Tag: GRATITUDE

Surrender? (Next Steps/Resources)

I should probably explain “Surrender.”

YOUR LIFE IS NOT WHAT YOU WANTED OR EXPECTED

First you realize your life isn’t happening the way you anticipated: you’ve been “let down,” or you’ve let others down, there’s a feeling of pain, suffering, disappointment, hurt, guilt, shame, or lack of enjoyment in life and you simply want those feelings to “go away!” You tried to solve this by: escaping from reality (numbing through alcohol or drugs), keeping busy with work so there is no extra time, moving from place to place to try a new venue, accumulating wealth or material things, avoiding people in general, isolation, or having shallow relationships with people to keep from being hurt, going from one relationship to another hoping to solve the problem, making plans to fill every moment of your day so there is no extra time, health and fitness focus (while this is good, excessively done it can be “an escape”) or travel (exploring the world), doing something to “keep busy” all the time. While some of these things are not necessarily “bad,” when they are done in excess, they keep you “busy,” keep you busy from “healing” because you are avoiding the real underlying problem. I say this from my own personal experience. Ultimately, feeling like this is the result of a distant relationship with God. Maybe you know “of” Him, you may have the “head” knowledge but you are not close to Him (you don’t “trust/love/obey” Him); you haven’t “surrendered” or received the Holy Spirit yet. You have this longing for something that remains unfulfilled. After you’ve tried some, or all of the things mentioned above, there remains an emptiness, a loneliness and you don’t know what else to do so you may ask yourself: “Is this all there is to life?” “Is this what life is like forever?”

SURRENDER

If you are fortunate, sometime during this process (above), you hear about “surrendering” it all to God (either through a church or a friend, or maybe even someone online) asking God for forgiveness of your sin, trusting in what Jesus did for you on the cross (enabling you to have access to God’s kingdom; the only way) and asking for the Holy Spirit to guide your life so you don’t go back to sin, but continue seeking God AND can enter God’s Kingdom. Since nothing else was solving the “emptiness” you feel, you decide to give it a try so you say a “surrender prayer.” But then what?

If you’re simply repeating words someone told you to say; if it’s not heartfelt, please understand these are not “magical words” so don’t expect anything to change.

But, the good news is if you understood what you were asking, affirming and requesting and were sincere when you prayed to God, it will happen (eventually) because God will guide you, but this still involves your participation. This isn’t an instantaneous event. There’s a lot to get to know about God. When you form a relationship with someone, you don’t truly know them instantaneously; it takes time. The same is true with God; He reveals more as you seek Him.

NEXT STEPS

PRAY: Pray as often as possible. The Bible actually says “pray without ceasing.” This is our communication with God. How can you grow a relationship with someone or know someone if you rarely talk to them? (You won’t truly know a friend (God), you’ll end up distant from a friend (God)- you’ll end up where you started: unfulfilled.) Pray before you go to bed; thank God for the good things that happened that day, ask Him for help with the trouble. In the morning, ask Him to guide. And throughout the day, instead of going to anyone else, talk to God about it first.

READ THE BIBLE: So how do you get to know God more? The best way is through reading and studying the Bible (daily) because it is the Holy Spirit inspired word of God. Try a chapter a day, make a plan, read a little bit every day- directly from the bible. Get to know how the bible is organized: “The Bible is a library, not a book.” Here is a video to watch about this: YouTube video link If you don’t have a Bible yet, download a free one at this YouVersion Bible App If you want to get really deep into studying the Bible use this website: BlueLetterBible link If you want a hard copy study bible, this is an excellent resource because it features the most often asked questions and answers: hard copy Bible link Many people start with devotionals or books written by Christian Authors and while those are good and have a place and a purpose, they are a further step away from the Holy Spirit’s inspired words found only in the Bible. There is something supernatural that comes from reading the actual Bible. The Holy Spirit will enlighten a person with wisdom and understanding the more often you are actually reading the Word of God (the Bible). Think about this: how diluted do you want the content to be? If you’re going to read something, get as close to the original source as possible: the Bible. You will miss out on so much if you don’t read the actual Bible.

