Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

Stop Giving God Directions

Posted in Christ, tagged , , , , on May 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »

We’ve all been there: staring at a massive problem and handing God a step-by-step project plan on how to fix it. We pray for the promotion by Friday, the healing via this specific doctor, or the relationship to mend with these exact words.

The problem? When God doesn’t follow our “how,” we don’t just get confused—we get discouraged. We think He isn’t listening because He didn’t follow the GPS coordinates we gave Him.

The Mix-Up
God absolutely calls us to pray. He is deeply invested in the “what” of your life. He wants to hear about the anxiety, the empty bank account, and the broken heart. But somewhere along the line, we started confusing submitting a request with managing a consultant.

Why the “How” is Hurting You
When you pray for a specific outcome through a specific method, you create a narrow window for “success.”

Expectation: “God, fix my career stress by making my boss move to a different department.”

Reality: Your boss stays exactly where they are.

Result: You feel abandoned by God, even though He might be trying to build resilience in you or opening a door for a better job elsewhere.

Leave the Strategy to Him
Try this shift: Tell Him the “what,” but leave Him the “how.”

“Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.'” — 1 Samuel 3:4

Samuel didn’t tell God how to speak or what the message should be; he simply made himself available. He was ready for the “what” without micromanaging the delivery.

The Challenge:
Next time you’re stressed, bring the raw problem to Him.

The What: “God, I’m overwhelmed by this debt.”

The What: “Lord, I feel completely lost in my career.”

Then, stop. Don’t attach a list of instructions. Trust that the Creator of the universe has a better “how” than you could ever script. When you stop trying to be the director, you finally get to enjoy the breakthrough.

Read Full Post »

Sensory Perception: Miracle or Noise?

Posted in Christ, tagged , , , , on May 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

1. The Scent of Sacrifice

John 12:3–5: “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?'”

One person smells a beautiful act of devotion; another only smells a wasted investment. Mary gave her best, while Judas calculated the cost. In your daily life, do you recognize the fragrance of a selfless moment, or are you too busy checking the price tag?

2. The Sight of the Impossible

John 12:9–10: “When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well…”

A man returns from the grave. For the crowd, it was a wonder to behold. For the establishment, it was a threat to be eliminated. When something happens that disrupts your status quo, do you celebrate the miracle or try to silence it?

3. The Sound of the Father

John 12:28–29: “‘Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.'”

God spoke audibly, yet some dismissed it as a mere change in the weather. Are you listening for a clear Word, or have you conditioned yourself to hear only “thunder”?

The Perspective Shift

Your perspective isn’t just how you see the world—it is how you experience the Divine. Don’t let cynicism dull your senses. Look for the miracle, breathe in the grace, and listen for the Voice.

What do you smell, see, and hear today?

Read Full Post »

The “Ghost in the Machine”: Why You Still Feel the Tug

Posted in Faith, Obedience, Freedom, Encouragement, Action, Why, Failure, Doubt, Renewal, tagged , , , , on May 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

You’ve made the commitment. You believe that your “old self” was crucified with Christ. So why, on a random Tuesday, do you still feel that intense, magnetic pull toward the very things you’re trying to leave behind?

The Residual Echo

In Romans 7, Paul describes a technical reality: even though your “spirit” is made new, sin is still “lodged” in the physical members of your body—the flesh.

“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:23)

Think of it like a habit-loop burned into your nervous system. Your spirit has been liberated, but your body still carries the “muscle memory” of your old life. The “tug” isn’t the real you; it’s a ghost in the machine.

The Strategy: Reckon and Walk

To defeat the draw, you have to stop fighting the feeling and start changing your accounting.

  1. Reckon (The Math): Romans 6 tells you to “reckon” yourself dead to sin. This isn’t “faking it until you make it.” It’s a legal fact. When the urge hits, you don’t say, “I’m trying not to do this.” You say, “That impulse is talking to a dead man. I don’t owe it a response.”
  2. Starve the Flesh: Romans 8:13 says to “mortify” (deaden) the deeds of the body through the Spirit. You don’t negotiate with the tug; you starve it by shifting your focus to the Spirit’s power within you.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

You aren’t a bad person for feeling the tug; you’re a soldier in a body that’s still catching up to your soul. Stop identifying with the impulse, and start identifying with the Victory.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »