Tag: adulting

You Scared or Nah?

You Scared or Nah?

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 4 Comments

Fear is one of the primary emotions that us twenty-somethings feel, at one time or another. We may be afraid to start a career (or switch careers). We may be afraid to step into adulthood, leaving our parents/support systems behind. We may even be afraid to put ourselves first, going against the requests and requirements of others. No matter the situation, operating in fear is immobilizing at worst and a short-lived thrill at best. It is no surprise then that God urges us, constantly, not to operate in fear. The problem is, unfortunately, we tend not to listen.

Fear has been a mainstay in my life since the beginning. As someone who would often be labeled as a shy perfectionist, I constantly over analyzed everything and never spoke up for fear of rejection or disapproval. While God has challenged me, in the past few months, to see fear and move pass it, I can see it manifesting once again as I enter a transitional period in my life. During this period so far, I have seen many constant and secure people, opportunities, and beliefs change and evolve. Though these changes are good, the fear of the unknown or the “how to” is often paralyzing. As I’ve prayed about it, God has begun to open my eyes regarding this fear. I hope that as you read on, you can see yourself in me and use the revelation I have found to guide you into greater strength and renewed courage.

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:31-33

This is one of my favorite scriptures for various reasons. When I think about having fear as a result of being uncertain, this scripture succinctly explains how foolish that fear is. Jesus, immediately, equates asking questions about your basic necessities with being a pagan or an unbeliever. If you’re honest, initially, Jesus sounds dramatic. We are humans with needs. Of course we would be concerned about our next meal or the clothes we need. Maybe, more personally, it could be questions about how you should approach your boss about an injustice or how you can start the business without any money and/or investors. You may have questions about where you’re getting your money from to pay your tuition for the next semester. You may even ask how you will be able to help others with your limited resources. No matter the question that comes to mind, it is real and valid. Even still, Jesus let’s us know that these questions show unbelief.

The purpose of His statement was to put forth a challenge for us to consider. If we claim we are believers, what exactly are we believing for? Who exactly are we believing in? Jesus goes on to tell us that we need not worry because the heavenly Father already knows that we need these things. Do you trust that God knows what you need and will provide for you? If you did, what would be your reasoning for fear? Wouldn’t you feel confident, knowing that God already handled it?

Jesus ends by urging us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all those things we need will be added to us. This is critical to the Christian faith, as a whole, but more intimately, for our level of peace in times of fear, difficulty, or transition. To seek His kingdom and righteousness is to seek Him. It is us desiring to know His word, to know His promises, and to test Him in the things He has said. It is submitting our will to His and allowing Him to have reign over our lives, from decisions to actions. It is desiring and making actionable steps, with His help, to grow our faith, to carry His character, and to be a light and example to others. God isn’t a genie. He doesn’t just do at our command. On the contrary, He is moved to act by our faith. He is moved by our love for Him. If we love Him, we seek Him. If we seek Him, we love Him even more. The more we love, the more we trust. The more we trust, the more that fear dissipates. God has us. Period. He will always take care of His children.

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” – 1 Chronicles 28:20

Fear also, often, resembles feelings of inadequacy. We are often scared to try or scared of change because we believe we can’t do it. Not only did Paul say that we could do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13), but King David reminded his son Solomon, in this scripture, that God won’t leave Solomon by himself to complete the work set before him. Not only would God not leave him (forsake), God would also not fail him. David, in essence, reminds Solomon that God is constant, steady, and dependable. God won’t suddenly change His mind and no longer support us. We can trust in Him because He promised (and He doesn’t lie) that He’d stay right with us. This brings comfort because it brings forth confidence. Because we’re not alone and because we’re supported for the long run, we can step forward with assurance and take the leaps of faith God has called us to take.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains -where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip– He who watches over you will not slumber.” – Psalm 121: 1-3

I wrote this as encouragement to continue on in the pursuit of your dreams and passions. As life changes and things become uncertain, stand on this solid foundation. God knows exactly what you need. God provides. God doesn’t fail. God doesn’t forsake. God helps. God sees you. God understands. God will be with you wherever you go. I pray that you all sit in those truths and begin to believe them. I challenge you to repeat them in times of fear. I urge you to seek Him and grow your faith in Him. Ask Him. Challenge Him. Let Him know that you’re down for the ride.

Fear not for the Lord is with you*, twentysomethings.

*Isaiah 41:10

You or Him?

