Do You Want To Know A Secret?

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29

All parents certainly have a few "secrets" that they do not share with their children.  Major holidays come to mind...the true identity of the Easter bunny and Santa Claus, to name a few. I could name several occasions where we have had to smuggle medicine into the boys’ food or drinks so that they would feel better..."Daddy, why is the milk pink?" "Yes son, I really enjoy Justin Beiber's music. Please, let's hear 'Baby' again for the one millionth time." (No sarcasm at all in the last statement!) 

The more I think about it, there are many things that we too will probably never fully understand about God...secrets, if you will.

When we fully trust God's lead in our lives, we need to allow Him to direct our every step, each and every day. If you are like me, you kind of like to know how things are going to work out, but with our Loving Father, not knowing the future and trusting Him the same are what is most important in our walk of faith.

Whenever we find ourselves anxious about the future, or worrying, we must repent and return to God. There are many things we will never know or even begin to understand, but we must put our trust into the One who does know exactly what the future holds for us.

I Keep Forgettin'

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1, 2

Do you have people in your life who only seem to talk to you when they want something? Conversations that solely revolve around the other person’s needs or demands make it hard on a friendship or relationship. These one-sided relationships can lead to us feeling used and/or manipulated.  Sadly, I treated my wonderful and loving parents as the proverbial ‘ATM machine’ during college.  I would stop by the house to visit briefly with my folks and then hold my hand out and ask for a check or some cash to help bail me out of my reckless spending habits.

I have a feeling that God must feel much the same about us when we only approach Him with our needs and desires. We’ll gladly give Him our prayer requests without spending any time praising Him or taking the time to thank Him for our past blessings or seeking a relationship with Him. We  have no problem praying for future events without even acknowledging His help, provisions, and blessings in the past. Our forgetfulness is an indication of our ingratitude toward God and it renders our prayers ineffective.

God loves each of us, but doesn't want to be taken for granted either.  He also doesn't want to hear our lists of needs and wants every time we pray to Him without an effort on our part to truly know Him and be in a relationship with Him.

When we face difficult times, we must look at the past and acknowledge all that God has done in our lives.  We must spend more time thanking Him and praising Him, so that our blessings glorify Him!

All Of My Heart

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.  Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5

This time of the year, I travel quite extensively for work and often times rely on my iPhone’s GPS to navigate my way.  When I think about it, I am amazed at how much I rely on an electronic device for directions.  It makes me ponder why I am so resistant to following God’s direction for my life.

We normally trust those who can be counted on to tell the truth and keep their promises.  God is THE source of truth, for He cannot lie.  Everything that He says in His Word is true.  All of it must be true, or we couldn’t fully trust God. 

If you are struggling with allowing God to take His righteous place in your life, learn to trust Him with all of your heart.  It will allow Him to make Himself known to you in amazing and profound ways.