Affected or Effective?

God places people in our lives to sharpen us, and for us to sharpen them.

When you are too busy worrying about yourself, He is unable to use you for the purpose He placed you together for. Let me explain…

If you are running all over the place, filling everybody’s wish, making everybody happy, worrying about their reaction, doing what you think you should do, holding up your reputation, trying to be enough to everyone, expecting everyone to be enough for you… then when a situation arises, you will react out of fear of trying to control everything so that you don’t drop all that you are trying to hold up (And by the way, God didn’t ask you to hold it up to begin with.) Rather than respond the way He would like you to.

When you are fearful you will shy in the face of confrontation due to the fact that you may get rejected, and if you get rejected it makes you feel worthless or frustrated or it rubs up against your flesh and hurts.  That’s when it’s about you.

When you are faithful you are willing to stand boldly in the face of rejection and still know that you are good. That’s when it’s about Him & accomplishing HIS purpose.

CEASE STRIVING, Focus on Him, not on the circumstance. Be still, & you will hear from Him, It is then that you can be faithful by responding to what He has asked of you.

When you are fearful, you can be affected...

When you are faithful you can be effective.

There are some words in a song I heard today that have so much power

“When fears are stilled and strivings cease.” There is peace there.

When you understand that, it’s easier to let go of your fears, cease striving and realize that God has it under control.

Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet our heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

You are always given options, it’s called free will. God will never force you to do something. You can REACT to the circumstances around you and be pulled every which way, OR you can surrender your fears to God, trusting He has it under control, stand in the situation and RESPOND the way He is guiding you to. Both work, but one is more efficient than the other.

In this moment, is it about YOU? Or is it about HIM working through you?