Defy the OddsSample

God won’t provide perfect peace in your circumstances unless you give them completely to Him. There is no peace outside of God; therefore, you can’t keep one foot in His ways and the other foot in worldly ways. That leaves you with feet heading in opposite directions! First John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” You must make a clear choice concerning which side of the fence you’re on.

In Deuteronomy 30:15-16, God is clear about the choices we’re given each day:

See, I set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

In many seasons of life, I’ve been on the verge of entering new “land” I wanted to possess—salvation, Bible college, preaching, marriage, parenting, and so much more. Because I wanted His blessing over my life, each time I had to make up my mind that I would love God above all else, walk in obedience even when it was uncomfortable, and keep His commands over what the world said was popular.

God wants to bless your life greatly. He wants to increase all that you have and lead you in a life that is abundantly more than you could ever imagine for yourself. But with each promise of blessing is a requirement: You must commit fully to the Lord and His ways. You will never fulfill God’s purpose for your life with one foot in and one foot out. In order to see the life, prosperity, and blessing God promises, you have to commit to getting off the fence and moving toward Him.

You may be in a season right now when you’re on the verge of entering a “land” you wish to possess. Maybe it’s a new job or a new business venture. Or you’re on the verge of marriage or entering a new relationship. Some of you may be entering the land of parenthood. Whatever new land you find yourself entering, you certainly aren’t hoping for failure; you’re hoping for success. I’m sure you’re preparing ahead to make sure things go as smoothly as possible, like weighing all options for business opportunities, discussing relationship values and goals with your significant other, or child proofing every area of your home.

But while preparing ahead in such ways is incredibly important, the most significant preparation you can make is deciding to give those areas over to God—completely. You can’t keep parts of your business for yourself while letting God have only the parts that are struggling. You can’t navigate the highs of the relationship on your own and seek God’s presence only when you find your relationship in the valley. You can’t expect God to remain on the back burner while you raise a healthy child only to call on Him when sickness or injury comes. God wants every area of your life, the highs and the lows.

When you give everything over to God, then all areas of the business, all stages of the relationship, and all fearful moments with your child will far exceed your expectations. The highs will be so much higher, but the lows won’t seem quite so low. God will move in every area, providing peace as He delivers on His promise of life and prosperity. A clear choice has to be made, and it requires you to get off the fence.