You or Him?

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 5 Comments

I’ve been feeling uneasy. Fearing complacency and desiring a higher calling, I’ve come to God boldly with prayers for change, opportunities, and influence. I’ve asked God for financial increase, for mentors and coaches, and for new placements to make the most impact. Though I knew God was happy that I started to practice praying boldly, He didn’t want me to stop there. He challenged me with the simple question: What’s your motive?

The question took me aback. Was it necessary to have a motive? Weren’t my desires automatically going to be aligned to His will, because I sought after Him? As an example, let’s take my prayer for financial increase. I asked God to remove my student loan debt and to increase my salary so that I could pursue and acquire more than I was currently able to.  This wasn’t a malicious request. I had no desire to flex for Instagram or put others down for not having the finances I had (hoped to have). I simply wanted a relief from the weight of debt and bills on me. “That’s great and everything, but what do you need the money  for specifically?” He responded. As I thought about it, the only things that popped into my head were vacations, lack of stress, and more freedom. With God nowhere on the list,  I knew that my answer wasn’t enough.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” – James 4:3

The ‘flex’ is one of our biggest enemies, today. Everybody posts their highlight reels. We’re flooded with pictures and stories about people traveling across the world. We’re informed about the latest person who quit their job to start a successful business. What we don’t see, at least not often, is the person who went out for a dream prematurely and fell flat on their face. We also rarely see the insecurity and fear that many people who post these highlights actually have. As it relates to motive, many of us find ourselves asking for or pursuing things for our own gain, for our own ego, to fulfill a drought in our life emotionally, or to follow the trends. How often do we, if ever, ask God what He wants us to do? Does God want you to start the business this year or does He want you to wait another year? Does God want you to spend your savings on vacations or does He want you to use it for a different purpose? Is flexing what God wants you to do or is He trying to mature you in the areas of humility and responsibility before bringing you a great opportunity? These are the things that we need to stop and think about. These are the things that matter most. Are we seeking alignment with God or are we here to run our own life?

After a few weeks, praying specifically about how God wanted to use my desires, I received the beginning of a breakthrough. I found myself in a situation where my gift of encouragement really shined through. As I helped someone I loved with their sadness and confusion about life, I suddenly began to receive visions about who I was and what I was supposed to be doing. After I got off the phone, I immediately took out a notebook and wrote down everything that came to me. The more I wrote, the more revelation I had. I began to see how other people around me played a role in my vision and how my desires for opportunity, mentoring, and finances fit in the puzzle. When I finally put the pen down, I smiled with excitement. Was this it?! Was I ready?! Was it time?! I knew God had answered my prayer and gave me His perspective on what it was I desired. Full of joy, my desire to reach that vision strengthened.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may lift you up in due time.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7

There was a major problem, however. Though I received a glimpse of what would come from my life, I had no indication that it was time to pursue it. I couldn’t tell if I was ready for it or not. I wasn’t sure if things would line up as I stepped out on faith or if I had to have more preparation first? This standstill became extremely frustrating. While I don’t doubt God’s plan to give me a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11), the waiting required to see that plan is what’s difficult. How can I stay where I am when I’m fired up for the next thing? How does the puzzle come together when I don’t see any of the pieces on the table yet? These are the types of questions that feed the temptation to walk in front of God. These are the types of questions that bring motive back to the forefront. A wrong motive will have us ready to show out, ready to quit, or ready to tell everyone before it’s time. We may want to boast or brag or we may want to get out of the pressures that we are facing. If God tells us to trust Him through the process, no matter how difficult, murky, or time consuming it is, will we obey and wait for Him?

“Everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” – Mark 14:36

Jesus spoke these words before His impending crucifixion. No matter what He felt like doing, He still submitted to the will of God the Father and died for our salvation. While, thank God, nothing we have to wait for or endure is this difficult, the concept is still the same. Will we let God reign over our ideas of time, opportunity, and ability or will we overstep Him? Don’t let your rush to escape, flex, or even to do great work supersede the timing and instruction of God. He doesn’t make mistakes. Submission is difficult, painful, and frustrating but it builds character, strength, and faith. Hold on and stay in alignment.

It’s not always about you, twentysomethings.

