I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. We want to do God's will, but then day-to-day stresses pull us in other directions. As much as we love God and seek His face, sometimes we forget to go to Him first for everything. When we continue in this fashion, we forfeit the benefits He has provided for us that would make our lives easier. Anne Markey of One Determined Life had this in mind when developing the Spiritual Growth Masterclass. Here are three critical mistakes we occasionally make.
We forget that Father God designed us.
Father God designed us with a spirit, soul, and body. Sometimes we want to separate the spirit part of ourselves, giving our spiritual self to God but then wanting to take total control of our soul and body without regard to His Word. Yet it is only by allowing God to have control of all aspects of our being that we can live a harmonious life. The maker of your entire being wanted you to prosper in all facets of life and has provided instructions to help you.
We forget that He created us for a purpose.
Father God gave each of us talents and gifts to benefit the people in our lives and the world. Yet, periodically we forget that He had plans in mind for us when He formed us in our mother's womb. We attempt to go it alone and fail to complete the transformations in the world God created us to make. Transformative living is about constructing an authentic faith-driven life. We do this by making forward progress towards becoming better stewards of the talents and resources that God has given us.
We put more faith in our circumstances than in Christ.
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
- Matthew 14:29-30
Sometimes life is messy, and we can take our eyes off Christ and get focused on the mess. Then, like Peter, we start to sink. We become bogged down with fear and stop moving forward toward our dreams. If we can refocus and recalibrate, we can do the miraculous. Sometimes we need a little boost to move beyond fear and manifest God’s will for our life. We need the Word; we need belief in the Word, a vision for making it real in our lives, and the motivation to take action.
Giving God our very best isn’t about striving for perfection but about pursuing Jesus in every area of our lives with all aspects of our being. We can trust that He is better at handling the details than we are. If you want a little boost to grow spiritually, click here to join the Spiritual Growth Masterclass.