All Things

"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:14-17)

"Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
(Romans 8:26-28)

God uses all things for our good. This includes loss, disappointment, sickness, death, etc. Do I completely understand all the details of why God allows things happen the way they do? Nope... But I trust that God uses all our trials, circumstances, challenges, hurdles, times of pain + suffering and can even use sin for his sovereign ways.

What appears negative in your life? Are there positive lessons and blessings that God wants us to gain from it? What might God perhaps be teaching us in this season? God is always communicating to us, but are we truly listening? What is it that God wants you to specifically know? What areas of life does God want us to grow in?

We get so caught up in the natural, seen, observable and tangible world, that we often forget to pay attention to the supernatural, unseen, spiritual world.

Do we love God? Do we seek to live according to His purposes? Is God at the throne in our lives? Does God reign supreme in our lives?

My counselor asked me what my goals were. I told her one of them was to spend more time with God. She responded, "Why?" Often times we make good goals, without fully knowing why. Pry deeper into the meaning of our goals. Continue to ask yourself why.. Perhaps there we will gain greater understanding, purpose and motivation to pursue what's important and valuable to us.

We are responsible for taking care of every aspect of our lives to the best of our ability. We are but stewards of our lives. We belong to God and He is always with us. And that should give us comfort, knowing that whatever happens, we're gonna be alright because God is good and always in control.

So don't be anxious, do not worry, do not fear, for our God is perfect in every way, and not some distant idea or concept. God is personal like a loving father, where we can find peace, safety, and security in our Abba God.

Sometimes it can be confusing not really knowing God's plans, but we are to trust that ultimately He is for us and loves us. So when you feel any pain or suffering of any sort, be reminded that God can use the opportunity for his good, for His purposes and to draw our hearts closer to Him. 

Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!