Closed Mouths Don’t Get Fed

Closed Mouths Don’t Get Fed

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Making bold requests to God has always been an area of struggle for me. While I have no problem asking for help in my attitude or that He protect me in my travels, asking for life altering things causes me anxiety. I feel both conflicted and stressed when I desire to ask Him to make an impactful shift in my life, such as in finances or creating opportunities to grow in my passions, because it feels disrespectful. Not only does it feel disrespectful to seemingly order God around, it also feels like I have no trust in His plan. Because these were my views of asking boldly, I simply never prayed those prayers. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that a pressing to open my mouth and ask really hit me. The beliefs of distrust and disrespect held me back before, but now, beginning to explore the truth about bold requests, I wanted to share this with you. My hope is that you get the confidence to ask God soon! Blessings and breakthroughs are waiting for you to open your mouth.

“Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in My name, I will do it.” – John 14:13-14

This particular scripture was placed on my heart a few weeks ago when the initial pressing to ask came over me. Without forcing itself on me, the scripture laid there waiting for me to interact with it. I heard it. I read it. I smiled at it. I didn’t, however, act upon it. While the scripture was beautiful, full of Jesus’ promise to glorify the Father through our requests, it sounded too good to be true.  Jesus starting with “whatever you ask” immediately made me cringe. How could Jesus say “whatever” as if we actually know what’s best for our lives? If I asked for something crazy, I thought, would God still honor it? Were there rules and guidelines to this? Were there any limits I needed to know about? It felt like a trick or a scam. Jesus wasn’t specific enough. Besides, who was I to even approach God like that? Wasn’t I, as a Christian, supposed to just trust Him and let Him do His thing?

Believing I had a right to approach God with requests was my biggest hurdle. It wasn’t that I thought I wasn’t His child. It wasn’t that I was afraid of God. To me, it went back to respect. As a mere human, it felt rude and extremely cocky to think I could just tell God what I needed Him to do. Again, why would He even listen to me? I wasn’t on His level and I definitely didn’t know myself or my life course better than He did. Sit down and shut up, I thought. God had it covered just fine without my two cents.

“In Christ and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” – Ephesians 3:12

“Until now, you have asked nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” – John 16:24

These two scriptures above serve as rebuttals to my thought process. Ephesians 3:12 speaks directly to the belief of inadequacy and lack of rights. It is true that I am a flawed human whose sin makes me unworthy to stand face to face with God. It’s also true, however, that I have a new status because of Jesus. Having faith in Christ and the debt He paid for us on the Cross, I do have the right to approach God freely and confidently. I don’t have to be scared or feel unworthy. I no longer need to shy away from asking Him because I don’t know everything like He does. He told me to come boldly before Him. As His child, His job is to take care of me and lead me.

John 16:24 speaks to what we gain when we use our right to ask. Not only do we have a promise to receive what we are requesting, we also have a promise that our joy will be full. The promise of joy particularly touched me because joy can get pushed aside by life’s lows. Specifically, when we feel like our lives aren’t everything they could be, our joy tends to diminish. Joy grows as the feeling of His constant presence grows.  Asking allows us to be in fellowship with God, to grow in our knowledge of Him, and to see His faithfulness at work. That’s what He’s desiring for us.

“If you remain in Me and My words in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” – John 15:7-8

Remember when I told you that the “whatever you ask” in John 14:13-14 stressed me out? God provided a response to that as well. Requests do indeed have guidelines. Jesus precedes “ask whatever you wish” with “if you remain in Me and My words in you”. What I learned from this is that as you continue to grow in God and seek to do His will, your desires naturally begin to line up with His. You won’t be asking for outlandish things when your heart is set on glorifying Him. Everything that you begin to ask will be for His glory and His purpose. He will be delighted to give you your heart’s desires because it was His plan for you all along.

I share all of this with you simply to encourage you to open your mouth and boldly start making your requests known. The devil is set on making us think we’re too shy or too unworthy. On the contrary, God is excited for you to approach Him and He tells us to do so with freedom and confidence, no matter our history. We are redeemed because of Christ and we need to start acting like it, in every area of our lives. Let’s start today by boldly approaching His throne and receiving the promises He has been waiting to give us.

Be bold about it, twentysomethings! ❤️

Learning & Refining

Learning & Refining

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 2 Comments

Sit. Breathe. Listen.

