Tag: faith

Posted on

In First Place

You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3 NASB

In the beginning of God’s deluge to Moses on the rules of law that the children of Israel were to live by stands one of the greatest commandments. You shall have no other gods before Me. And in listening to a message on First Fruits almost two minutes ago, it dawned on me what that really meant. Have no other gods before me…this meaning I can’t have my family, my friends, my relationships, work, school, health, finances and money, anything or anyone, before Him.

I realize now that for all my life up until this point, that this lesson is what God has been trying to show me. Of course God especially personalizes this journey for each of us…but I now see that everything I have gone through has served to draw me closer to Him and to teach me this single fact. We must not have any other god before Him. Because all of these things can be come a ‘god’ for us…fame and attention, prosperity, power, lust, influence, work, our significant others…we allow these things to manipulate our schedules and control our sleeping. They influence when we wake up, what we will do when we leave work and when we get home. They even dictate how much time we spend with God, which service we go to and how long it needs to be. It all makes sense now.

It is essential to our faith that we learn to reverse the roles and the mistakes taught to us by everyday life. We must realize that it is in the reordering of those lists that the things that are most important can all be accomplished when we place those things at God’s feet after we have subjected ourselves to His instructions. It is when we start the day with prayer, praise and worship to and of Him that we can see those things fall into place before us. It is when we seek His dreams, visions, and appointed purposes for our lives that we begin to truly know who we are and truly begin to enjoy our lives here. It is when we put Him first in everything, that everything that was once a disarray and out of order becomes a flowing process. You begin to meet the right people at the right time to help you bring to pass those new ‘ideas,’ you meet that special someone because you have allowed God to reorder your life and priorities and give you a new value system, and you start really making those millions you have dreamed about (well, I know I will be making them soon, lol).

God has to be first. Before everything, every person, and every situation. God allows us to ‘go through’, revealing those voids in our lives so that we must seek Him. It was not until my daddy died and seemingly all hell broke loose that I really had to go to Him to get it all together. It was in almost having something I have always desired that I realized that I did not want that thing without God. With God first, everything you need and truly desire will manifest. With God first, there is no lack. With God first, everything comes to you instead of you seeking those things. Put Him first today, drop everything and let God give you those things back in their proper order–then watch your life take on a form you never dreamed of! Watch God blow your mind!

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 28:2 NASB

Posted on

Take A Back Seat

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:5 NASB

There is a song called "Background" by Lecrae, and the chorus says "Won’t you take the Lead, lead, lead…and I can play the background, the background and you can take the leeeeeeaaaaad (lol)." In talking with my friend last night, I realized the importance of losing control to God by remembering how I felt when it happened to me.

I did not realize how much I had felt the need to be in control of my life until I lost it. I mean virtually everything I had planned happened for me with no struggle: I graduated high school with no problems, got into every school I applied to, and even had school paid for. I was able to attend an out-of-state college in Atlanta which is where I said I wanted to be and live for school. I had a boyfriend and great friends, so my life was peachy. I had never been sick majorly, only colds and allergies that I can think of, and of course the measles and chicken pox. But there was really no opposition whatsoever. Then almost seemingly the world as I knew it came crashing down around me junior year when I was diagnosed with kidney disease. Everything that I knew had changed and that control I had unknowingly cherished was snatched from my grasp. I hated that God had even kept me alive because I did not understand why I had to suffer. I see now that it has only been growth and a maturing of my faith that has revealed the necessity of those things in my life as well as praying for God to lead me and show me how to manifest the life He wants for me.

At this point in my life, I know and take comfort more each day in God’s leading me. A scripture I meditate on pretty regularly now is Psalm 32:8, which says "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you." (NASB) I actually like the AKJV better because it says "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye." God promises to lead and guide us on the best pathway for our lives and that He will guide us with His eye. I take that to mean that God will give us several things: a divine vision of the path we are to follow, ‘insider’ tips and information on how to succeed revealed by His Spirit, and basically an answer key to pass any trial and test that comes.

However if you are like I was, hard-headed and determined to live life your way, I am sure this seems unfathomable and totally foreign to you. How can a God you cannot see lead you? If you are honest, you’ve felt this way before too. I questioned everything and fought to get my way, which resulted in some of the worst times in my life…all because I wanted to do what I thought was best for me.

I have since surrendered to God and I pray daily that He leads me and shows me the way. Life isn’t easy, but God and His provision of the above–a vision for me to follow, tips (words to my heart and mind from the Holy Spirit, prophetic guidance from godly counsel, and the Spoken Word), and the answer key (the Bible), I have done a whole lot better than I did in the past. We have to learn to release the reins and get in the back of the buggy. We have to move to the back of the train and let God be the conductor. We have to allow God to drive the bus because He alone knows the way. We cannot believe that we alone have it all together and that God has no place or purpose in our lives. It was not until I finally exhaled to let go that my life truly began to take shape and take off. Get in the back seat and ride. Let God take the lead and show you what you need!

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10 NASB