His Ways Are Higher

His Ways Are Higher

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8, ESV.

TODAY’S WORD

We all have dreams that we’re believing God for and situations we want to see turn around. Too often, we put God in a box and tell Him how to do it, when to do it, and who to use to do it. We’ve got it all figured out: how God is going to bring us out of debt, how He is going to change our loved one, how we’re going to meet the right person. We pray that things will unfold according to our plan. But we have to realize that God’s ways are not our ways. He is supernatural. His ways are higher than our ways. When God does something, it may not always make sense to our minds. If you have preconceived ideas of how you’re going to be promoted and how you’re going to get well, it can limit what God can do. You have to stay open. You may only see one way that it could happen, but God always has an option you can’t see. Why don’t you surrender your plans to Him today? Put your trust in Him because He is faithful. Let Him direct your steps because His ways are higher, and He knows how to lead you into the life of blessing He has for you.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I put my faith and trust in You. I declare that Your ways are higher, Your thoughts are better, and Your plan is what will remain. I surrender my will and my ideas and receive the direction You have for me in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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Your Faith Is Being Tested by Rick Warren "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold." (1 Peter 1:7a NLT) The Bible repeatedly says that God has promised to meet your needs: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19 NIV). But the Bible also tells us that with every promise there is a condition. One of the conditions for this promise is that you have to trust him. The more you trust God, the more God is able to meet needs in your life. So, how can you learn to trust God more so he can meet all of your needs? How can you learn to have greater faith?  You don’t get faith by sitting in a Bible study group or just talking about it. Faith is like a muscle; it develops by being used. The more you use your faith, the more it gets stretched. And the more it gets stretched, the more God is able to bless your life.  We call the circumstances that God creates to stretch our faith "trials": "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold" (1 Peter 1:7a NLT). There are four common trials that God uses to test our faith, and, chances are, you’re in one of these tests right now. When you go through them, you can know that it is an opportunity for you to develop your faith so you can trust God more. I'll talk about the first two today and the next two tomorrow. The Pressure Test The pressure test asks the question, “How will you handle stress?" Will you depend on yourself, or will you depend on God? Psalm 50:15 says,“Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me" (NIV). Do you turn to God when you're in trouble and not to other things?   The People Test God often uses people in your life to test and stretch and develop your faith. This test asks the question, “How will you handle disappointment?” Life is often disappointing. Careers, marriages, and even plans don’t turn out the way we planned them. But the most disappointing thing in life is people. Why? We get disappointed by people because we expect them to meet a need that only God himself can meet. This is a test! Your problem is not the people in your life. Your problem is your response to the people in your life. People are not the problem, and they’re not the answer to the problem, either. The answer is God. When you expect other people to be your savior, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.  Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence” (NLT). What happens if you trust in the Lord? Look at God’s promise in Isaiah 49:23: “Those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (NIV). Talk It Over Which of these tests is God using in your life right now to stretch your faith? How will you choose to respond to the stress and people in your life that are testing your faith?