I ask myself often why I can’t take a seat?! My mind constantly races and I never allow myself to be at ease. I’ll catch myself stumbling over , striding towards or striving for something instead of resting. As you can imagine, this has messed with both my endurance and my emotions. There are moments when, at the height of my stride, I can feel on top of the world, handling responsibilities and feeling like I’m really plugged into God. Conversely, I can feel beat up and out of breath when all of my personal effort seemingly leads me nowhere or puts me in an unwanted position I didn’t foresee previously. I’ve learned, or rather have been reminded, that sometimes I disregard the voice of God in the entire matter. While I may have Godly people and Godly influences around me, God Himself will be on the back burner. That positioning often leads to issues like what I’ve described above. A more real example of this just occurred recently. Hopefully my story will be helpful to some of you.

For the past two or three months, I’ve been watching a church on YouTube that preached primarily to young adults. Grabbing my attention by preaching in fun but very insightful ways, I grew excited. As I know myself to do (I’m still a work in progress, y’all), I became obsessed. I listened to sermons night and day and didn’t think anything was wrong because, of course, it was the Word of God. The more time I spent listening to these sermons, as well as a few more from other pastors I loved, I began to feel heavy. They were all telling me to do so many things. I needed to evangelize more. I needed to write my vision down. I needed to have greater faith. I needed to rest more. I needed to put my faith into action. It was information overload. While all these sermons were all valid and all great in their contexts, that didn’t make them all valid and great for me to hear simultaneously. At the time however, I didn’t understand that.

Fast forward to a week or so ago when the heaviness, particularly to evangelize, weighed on me. The idea of evangelizing freaked me out because I’m quiet and introverted, especially around strangers (all prayers are appreciated, y’all). I was fearful honestly. The various sermons told me about the lives that needed to be saved. They told me how people can’t call on Jesus if they never heard of Him (John 10: 14-15). I felt that responsibility. I felt the compassion. I did actually care. I was so scared though. I had fears such as: “What will they say?”, “Will I even make sense?”,  “Will they reject me?”,  and “Will it matter?”.  Regardless of how “weak” those fears may seem to other people, they felt intensely real and strong to me. As real as they felt, the guilt was even more intense. I knew I didn’t need to be fearful. I knew I wasn’t supposed to shy away. No matter how many people told me to breathe and pray for opportunity, I always felt like there was always opportunity that I was cowardly avoiding. I kept holding this guilt and disappointment in myself, not even realizing the true severity of it, until I got a migraine.

My history of migraines runs deep. It’s too deep to get into now but trust me. Long story short, I’ve had chronic migraines since I was thirteen, filled with hospitalizations and prescription medications. By God’s grace, however, I haven’t had a migraine in about two years! As you can imagine then, when I got one, I instantly freaked out and was confused. I didn’t understand where it came from or what triggered it. Though I didn’t connect the dots right away, the following day, God let me know exactly what caused my migraine. He told me, and I paraphrase, “the devil is setting you up. He wants you to believe that you’re not worthy. He wants you to think that I’m upset with you. He’s trying to get you to believe that I’m disappointed in you. You’re believing him. I’m not mad at you. Let’s try again. Focus on Me.” When I heard that, the light bulb went off and everything clicked. The devil knew the right button to push. I’m very type A (again, prayers please!). I always want to do it right, be perfect, and do the best job. It seems to be heightened when it relates to pleasing God with my life. While that’s all great and wonderful, it’s also dangerous because I’m not a perfect person nor will I ever be. God understands our humanity (Psalm 103: 13-18). He knew we weren’t perfect from the beginning. That’s why He sent Jesus in the first place! He gets it. I am the one that so desperately needs to understand that truth! To accept that we aren’t perfect but that we are in God’s grace, is the biggest first step. To sit under Him, submitted, dependent, and obedient is how we win. He wants to help. He cares for us. (Isaiah 30:18)

So for me, focusing on His voice looks like fasting from listening to the zillions of sermons on YouTube everyday and just reading the Bible. I come to Him with questions or thoughts and I let Him lead me to answers and further understanding about who He is and who He says I am in Him. Am I, today, still fearful? Yes! Do I feel like a disappointment and a bad Christian? No! That’s progress in my book. It will only go up from here. That I definitely believe.

I write all of this to say that the devil is busy and working his hardest to defeat you. He will use any and every trick in the book to break you down and pull you away from Christ. Don’t believe his lies, no matter how true they feel. Even at your lowest, God loves you, wants you and is longing to take care of you. Remove the noise and listen for His voice. There’s always more learning and refining to do in us. When you get confronted with something, don’t shy away out of fear, shame, or disappointment. God loves all of you and will continue to work, correct, and shape you into who He’s called you to be. Let Him do it. God is preparing you for greater.

