Alright peeps, it’s almost February! Saturday, yep, tomorrow, is day one of the rest of our lives (link to tune). We are one month into 2020!
How are you feeling?
How are you doing with those goals you set?
Did you set goals?
I Do you want to be better than you were last year?
Yes? …In what ways?
And if your answer is no, then I am going to challenge you to dig deeper.
WHY? Because we can always get better. We can always get closer to our goals, grow closer to God, become closer to the best version of ourselves, and closer to all He has for us.
Albert Einstein is quoted having said “once you stop learning, you start dying.”
If you always accomplish, reach and obtain your goals, then you should probably push yourself harder to create bigger goals. Dig deeper, dream bigger; we can go further than most of us give ourselves credit for.
Want to know the key, the secret of you will, to accomplishing more goals, and even dreaming bigger, thinking greater and living larger lives than you are today?
A dear friend of mine, Gina, quotes our pastor all the time… with a smile and a glow she says, “the answer is always the same. It’s the three r’s.” Meditate on that first part for a moment. There is so much wisdom in that statement, “the answer is always the same.” It’s the same because He is always the same. The same yesterday, today and forever, always standing there waiting on you and watching you with a simple truth and a smile. He’s a simple God. He’s the same constant good, good Father, full of love, mercy and grace.
“The 3 R’s… they are:
- Run
- Rest
- Rely
To set the tone of these 3 R’s queue Cody Carnes’ Run to the Father. This song has been top of mind as of late. There is so much truth, beauty and freedom in this song. We should consistently run to the Father with everything, and fully submit ourselves, our whole selves to Him. We need to constantly humble ourselves before the cross, to be still and know the He is God and He is good, and rely on Him to order and orchestrate our will, our mind, our emotions, our bodies and our lives. His plans and His will are perfectly made for us. We have to trust Him.
Commit. Go all in. Take it all to Him. He is our counselor, our friend, the One who created us… for a time such as this.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10
Want know what you were made for?
You were made to pursue. In order to live this life to its fullest potential, in order to grow, you have to go all in for God. Pursue Him and only Him consistently. Fix your eyes and your heart on His goodness, grace and mercies. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Read His Word.
“Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.” 1 Chronicles 22:19
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
That’s it. That’s the key. Take heart, have faith in His promises, move toward Him, and He will bless you.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
James 4:8 tells us “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Ex 14:4
How beautiful is that promise?! He is fighting, protecting and warring on your behalf. He just wants us to run to Him, rest in Him and rely on Him! That is the God we serve. I, at times, cannot even wrap my mind around that, the creator, author, alpha omega, Jehovah Jirah, King of all Kings and LORD of all Lords wants us to just run, rest and rely on Him… to sit in His knee and talk to Him.
My friend, He created the human race to enjoy the garden and take walks with Him! He’s our Father and our friend. He wants you to abundantly enjoy this life and He has given us the simple Truth for generations, and for our generation, He lives us so that He gave His son, and the Living Word to live by. He just asks us to read it, spend time with Him, have faith in Him and trust the process.
If you agree with me, and even if you don’t, try this – I’m begging you! Write down your goals, your dreams; for dreams are birthed from the heart. Write it all down, the outrageous and the simple, and submit them to the Father.
All throughout scripture we are taught the importance of writing things down, as if the Bible were not proof enough of the importance of making accounts of what is taking place. Take note so that you can give an accurate account of your testimony. By submit, I mean to take your written notes, your heart cries, your requests, your confessions, your healings, your plans, your money…. take it all to Him and pray… pray over each item and ask God to align the desires of your heart with what He would have you to do this year.
What would He have you focus on?
What does He want to heal?
What is He telling you to walk away from?
Ask for Him to speak into you, to breathe fresh vision and revelation on you, ask Him to ignite the Holy Spirit inside of you that you might know His ways, so that you can take your next steps with purpose, provision and certainty.
Submit it all to Him. Take it all to the cross, lay it down and leave it. This act will help differentiate what is being driven by your desires and what is His desire for you. Ask Him to orchestrate your attitude, your tongue, your time, your choices and your intentions, so that you can honor Him. And be thankful, because your beliefs shape your reality. He will bless your request and protect you, because He loves you.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
Run, Rest and Rely.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
And when your mind starts doubting, when you want to go pick up what you left at the foot of the cross, remind yourself of God’s promises, His sacrifice, His love and the fact that each day is a gift from above and we should do with it as He would have us.
Ultimately, God’s desire for our life is the best life. In alignment with Him, pursuing Him, we will find an abundant life.
Do you want all He has for you in 2020? Let’s dig in and go get it. He is there, with His hand out waiting for us to grab hold. Side-by-side, let’s leap toward him, hands stretched out… together pursuing. He is going to catch us and carry us.
“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. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7
We will plea, pray, and plan together here at “His D. Light”. “For where two or three gather in my name, I am there with them” Matt 18:20. I cannot wait to see what blessings our good Father has in store for us in 2020. It is going to be the best year of our lives.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
His D. Light 