THINK FAST: Day 3

Day 3 of the THINK fast:

Rethinking: Will I ever get ahead?

Today’s fast excites me! It is going to be a big challenge, but only because it is SO relevant to what so many of us actually feel about ourselves. I believe, if you can get this part of the fast ingrained in your being, you are on your way to true victory.

My girlfriend called me last Friday and actually said, “Sometimes it feels like I won’t ever get ahead.”  It’s a good thing she is participating in this fast.  Read on!

The Lie: I can’t ever seem to get ahead.
(Will things ever change for me?)

Today we are fasting from the thought that says: “Will I ever get ahead?”

I have been there.  Many of you probably uttered this very phrase this week. To be truly honest, in the past year, so have I.  Looking at my surroundings, my resources, my failures, my lack (of money, help, income, experience, education, connections)…I too felt like I was trapped. 

We can reverse this sort of thinking, by increasing our faith in God.  By trusting God we can look forward to our futures with hope-filled expectation. But first we have to abstain from the thought that say “we can’t get ahead” and start to believe and speak the truth…

The Truth: God has a plan for my life.
You just watch: God is about to SHOW OFF in my life.

“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.”  –Jeremiah 29:11

You aren’t where you are by chance. 

God has a plan for your life, a plan in which he shows his strength and power, and usually in situations where all seems utterly hopeless.  If you don’t believe me, read the Bible.  Over and over, you will see God used the most unlikely candidates and dramatically reversed their situations, to His own Glory.

Look at tongue-tied Moses.  God used him to lead a nation. Take the scrawny little David, for example.  God made him Israel’s great king. Even Jesus, the King of everything, came as the son to a poor virgin from a backwoods town. 

God is a bit of a show off, when it comes to turning around the situations of those He loves.  You are no different.  And like us, He seems to root for the underdog.

After all, when a deadly army was approaching with tanks and ammo (well chariots) and Israel’s escape to safety was blocked by a huge body of water…God parted the Red Sea for His beloved.

Remember: The more hopeless your situation may seem, the more room there is for God to do something miraculous.  

The Truth: Jesus promised me abundance.
Satan wants me defeated. God wants me to live my life to the full.

“The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” –John 10:10

Jesus coming and dying and being raised from the dead is about more than our getting into heaven after we die.  Of course, Jesus came to help us live joy-filled lives in intimate relationship with Him here on Earth.  Living a defeated, hopeless life is not good P.R. for the Lord. 

This verse also reminds us that we are at WAR!  Satan can’t claim the souls of those saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but if he can remove our joy, by whispering lies of doubt and defeat…well that’s his plan of attack.

We can protect ourselves with the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit (The Word of God).  That is why believing and even memorizing God’s Word will help you defeat Satan’s attacks every time.

The Truth: As I seek God, He is taking care of the rest.
Don’t worry, seek God instead.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” –Hebrews 11:6

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” –Matthew 6:33 

In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus really drills in the point the worry is a pointless endeavor in the life of a Christian.  I think we recognize this passage as the “Do not worry” sermon, but fail to make the connection that Jesus is saying in summation, “Do not worry. It is pointless.  Instead, seek Me, and I will handle those things that worry you.”

Over and over, we are admonished to seek God in the Scriptures. Seek God’s first.  Seek His will as expressly written in His Word.  Seek Him in prayer.

The Truth: God’s plan for me is going to WOW! everyone around me.
I believe I will get ahead.  Better stated: I believe; therefore I will get ahead.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

“and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.” Ephesians 1:19

Ephesians 3:20 is an adventurous verse.  If you are like me, you have a vast imagination.  But guess what?  The work that God is doing in you is beyond your wildest imaginings. 

Likewise, Ephesians 1:19 says that for those who continually believe Him, God gives access to His “incomparably great power.”  By believing in God, you already have access to great power—power that changes lives.

Today's Prayer:

Lord,

I pray for myself and my sisters.  I ask that you guide us to the truth that is in Your Word.  I ask that you fulfill these promises from your Word, in ways that we are able to see and comprehend, that we may testify and be your witnesses to others who may ask “Will I ever get ahead?”

Lord, I ask that you miraculously move and change the situations that we find ourselves in where we feel afraid, or hopeless, and renew our hope and our faith in You.

In Jesus name, I ask that you will help us to seek you first, and put away worthless worry and doubt.

Amen