Tag Archives: god is in control

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Step by Step   

Leave a comment

greglaurie

A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way? . . . In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. —Proverbs 20:24; 16:9

God is in control of all circumstances that surround my life. Sometimes we may feel we understand these circumstances, but at other times we don’t have a clue why certain things happen as they do, and we are mystified. We make our plans. But God always will have His way.

There’s nothing wrong with making a plan for tomorrow or for next month or next year. But we must always plan with this proviso: the Lord may change our plans and take us in a completely different direction. It is His prerogative to do so; He, not you, is in control of your life.

Jeremiah 10:23 says, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” And in the book of Proverbs, the writer asks the question: “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” (Proverbs

20:24, NLT).

We sometimes call this guiding of our steps “divine providence.” Does that mean, then, that bad things never will happen to good and even godly people? No. But it does mean that even when bad things happen, God can bring good out of bad, as Romans 8:28 assures us.

All of God’s good promises, however, won’t be fully realized until we get to heaven. There are some things we can look at in life and say, “That was a really terrible experience, but now as I look back in retrospect, I can see the good that has come from it.” But then there are other things we will experience in life that we never will see good come out of—or at least “good” as we understand it. It won’t be until we get to the other side and see the Lord face-to-face that we will understand these things.

Even so, we entrust our lives to His good hands and His great wisdom and praise Him for directing us step by step.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Set a Prisoner Free   

Leave a comment

greglaurie

As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. —Genesis 50:20

The word oops is not in God’s vocabulary.

Isn’t that great to know? God is in control. We, on the other hand, can’t control everything that happens in our lives, even though we try. But there is one thing we can do, and that is forgive. We can forgive those who have wronged us. We can forgive those who have taken advantage of us. We can for-give those who have slandered us and made fun of us. We can forgive those who have betrayed us.

You may think they don’t deserve it. But remember, you have been forgiven. Therefore, you should be forgiving. Of course, you aren’t going to feel like it at times. You may see him or her and feel your blood begin to boil. That is when you need to say, “As an act of faith, as a step of obedience to Jesus Christ, I forgive this person.”

I has been said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” You should not only forgive to help that person, but you also need to forgive for your own mental and spiritual health. Just let it go. Put it into the hands of God and determine not to be tormented by it one day longer.

Is there someone you need to forgive today? Are you harboring a grudge toward someone? Forgive. Forgive whoever it is that has hurt you. As Ephesians 4:32 tells us, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – My Assurance: God Is in Control

1 Comment

Charles Stanley

Jeremiah 32:17

During one of the most trying seasons of my life, I would sit by the fire with a dear friend and pour out my heart. Since this man was a good listener, he could sense when I felt discouraged, and he would remind me that God is in control. This truth became an anchor in my life; no matter how much the adversity intensified, I took comfort in knowing that my heavenly Father is sovereign.

The Lord has absolute rule, control, and authority over the universe and everything in it. Scripture states that there is “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:6).

Consider the assurances that this truth provides for believers. First, if God created everything and has complete power over all, then nothing can happen apart from His direction and permission. Second, we know from the Bible that He is intimately involved in our personal lives and cares about the details of each day. Third, Romans 8:28 guarantees that He makes something beautiful for His children from every circumstance—even situations that seem painful and wrong. If our loving Father protects us in this way, we can experience peace in the present and confidence about the future.

In painful times, how do you view God? Especially during hardships and heartbreak, it’s important to remember that He is in control. Focusing on His sovereignty will give you the confidence to carry on. Reread today’s passage, paying particular attention to the power, love, and ability of your heavenly Father.

 

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – A Reason to Sit Tight

Leave a comment

Max Lucado

God knows more about life than we do! And aren’t we glad He does? Be honest. Are we glad He says “no” to what we want and “yes” to what we need? Not always. If we ask for a new marriage, and He says honor the one you’ve got, we aren’t happy. If we ask for healing, and He says learn through the pain, we aren’t happy.

When God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy.  Never has been.  Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it. We need to hear that God is in control. We need to hear it is not over until He says so. We need to hear life’s mishaps and tragedies are not a reason to bail out. They are simply a reason to—sit tight!

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Humility Leads to Blessing

1 Comment

Charles Stanley

Luke 14:7-11

The Lord promises to exalt believers who live humbly, but we often look at our circumstances—job situation, finances, or lack of material things—and question whether He’s coming through on this pledge. However, it’s important to view things from His perspective rather than the world’s. While God may choose to give us material blessings, such benefits are hardly comparable to the greater rewards He longs to bestow, like a deeper understanding of who He is, or prayers answered beyond all imagination.

Certain attitudes prevent our receiving the Father’s intended blessings:

•Impatience. We want it now and are unwilling to trust that God is in control.

•Insecurity. We feel that if certain things don’t happen, we simply cannot continue.

•Identity in the wrong things. We feel good about ourselves only if we are a success by societal standards.

•Ignorance of the Word. We decide for ourselves what is right.

•Impure motives. Discontent or jealousy causes us to push ahead of God and use manipulation to get our way.

•Impulsiveness. Without asking God, we assume every seeming opportunity is a door He has opened.

•Ingratitude. Lack of thankfulness for what He’s given skews our perspective.

Notice these obstacles all start with “I”! Humility doesn’t come naturally. It requires deliberate, ongoing effort to remain in God’s presence so we can see how worthy He is of our total submission. Begin by “bowing” your heart before the Lord and surrendering everything. Then wait patiently for His promised blessing.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – An Eternal Perspective

Leave a comment

greglaurie

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. —2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

When you are younger, you think certain things are always good, while other things are always bad. For example, success is always good, and hardship is always bad. But when you have lived life for a while, you can look back and realize that success actually can be bad for some. And hardship actually can be good for others. You begin to see things differently. And sometimes the things you thought were really good things turned out to be bad things. And the things that you thought were bad things turned out to be good things.

We must realize as Christians that God is in control of all circumstances surrounding our lives. God takes all of the events of life, the good things and the so-called bad things, and works them “together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

We must also realize that God loves us and is always looking out for our eternal benefit—even if what we are presently going through is difficult. We are told in 2 Corinthians 4:17–18, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (NLT).

Are you thankful for what God has blessed you with? Have you given thanks recently for your health? For the freedom to worship openly? For the clothes on your back and the roof over your head? We need to give thanks to God—because there is so much to give thanks for.

Uncategorized

Gain through Pain – Greg Laurie

Leave a comment

 

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow—James 1:2–3

I avoid pain at all costs. That is why I don’t run. I have tried running, and it hurts. People have told me, “Just run a little. Walk, and then run from here to there.” So I do it, and I hate it.

For me, the most ideal workout would be a pain-free one. I don’t want my muscles to be sore the next day. But as the expression goes, no pain, no gain. And what is true of working out is also true of life: no pain, no gain. If you are looking for a pain-free life, then you are not going to gain spiritually. You see, pain reminds us of a deeper need. Adversity teaches us eternal truths that we would not otherwise learn.

I experience a certain kind of pain every day. I don’t know if I would call it pain, but it is a hunger pang. From the moment I get up, I want to eat. And by 10:00, as lunchtime begins to roll around, I am basically hungry. So I wait, and I tell myself that lunch is coming. And that hunger pang reminds me of a deeper need.

When I have pain in my life, it reminds me of a deeper need, which is a need for God. And He will teach us lessons in those valleys that we would never learn on mountaintops: things we need to know and things we need to share with others.

Think about your life and about some of the greatest lessons you have learned. They have come through adversity, haven’t they? Those are the things you pass on and share with others. You remember those times when the Lord came through for you. And that is why we need to understand that God is in control of all these things.