Do Your Part

Christians sometimes misunderstand God working in their lives. Sometimes we think that God is just going to come along and do and fix everything for us. He's not a geenie or a magician. He's not going to waive his magic wand and POOF! everything is fixed in our lives. We have a certain amount of responsibility on our end. We have to have faith that God will work in our lives and then do everything on our end for Him to do so. 

I mentioned this example before, but it illustrates how God works in our lives. 

If I need a job, by faith, I pray and ask God to give me a job. Now, if I just sit on the couch, day after day, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for God to give me a job, then I could easily starve to death.

I have to do everything on my end and trust that God will make a job available. I fill out applications, submit resumes, make calls, go on job interviews. I do everything I can do on my end, and then trust in God to open the doors and make it happen for me. I have to trust God that He will place me exactly where He wants me to be.

It says in Ephesians 6:13-14, "...having done everything to stand. Stand Firm." 

This is talking about spiritual warfare, but it applies

here as well. 

Whatever we need in life we have to pray about it, "casting all our cares on Him for He cares for us." Do everything we can on our end for God to work in our lives. Then "stand firm," and wait for God to work it out in our lives. Ps. 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." After we have prayed and done all we can do, we have to wait on God. We have to be still and wait on Him. 

We have a role to play in our own lives. We have to have faith and pray to our Heavenly Father when "life" happens. We have to do our part. Then wait for Him to do His part. That is how He works in our lives. 

There are many examples of this in the Bible. One great example of this is the story of Naaman. Check it out:

2 Kings 5:1-14 NIV

[1] Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. [2] Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. [3] She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” [4] Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. [5] “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. [6] The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” [7] As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” [8] When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” [9] So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. [10] Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” [11] But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. [12] Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. [13] Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” [14] So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

God would heal him of his leprosy, but Naaman had to do his part, by faith, to allow God to work in His life.

Knowing how God works WITH us in our lives

will keep us from being discouraged or disillusioned when things are not happening fast enough. Pray, do your part, stand firm, and wait on God!

Love you all,

Jeffrey Post