Starting Over
Have you ever wanted a sign from God to tell you what to do? Nothing too crazy, just maybe a thought bubble that popped up from time to time. You'd feel total confidence in the answer and make decisions with little to no hesitation.
Wouldn't that be AMAZING?!
I felt that way for over 40 years. People all around me talked about how fulfilling it was living for God, having Him answer their prayers and give them direction, but my life wasn't fulfilling at all. It was frustrating, exhausting, and honestly, it made me mad at God.
I questioned everything. How do you know you've prayed enough? How much was enough fasting? How many good things do I have to do before I am blessed? What did "breakthrough" really look like? What church had all the answers? Was God even real?! I knew there had to be more , but what was it? No one could answer my questions. Everyone seemed to be on the same hamster wheel I was and we weren't getting any closer to the truth. I had already spent enough time "trying to find what God wanted me to do" and not being successful at it. "Waiting on God" was just a lot of, well, waiting...with little to no answers.
Then I started reading a book on purpose and realized a big mistake in what I had been doing for over 40 years. I had been reading the bible all wrong. I was reading it like it was a book. Someone's life would unfold in the pages with their back story, a rising conflict, a climax, and then trail off into a resolution of sorts. I saw no connection with my current life, so while I was intrigued to see what was going to happen, that was all there was. Re-reading it would bring out new aspects of the same story, but each time I closed the book I would walk away virtually unchanged.
This new information on purpose changed everything. I picked up my bible and opened it differently. I read it slowly, really focusing on the life of Jesus. I saw that He didn't live His own life. He always prayed for direction from His Father about everything. I thought about that. Did I do that? Sadly, no. I did what I wanted and only asked God's opinion when it was something too big for me to handle. I saw that to live a life like Jesus lived; humble, loving, peaceful and full of the wisdom of God, I needed to do what He did. Apostle Paul was alluding to this when he said, "...you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ..." (1 Corinthians 11:1). Because I had read the bible like a book, I had missed what it was trying to teach me. This is why how you read the bible determines the course of your life.
The truth is, God never intended the bible to be read like a novel, with us separate from the story. The "more" we have been looking for is right here in the pages. How we read it will determine if it becomes the living, breathing word of God that brings about change in us. It is meant to be personalized to our situations, to drastically alter the mindsets that have kept us stuck in a loop of bad decisions and outcomes. Applying His word makes us free!
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36
Reading what Jesus taught showed me His mission was to bring God's Kingdom culture here to earth. Jesus lived that culture, taught His disciples to, and has instructed us to as well. He calls us to repent - to change our minds - to reflect His mind. This change of having the mind of Christ is so that His culture can affect us at the deepest level, making us the catalysts of change for others to follow.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2
If you are tired of feeling like church is meaningless, and you are just one crisis away from giving it all up, please give the Kingdom Effect a chance to show you differently. Read your bible in a new way, asking God to show you who you are in it's pages. Let the Holy Spirit breathe new life into you, see Him in the light of His unconditional love for you, and know that His desire is to see you living a life of freedom and victory!
“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT)
Pray this with me...
Lord, I thank you for calling me, choosing me and giving me the bible. Use your Word to show me how to transform my life and live in your kingdom culture. Open my eyes to see the next steps I must take in order to experience all you have for me. Put a new love in my heart for your word and open up new realms of understanding as I read and meditate on what it means for my life. I thank you for the purpose and destiny you have put in me, guide me to fully discover them as I follow your leading.
In Jesus's name, Amen!
