So I have been thinking and praying a lot lately about what I hope for in my life, what my dreams are, what I feel God calling me to do to glorify him with my career (and in my life in general), how I can be a good daughter, sister, friend (and one day, I hope – a wife and mother). How can I glorify God in every area of my life, and how can I truly live that full and abundant life that Jesus says he came to give us in John 10:10?
I think the answer is actually quite simple. I think the answer begins with this: knowing God.
The very foundation and core of our identity is rooted in Jesus Christ. Everything we are and everything we do: it all centers on and rests on him and who he is to us. The quality of our relationship with Christ will directly impact every single thing we will ever do in our life, and it is also foundational to the type of person we will become.
So before we start thinking about what our hopes for the future are, what kind of career we hope to pursue, what we feel God leading us to as the next step in our life, let’s remember this…
Everything in our lives starts with knowing God more. Before praying about the next step in your life or direction on a decision that you have to make, start with praying just to know Jesus. Spend time with him, JUST to know him more. Spend time in silence with him, listen to worship music and soak up his presence, pray to him in your car, talk to him about life, spend time with Jesus just like you would spend time with a friend. And the thing is, when we truly make an effort to spend time with him to KNOW him, the direction that he wants for our lives will naturally become clearer to our minds and in our hearts.
When we begin to know God more, we see things the way that he sees them and we hear the voice of his Holy Spirit more clearly. Our mind is transformed into the mind of Christ, and when we begin to think like Christ, THAT is when we will naturally know what he wants for our lives because our thoughts and our deepest desires will be immersed with HIS. The most important thing we can and will ever do in this life is to know God more, because THAT is what ultimately shapes us into who he has called us to be by transforming our hearts and our minds to become more like that of Christ’s. And when WE are transformed into the image of Christ, not only do our minds become more clear on what God wants for our lives and help us see how to make decisions we are currently facing; it also enables and empowers us to bless and love OTHERS more deeply. It is through an outflow of God’s love in our lives that we are able to love ourselves and love others just the same.
Everything truly does begin with our relationship with God, my friends. Every single thing in our lives. So before going to a friend for advice, thinking you made a wrong decision on something, or worrying about what the next step is in your life, spend some time with God, and let your heart and mind be transformed by his Holy Spirit.
Read Scripture, even if it’s just one verse. Pray, more than just before you eat a meal and before bed. Pray just to TALK to God. Write out your prayers in a journal. Write down Bible verses. Write down 10 (or more) things you are thankful for. Ask God to put someone on your heart that he wants you to bless. Watch a sermon online. Go to church on Sunday as often as you can. Buy a friend’s lunch for them. Listen to a Christian podcast that encourages you. Feed your spirit friends, no matter how inconvenient it may seem in the moment. Spend time with your Lord and Savior who loves you so, so dearly. Let the Holy Spirit transform your heart and mind so that you become more like him. Surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, allowing your mind to be transformed so that you think as Christ thinks; and allowing your heart to be transformed so that your desires become enmeshed with God’s desires for your life.
John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”, (ESV).
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will”, (NIV).
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