Faith’s top gear
How to lead a more contented, purposeful life
through complete trust in God.
Fully engaging with God.
Opening our lives to God’s loving care.
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1. INTRODUCTION
You can read the introductory article to this section of the website, “God’s presence in our lives” before going on, if you have not already. It explains the various methods, available to us, that we can use to engage with God in our lives. And how our lives can be positively changed as a result! It also tries to put those available methods, and our overall relationship with God, in perspective.
(To read about the ‘who’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of this website please click here.)
Let’s now get into the subject of this article: trusting God with your life. As we move to this level of faith, i.e. trusting God with our entire life’s direction, we finally shift into ‘top gear’. We ‘fully engage‘ with him, accepting our ‘responsibilities’ as we do so. Opening our lives completely to the Lord through trust, during the process, so that each of us might become ‘THE REAL ME’.
2. GROWING CLOSER TO GOD
This website firstly explains how to build a personal relationship with God. During that process we begin to open our lives to his loving care; engaging with his ‘grace‘ during the process. Because, as a result, we do benefit!
And there are a number of articles, in this section of the website, leading to this last one. Based on the Bible’s guidance, they explain how to interact with the Lord within our lives. I am referring to his ‘methods for guiding us‘, ‘prayers of request‘, his ‘gift of providence‘, ‘his support during tough times‘ etc.
Without doubt, we gather genuine ‘belief-building evidence‘ as we do interact with the Lord. I am absolutely confident that God willingly proves that he is present within our lives, if we do actually engage with him in the ways he offers us.
However, he does want us to build an ever-closer relationship with him. That is a relationship built on the concepts of love, faithfulness and trust. And, my oh my, there are some benefits waiting for us, if we do so.
2.1 Everyday life and the Church
So, I am suggesting something deeper here in this particular article! For example, it’s always a good idea to spend ‘plain-old’ bonding time with the Lord. As such, an important article in this section, titled, “Mature prayer” may be a useful guide for you.
Bear in mind too, from my experience, we do really need to become practising members of a fellowship of faith, i.e. a church. Become a baptised Christian. The article, “Why we go to church” further explains the importance of going to church. I often state through this website that I tried to ignore doing so, at the begining of my own journey of faith, but I found it just did not work.
And as we move along in this way, trying to live our lives as he desires of us – becoming useful members of the community, attending church, spending time with him in prayer, caring for his other children (our fellow human beings) – our relationship with him ever strengthens. Our faith becomes more effective. Our love towards him grows even further. He becomes so very, very real.
2.2 Engage through the Bible
The Lord also intends that we will all be guided by “his Word”, the Bible.
The essence; the beauty of Christian faith is ‘illuminated’ as we do read the Bible. And that alone will certainly change our lives for the better. But there is more! Quite often, answers to problems that we may be facing in life just ‘stand out’, as we read it. And it is not rare for that to happen.
3. TRUST HIM WITH YOUR LIFE
In simple words, when we are at this level of faith and belief, we pretty well stop asking him for the ‘odds and ends’ we think we need in life. I mean we just open ourselves to his incredible wisdom. We really look for his guidance (see those previous articles). We follow that guidance, and work alongside him as it ‘pretty well’ comes together for each of us, and yes for those other people reliant on our results.
As explained above, if we are deliberately following his guidance in all ways, he will support us as our lives ‘roll out’. Especially, if we are faithful to him (please see the next heading).
Importantly, feel confident to trust this holy process of ‘grace‘ in action within your life! If your personality traits, or natural weaknesses, initially stand in the way then ask with the ‘fullness of faith’ for his help to overcome them. Again, TRUST HIM!
Deep trust and faith really do lead to the best outcomes! Like me and a whole lot of other Christians, you will recognise him there at work, because of positive events that can be real ‘standouts’. You will come to KNOW the benefits of this approach. And you will gain ever-growing confidence in it all as you move forward on your path through life with the Lord.
4. FAITHFULNESS IS REWARDED
Also bear in mind, that he will work all the closer with us if we are, in turn, living faithfully.
As an ordained clergy friend of mine (one of my team of advisors) puts it, if we are ‘in sync’ with God in that way then all his potential loving care can be released in our lives. God’s loving care equals ‘grace!’
4.1 Behaviour that God wants from us
If we can hold ourselves in faith’s ‘top gear’, his loving presence becomes so obvious. And all the loving care that comes with it! My own thirty plus years of evaluating Christian faith at work in my life, and the church, has at least proven that to me. (Again, to read about the ‘who’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of this website please click here.)
We firstly try harder to live the way he wants us to – as made clear in the Bible. We live ‘faithfully’. The article, “Christianity Explained” offers a basic understanding of our religion. An explanation of ‘right and wrong’ within Christianity is also presented in the article, “Rules, laws and commandments”.
