job, relationships, moving etc. All these wonderful desires and dreams we somehow have created preconceived ideas about.
We can create how it will happen, where, when and with whom, and fall into dark depression when it doesn’t manifest the way we think. We hold people and entities hostage to preconceived notions they never agreed with and we’re unaware existed. Sometimes we can take it a step further and dare to blame God.
Today, I charge you to look into your life and allow the Holy Spirit to examine your heart for areas where your desires are not his and more than likely below his standard for you. As we mature spiritually, we must exchange our will for his and more importantly not create scenarios of what things should look like. Unless God speaks to you directly or shows you in a dream, honesty, you don’t know. We must learn to settle ourselves in the reality that Christ knows best and anything else is rooted in self-will served with a side of fantasy.
Reflection: In the last year how many times did you believe you knew when something was going to happen and ended up being disappointed? Where in your life today have you created preconceived notions about something or someone and didn’t have the full revelation of God’s will?
Prayer: Lord help us to do the difficult things and examine our hearts for the truth concerning our will over yours. Help us to exchange our desires to be in control with full surrender to trusting your plans for our lives. Help us to believe that all things work together for our good and that your plan for us is better than ours.
Written by Petrina Milan
Eyes of an Overcomer 