The Christian Girl's Blog

Thursday, March 1st, Las Vegas Nevada

" 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.

Jeremiah 29:11

We've all heard this verse at LEAST once during or maybe even before our walk with God. Normally when things aren't looking to be in the best condition.

There's two meanings to this verse the way I see it. The first that God will always take care of us His plan is for good and in the end when we're standing with Him we'll look back and see how even then He was working. Through everything in life that's hard, tough, or makes us want to break, God has a plan.

The second is doing what seems right in our opinion. But that's actually not what the Lord has in mind. And you know that's not what He wants you to do either.

We live in a world where terrible things happen. All. The. Time. And we can't control them. As much as we might try we, we'll never be able to control the world around us with trials, tests, problems and struggles. It just won't happen. And it can deter our focus.

If we are so focused on what we can't control and what we can't fix. Then you get another way things from this life can distract us from God. Which just makes things worse for us. Jesus helps us through our struggles. He gives us strength. But if we are so focused on the struggle. How can God help us through it?

Instead of focusing on what we can't control, focus on the one who can.

Secondly what I really want to get to because this has been on my mind is making our own plans and ignoring God's.

He says "for I know the plans I have for you," not the ones we have for ourselves. (Although technically He does know) He has plans for us. But us being the human beings we are, we like making our own plans. Let's take Jonah for example.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah

the soon of Amittai, saying "Arise, go to

Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against

it; for their wickedness has come up before

Me." But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from

the presence of the Lord. He went down to

Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so

he paid the fare, and went down into it,into go

with them to Tarshish from the presence of

the Lord.

Jonah 1:1-3

God had a plan for Jonah. But what does he do? He runs away. Abraham, or back then, Abram. God told him to leave his family. Yet he brings Lot with him.(Genesis 12:1-5) There are more I could share, but I think I proved my point. Well, maybe just one more. Saul

In 1 Samuel 15:1-9, you will find the story of when Saul spares King Agag. God told Saul to kill him. But nope, Saul doesn't. He did what he wanted, like we do what we want sometimes. (most of the time)

My point in all this is we have to surrender, but I wonder if that's the word I want to use...

Sur.ren.der

səˈrendər/

verb

1.

cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.

"over 140 rebels surrendered to the authorities"

synonyms: capitulate, give in, give (oneself) up, give way, yield, concede (defeat),submit, climb down, back down, cave in, relent, crumble; More

Noun

1.

The action of surrendering.

Synonyms: capitulation, submission, yielding, succumbing, acquiescence;

God is not our enemy, our opponent, but that's what we make Him out to be sometimes. When we stray from Him, when we fight Him, refuse to listen and obey Him. When we make the one who's just trying to protect us because He knows what's best, The enemy. Well maybe there's a reason He's standing in front of the path you want to take. Maybe that path you're fighting so hard against God to get on leads to a place you'll be begging Him to get you out of.

As human beings we're flawed. Every single one of us. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world and cursed all of their offspring to be born into sin. And since we're from their line. We're drawn to it. We are drawn to sin. The thrill of doing something you shouldn't be should be a good enough example already.

But as children of God too we're also drawn to the brighter side. We want everything to be fair. And we all have that conscience, that little always nagging voice inside our heads that warns us we're doing something we shouldn't.

To those who are always asking "Well what about that serial killer, where's their conscience?" Or "what about the guy that raped a girl, how could he have a conscience?" I said we all have one, not that we all listen to it.

We have free will that allows us to ignore part our inheritance in the form of a conscience. But the more we ignore it the more immune we become to it. Like a blade that never gets sharpened, if we continue to not listen we're not getting shaper. We're getting duller. And that's what we should be fighting against.

We shouldn't waste time fighting a battle against God we'll never win or with a terrible outcome. But a battle against the desire to fight God for the plan for our lives. That is our opponent. That is our enemy. I'm not saying we're all complete messes that only produce sin because we aren't. We sinners yes but we are God's. And the sinful nature about us is what we fight against.

The devil is all around. He uses anything he can get his hands on to pull us from God. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But that's who we fight against. That is the enemy. And the one we must never stop resisting.

So stop fighting God for the plan for your life and fight the one who's only intention for is destruction. Trust God.

-loved soul