Your Will Be Done...

Today I take my eyes and I fix them on the cross. Today is a day to remember that Jesus came for me, He came for you, He came for all! He took my place, He took your place, He took all of our places. We were suppose to die, we are the sinners and we are suppose to pay the price, but all because of HIS LOVE for me, for you, for all of us, we are given the gift of eternal life. 

As I have been reading through the gospels I am so humbled by Jesus' response to dying. Over and over He says not my will, but my Father's; I am here to do the work the Father has sent me to do. Jesus knew what was ahead of Him at the cross. He knew He would die a sinner's death, but it wasn't nails that held Him, it was His Father's will and His LOVE for us. This was God's redemption plan for His people. The only way we could be called Sons and Daughters of the Most High God is if a Spotless Lamb died in our place. 

I am a person who likes to plan and be in control, but during the past two years and through a series of events I have had to bow my knee and say to my Father, "Not my will but yours be done." This has been a real stretching time for me, but it has also been a time of so much growth in my personal life and in my relationship with God. 

The latest event for me and my family is after 18 months of house shopping we are in the process of buying a house! YAY!! The last month has been filled with excitement, joy, uncertainty, fear and even a few whys (ok, well maybe a lot of whys). During these 18 months we have looked in 7 different cities and for the last 4 months we have been looking in one specific city. Well, now we are buying in a different city and about 4 months ago this was the same city I said I didn't want to live in. Some of you may be asking, "Well then why are you buying a house there?" Because it goes back to "Not my will but yours be done." With that being said, we believe whole heartily that this is the house the Lord has for us. Our new house is more that I could imagine and I know the Lord has plans for us in the neighborhood He is putting us in, but let's just say it was not my first choice or my second or even my third of places to live. 

We have talked with many people about where we are moving to and we keep hearing "that's a great neighborhood" or "that's a nice area". I smile and say "oh that's good to hear" but deep down I keep thinking what did we do? Why are we moving there? Maybe we heard God wrong? 

During one my quiet times last week the Lord spoke, "So this isn't exactly what you thought it would look like, so what are you going to do about it?" I felt like He gave me 3 options: 

1) Plant your feet and disobey 

2) Go limp and let Me drag you there while your heart goes hard and you miss the WHY 

3) Go with an expectant heart and allow Me to show you the WHY  

The closer we get to the "Big Move" the more I feel this move is His way of asking "Is it really My will that be done or is it yours?"

With that question lingering in the back of my mind I reread Jesus' responses to the cross before Him...Luke 22:42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done."Jesus knew what was before Him AND He still submitted to the Father's will.

Now in NO way am I comparing our move to Jesus' death, (those two things are not even comparable) but what moves my heart is Jesus' response. His response to His Father's will is, well...INCREDIBLE and so full of LOVE for His Father and for us. With Jesus as my example I want to have His obedience! I want to submit to my Heavenly Father the way Jesus did! I want to say "Not mine but Your will be done" and mean it EVERY TIME! 

So I choose option 3. I will go with an expectant heart and allow God to show me the WHY. 

How do you handle situations that come up that don't look like you thought they would? Are you willing to let God's will control your life? Are you willing to say "Not mine, but your will be done" and MEAN it? 

Jesus did and because of His obedience I have the gift of grace and eternal life, you have the gift of grace and eternal life, we all have the gift of grace and eternal life. 

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

Uncomfortable or Comfortable...

Trusting God can be a scary thing. Surrendering to God can be even scarier, especially when we are comfortable. The bible is full of people that were probably comfortable, that were ok where they were and God said I want you to move here; I want you to go get my people out of Egypt; I want you to be king; I want you to speak on my behalf;  I want you to have my Son;  I want you to follow me...it goes on and on.

The last couple of days during my quiet time He has spoken the term "I am not a drive-thru God." At first, my response was of course you're not, but the more that I pondered what He said, the more I realized He is trying to break my habit of using Him as a "drive-thru God". I would define the term "drive-thru God" as: asking God for what I think I need; making Him God on my terms; only giving Him what I want; only doing what He asks when it's comfortable or safe; doing all the talking and not taking time to be quiet to hear him; knowing He is there, but only stopping by when its convenient for me. I am sure we have all done at least one of those things, if not all. The more I get to know my Heavenly Father the more I am pretty sure this was NOT the relationship He intended to have with us.

God spoke through Paul saying "And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:15. Not only are we suppose to live for Him we are also suppose to be dependent on Him; to allow Him to lead our paths; to not worry; to give Him our anxiety; to be His child; to daily pick up our cross and follow Him; to spend time daily with Him; to let Him be in control; to submit to His ways and His plans for our lives. He doesn't want the leftovers of the day, He wants the first fruits. He wants us to know Him, truly know Him. Know Him as King, as a Good Good Father, as Provider, Deliverer, Counselor and Immanuel. God wants to walk through the day with us and not just be the forgotten God until you need Him.

One thing I have learned over the past couple of years, is when you purposely spend time with our Heavenly Father and when He becomes more than a "drive-thru God" He starts to work His ways into every part of your being. He starts to change the way you think and act. He shows you habits that are not pleasing to Him. He starts to ask things of you that seem impossible. He asks you to pray for people and forgive people that have deeply hurt you. He brings to mind verses like Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." It seems He is more concern that I am doing what He wants me to do or for me to be where He wants to me be instead of how comfortable I am (which He is). My life becomes less about what I want and what I want to do and becomes more about the plans the Lord has for me. It's taking my relationship with God one step further and saying I totally surrender to the plans you have for me and my family and I will follow where you lead, EVEN if it makes me uncomfortable.

In August of 2015 we felt the prompting of the Lord for us to leave our home church (We were not angry or mad with anyone at our church; this was totally from the Lord). This church is where my husband grew up and my family started attending while I was in Middle School. My husband and I met at this church, our Youth Pastor married us, all of our kids have been dedicated in this church, we have family and many friends there and have been involved in many different ministries during our time there. We didn't have a plan, we didn't have another church we were planning on attending so this was going to be a step of faith for us. After meeting with the pastors and putting some things in order we left our "home" church at the end of September. We had a few things on a checklist that we wanted our "new" church to have, but in the end we knew it was God who was going to have to make it clear that He wanted us there. I remember something my husband said when talking with a friend, "it's not really so much about we want or what we think, it's about whether or not we feel the Lord is calling us to that church." Our attitudes became Lord, we will go where you want us, but you will have to show us, confirm it and go with us. After much prayer we have found a church that we feel is where God has us, we are not totally sure why at this point, but we are trying to serve where we are needed.

During the last 2 years the Lord has done a lot of pulling us out of our comfort zones. Why? Well to be honest we still don't know. We are just trying to obey Him one step at a time. We are trying to say YES, every time He asks something of us, no matter how uncomfortable it is. We are trying to surrender our ways and thoughts to Him and allowing Him to direct our steps, even when we don't understand the WHY behind it. A lot has changed for us and a lot is still very unsettled for us. However, what I would say about the last two years that even during the struggles, during the hard times and the unknowns I would NOT trade the last two years for anything. My relationship with the Lord has never been stronger; my faith has become more than just words. He has become more than a "drive-thru God" in my life.

Are there areas in your life where you are starting to feel the Lord's prompting, but you know that if you acknowledge it or say Yes, it will not be comfortable? Are you only giving God what you want or serving Him the way you want because it's comfortable? Are you using God as a "drive-thru God"? He wants a true relationship with you; He wants to have ALL of you, but in return He wants to give Himself ALL to you. He wants to drive, lead, be in control, even when you are not comfortable. bbnb n  

Psalm 37:4-7a - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him."