FIND A CHURCH: There are many changes happening in churches today unfortunately, some are not adhering to the Bible teachings; they want to please everyone so they selectively choose the truth found in scripture to suit what the people want to hear and they omit parts that people don’t want to hear. The Bible warns us about this: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3 Because of this, I believe it is most important to read the Bible first and know what the Bible says. If you go to a church, pay attention to this: are they reading directly from scripture and speaking from scripture? Double check what they say with the Bible because I’ve come across churches that are doing what 2 Timothy 4:3 mentions. During the past 5 years (after reading the entire bible in 2019) I have been continually seeking God, so I made a playlist of videos I watched or listened to that align with what the Bible teaches. This is a resource/playlist of videos that I still add to as I listen and find something “helpful” and in agreement with the bible. Listening to these will keep you busy, filling your mind with God for “years!” (Here’s the YouTube Playlist link: Seeking God; Biblical Knowledge Resources) Joining an online church might be the best solution if you don’t find a church nearby teaching truth. I’m hesitant to recommend a church not knowing if their teaching has changed since I last watched online. Within the playlist link, there are several different churches’ videos, so you will find some churches through the videos in that link. Those are the specific teachings that align with the Bible.

SEEK OUT GODLY FRIENDS: Join a bible based study group, get to know other people who want a relationship with God. As I said before, especially if you are new to reading the bible, find a study group who uses the Bible so you can grow in faith. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17 Besides studying the word of God, the friends you make as you do this will be a source of strength, support, encouragement and celebrations.

RESOURCE- BOOK RECOMMENDATION: First and most importantly, read the Bible, but there are some helpful books that pull together numerous sections of the Bible, aggregating information on a specific topic (from the 40 different authors who wrote the books found in the Bible and inspired from the same Spirit) so these types of books (outside of the Bible) are helpful bringing together the “hidden gems” you will find throughout while reading the Bible.

Because receiving the Holy Spirit (after you believe) is necessary to be in God’s Kingdom, this following book is worth reading and is an excellent resource to better understand “receiving the Holy Spirit” and more. Remember: Jesus answered (Nicodemus), “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5.

“Who is the Holy Spirit?” Experiencing God’s power by Nancy Taylor & Philip Ryken (click here to buy this book on Amazon)

These “next steps” are what I found when I was seeking, I didn’t have a mentor guiding me to this, so that is what I mean when I said that “God will (eventually) lead you to these things” like He did me, but I also think because I didn’t have a mentor may be why it took me so many years from initially seeking to receiving the Holy Spirit (5 years!) I may have received the Holy Spirit sooner if I had done these “next steps” more quickly? It took me 3 years after I surrendered (although I realize now, I hadn’t 100% surrendered at that time) to actually read the Bible, and then another 2 years after that before I saw evidence of having received the Holy Spirit. This was when I fully surrendered, 100%, and was baptized in 2021. There is a significant difference in me today compared to me in 2017 and the Holy Spirit is the only one who made this happen! Take the next steps to make this happen in 2025 if you haven’t already; it will be worth it!

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Avoiding Deception and Manipulation

Valuable information is found in scripture and if we learn and apply this, it will keep us from being deceived or manipulated. The tool to know if a person is a deceiver or manipulator is found in Galatians 5, a letter Paul wrote to the Galatians around 50 AD (about 20 years after Jesus was crucified to put this in historical context).

Pay attention to the descriptive qualities of a person to know if they are truly guided by the Holy Spirit or as scripture states still under the bondage of the evil one who opposes God. There are some who may call themselves Christians but when we look at the description of a person’s character of one who is “in Christ,” a true “Believer”- these traits will be seen if the person is guided by the Holy Spirit. If none of these traits are seen in a person, that person is a liar about being a Christian (so stay away from them, do not trust them), if some of the traits are seen that person may be a new Christian in process a “baby Christian,” so still be cautious, but a mature Christian will show these traits consistently, more often than not, with occasional “mistakes,” this person is more trustworthy, but not still not perfect, because no one will be perfected until Jesus returns. The fruit of the Spirit is what can be seen in someone truly being guided by the Holy Spirit. Here are the verses:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

