Proverbs 3:5-12 – Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!

When I was 18, I did an internship at my church. I had one problem with it: I wasn’t allowed to date. I didn’t like this because I was in love with a girl! The pastor over the interns sat me down and said that I’d have to cut off my relationship with the girl for one year to focus on God.

I was filled with anxiety. Filled with fear. Filled with stress…and Filled with questions: What if she meets someone else? What if she forgets about me? What if I don’t end up with her?

I thought there were valid questions, so I brought them up to the pastor overseeing me. He looked at me and said, “Bubba, you’re not trusting God.”

That statement hit me like a ton of bricks. It was true, I wasn’t trusting God. A few days later, the pastor sent me this scripture in a text and said it was for me:

You (God) will keep in perfect peace, all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah. 26:3

From that moment on, I start fixing my thoughts and my heart on God instead of my questions, fear, and anxiety. As I started putting God first, I became more and more confident in Him. Over time, I learned to trust Him with all of my heart.

The Result: After the internship, I got the girl and now, 9 years later… I’m still with that girl! Even though it wasn’t always easy, I trusted God, and He came through.

If you are stressed, don’t have peace, are anxious, or rules by fear, ask yourself this question: Am I trusting God? If you don’t have peace, rest, and confidence, then most likely the answer to that question is no. If that is the case… start focusing on God.

No matter what you’re going through today, Trust God. Keep your eyes, your heart, and thoughts focused on Him. If you’ll do that, you’ll gain a peace and a confidence in your heart that you have never had before.

Trust Him…with Everything.

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10

Have you ever been last picked? It’s not the greatest feeling in the world. We all want to be a part of a winning team. We all want to succeed. We all want to be picked first in life. However, I find that all too often, we feel inadequate in life and believe that what we have to offer is worthless compared to what everyone around us brings to the table.

Seth Godin wrote a great post, “Reject the Tyranny of Being Picked: Pick Yourself“.  In it, he said, “No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.”

While I was reading that post, I agreed with that statement. It’s true that in life, there may be no one who goes out of their way to pick you. You need to believe in yourself and what you can do if you’re going to be successful.

But as I was reading that quote by Seth, God spoke to my heart. He said, “I’ve picked you.”

That got me fired up! Ephesians 2:10 says that God already has paths planned for us, that if we’ll walk in them, we’ll live the good life, that he pre-arranged for us! God has already picked us. He picked us before we were even born (Romans 5:8). I like how Zig Ziglar says it, “God doesn’t take time to make a nobody.”

Once we know that God’s already picked us in life, we can start to pick ourselves. We can believe in what He has put in us. We can believe in what He sees in us.

Always remember that God has picked you.

So stop doubting yourself. Stop diminishing your dreams. Stop thinking everyone else has talent and you don’t. Stop thinking everyone else “on the team” is great, and you are mediocre. God picked you for His team. He believes in you.

Start to See Yourself as He Sees You and Go after what He’s put in your heart.

Thoughts?

“When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built find homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplies along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself “I have achieved this wealth with my own strategy and energy. Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful.”

-Deut. 8:11-18

Deut. 8:11-19 is one of my favorite sections of scripture. It’s a constant reminder that everything I am and everything I have is a gift from God. He has been so good to me. If I have anything that is good in my life, if I’ve had any form of success, if I have been freed from bondage, it’s all because of Him. All I had to do was choose to respond to Him. He did the rest.

So, what do you do when life is awesome?

Thank God constantly. Never forget what He has done for you.

Failure to do so, will make you proud. It will make you dependent on yourself. Your heart will become hardened. You’ll start thinking you are the reason your life is awesome, when in reality, you’d have nothing without God.

Thanking God is one of the greatest things we can do with our lives. Whether we have just hit rock bottom or we are soaring on the mountain tops of life, we need to thank God. Thank God He is bringing us out of our current circumstance or thanking Him because He has brought us to an awesome place in our lives.

Thoughts?