There’s more for you, twenty somethings ❤️

Nevertheless

Nevertheless

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 2 Comments

Nevertheless: in spite of that; all the same; notwithstanding (Oxford Dictionary)

 

As we began to push out from the gate, in route to see family for Thanksgiving, the pilot informed us that we were going to be delayed due to weather conditions. Instead of  letting us wait inside the airport, we had to sit on the airplane, for an hour, before being cleared to fly. As expected, many passengers became irritated as they complained about the inconvenience.  Just as the pilot promised however, after the hour passed, we began the preparation to take off once again. This time successful, a beautiful scene of mountains and bright sunshine welcomed us as we flew upwards towards the sky. Though the start of the journey was frustrating, we made it to our destination, nevertheless.

Reflecting on the situation, as I looked out of the window at the clouds above and the mountains below, I couldn’t help but smile. God wasted no time in providing another lesson on the power of nevertheless. This power, often easily accessible in certain areas of our lives (where we’ve got the most control over situations), is usually extremely  difficult to grasp in other areas (where we feel uncentered and uncertain). For me, I struggled and still struggle with it as it relates to my spirituality and relationship with God. If you think that that may sound like you, I encourage you to keep reading.

As has been well documented in this blog, I’ve been in a constant state of pruning for months now. Recently, I have felt led to let go of things that have meant a lot to me, have (at least in my opinion) shaped me, have comforted me, and have been synonymous with who I define myself as. When I felt led, I immediately wanted to resist. Who wants to let go of the things they love the most? None of us, obviously!  But God kept pushing me, kept talking to me, and kept encouraging me to try it out. I sighed, realizing that He wasn’t going to back down. If I said I wanted to honor Him and love Him, even a pinch of how He loves and takes care of me, I could at least get serious and take a chance on Him with this new assignment.

So I started all at once. I gave up the music I loved listening to, removed the social media I mindlessly checked,  I began to go to Him as my first resource for all matters, and started becoming more diligent and intentional in my prayer and devotional time. Almost instantly, I felt uncomfortable and annoyed. I began to cry out in distress: “Do I really have to do ALL OF THIS?!” “So what am I supposed to do with myself now?” “How long are we going to keep this on for, Lord?” Basically, it wasn’t your girl’s finest moment. As the days went by however, I started to adapt. I began to find myself actually enjoying this new level of relationship with God. I stopped whining and focused in on this new journey. I began to feel a closer connection to God as the things that so easily distracted me and honestly, took God’s place, weren’t readily accessible to me anymore. I thought I was good. I thought I could do it. I had in the bag…until I didn’t.

It’s always in the moments when you let your guard down, like when everybody’s seatbelt is fastened and we’re ready to takeoff, that you get knocked back down and your feelings get hurt. I was on fire for about a week, then suddenly I wasn’t. I became restless once again. “What’s one song?!” “How LONG Lord?!” “I’m going to get my stuff back, right?” Instead of getting me back in line on His own, God left it up to me to decide. “Is that one song more important than Me?” “Didn’t I promise you that I would be with you until the very end?” “Don’t you believe that I know you and know what you need?” “Do you want to keep playing the same games or do you want to get serious about My will for your life?” God countered. I sighed then smiled in response. He was looking out for me (like always). He wanted me to put away the distractions so that I could see His truth. His ultimate goal was to get me prepared and focused to do all that He put me on this earth to do. Who was I to fight back against what He was doing to prosper me? It was then that the power of nevertheless took its form for real.

⁃ I’m tired Lord but nevertheless will I follow Your commands. (Psalm 119:112)
⁃ I feel like I’m missing out Lord but nevertheless will I trust that You have prepared the proper time for me to do everything assigned to me. (Ecclesiastes 8:6)
⁃ It hurts Lord but nevertheless will I believe that You take on every burden. (Matthew 11:28-30)

I urge you to operate in your own nevertheless power. It’s not fun AT ALL (heads up lol). However, knowing that You are in His will and that His plans are beyond what you can currently fathom is truly worth it. You won’t be alone either as you have a fellow friend (me!) who struggles through it to. Always remember, where God is leading us will be much better than the places and plans we’ve laid out for ourselves.

His will, His way, and His time, twentysomethings!

