God really does have a perfect plan for your life, a perfect will, a perfect way, and the only way we can arrive is to allow Him to cut off all the chains that bind us to the world and to spiritually yoke, tie, bind ourselves to His Son, Jesus Christ. From that moment on, every action, thought, and plan should be looked at under the lens of His love.
After this extreme surrender, there is simply no point in going on about your business like you did before. I know where it got me, and it wasn’t anywhere I’d ever care to visit again. This time, let’s do this right—step out with Jesus, pray for guidance through His Holy Spirit, and never cease in speaking to Him through your heart. It’s the safest way to get through the day. The only way He intended.
The Bible says that Jesus has authority over all things on earth and in heaven. That means everything and everyone that’s holding you captive is under His authority. You have the most powerful being in the universe by your side, yoked with you, available to hear your heart twenty-four hours a day. He is working nonstop on your behalf because He loves you. After all, He died to ensure He could spend eternity with you as well.
Great news. You have a new best friend, and His name is above all names, Jesus. Don’t be afraid of the dark. The only light you will ever need is with you.
Lord, thank you that YOU are the light that will guide us not only through this day, but through this life You gifted us. Help us to see Your beautiful face in every moment of this day. Help us not to focus on the hurt and pain that the world, or even we ourselves have caused. But show us the path You have set out for us. Keep us firmly in the center of Your will and strengthen us as the day wears on, for we are weak and the world is constantly calling to us. We trust that You have determined good steps for us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Day 2
Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord. He will give you the desires of your heart.
—Psalm 37:3-4 (NIV)
When it seems as though the lights have gone out in your world, trusting in God may be the last thing you feel like doing. In truth, that’s how I felt after stepping into a blunder of my own making. I wondered how I had fallen so hard, so fast. I wondered who I had become. It was as if the scales had fallen off and I no longer recognized myself.
Going against your better judgment is usually a bad idea, but not taking the matter to God prayerfully was my biggest error. Don’t let it be yours. Although this mess I had landed myself in brought forth the greatest emotional challenge I have ever faced, I knew the Lord was with me. And no matter what you’re facing, He will be with you, too.
When you find yourself in the darkest pit, lonelier in your misery than you ever thought possible, there is no other viable option than to turn to the Lord who created you, the One who knew you would make the mess, or find yourself in distress, long before it entered your mind—surrender, trust, believe He has a better way. Let your spirit press past your flesh, immerse yourself in the Word. Cling to His promises like the life rafts they are. Those promises are the life rafts of hope. My prayer for you is this: surrender every part of your life in all totality. Ask Jesus to place you in His perfect will, to open up your heart to what He desires most for you, and then to fulfill it.
Deny the devil his due by forging through the pain and delighting in the Lord’s promises, and by doing so He will indeed gift you the desires of your heart. You are a new creation in Christ. All sin is forgotten. Do yourself a big favor and forget the guilt. Only when you shed the heavy burden of the past can you truly move forward.
Now that you’ve accomplished that gargantuan task (sometimes you must accomplish it daily until you have truly made peace with both God and yourself), you must do good. The world provides plenty of opportunities, be it in a kind word to a neighbor, feeding the hungry, or putting a smile on for a stranger. There are many ways you can do good while you trust in the Lord. Christ led by example. Doing good to others not only makes their day brighter, but it acts as a healing balm to our souls. God is magnified through even the most random act of kindness.
Take delight in the Lord. Even in the darkest night, our souls have the ability to glory in all of God’s riches. In the depths of both physical and emotional pain, God is still there, unchanging, His majesty radiating like an unstoppable beam of light that shines right through you. He will never leave you, never forsake you. Cry out to Him like the psalmist did. He will not despise a broken and contrite heart. He loves you. If you repent and choose to obey, it’s as if the past had never happened. Ask King David. He was not only forgiven for killing a man with whose wife he had an affair with, but David shunned the guilt and went on to do great things for the Lord.
Never count yourself out even if the