There are definitions of the 9 characteristics:

  1. Love: agapē (ἀγάπη– Greek word): Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…1 Corinthians 13:4-8
  2. Joy: chara (χαρά– Greek word): cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight
  3. Peace: eirēnē (εἰρήνη – Greek word): by implication, prosperity:—one, peace, quietness, rest,
  4. Patience: makrothymia (μακροθυμία – Greek word): forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude:—longsuffering, patience.
  5. Kindness: chrēstotēs (χρηστότης– Greek word): usefulness, i.e. morally, excellence (in character or demeanor):—gentleness, good(-ness), kindness.
  6. Goodness: agathōsynē (ἀγαθωσύνη – Greek word): i.e. virtue or beneficence
  7. Faithfulness: pistis (πίστις– Greek word): persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:—assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
  8. Gentleness: prautēs (πραΰτης– Greek word): gentleness, by implication, humility:—meekness.
  9. Self-Control: egkrateia (ἐγκράτεια – Greek word): (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites)

Not only is this a good checklist when encountering others and determining how trusting we should be with them, but this is equally as important as a checklist for us. Do we exhibit these qualities? Do we need more help from the Holy Spirit in certain areas? Jesus said to his disciples:

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 14:12-14

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

John 14:15-17

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

John 3:5

And Paul warns us:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

We are told we live in a spiritual world, where the unseen is present and influencing events in our daily lives and we may even interact with angels unknowingly:

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:17

Knowing what to look for (the traits of a person guided by the Holy Spirit) helps us avoid deception and manipulation. Don’t be swayed by emotion, use scriptural knowledge and overcome.

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Growing Our Faith

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17

I found this statement to be true -personally. I knew of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit since I was a child, emphasizing the word knew “of” because I didn’t “personally know God”- just was taught about Him, but that all changed as I studied the Bible. No longer was God some mysterious being, Jesus some historical figure of the past or the Holy Spirit (a “mystery” to me) but I started to understand God’s character, thoughts (in more detail than “love your neighbor”), things He hates, what He loves, and what His will is for all of us: to be with Him in eternity. Thankfully, He went through extraordinary means for us (meaning Jesus on the cross) and for me personally that my “eyes finally opened” as a result of studing scripture, I finally know God personally. It didn’t happen from anyone “teaching” me anything, it happened when I started seeking to know Him to understand what’s in the Bible and studying scripture. There are several true statements about seeking too, some are:

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Isaiah 55:6

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33 (Jesus said this)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7 (Jesus said this)

My way of thinking drastically changed (in a positive way) as I studied and I realized “truths” about many questions I had. My faith grew and I believed deeper. I have a solid faith now. Before I had some questions, but those were answered by studying scripture. Due to the impact scripture had on me, I began to share what I was learning on this website, on Instagram, and in a podcast.

Spotify Podcast Link

I’m currently working on a Bible Study Podcast covering the Book of John, reading and discussing a chapter per day (when I can). I chose this one because John was one of the first disciples and he expressed in his writings that he thought he was closest to Jesus (like a best friend), so I’m interested in his insight. He was also the one who wrote the book of Revelation, which I’ve learned so much from; he expands on what the prophets of Israel: Daniel, Zechariah and Ezekiel taught. If you want to grow your faith, try listening to this podcast and see if studying scripture affects you the way it did me?

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Truth

When we know the Truth and accept it, the truth will set us free.  This is the truth:

  1. We were planned, not an accident, not by chance, but intentionally created by God out of His love. God controls all life.
  2. We have a purpose to fulfill on earth given to us by God.
  3. There is a future kingdom coming.  A new earth. We are on the testing grounds right now.
  4. Our actions will be judged by Jesus, son of God who will be given this authority to judge and rule the earth.
  5. Circumventing Jesus won’t turn out well.
  6. Our actions matter at judgement but won’t get us into eternity. Obedience to God’s commands is the basis for judgement.
  7. Repentance is significantly important – there are actions that will prevent us from being in God’s kingdom if we don’t change our ways.
  8. Jesus bridges the gap, made the way for us.
  9. We need the Holy Spirit indwelling to have immortal eternal life and be a part of God’s new Kingdom which is coming.  The Holy Spirit comes from God through Jesus.
  10. God loves us and wants us with Him in His future Kingdom.
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Obedience Struggles

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27

This is a follow up to my prior post yesterday, titled “Trust and Obey.” I think many of us struggle with obedience at different times in life, just think back to the days of being a toddler, a teenager and it continues into adulthood!