As far as God is concerned it is all about ‘love’. His love for each of us. Our love of him. And our love for our fellow human beings.
4.2 ‘Potholes’ in our journey of faithfulness
Now God KNOWS that we are human and will never be perfect. And in our early days of faith, it is more likely that we will live unfaithfully to him at times. From my own experiences again, I can assure you he will give you hints when you do disappear down a ‘pothole’, as such. That is when a lack of faithfulness to God – possibly through bad choices in life that we have developed – threatens our ongoing relationship with him. These ‘hints/ warnings‘ are related to ‘his methods of guiding us‘ in life.
And as our relationship with the Lord deepens further and becomes more knowledgeable, again from my experience, he does expect greater faithfulness from us. The related warnings from him become a bit more obvious at that stage.
And I write confidently, from my own analysis, you will know he is not pleased with you in these circumstances! And you should also know why.
4.3 Will it all be worth it?
You may be wondering whether the sacrifices you have to make in life, by leading a life of faithfulness as God wants of us, are worth it? Hmmm, yes, I did think that way myself initially. Absolutely! And it did take me just a while to try it out. I should have done it much earlier, because the greater contentment etc. gained through this walk of life can be profound. I can assure you of that!
But the man who looks intently into
the perfect law that gives freedom,
and continues to do this,
not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it –
he will be blessed in what he does.
[James 1:25]
Again, please have a look at the article, ” What does faith offer us?“
5. REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
I have evaluated and re-evaluated the impact of taking this approach of ‘trusting the Lord’ over the years. Handing over the ‘big ticket items’ in life to him. Putting in the ‘hard yards’. And as I often state, I have checked with other committed Christians and clergy. It really works!
5.1 He will react with loving care
As I have highlighted already, the most ideal long-term results possible for you – and all others affected by your actions in life – should actually be the outcomes. That is if you do deliberately and confidently trust God in this way. He will react with downright loving care throughout your whole-of-life journey.
5.2 But bad stuff will still happen in life
BUT, there are no promises intended here, in my writing, that relate to being forever healthy and wealthy: perfect health, trips abroad, new bigger houses, luxury vehicles, big new appliances, more money in the bank etc. etc.
AND, please remember what I have also regularly advised throughout this website: God makes no promises that you will never suffer emotionally or physically in life. Everyone suffers at some point. ‘Whatever happens, happens’. Even so, he will be there to guide and support each of us when those tough times do arrive. We just have to ask for it! In fact his presence can become quite obvious as he responds through his ‘grace‘ to our requests. Indeed please read the article, “God during hard times“.
Strangely ‘you may think’, but we DO actually grow spiritually; build stronger faith, when we find ourselves in tough times. Yes … most of us Christians do come to discover this for ourselves somewhere in life.
6. WE FIND OURSELVES
As I mentioned in the intro, it is actually through our full trust in God, that we truly find ‘ourselves’ – the person that God ‘intends us to be’! The real me. The real you.
We just put our complete faith in him and, through trust, we follow his guidance in all the big and small aspects of our lives.
I am definitely not writing this article as some sort of theoretical exercise. No, I write it from that thirty plus years of personal hindsight. And advice from all those committed Christians I have interviewed. Yes, lots and lots of investigation, analysis and overall evaluation! That is, the result of that lengthy audit of ‘faith in action’ within my life. In other words, I slowly but surely ‘proved to myself’ that all this Bible-based stuff has a sound basis and actually works for us in life.
And to find ‘ourselves’ in this way … and come to enjoy greater ‘contentment and purpose‘ in our lives … we also find God as a rock-solid presence there!
7. CONCLUSION
Without doubt, God is interested in every part of our lives. Out of his love for each of us, he really does want to be involved! Please see the article, “God in the workplace” as an example.
Eventually though, all aspects of our life journey can profoundly fall into place. We can become confident whether we are on the ‘right track’ in life or not! In other words, our lives are given real purpose. We will as examples become ‘enabled’ through our natural gifts and skills to help others effectively beyond our normal capacity, and become productive/ useful members of our communities.
We should also be led towards a well rounded life. Satisfying and purposeful! No obsessions. A contented balance of God, family, church life, study, work, helping others and just plain enjoying life. Also have a look at the previous article in this website section, “Trusting God day to day”, if you haven’t as yet. It offers a basic explanation of this ‘trusting’ stuff on a simpler scale.
Inevitably, as well as being ‘THE BOSS’, our Lord can come to be our constant companion, confidante, helper, counsellor and, yes, the closest of friends.
I also add that occasional solid evidence of God’s presence, after decades in my own walk with him, still comes as a surprise to me. The ‘magic’ of it all never need end in this life, I can assure you!