By Dr. William Holland

Living on Purpose

Do you believe that God intervenes in the affairs of mankind or do you consider the philosophy where He stands back and calmly watches everything happen? I admit that sometimes it seems like He chooses to not be involved, but I’m convinced the Bible reveals His passionate desire to personally help and guide everyone’s life.

The Deist concludes that the Creator allows each person to control their own destiny and the deciding factor in every event is associated with man’s deliberate decisions. This concept places mankind as the pilot and captain of his own fate and eliminates the need to call or depend on God. This is true to a certain extent according to freewill but there is another theological view which also declares that He is always available to respond as the Omnipotent Creator who is in total control and the ultimate authority of all things. I

believe that God gives every person the choice to decide their own destiny, but this does not mean we are alone and drifting on the sea of random chance. There are several variations of these worldviews but in general, followers of Christ understand and accept that Jesus went to the cross to redeem and restore the fellowship between God and mankind with the intention of Him becoming a personal Lord and Savior to those who believe.

If your prayer life is like fighting a battle, then congratulations, you are perfectly normal. We have worthy spiritual intentions but our flesh is weak and it’s very difficult to ask and believe for a miracle from someone we cannot see. Unfortunately, humans have a tendency to spend their time trying to figure things out on their own. It seems that men especially feel compelled to use their own strength to fix everything and manage their own problems because they believe it’s their responsibility to lead and provide.

Human nature has a built-in desire to use intelligence and logic to find a solution even if it means settling for less and being wrong. I’ve personally seen individuals throughout their life always grab the bull by the horns and attempt to force their problems into submission instead of yielding to God and trusting Him to take care of their problems. What the follower of Christ needs to consider in every circumstance is that it’s much better to have God as our highest priority as we invite Him to intervene and lead us in the way He wants us to go.

There is no shame or embarrassment to admit that we are unable to carry our burdens and that we desperately need God to help us every moment. The Lord perfectly realizes we are very limited in power which is why Paul proclaims that God can be strong in our weakness if we will just let it go and trust Him. “But He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” II Corinthians 12:9.

It’s important to consider our spiritual life within our own conscience in order to advance in our spiritual relationship with God. I propose the first question we must ask ourselves is how much do we really care about God and our soul? Yes, of course we have questions about the Bible and prayer, like how do we know if we are praying according to His will and does having more faith mean that we are more likely to receive our request? Just because people speak loudly or pray for long periods of time does not necessarily mean God listens to them more than someone whose prayers are quiet and short.

So, what makes the difference? With prayer, it’s a matter of motives and the attitudes of our heart. Matthew 17:20 reminds us that if anyone has even the tiniest amount of faith, they can move mountains and nothing will be impossible to them. Nonetheless, we are also reminded in Psalm 66:18 about the importance of purity and sincerity, “If I choose to harbor sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Wherever you are in your journey, you can talk to God anytime as He longs to be your best friend. This coming year is filled with unlimited possibilities and He is waiting for you to embrace Him as the Lord and Master of your life!

Read more at: billyhollandministries.com.