CHOOSING OBEDIENCE

The “obedience” subject I’m referring to is a situation of CHOOSING to be obedient, NOT being FORCED to be obedient. Forced obedience is NOT God’s way; God gives us freewill; obedience is our choice. But even if we choose to be obedient, there will be times when our selfish desires or selfish gain are “at war” with the choice of “obedience”: we know what the right thing to do is, but we are tempted when there is something beneficial for us in not choosing what we know is right. This is where scriptural wisdom is clear: we “can’t serve two Masters” as Jesus stated. He was referring to God or Money being the “Masters,” but Jesus also said a house divided will not stand – this is applicable, because we (as a symbolic house) will make a choice at some point, it’s impossible to choose “both,” we can’t be divided. If we are divided, we “will not stand” or in other words “fall.” So what does “fall” mean? In scripture, to “fall” is negative and often indicates a separation from God. Ultimately “the fall” involves having a Master over our lifes; someone or something other than God.

THE POWER OF EVIL AND SIN OVER US

There is something else to consider here, and this will not be well received to say it, but it is truth. Until we choose God, we are under the influence of the evil spiritual realm. Think about it, someone is our Master, people may say, “I’m my own Master”- well that’s a comforting thought to tell ourselves, but it’s not true unfortunately, Jesus states this to Saul/Paul. (Read Acts 26:15-18)

to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Acts 26:18

Don’t be misled, as Deuteromy 29:19-20 indicates, people are not “safe” or “saved” when they persist in going their own way and not God’s way.

In choosing to become obedient to God, we will be under attack by our own internal desires and by evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realms.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

WHY DO THIS?

So why would I want to go through all this? If life was easier before I choose to become obedient to God, why would I want to bring on trouble or attacks of the spiritual realm?

Because God has greater plans for those who choose Him as our Master. Yes, we have to become humble, we are not our own Master, we have a Creator- God made us and we must choose Him as our Master, if we want what God offers us. As God often revealed in scripture, He is the Potter, we are the clay that was formed by His own hands. It’s insightful reading the references to “potter” in scripture, just search that key word in a digital bible.

GOD’S PLAN AND PROMISE

Getting back to what God has planned for us, in His physical presence ON EARTH: immortality, peace, joy, abundance, healing, no more tears, pure love and gentleness, a physical place to live forever, more beautiful than we can envision, music, celebration, comfort, strength, and more. We will “soar on wings” like eagles, we “will run and not grow weary”, “walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31) Read Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 for a glimpse of what God has planned for those who choose Him. Who doesn’t want to live in this future Kingdom of God? Is it worth going through the “trouble or attacks”? When we are in those times it is challenging, but if we keep our mind focused on the end result, we can endure and persevere because the end result in God’s future Kingdom on earth WILL BE WORTH IT!

OBTAINING THE REWARD OF GOD’S KINGDOM

To be in God’s Kingdom, we turn to God (repent) ask for forgiveness of the things we do wrong then commit to become obedient to God going forward, knowing we won’t be perfect, so we ASK Jesus for the Holy Spirit to HELP us follow through with obedience and to give us wisdom. When God sees our heart is set on doing this, He gives us this help, when we ask. The point is many people don’t know to ask for this but it is available to ALL who’s heart is turned towards God. Jesus said, No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are “born again”: born of the water (repentance/ie. baptism) and of the Spirit (receiving God’s Spirit- becoming a new creation as a result of receiving God’s spirit). (John 3) After this, we stay connected to God for strength, protection and wisdom through reading scripture and prayers. Obedience does matter because God gives the Spirit to those who are intent on being obedient and having the Spirit indwelling is necessary to be changed into the perfected immortal person who God originally intended for us to be when Jesus returns. Having the Spirit indwelling (being prepared) is what is talked about in parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25.

