In a young person’s 20s there is often a burden to get certain things done by a certain age. A young person may say by a certain age I want to make my mark doing A or B. I also want to have checked off of my list buying a house, getting married, dashing into my dream career, all while avoiding the process that builds character, causes us to have patience, become stable well-rounded adults, and most importantly causes us to learn to depend on the Lord.

Many of us have grown up hearing older people say go get it. You can do anything. All things are possible, and yes these things are true, but one of my mentors shared something additional with me. She said that I know you have your plans and the things that you want to do and you ask God to make it happen for you, but you need to learn how to follow God.

Sometimes, we can be anointed and appointed for something, but God wants to take us through a process to build our character and cause us to rely on him first. One of the most important scriptures in the Bible says to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33).

King David in the Bible was specifically sought out by God through the prophet Samuel. He was anointed and appointed by God to be the king of Israel in place of Saul, who displeased God.

I love David because him and I have a lot in common as far as being rejected and off to himself as a shepherd tending to the sheep and worshiping God. He was not sought after by men who overlooked the many gifts that God had placed inside of him. When Samuel first came to Jesse’s house (David’s father) to anoint a king; Jesse never called for David until Samuel specifically asked if there were any more sons. Jesse bought out all of the best looking sons that appeared strong and prepared according to man’s standards.

David, however was prepared by God. He would not take the throne right away, but he even after being anointed had a process that remained for him to go through. God would create an opportunity for him to defeat a Philistine named Goliath which gave him favor with the current king Saul, yet also it placed him at odds with the king to the point where he had to run for his life.

David displayed godly character in having an opportunity to kill the King, but continuing in respect he humbled himself and allowed the king to live. It was clear that God was with David and he had to seek God several times to figure out what to do. In seeking God first as young people we allow seeking him to become a part of our character where it is a normal thing to acknowledge God in all we do. When we are placed in position to do the things that God has shown us we will be better for it.

Today, we can see many young people in their 20s and 30s with their hands in so many things trying to make that mark, but God is saying that the mark is right here with me in my presence is where you will find your identity, your vision and goals for life and guess what the responsibility to bring those things to past also falls on God as well when we seek him first.

I mentioned this before in one of my blogs, but I will mention it again. I can remember one day I was on a fast seeking God laid out on the floor praying asking God how to deal with all of these different desires and passions that I have inside of me to do various things. I asked God how would I do these things seeing how it is so much. Where would I begin. God gave me a scripture as a response.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

That scripture took the pressure off of me and placed it on God who is well able to carry it and bring it to pass. He bears the responsibility of bringing the things he has placed within us to pass, and our responsibility is to follow him, but if we aren’t prioritizing seeking him how can we follow him?

As young people we have to learn to place our burdens on the Lord, and he will give us rest as he carries us. He will give us instruction, ideas, witty inventions, as we walk by faith and God’s leading into his promises for our lives whatever those promises may be.

When I was a late teen in college about 19 or so, I used to lead a prayer group called, “The Prayer Closet” at the school. We would pray in a designated empty class room in between classes. I remember praying in their one time with a friend of mine who is a prophet. She told me not to worry about what I was to do when I graduated that God had me. She said that I would be working at a non-profit.

Yep, that happened just like she said. When I was 22 years old I got my job at a non-profit. That is the full-time job that takes care of most of my needs. I have been there for going on 9 years. All the while I do additional things that the Lord has placed on my heart such as the Abstinence education, blog writing, small group leading with a young adult encouragement group and radio program. God has given me favor, grace, and the ability to do these things preparing the way for me.

If we would seek and trust God, he will direct us. God has got us. The Bible says that God enlarges our steps underneath us to keep us from falling (Psalms 18:36). That means that a lot of scrapes and bumps can be avoided as young people through following God.

When we do things on our own without following him; we run the risk of being so out of whack that we don’t know what we are supposed to do, rejection due to not meeting other men’s standards or standards we have set for ourselves, or pride if we are successful.

There is nothing wrong with having ambition, and a burden to do something great, but we are greater when we follow God. Either way we are covered as believers because of the covenant in Christ that we have. When we fall all we have to do is come to God and he will restore us, cleanse us, and cover us. We are such a blessed people and we need to realize that as we walk with God and allow him to take our burdens for his burden. The Lord is with us and for us. If we come to him and ask him for wisdom he will not look down on us (James 1:5), but love us and gently guide us to our purposes found in him.

I was laying in the bed resting and thinking about being in God’s presence and how I wanted to be pure to be in God’s presence. I looked up the word pure and the below definition says:

God’s love draws us to purity. When we love God, we keep his commandments [ii]. We willfully choose to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God [iii], and we reap the benefits of being rewarded with God’s presence. We do not entertain the things competing for our affection that would make us impure in order to be able to realize God’s affection for us[iv].

