4 | BELIEF IN GOD IS A LIFESTYLE

My bible anchor for 2023 was ‘I BELIEVE GOD’ founded on Ephesians 3:20. 2023 was the year for me where I really started to build my own personal relationship with God. Though there’s been hiccups along the way, it was the first year that I took it upon myself to start to live a life that follows God.

Like I had said earlier, my walk in God hasn’t been smooth. There’s been bumps along the way whether for short or long periods of time but in spite of it all, I always knew that belief in God is a lifestyle. It’s not something that we pick up one day and drop another day. It’s not something that we go to from time to time. It’s not something we yearn and beg for when praying for something and once that prayer has been answered we now discard God till the next round of yearning. No.

Belief in God is a lifestyle.

To summarise this lifestyle into three words would be: I BELIEVE GOD. It’s not that I can believe in God, I should believe in God, I would believe in God if so and so happened. NO. It is I BELIEVE GOD. No matter what is happening, no matter the uncertainty, doubt or worry life may bring. No matter what you’re moving towards and healing from, just know that you have an extraordinary, exceeding expectations God who is there for you and will be there for you every step of the way in this process we call life.

We live in a secular world with overflowing seeds of temptation, plastered in our face everywhere we look. It can be easy to fall into its trap as it guises itself in many forms- sin, gossip, greed, hatred, pride, jealousy, procrastination, doubt, laziness and much more alike to these concepts. So, whilst we still may be chanting, I BELIEVE GOD, it’s gone from those three words of I BELIEVE GOD to I BELIEVE GOD but I’m still yearning for life in the flesh. I BELIEVE GOD but let me just quickly, you know, join in this gossip because of FOMO. I BELIEVE GOD but let me wait till nighttime to live out my fleshly desires as I thought God only sees what I do in the light and the darkness provides me cover from exposure.

Our belief in God shouldn’t be a half-attempt. We need to give Him our whole. We need to turn to those furthered I BELIEVE GOD mindsets to just simply I BELIVE GOD.

Though don’t get me wrong, I get it. In such times of temptations, especially where we have fallen into its traps, we can be quick to want to distant ourselves from God because of embarrassment, guilt, and shame. On the flip side, sometimes our mind may tell us that, welp you’ve already done one sin, might as well go all the way right, which is the complete opposite of what we should do as it draws us further away from God, furthering those I BELIEVE GOD statements, till the point where it’s just those statements and no longer I BELIEVE GOD in any way, shape or form.

Rather of going distant, we must go closer.

That is the vital time, in that moment of temptation where we need to get closer to God, come clean by confessing our sins, seek for His forgiveness and prepare for our Day 1 in getting back on track for the change we seek to see, embody and achieve.

When you believe in God, when you have that faith, nothing can stand between you and Him. Nothing can hinder your yearning for Him and prevent the redemption, salvation, mercy and grace He can show for, over and towards you.

Going back to Ephesians chapter 3 verse 20, it leaves no scope for doubt, uncertainty or fear. It is a firm confirmation of our belief in God. Knowing that He is a God of exceeding expectations, a God who goes above and beyond. He makes the ordinary extraordinary and the impossible possible. This is why there is no scope of negativity, limitations or setbacks to be affiliated with such verse.

We know we serve a living God.

We know we serve a Way Maker.

We know we serve a God who is able.

And because we know we live in courage that God will see us through.

He will see us through. Always.

So, why worry? Why doubt? Why would we lower our faith to increase our fears when we know deep down that our God will go above and beyond for us. He will make mountains move for us. We can never be victims, defeated or stoppable. Through God we are only victors, undefeated and unstoppable.

Verse 20 states that God goes abundantly above ALL that we ask or think. Not some, not in part, not limited by chances or probabilities, not halfway but ALL. He is able to exceedingly abundantly go above and beyond for us wholeheartedly. God is not a God of half-attempts. He is not a God that only tries, He fulfils the plan for which He has for us. When we pray to Him for our wants and needs, He makes whole our prayers and blesses us beyond our means.

Such task is done accordingly to the power that works within us.

Power: the ability or capability to do something or act in a particular way.

In building our relationship with God, we are cementing a union with Him. Such relationship can only be founded on the power we have decided to use to believe in Him. We have the power to believe in God. With such power it provides us with both the ability and capability to yearn and go to God with whatever is in our minds and hearts.

I BELIEVE GOD is not just a statement. It is a confirmation that we live in courage knowing that God will go above and beyond for us, and such courage is founded on the union we have decided to create with Him, stemmed from the power stored within us to go forth, build that relationship with God and know that He will make a way for all that we ask or think of Him.

I BELIEVE GOD is unconditional. So, no matter what, because of what, in spite of what, despite of what with such validation being made through no matter, because of, in spite of and despite of who, we stand firm in our faith, ten toes down with our head held high as WE BELIEVE GOD and He will make a way.

He’s already made the way. We’re just going through this process in preparation for the person we need to be to be able to fully embrace all that He has in store for us.

That’s why belief in God is a lifestyle. It is a daily choice to kill our flesh, let God live in us and let Him be our anchor in every aspect of our lives. Though we need to do our part- we need to seek Him, pray to Him, worship Him, live in discipleship and discipline of His word, embody the fruits of the Spirit, act on discernment, seek first His guidance and wisdom in all that we do, spread His good news to others, evangelise and so much more. Everything in our lives, everything that we are and what we seek to become must be a symbol of God. Our lives must mirror His image in that He created us in. Our hearts need to be filled with love, because as we dwell in love, we dwell in God because God is love (1^st John 4:16). We must take time to invest in others as we invest in ourselves. We must have a community and build further communities focused on living in faith and following the Lord’s way daily. We must do our part to ensure others can see God in us and pass the baton, so to speak, to future generations so that the light of God lives on forevermore.

Belief in God as a lifestyle cannot end with us but only begin so that such belief will be spread to the masses and will continue to multiply and multiply so that all souls can become a part of the Kingdom of God. Each and every single one of us has that gift, that God-ordained gift He laid into our hearts to fulfil not just for our own destiny but as a testimony to encourage others to find and live out their own God-ordained gift.

Tap into God, pray to Him to show you His visions for your life, pray for Him to start the work in you, in all of us to live out the visions, to showcase our God-ordained gifts and share such gifts with others.

I BELIEVE GOD.

[20] Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Remember, Trust in the Lord, Love like the Lord, Walk with the Lord.TLW

who do we follow? thelawdsway