STAY CONNECTED TO GOD EVEN WHEN WE MESS UP

Here is another “unpopular” truth: Revelation 3:5 says names can be blotted out from the book of Life by God, to be blotted out means the names were once written in the Book of Life! And God’s spirit can depart (1 Samuel 16:14) if we continually choose “sin” when given a choice to choose “obedience” or “sin” as Saul did when he kept choosing his own way/sin not God’s commands. (Search Spirit of the Lord in scripture) for more understanding of this. Why do you think it says “the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom?” Fear of the Lord is referenced 453 times in scripture! This isn’t to put us in constant fear, but it is there to tell us the importance of REMAINING focused on God, in a good relationship with God, (sin separates us from God) we can’t be casual about our ongoing relationship with God. Scripture tells us this is true. If we remain focused on God, we have NOTHING to fear! Remember that too!

GRACE ISN’T A “FREE LICENSE” TO CONTINUE IN SIN

Don’t let people give you false information about the concept of Grace we have been given for our salvation (read Jude Chapter 1):

For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Jude 1:4

ONLY THROUGH JESUS IS THIS POSSIBLE

Jesus also said: “No one can come to the Father, except through me.” Jesus is the only one who made it possible for us to have the opportunity to be in God’s Kingdom. There is no way we could be “good enough” or do enough “good things” through out life to get into God’s Kingdom (it is far more holy than that), even if we are obedient, if we don’t accept, acknowledge or understand what Jesus did on the cross to literally save us- it is meaningless. Jesus, who was sinless, was the only one who could be the acceptable sacrifice according to God’s Law that could be the substitute death for all mankind. Jesus essentially “purchased us” back from death by his action on the cross and resurrection thereafter. Think about this: a scroll was the form of a contract long ago. In Revelation 5, Jesus (the lamb) is the only one worthy to open the scroll (contract) and Jesus break the seals (Revelation 6) securing the contract- this is the “re-purchasing of us” from death. Yes there are some awful things that happen when the seals break but they are necessary according to God’s law as revealed in scripture. Those events have to happen and will happen in accordance with scripture, to refine some, to have some turn towards God, and to ultimately separate those who choose evil from those who choose God. When “the fall of mankind” happened in the Garden of Eden, when humanity (through Adam and Eve) chose to listen/and obey the serpent (Satan)- that’s where mankind came under the influence and power of evil. Jesus’ action broke this evil hold on mankind, but if we don’t understand this and accept what Jesus said, we remain in the dark. And if we deny Jesus, he will deny us before the Father and we will be subject to the Laws we have broken when it’s time for our judgement. Jesus’ action is a gift to those who accept the gift.

SUMMARY

So considering all these things, this is why I want/choose to become obedient to God. Speaking the truth is not easy because it makes us uncomfortable knowing these things, but the way I look at it, I would rather know the truth in advance, so that I can prepare and take this seriously, than be caught by surprise at an untimely point (my physical death) when there is no turning back possible. Remember, God gave us this warning because He LOVES us and does not want us to perish!

REMEMBER GOD’S LOVE!

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9
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Letter to “My Younger Self”

This question was asked: “What three words of advice would you give your younger self now?” This question was a discussion point at our church this past weekend, having us sharing our answers with those next to each of us. My friends and I all had different answers and it was interesting to hear others’ responses to this question because some were funny, some were serious, but all were insightful about the headline of a story of each person.