God’s love for us is constant, but if we spend time worshiping things allowing ourselves to become impure, we will begin to lose sight of God’s love for us and grow to love the things that we have chosen to make idols in our lives. If we want God, and want to realize his affection for us, we need to pray to God to help us to be pure unmixed with anything that defiles. God will always love us, but it is hard to see when we are in bondage to our flesh or sin due to fighting with condemnation.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

People who are in Christ Jesus who walk after their flesh will always deal with some type of condemnation because walking in the flesh and in sin is an open door to condemnation, but the person who is in Christ who makes a choice to no longer walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit will not have to worry about condemnation. Purity is a choice. Once we make that choice to obey God; He provides us with the grace and wisdom to do so.

Any distraction that Satan can throw at us to attempt to separate us from God he will, but we have a choice in the matter we can choose to depend on the Lord’s strength and grace to walk in purity or we can just give in to our flesh.

A few things that help with purity are meditating on God’s word constantly, hanging around other believers who are fervent about pleasing God and walking in purity, prayer and fasting, and submitting ourselves to the leading of the Holy-Spirit when he warns us about certain relationships, books, television, movies, boundaries that need to be set or any such thing. Just like we would guard the purity in our marriage relationship with our spouse; we should guard the purity in our personal lives with God.

Questions to meditate on: How important is purity to you? Do you see God’s presence as a reward for purity why or why not? Do we value God’s presence like we should or do we take God for granted expecting him to put up with anything? If we were/are in covenant with a spouse would we put up with unacceptable behavior from them? Why do we expect God to put up with unacceptable behavior from us? Do we respect and honor God in sincerity or are we just playing a game deceived by our current sins[v]?

[i] But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:2

[ii] “If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15

[iii] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

[iv] Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrews 12:14

[v] But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13

If we paid attention to how thoughtful the Lord is of us, we would not worry about so much. I had a conversation with my cousin last night as we talked about the best and worst parts of 2014. I shared with her how it ministered to me how thoughtful the Lord has been of me. I shared with her how I had prayed specifically for what I was looking for in a car, and God gave me that plus he exceeded my expectations with what I needed even more. It was something how that car had not been put into the dealership’s system yet making me the first and the last one to view the car before it left the lot, but the car owner pulled up just as I did with the car that I was going to buy within my budget exceeding my expectations. He had just driven it from up north to the dealership just for me. The Lord knew that I would be at that dealership at that time too looking for what I had prayed for. It was weird too when I was doing the test drive an older guy I didn’t know drove past honked the horn and gave me a thumbs-up as if that’s the right one.

In addition to the car blessing, I had told some of my co-workers that I would purchase a bike for myself as a reward for paying my car off once I finally pay it off. I attended a fund-raiser event and filled out a card for the grand prize and was awarded the grand-prize which consisted of a bike, and several other gifts. Again, God exceeded my expectations thinking of me. I have several stories that I could share from my walk with the Lord thus far of God being thoughtful of me in an obvious way.

God’s word says about being thoughtful of us:

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you. Psalms 139:17-18
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God’s thoughts toward us are more than the sand according to the above scripture.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

Matthew 6:25-33 – sums up the thoughtfulness of God. It discusses how God takes care of the sparrows, lilies of the field, and fowls of the air. It compares the care of those things to the care of his people who are worth much more to God.

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

Matthew 6 is concluded with the emphasis on seeking God first instead of things and things will be added to us. Let’s try to be mindful on this year of God’s goodness in our lives. At the end of the year, I have a tradition that I’ve done since about 17 years old where I list all of the blessings from the previous year. I also go back and read the blessings from previous years realizing that some of them I have forgotten about. When I read about them and reminisce on the thoughtfulness of God all I can do is smile and be thankful that the Lord loves me so much!

If we have not noticed our biggest job or focus as believers should be to give God our hearts. Yes, God will supply our needs, Yes, God can and will give us the desires of our hearts. Yes, he is thoughtful of us, and careful to answer every request that lines up with his word (John 15.), but we need to remember in the middle of all of this that our greatest job as believers is to give God our hearts.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things will be given to us. When our hearts are toward God we can appropriately handle all things. We can handle money without worshiping it. Instead we will build up the kingdom of God and have some left over for ourselves. So, yes God is very careful to be thoughtful of us knowing the number of the very hairs on our heads. He is faithful. He pities us like a father does his son being patient with us until we get the things that he tries to show us. [i]. He watches over us providing direction[ii] Let’s pray and ask God to make us sensitive and attentive to his work in our lives so that God can have our hearts and not just our requests as we rest in his care knowing that we can bring our petitions to him and leave them there without worry or anxiety (Phillipians 4:6-7).

[i] Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Psalms 103:13

[ii] I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalms 32:8

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3

I was recently grieved when I met a gentlemen who veered from the truth of God’s word in order to justify his decision to practice sin, and the worse part about it is the gentlemen knows better. He made statements to me such as, “God does not judge sin anymore, but winks at it turning a blind eye because of his grace.

Therefore, implying that we can do whatever we want. He made a case that it was fine to curse every other word and even while you witness to others about Jesus Christ because Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples witnessed to others while cursing and Jesus did not have a problem with it. Don’t know what Bible that came from. I only remember Peter cursing once when people tried to accuse him of being one of Jesus disciples after Jesus was arrested. We should not use other people’s lives even if they are in the Bible in order to justify our own wrong-doing. The Bible makes it clear that it isn’t wise to measure ourselves by other people (2 Corinthians 10:12).

