Are you missing out on attaining the life God wants you to live? There is so much joy, peace, love, fun and success that God has for you, here in this life, if only you would receive it. The problem is, if you don’t believe that He does, you will probably miss it! Your faith and obedience positions you for the perfect will of God.

Sometimes we focus so much on how things have gone wrong that we forget the many times God has already proven Himself faithful. We dwell on the past and miss the good things that are just waiting for us to choose them today. However, if we choose to stay in broken, dysfunctional relationship patterns, how can we move forward into the loving relationships the Lord wants to connect us with? If we remain negative about our jobs, only focusing on the things we don’t like, how can we see the ideas and opportunities that are available to us to make it better?

How will you see God in your situation if you are so busy looking for the devil? Only God is Omnipresent, so expect Him to be present in your life, in every situation. Expect God to show up, expect to hear His voice and see Him move.  When you look for Him, you will surely find Him and you will not miss out on what He is doing!

Deuteronomy 4:29 (New King James Version)

²⁹ But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Do you believe that the best is yet to come? I think sometimes we shy away from expecting better because we want to avoid disappointment. We may have even “tasted and seen that the Lord is good” but we still reserve our faith for times when “we really need it”.

In the first chapter of John it talks about how Jesus began selecting his disciples. When Jesus called Philip, he went home to tell his brother Nathaniel all about it. Nathaniel didn’t believe Jesus was all that everybody said he was until he saw for himself. He went with Philip to see what the fuss was all about.

Jesus already knew Nathaniel’s character and said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”

Nathaniel, said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”

Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”

Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”  ((John 1:47-49 MSG).

You could imagine that Nathaniel was blown away by this man who knew who he was on the inside simply by seeing him once under a tree. Jesus told Nathaniel that if he was impressed by that, he should see what else is going to happen!

Like Nathaniel, Jesus knows who you are. He called you by name and He has so much in store but you must stay close to Him in order to find out exactly what that is. Nathaniel could have stayed home with his unbelief but he chose to go and find out what his brother was talking about. When he saw that it was real, he stuck around so that he could experience it for himself. How different would his life had been if he had just been satisfied with that one encounter with Jesus?

Let’s decide to stick around for more! Let’s press into greater knowledge and intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ and find out what it truly means to live.

John 1:51 (The Message)

^50-51Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.”

I was so blessed this past weekend by my brother’s testimony that he prayed for a Godly wife even while he felt he was undeserving to have such a woman in his life. It was such a blessing when it was all set in motion and a series of events brought the woman of God to him. They are now happily married and looking towards their future together. God is so pleased by our faith and He definitely hears and answers prayer.

What are you believing God for? The blog topic at the Silk Cafe this week is “Train to Win.” Today I want to also encourage you to keep your eyes on the prize. Keep pressing toward that goal or dream that is burning in your heart. Keep praying and believing for that loved one who needs a touch from the Lord in their lives. Don’t worry about the hurdles, the stumbles, the false starts along the way. Just keep running and keep believing. Keep putting action to your faith and expect to see the Lord come through for you.

Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message)

Focused on the Goal
12-14I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.