The first three words that popped in mind were: “Trust and Obey.” These words are interesting to me because the subject of the message was “hearing God’s voice” (the recorded message is below) I went Saturday, January 7, 2023, but this is the recorded one from Sunday.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qmEQ3YpE22o%3Fstart%3D10

In hindsight I wonder, was that God’s voice speaking to me and others, telling each one of us something different? If we are connected to God, it could have been. I’m still trying to discern when thoughts pop into my mind: is this just a thought of mine, from God, or from God’s enemy? I’ve found when certain thoughts (thoughts that don’t contradict scripture, and ones that push me towards something “good” but not necessarily what “I feel” like doing)- these may be God’s voice. Just now as I’m writing this a specific scripture came to mind, scripture about when God was going to pass near Elijah and he looked for God, waited for God, but each moment he thought was God, it wasn’t, then God finally came as a “a whisper”- God is gentle and loving! 1 Kings 19:11-12, click here for multiple verses that show that God speaks as a whisper!

This morning, I woke up thinking about this message, the words that came to mind last Saturday came to mind again this morning. I’ve found that often when I “get a message or hear” from God, it is repeated three times: the same message, often through different people or sources, shortly thereafter. As I started to write this, I also recalled this message of “Trust and Obey” had made an impact on me before, I wrote about it as my faith journey started (February 20, 2017), here is a link to that post: Trust and Obey That was six years ago, and re-reading it I can see how much I’ve learned and changed since then, yet I still have the same struggles! I’m reminded (in thoughts) that we are not perfect and won’t be until God perfects us and changes us to the “perfect children” He intended us to be at the future return of Jesus, when He gathers his children and we are changed in an instant. 1 Corinthians 15:52, read 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Until then, we will have our struggles, but throughout the struggles, I know that it is important to continue to turn to God when we don’t do what we know we should do. It’s a continual refocus, don’t let go of the relationship with God. God hears the prayers of those who love him (Proverbs 15:29) and are obedient to his commands (John 14:15). (Look at all these verses in scripture what it tells us about obeying God’s commands.)

There is much more to say beyond “Trust and Obey.” In order to trust someone, we need to know that someone and in this situation, it means knowing God, His character, what has been revealed to us through scripture about Him, what He told others. Scripture gives us ALL the guidance about important matters that we need about life FROM God, our creator! (2 Timothy 3:16) So by trusting in God, trusting in His word, we are “guided” throughout life. God promises blessings to those who trust His words and obey them (taking action, not just knowing what is recommended, but doing it). If I learned this long ago, to trust and obey, I would have avoided some situations in life that were troublesome for me. This doesn’t mean that we will have a life without trouble, trouble still comes for other reasons: when we are being tested which reveals our level of Trust in Him. What better way to know a person’s true intention than by seeing their action when we are truly tested. We can say certain things by knowing “the correct answer” but knowing and doing don’t always align. That’s when we need to ask God for the Holy Spirit (who is given to those who obey – Acts 5:32) to guide and give us self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) – The Advocate (look at each of those verses about the Advocate, I also see something important here: the Advocate is God, is Jesus, is the Holy Spirit!)

Getting back to the advice I would give my younger self:

  1. Seek God First in everything you do.
  2. Know that you are loved, you were created out of love by God – because He wants you in His future Kingdom
  3. Know that you are unique, valuable, created by God and have a specific purpose that only you are made to do
  4. Know that your parents on earth are “bonus” parents because God is your true father and the One who gave/gives you life
  5. Listen for God’s guidance, if you obey His commands, He will give His Spirit to guide you in life and keep you on the “narrow road” that leads to God’s kingdom
  6. Know the true definition of “LOVE”: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….(1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)
  7. Know how to see if someone has God’s spirit, and connect/stay connected with those people in your life, if they show the following in their actions: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control… (Read Galatians 5:13-26) 
  8. Love God, Love Others.
  9. Trust God in all circumstances
  10. Pray daily: Thank God for the good in life, ask for daily guidance and protection
  11. Read scripture daily to continue to learn, hear from God, and stay connected to His Spirit
  12. Keep your focus on obeying God’s commands because God gives His Spirit to those who choose to obey Him, by obedience your life will be blessed by God, this is how you show God that you love Him- by obeying His commands, it also shows respect, honor and gratitude to God for all that He has given and promises His children in the future (immortality in God’s kingdom), we need God’s Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God- Jesus said (as recorded in John, Chapter 3):

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

John 3:5
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