Great Is Your Mercy, Great Is Your Grace

Great Is Your Mercy, Great Is Your Grace

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 1 Comment

I recently received the biggest and most important revelation of my life thus far: God loves me. I know that this revelation, at first read, may seem dull, but please hear me out. While it IS basic, it’s also something many of us don’t fully take in and accept. It’s the foundation that everyone of us should stand on. I realized that before now, I wasn’t standing on it at all. I was, at best, using it as a churchy thing to say. It wasn’t that I didn’t know God loved me, it was that I didn’t believe it. It’s only in this past week that God really brought it to the forefront and made me examine myself and Him. It is only now that I’m seeing that revelation as something more than just knowledge, but as power.

Let’s take it back to our favorite twenty-something topic: adulting. In the fullness of our adulting experiences, we are all extremely stretched. We have classes to pass and we have bills to pay. We have bosses to impress and we have children to keep alive. Simply, adulting is stressful. It seems to be full of work with minimal play. We are constantly performing and constantly working towards perfection. As adults, we are marked, many times, by our ability to excel, to get it all right. If we possibly fall short, in any area, we risk eviction, getting fired, even losing the beauty of our Instagram highlight reel (that’s another topic for another day lol). The point I’m trying to make is that we are conditioned to perform. Very rarely are we graced to stumble, let alone fall. For me, that mentality was applied not only to adulting but to God. I was a class act performer. I went to church. I read my scriptures. I encouraged others. I prayed to be used by Him. While all these things were done with sincerity and good intention, I wasn’t doing it out of pure love. My desire was to get the gold star. I wanted to win the Oscar, I wanted His approval.

This realization was the latest lesson of my pruning process. I pretty much got slapped in the face when God let me know that I was doing everything under the sun except seeing Him. He told me, simply, that He wasn’t like the people on this earth. I didn’t have to impress Him. I didn’t have to perform. He already knew me. He already loved me unconditionally. Even at my worst, He wanted me.
As a performer, this sounded good but was quite the challenge to accept ( it’s still a challenge at times, honestly). It sounds awesome for God to love me just as I am, to purpose me for greater, and to have nothing separate me from His love. I couldn’t understand how exactly that worked in real life though. I wanted to perform, badly. I had many questions such as: “How can I show you that I love you? What fast do I need to do? What scriptures do I need to read to prove that I’m serious about You?” My questions were met with silence, unsurprisingly. To be honest, even now it strikes a nerve. I don’t like not knowing. I don’t like not having an action plan.

Funny enough, He wants me (and all of us) to get to that point. He wants me not knowing what to do or how to act, in my own strength. Being in that state leaves us dependent, seeking Him out for everything. Experience has shown me, time and time again, that when I depend on my performance, my will, and my logic, I fall short every time. While that may work beautifully in the “real world”, God has no time for my games. As well intentioned as my performance was, it wasn’t His way. I needed to surrender to Him. I needed to listen and to obey, pushing my own feelings aside. I couldn’t play church or just say the right kind of prayer hoping all would be okay. I had to drop it all, get real, and let Him in everywhere and in everything.

I’m not writing this as someone who has now figured it out. I am writing as someone still perched in the process. I’m still confused at times and still fighting my flesh all the time. I have not been given all the answers during this process. In fact, this is a step by step, day by day sort of situation. But step by step, God is revealing. He is assuring me that He loves me, right here. He is sending me scriptures that show me how he views me, how he uses people like me. He is putting revelation in my heart about His purpose for me. He is letting me know that with Him, I’m unstoppable. Having to now walk this out, I find myself completely shook. I’m constantly wondering why He loves me so much, to the point that He’s willing to take it back to this basic but fundamental promise. The answer, I’m getting time and time again is because, simply, I’m His child and we have destiny to do. The same is true for you.

I just encourage you to relax. We have so many demands and opportunities to perform both in the natural and the spiritual. I pray that you wait to see what God says and where He tells you to go. Our own will is fruitless, but His will leads to abundance, opportunity, healing, and freedom. Sit in the revelation that He loves you. Not only does He love you, but He wants the best for you. Because you’re His child, He will hold you up, keep you from falling, and remind you of all His promises for your life. Grace and mercy follow us because He loves us.

Surrender your thoughts, your plans, and your desire to perform. Let Him complete His perfect work in you. You will not fail. You will not fall. His power will be all over you. For when you are weak, then you are strong! (2 Corinthians 12:10)

He loves you, twentysomethings!

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Check out this skit to drive the message home: