II Timothy 1:7 - "Control"

I woke up several times during the night with the words to a song Tenth Avenue North Sings called Control.

I've had plans
Shattered and broken
Things I have hoped in
Fall through my hands
You have plans
To redeem and restore me
You're behind and before me
Oh help me believe

God You don't need me
But somehow You want me
Oh how You love me
Somehow that frees me
To take my hands off of my life
And the way it should go, oh
God You don't need me
But somehow You want me
Oh how You love me
Somehow that frees me
To open my hands up
And give You control
.
God's plans are the best plans. When we pray for something and it doesn't happen or it doesn't happen in the time we want it to, it's not because He doesn't love us. It is the opposite. It's because He loves us so much. He knows what is best. But the only way we will accept His plans is to be living in His presence, in His will. His plans may not make sense to us nor be what we think is best. We must remember that His plans are what is best. He knows our future. He knows what we need in a way we could never imagine. He doesn't need us but we need Him. We need Him in a way that goes beyond words. We need to die to self so He can have Control over our entire being. We must allow Him free reign in our life. If we don't, we will miss out on so much. We will miss opportunities to love with His love; make Him so proud of us; see others come into relationship with Him; and be blessed in ways we could never imagine. We must accept His love in the fullest way before we can have His love flow out of us in the greatest way. This type of life is only found when we let go of what the world desires and live a life based on what God desires.

Oh You want me
Somehow You want me
The King of Heaven wants me
So this world has lost it's grip on me

This type of life can only be found when we walk a II Timothy 1:7 kind of life. We must not allow the enemy to cause fear in our lives when medical testing isn't what we thought it would be. Instead we must continue trusting Him with the situation. We must be willing to stand in His love and empowerment through such times. If we don't, we will miss the blessings He has for us. I don't mean blessings of money or answered prayers as we desire. I mean blessings of feeling His love in a brand new way and being 'ok' with the way He answers prayers. Sometimes His answer is 'yes' and we feel blessed but we also need to feel blessed with the 'no' or the 'not at this time' answers. The more we are, the deeper our faith will go. The more we lean into Him, the stronger we will feel empowered. I'm leaning into Him today in a mighty way for physical strength. Having two nights in a row with little sleep is hard on my body that functions best on nine to ten hours. I am trusting Him to empower me to not only get through today but to not miss any opportunity He puts before me. I am trusting Him to love on me in such a way that will encourage me greatly. I am trusting Him to do the same for Doc.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for this song that reminds me of what I need to do in these 'tough' days. Father, I pray You will cleanse me so You can fill me. I desire more of You. I desire to be a beacon of light for You today in my words, actions, and attitude. Father, may You be greater than me. I pray You will encourage Doc by wrapping Your arms around him. I pray he will feel Your presence in a mighty way today. May we both not just get through this day but be blessed by You to be empowered to live out Your will. I pray for so many people who are hurting. John and Renee; Dale and Cathy; friends seeking employment; Jim as he continues to grieve; my Momma, Debbie, Paula and Cheryl as they recuperate; many who are lonely; parents with prodigals; those who live away from family; those with family issues; and so many more that need an extra dose of Your love today. Lord, put people before them that will be You to them today. I pray for someone to be You to Doc today to encourage him. Thank You Jesus for being My King of Heaven! Amen.