"Oh, goodness, I'm never gonna get this right," I very frustratingly tell myself when I just can't seem to get a certain aspect or character trait in my life right. Will I EVER EVER just do what God wants of me, with a willing attitude!!!?????!!!! I've got my flaws, that's for sure. So very, very thankfully God saw what a dirty mess I was, and so loving and so mercifully saved me from my sins. Will be perfect after we're saved....no!! Ok, as you can see, I, uh...have my days :) Good news: God is good. He is made perfect in our weakness! His grace is sufficient for our flaws, and He gives such an outpour of it. Though we fail Him daily, He gives us His grace so willingly. And once we give our lives to Him, nothing--and I mean nothing--can take us from His grasp! The struggle is real, my friends. After we are saved, we are no longer enslaved by our own flesh and sinful patterns. We have a struggle--between our flesh and the new man. The apostle Paul said in Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." This is sooo true, especially in our modern-day culture! It is very hard to live in a Godly way...I mean, you don't have to go very far to face temptation. It is literally everywhere! So what in the world are we supposed to do about that!!?? Well, we've got questions. God's got answers! Psalm 119:9-10"How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word. With my whole heart I seek You, let me not wander from Your commandments." It says we have to seek God with our whole heart. We can't just expect to get up one morning and have a very close relationship to Him. Nope. We have to seek God first as a priority...which I in no way have achieved, and have to work on! :) So what are some practical ways we can make effort to grow in our relationship with God?? One way is spending time in the Bible, really studying it. Also, one thing I've learned is: Time spent in prayer...is NEVER wasted! I go through certain trials and difficulties, and at times (believe me) I can be an absolute emotional mess! :P During these times, psalms such as this one are such a comfort: "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). But after praying, the burdens I'm carrying seem so much lighter because I know that God's got everything in control--I've just got to trust Him. Trust is the key! This other verse here is also absolutely fantastic: "He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) Truly, sanctification is a process. Sometimes trials are tools and blessings in disguise to grow us closer to God and to refine us. Even though we fail, God is always there with His daily sufficient grace. Aren't you thankful for that??? I know I sure am.
"Am I fully prepared to allow God to grip me by His power and do a work in me that is truly worthy of Him? Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me--sanctification is God's idea of what He wants to do for me." --Oswald Chambers
