Tuned to His Frequency

Last semester I had the chance to be a part of a drama production at Golden State Baptist College. It was an absolutely incredible experience and I loved it. Part of my job in the evening performance was to be the backstage manager of sorts. I had a headset and walkie talkie set. I was in communication with the sound booth, and the lighting crew the entire time. Yes, I talked to the actors backstage, and did other things. But I was still wearing the headset and I could talk to them and hear everything they were saying.

It reminded me of how prayer should be in our lives. Prayer isn't necessarily always talking to God. Sometimes it is just being there to listen. To keep tabs on His thoughts, even if when we aren't specifically focused on Him.

I wasn't with the other crew members. I couldn't see them, and I wasn't in the same place. But I could always hear them, no matter what I was doing. I was constantly in touch with what they needed from me, and what was going on where they were. And my radio was always tuned to their frequency.

We may not be able to pray 24/7, but that does not mean that we can't always hear God. When we are truly surrendered and right with Him, He sends us "messages" throughout the day to help us and guide our steps.

Prayer is so much more than just praying. It is living with the knowledge that God is always there, and listening for Him all the time. Like a radio, it's always being tuned to His frequency.

Make today count!
Always,
Amanda

Letting Go or Giving Up?

Two different things or the same?

How about an analogy. God has showed you something in your life. You know that this thing is a serious burden on your heart, and you have a very definite idea of what you want the outcome of this situation to be. But yet you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit on your heart, telling you to trust Him and let go of what you want. He wants you to give Him to pen of the script and let Him write the story of your life.

Or, sometimes we see a situation that seems impossible. We know in our heads that God can do what He promises, and of course He wants us to be happy and He loves to give good gifts to His children. But we just feel like our prayers are getting us nowhere in a hurry. Nothing is happening and every time we try to "help God out", we end up making a disaster of things.

Sound familiar?

Too often we assume that letting go and giving up go hand in hand. We assume that if God is asking for our trust in Him about our dreams and plans, then by default He is going to take them away and we might as well give up on them ever becoming a reality.

But letting go doesn't mean giving up.

Giving up displays no faith in God's miraculous power. When we give up on a burden of our heart we are telling God that we do not believe He is capable of answering our prayers. Our faith is weak or nonexistent. And did you know, that the only thing that stops God's hand from doing amazing things with our lives is our own sin and unbelief?

However, letting go allows Him to show us what is not meant to be in our life, and the great things that He can do when we allow Him to fully use us. When we let go of our agendas and plans and allow Him to take what does not belong in our lives, and leave what is best, then He can bless us. Only when we are willing to take our hands from the pen of our lives and let go, can He have full access to fulfill His perfect plan through us.

Never will we regret giving everything to God and truly letting go. Nothing in this world can compare to having the Savior who died to prove His love, in charge of our lives.

So hold His blessings in an open hand. Trust Him with everything but never give up on His power to answer prayer. And always remember, He makes no mistakes.

Make today count!
Always,
Amanda

Giving God Your Idols

Giving up the very thing that means the most to us. Laying all our dreams and desires down at the feet of our precious Savior. How noble it seems, and how far we think we have gone to honor Him!

But are we laying a precious treasure at His feet?

Or an idol?

Idols are anything in our lives that we love more than God. Our initial reaction to a statement like that is repulsion. Of course we would never love anything more than God!! Right?

But sometimes idols hide well. Sometimes they really are gifts from God that the devil has used to sidetrack us. Our idols might be a person, a job, a habit, or even our dreams for the future. But whatever they are, they keep us from loving our King first and keeping Him on the throne of our hearts. Idol worship in the Bible was often symbolized as spiritual adultery. Leaving our first love for something or someone else.

Of course, we would never call it an idol. It isn't that we worship that dream or the person or situation. But we just can't imagine our lives without it. We will do anything for God........ As long as that one thing is still in our lives.

Idols are hard to identify sometimes but they are even harder to get rid of. We think that by telling God that He can do whatever He wants in our life, even taking that one thing from us, that we are offering our best to God.

But God wants nothing to do with our idols. Instead of a sweet sacrifice of love, we are offering Him our own rejection of His person! What a terrible thought! We are telling God that because we hold this thing to be more important than Him, we will give it to Him to show our love. How confusing!

It's like slapping someone in the face and then telling them it was a gift because of how much you love them.

God does not appreciate us giving Him our idols. In fact, He hates them. They take many different shapes and sizes but they are all the same. They steal our heart, our time, our energy and our dreams away from our Heavenly King. They turn our focus away from His dear face.

In order to love Him first, we must tear down the idols of our hearts, and turn our eyes back to our loving Savior. Just like in Judges, the very godly kings took down the high places and cut down the groves, so we must completely cleanse our lives of everything that reminds us of that idol. God can only pour Himself into an empty vessel, He only wants to use a clean one.

I want to encourage you to search your heart and ask God to show you any idols that you may have. Be sincere, and honest before the Lord. Be 100% willing to turn away from anything that is stealing your heart. Put no qualifications on God's will for you. Love Him first and give Him everything, and He will shine His miraculous power through your life.

Make today count!
Always,
Amanda