Morning Study

I remember Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." But to live this out is not so easy. We as humans worry and want to make our own plans. Can we truly have peace in God and know that he will take care of us? Psalms 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God" God's peace is what we need to lean on and understand. Philippians 4:7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Picking just this passage apart helps me understand better what it is I am to do. I have been not leaning on God's peace but my own. I worry and try to plan out things to go my way, when really they should go God's way! It is hard when we just automatically do things out of habit. So how can we change these habits? And lean on God's understanding?

Well first we need to understand is that God is for us and never against us. Romans 8:31 "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." We can never lose our salvation, God will protect us, and this is his promise and comfort we have is from the previous verse Romans 8:28 my favorite verse. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."  This does not mean that when we are not being led by the Holy Spirit are actions and sin will all work out. It is only in the Holy Spirit that this can be true. We need to live in the Spirit daily, this means to actively pray daily and have a one on one relationship with God. Also reading your Bible, having a quiet time to sit and let the spirit guide you and direct your study, for example this whole paper is from my morning Bible study time and wanting to learn more. When we are in the spirit we have nothing to fear, God will protect us and work out all the things in our lives. We need to have peace and patience and let God lead us. I have been struggling with this lately as new things are happening in my life. I have to remember all the time, who really is in control! I am not and cannot orchestrate or predict or plan and make things happen, I have to let God do that. I am not as society says independent woman, I am a dependent woman of God. I will operate in the spirit and have peace knowing that everything is taken care of.