His plan…it’s a promise
Hebrew 4:20,21 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Genesis 17: 15-17, 19-21 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” Then God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
Exodus 33:14 “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
John 12:44-48 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.
Do you ever feel confused about being on the path God wants you to be on? What’s His will for your life? Yes, His word promises He wants us to prosper, and to experience good things. But do you ever wonder if you are walking on the path He gave you the abilities and gifts to accomplish? Are you walking the path He wants you on for success?
How do I know it was God who urged me in this direction? So many doors are closing going this way, maybe it’s His way of telling me no and I just don’t want to acknowledge that. Maybe my motives are wrong. Maybe this is not from Him; or am I doing it for my accolades, or not doing it for His purpose or something? Or is He giving me hurdles I have to climb to reach His purpose? Is He trying to teach me endurance before I reach the goal? Or am I totally on the wrong path? How to know?
And my doubts continue and grow. Sometimes I walk away from a project for a period of time and then suffer the guilt of not working at it at all. (That’s hardly being diligent and faithful).
I KNOW it’s a matter of being patient and following the direction I received. But then did I? Was that really God? Did I put my own spin on things? Nothing further is happening? Though I stumble, I don’t fall; I worry, but I don’t quit. I am continuing to trust I am doing His will. But sometimes when things are not changing or seeming to progress, I wonder if I missed something. I try to push the worry aside, as I know Satan creeps in with his sneaky lies, whispers, and doubts, planting them here and there in my brain…and they begin to sprout, especially if I am not tending the garden of my mind. The demon loves to cause us to doubt, fear, worry, and eventually we might quit. So, it is a persistent matter to push doubt away, tend to the weeds before they truly take root.
But I know, and have experienced having God step in when I was not going the path He directed. I was so uneasy and not at peace. I had no comfort in thinking I was doing the right thing. Everything felt wrong. Peace and relief came when I backed away.
I know He has a plan for each of us. I have–always have had–a problem with impatience, and want reassurance I am doing the right thing. If I don’t “hear” from Him for a while, then I wonder if I missed a clue or “quiet voice” murmuring I needed to change direction. I become questioning and unsure. And that leads to being anxious. And the Holy Spirit gently reminds me of verses I’ve repeatedly needed regarding patience…and my great lack of. I remember I have to WAIT and continue along the path being PATIENT. Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:7, Psalm 40:1-2, Isaiah 57:19, Phil 4:6,7
Needless to say, most times when impatience creeps in, my frenzied seeking then does not get addressed. After a time, I remember, I am waiting on God’s timing, and, most importantly, I am serving HIM in this world. I have all that I need. Then I apologize for my sinful doubts. “Right, patience. Ok, I need to read and study on that. Again.”
And I sit right down and open to the words dealing with impatience, worry and anxiety. I read about not wavering, keeping on the path…Wait on the Lord. Have no fear and He will strengthen your heart: wait on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 And I feel my soul, my thoughts settle. And peace comes again.
Trusting. I am again able to squelch the doubts and seeds Satan tries to plant. ‘Go along, now demon, you are NOT welcome here.’
So even after years of trying to follow and not doubt, not worry, I still have periods of uncertainty sneak through. Those times are far less frequent than they used to be, but they occasionally still sneak through. And now when they come, I can more easily identify Satan tweaking me toward worry and anxiety. Then I can quote some scripture which reminds me of God’s promises and allay the insecurity. And I can sometimes feel the slithering demon slide away…for now.
Yes, I recognize Satan will make an appearance later. It is his goal to try to bring me to my knees, to listen and believe his lies. But I choose not to follow his will. I chose Jesus as my savior. I have only to open His book and refresh my mind with promises to remove the lies Satan whispers.
I have found over the years, that I feel stronger, achieve and work more patiently when I have scriptures to refer to. Once I recognize my doubts, it is easy to find scripture to change my “stinkin’ thinkin'” to quote Joyce Meyer. Stinkin’ thinkin’ has no place in living God’s word and will for your life.
I am more confident and at peace knowing God has a plan for my life….helps me wait more patiently in “mybellaviews.”
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