Why are you so worried about what other people think?  The people that we call our friends will prove with their reactions and actions what they really are.  We will most likely find out that some are in deed true friends, friends who want what is best for us.  And we will find that there are some others with their own agendas.  Don’t allow what others think to get in the way of what our Creator knows about who we are and what we are supposed to do.

There is only ONE that we need to be concerned about and HE is the ONE that created us, protects us has an amazing plan for our lives.  It is a shame to think that we could miss out on His amazing plan because we are so wrapped up in what other people “might” think.

Our Creator simply asks for one thing – that we trust Him.  We can’t truly trust Him and fear what others think.  Romans 8:1&2 says:  “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” 

It just does not make any sense that we would trade in the freedom that Christ has given, for the fear of what a friend might think.  We play all kinds of “justification” games, but they just take us farther away from what God has for us.  I mean come on think about it!  God has created us on purpose and for a purpose – don’t miss it!

It really is simple!  God created us.  God loves us.  God has a plan for our life.  God wants to use us right not, but we often get in the way of His plans.  We need God’s help and He is waiting for us to ask and be ready for His answer!

Here are a few steps to help us stop worrying about what others think and start focusing on what God has planned for our lives.

1.  Pray!  Simple, but very effective!  Take time to talk to Your Creator.  Tell Him what you are thinking and feeling and ask for His help!  It really is amazing what we can hear, see and feel – just by spending a little time in His presence.

2.  Perspective!  Don’t over think it, but make sure that you are seeing things as they really are.  We are great at clouding our own vision.  What really matters at the end of the day is this:  Am I living and growing in the will and plan of my Creator?

3.  Passion!  Control your emotions or they will control you!  Emotions are powerful and they can be used to accomplish very good things or very bad things.  We have to learn to control our emotions in a positive way by looking past everything else to the Spiritual, because at the end of the day, this is what really matters!

My Prayer:  God help me to take my eyes off of others.  Help me to take my eyes off of myself.   Help me to focus my eyes, heart and life totally and completely on You.  I don’t want to miss Your amazing plan for my life.  I do want to live in the freedom, You created me for and I want my life to bring You great glory.  Help me, help myself by being obedient to Your ways!

Problems are a reality of life.  We don’t like them and we do our best to avoid them, but live life long enough and you are going to have your fair share.  The big problem with problems is not so much our problems, but our trust.

If God allows a problem to come into our life, then we can count on the fact that He knows about us and our problem and He has a plan.  I think that sometimes God allows the problems to flow into and through our lives, so that we might have the opportunity to trust in Him more and better.

We often think of trust as a one time event, but it is really an ongoing thing that allows me to grow in my relationship.  Trusting God means that we stay close to Him and responsive to His will.  This is not our natural response, and so this is something that we have to work at.

To grow our trust, we must exercise our faith in Him and His plans and this will grow our trust as we learn to walk with Him moment by moment and day by day.  This does not mean that we have not and will not ever get hurt.  Hurt is actually one of the motivations that helps us to turn away from self and toward Him.

It’s easy to trust God in some situations and hard to trust God in others.  I want to learn to trust Him in all situations, not just some.  I don’t have to understand everything or have all the answers to trust and when I trust, His presence and power is guaranteed.

Lord, Help me to get through this day, through this moment, trusting You.  Give me what I need to live victoriously according to Your plans.  I want to depend on You, I need to depend on You, so in this moment I give myself to You and leave the next moment to You!

One of the reasons we do Grace Place is because we want to touch even more people with God’s grace, mercy, love, forgiveness and restoration.  This is not just words on a page, this is a major part of our purpose, a big time reason why we do a lot of the things we do.

Last Sunday, I shared a message on this very thing and all this week we have been talking about the different components of touch that allow us to experience, share and grow in God.  Today, I want to focus for just a few moments on an ultimate part of the goal:  Restoration!

Restoration is the hard work of repairing that which has been broken, fitting that which has become unfit, framing that which has become unframed and mending that which is coming a part.  Restoration is hard work, but there is good news:  God has already done most of the heavy lifting!

Galatians 6:1-5 gives us our instruction:  “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.”

Restoration is not about putting things the way you want them or think they should be.  Restoration is about putting things the way God intended them to be.  God’s amazing grace gives us what we could never earn or deserve.  God’s mercy keeps us from getting the punishment and separation that we have earned and do deserve.  God, Who is love, shares Himself and all that He is with me and gives me the ability to participate in the divine by giving to others this most precious of gifts.  This gift of love allows me to forgive which not only gives freedom to others, but allows me to experience the power of living unhindered and unrestricted.

We all have a choice to make.  Will we live for selfish reasons or for supernatural reasons?  Henery Drummond gives us some advice:  “Let man choose life; let him daily nourish his soul; let him forever starve the old life; let him abide continuously as a living branch in the Vine, and the true Vine life will flow into his soul, assimilating, renewing, conforming to type, till Christ, pledged by His own law, will be formed in him.”

God wants to take us to a place that we could never take ourselves.  Open your heart, spirit and mind, enjoy the gifts God has given you and as you live in the power of restoration, let your restored life give Him great glory.