Just because God has mercy and grace on someone else who does something, doesn’t mean that same mercy and grace is promised to everyone regarding that something. Everyone is at different maturity levels and some individuals may require grace in an area that someone more mature or stable does not. It’s like the example of a toddler running outside naked, everyone will say that it’s cute and the toddler doesn’t know any better, but an adult would be considered indecently exposed and may be arrested. Judgment belongs to the Lord not to us to use in order to justify our own sinful pleasures. God will have mercy on who he will , and his grace should not be taken for granted.

For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Romans 9:15 (NIV)

Ephesians 4:7 says that God has given to every man a measure of grace according to the gift of Christ. A measure is a portion of grace. Everyone is afforded grace through Jesus Christ, but it may not be to the same measure, but it will be what is necessary for each individual person and his or her level of growth, maturity, and capability.

The gentlemen also referenced King David and King Solomon saying they were a couple of the biggest hoes of all time, yet God dealt with them gracefully. Whenever grace becomes justification for sin instead of the ability to overcome sin then grace is not grace. It is a mere taking for granted of the purpose for God’s grace to begin with.

God’s grace is a gift given to us through his son Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for us so that when we sin, but sincerely want to do right and attempt to do so, we have an advocate with God who if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all of our unrighteousness so that we do not have to walk around in condemnation, but the grace of God cleanses us giving us the strength to try again.

Romans makes this clear saying: Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound? God forbids. How should those who are dead to sin continue therein Romans (6:1-2). Accepting God’s grace requires a seriousness to dealing with sin. The Bible says that those that consider themselves born again should view themselves as being dead to sin.

This is a process that takes time and growth, but it is clear that God’s grace is not around to justify sin. Sin did not become justified through God’s grace, but we became justified through God’s grace taking on righteousness that we did not earn (Psalms 32:2). That is an honor that God has bestowed upon us of the highest standard which is his Son and God gives us the grace to grow into the righteousness of his Son as we submit to him. We do not have to work for God’s grace, but there should be some type of appreciation for it.

The way that I understand is that when we become born again our spirit is connected with God. We take on a new life where we have to learn how to walk in the spirit and not after the flesh. The Bible says that the flesh is not subject to God neither can it be and as long as we walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Walking in the spirit is walking in the things that we cannot see. God’s word, Jesus’ Christ righteousness, the promises of God, faith and such.

Walking in the flesh is the total opposite of the above (Galatians 5). We need God’s grace because of the battle with the flesh that we constantly have including the carnal mind. God’s grace is there so that when we fall short and we all fall short, we are not out of the game because he brings us back to that place of justification meaning it’s not over for us. We are accepted with God. We are loved. We are his. His patience and covenant of mercy and grace with us is honored when he looks at his son and our faith in his son.

We access God’s grace through faith and humility. We need faith to come to God and have a trust that he covers us if we trust and believe in his son. We need humility to be humble enough to know that we need him, and to come to him even after we have done wrong.

James 4 talks about a struggle between the flesh and the spirit. It concludes the struggle in vs. 6-7 by saying, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Lastly, it says in vs. 7 to draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.

James 4 is how we are to deal with sin. We are to always deal with sin after humility and coming to God. If we become prideful and seek to justify our sin hiding from the truth of God’s word, we will find ourselves in deception like the young man twisting God’s word to fit our own deceitful lusts.

The man who continues to walk in deception eventually loses the ability to discern between what is truth and what is a lie. That is what the Bible refers to as reprobate. Once a person gets to the point where he or she no longer honors the cross of Jesus Christ, there isn’t anything else that God can offer that person to be saved (Hebrews 10:26) Salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way that God himself provided to deal with sin. If we willfully dishonor what God did to save us, then what else can God offer us, but his judgment. I still pray for the young man that he would turn away from deception and walk in the truth.

My last blog was about honor. When we choose to use God’s grace for something other than the purpose than what it was intended, we dishonor his grace, we dishonor God and run the risk of losing his grace over our lives.

One of my greatest prayers when I have struggled with sin has been, “Lord don’t ever let me take you for granted.” This is one of my greatest prayers because anyone of us can fall prey to sin, and allow sin to become a stronghold in our lives that leads us to deception and pride in trying to justify the sin, but the good part about it is God’s grace is enough for us wherever we are currently at in the struggle between walking in our flesh and spirit.

We only need to seek to honor God through putting our faith in him coming to him sincerely in repentance and not deceitfully in order to justify our sin until we see victory in our personal lives over the sin. The misinterpretation of God’s grace is unfruitful; it only promotes sin while God’s purpose for his grace is to destroy the power of sin in the lives of us God’s people.

iFor he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Romans 9:15 (NIV)

iiBut unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

iiiFor by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

ivFor if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:26

vBut exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. Hebrews 3:13