Out of Alignment

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God…Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.   (James 4:4, 7-8)
 
When we get frustrated with what is happening in our lives, it is often because we are more concerned about getting what we want, rather than being aligned with who God is. We get bogged down by our own selfishness. We say we are following Christ, but our actions prove that we are more interested in following our own plans and desires.

This is where frustration arrives. We feel unsettled, confused, and flustered because we continue to ride the fence, refusing to give up our agenda for the sake of fully following the Lord.

We can’t live in peace when we follow the world. That was the point James was making when he said, You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?  (James 4:4)

God doesn’t want you to have a dichotomized life between the secular and the spiritual. He wants you to be in alignment with Him. Amazing things can happen when we surrender our own plans and desires, and align ourselves with the One whose plans and desires are so much greater.

Once we align ourselves with Him, we realize that we need Jesus more than we need anything Jesus could do for us. We need Him more than we need the position, the power, the influence, or the desires we are asking Him to provide. We can’t let ourselves believe the lie that we need His blessing more than we need Him.

Do you feel out of alignment? Have you been chasing the blessings more than you have been chasing the One who blesses? If so, pray and ask the Lord today to align your heart with His. Surrender your plans and desires to Him, and watch how the Lord honors your obedience and submission.