Amidst the world’s confusion and life’s problems, pessimism and frustration, God’s omnipotent hand moves, and works out His unchanging plan and purpose. In every instance, our sovereign God is in control for as we read in Psalm 18:30, “God’s way is perfect. The LORD’S promise always proves to be true. He protects those who trust in him.”

Most of us will agree that there are times in our life where things do not always work out the way we plan. But if we commit our ways to the Lord Jesus Christ and walk in obedience to Him and in trust, we will discover that His plans for us are always better than ours.

God knows our strengths and our weaknesses; and He knows what is best for us. The Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11-13 confirming this and saying, “‘ For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.‘”

So often we commit our burdens to the Lord, and then fail to trust Him, and take matters back into our own hands; producing Ishmaels instead of Isaacs. And when we mess up, we pray to God for help, asking Him to save us from troubles. When we fail to submit to God (in our disobedience and wavering unbelief), we fall into the trap of the enemy who constantly lies and preys on God’s people, in order to thwart His plan.

But if we truly believed in the Lord, we will follow Him and wait on Him! Psalm 40:4 says, “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!”

God wants all of us to live victorious lives. The closer we are to Christ, the farther we are to Satan. Our trust in God makes us part of His Kingdom; but our love for God and obedience to His will, makes us citizens of His Kingdom. Have no doubt about it, obedience to God takes hard work, sacrifice and discipline.

The Bible teaches us that sacrifice and discipline are necessary if we are to be faithful servants of Christ, for as Paul wrote in First Corinthians 9:27, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

God has a perfect plan for every life. Therefore, if we live in constant fellowship with Him, He will direct and lead us in the fulfilment of His plan. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says in guidance for us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

God moves in ways which seem mysterious to us, and by His providence, He sustains us. Behind the scenes, in the supernatural, He is working in our lives to bring about His divine purpose. When we willingly relinquish control of our lives to God and then wholly rely upon His promises, providence, grace and timing; He will lead us home.

Without doubt, the Holy Spirit is the key to living under God’s grace. He enables us to subdue the lusts of the flesh as we continuously submit ourselves to His power and control. In James 4:7 when James says “Therefore submit yourselves to God …” his is using submit in the perfect continuous tense, meaning submit and keep on submitting. In other words James is saying to us “Therefore submit and keep on submitting yourselves to God …”

The Spirit and the flesh are diametrically opposed to one another as evidenced in the “works” and “fruit”. The result is a fierce and unrelenting conflict within Christians in which they cannot be victorious by their own strength – though they often seek to do so. Paul told the Galatian churches in his Epistle to the Galatians 5:16-17, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

Today, are we willing to make a declaration to God, to give up our ways for His? This means moving forward in step with Him by faith, confident that the way He is leading is best! Are we willing to rely on His promises, providence and grace? Are You willing?

“Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4).

Amen and Amen!