“In any situation, there is a sacred-solution.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

“Sometimes God makes better choices for us than we could have ever made for ourselves.” – Jennifer Hudson

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15 CSB

“I am the LORD All-Powerful. So don’t depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit.” – Zechariah 4:6 CEV

Have you ever wondered how many times you’ve missed out on God’s best for your life by heading off in a direction never intended for you?  How many battles did you choose to fight that were never meant for you in the first place?

A few years ago, I wrote an article about this very idea – knowing when to wait on God and knowing when to act – the delicate balance between doing and allowing.  I attached it to the end of this article – hoping it will help you if you are facing this dilemma currently as I am.

Lately, I’ve found myself anxiously wondering what to do next, how I might manipulate my circumstances to reach my goals faster and distressed over making a bad decision in the process.  The thought of doing nothing seems too passive, but the thought of acting too quickly based on emotions has me petrified as well.

As I’ve prayed about my dilemma, I’ve found comfort in the Scripture verses above.  Many of the battles we fight were never meant for us. 

We are told to “Fear not!”, yet we fight the battle of worry and distress incessantly.  We dispute the idea of waiting on God to act in our behalf – struggling to trust Him with the entirety of our lives.

We have clashes in our marriages or relationships – trying to manipulate others into thinking and feeling like we do.  We scuffle and skirmish with the concept of stillness and allowing – believing we can only rely on ourselves and our own actions if life is to play out as we desire. 

We wage war against the big issues surrounding our lives – forgetting our God is BIGGER and willing to fight for us!  We diminish what the Spirit of the Living God can do in our life – relying on our own power and strength instead.

Let’s stop fighting battles never meant for us!  May God give us the wisdom behind doing and allowing my friend 😊   I pray the article blesses your life!

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The Delicate Balance Between Doing and Allowing

“If it is meant to be, It is up to me.” – Naomi Simson

“Let go and Let God.” – Norman Vincent Peale

“I am constantly torn between, ‘If it’s meant to be, it will be.’ AND ‘If you want it, go and get it.’” – Author Unknown

Of all the lessons there are to learn in this life, understanding the significance behind what to do and what to allow is one of the most crucial.  The deeper meaning behind why we are here and our ability to fulfill that destiny teeters on this tight rope walk.

The world tells us that we are in control of our destiny – if we want it, we need to go get it.  The bottom line is making a choice, determining your course, and going for it!  Of course, this is obvious – both in its beauty and freedom, and in its ugliness and consequence.

Yet the Scriptures tell us to wait on God (Isaiah 40:31), that our times are in His Hands (Psalm 31:15), and that if we acknowledge Him in all we do, He will direct our path through life (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

This balance between doing and allowing surfaces at the very origin of man and woman.  You may believe the story of creation to be nothing short of an allegory or you may believe that Adam and Eve were real people, but regardless of your viewpoint, the message is a clear one:  We have a choice: To follow God’s way for us or follow our own way.

Allegory or not, isn’t it funny how this story is at the very beginning – pointing out to us the significance of this balancing act.

You see, God could have created robots if all He ever wanted was for humans to follow His way without question.  If that was the REAL end result He desired, the gift of choice would have never entered into the equation.

But we were created in His own image – to create and to choose on our own.  Being our “own” person has instigated the choice of entering a true, deep, and lasting relationship with the Creator or choosing otherwise.  Being our “own” person means ego, self-desire, and self-will can become obstacles not only within that relationship, but in the fulfillment of our destiny – the REAL reason we were created in the first place.

So do we simply choose to WAIT on God to point the way out to us in the fulfillment of that destiny or do we have a part to play…..something we need to DO?

I believe my friend it is both 🙂 It is a tight rope walk, a delicate balancing act – one requiring us to take steps, yet walking on the fine line that is God’s way for us.

You may think I mean something as simple as being good and not evil – following strict commandments (God’s way) or doing as we please (our way).  But I’m talking about something far more significant then whether we behave or misbehave – I’m talking about the tight rope walk of destiny.

What should we be doing with our life?  How do we make it count?  What does that mean regarding our relationships, our vocation, the activities we engage in and how those things work together?  Are we setting our own course or are we following God’s plan for our lives – the plan that has deeper, lasting purposes behind it?

When I look at my own life, I can see how often my ego, my wants, and my own desires have solely and selfishly determined my life’s direction – not at all concerned about God’s plans and desires for it – the One who created it in the first place 🙂

Even crazier, down deep we KNOW we have flawed reasoning, limited perspective, and are often driven by satisfying our immediate wants and desires.  But yet we TRUST OUR OWN WAY! ??

And here is God, always acting in love, all-powerful, all-knowing, having always existed in the past, present, and future…..and we DOUBT His way for us?  A God who knows the future, who has the power to help us, who can see the bends and twists in the road well before we even know they are there – a God who has plans for us that are filled with goodness, hope, and a prosperous future (Jeramiah 29:11), and STILL we would rather have it our way?

So how do we both DO and ALLOW?

• Start by asking God to show you HIS way for you.  If you really desire to know God’s will for your life, He has promised to reveal it to you (Ephesians 1:11 and James 1:5).  This is the first act of ALLOWING.  You will know it is the right way if your heart is filled with peace and your mind is at rest about it (Philippians 4:7 and Numbers 6:26)
• Don’t rush, hurry, or make quick decisions.  Generally, those kinds of actions are driven by feelings and emotions.  Walk the tight rope one step at a time.  Taking just one step is still DOING 🙂
• The step you take (whatever direction you choose) should be sure-footed, meaning it is placed on the solid ground (or walking the line in our analogy) of morality, goodness, and what we know to be God-centered.  A step taken toward hurting others, toward selfishness, or toward dishonesty is a misstep – regardless of the direction we choose.  We cannot take knowingly wrong steps and expect them to turn out heading the right way.
• After one step, STOP, LISTEN, and ASK for guidance.  This is where daily quiet time – time to pray and reflect are critical!  God promises us He will direct us when we seek His way (Proverbs 3: 5-6)
• Realize that ALLOWING IS DOING!  To purposely wait to hear from God, to seek His way for you, is an active choice you make.
• Know that ALLOWING means there will be times of inactivity, of waiting, and of silence.  The next step might seem unclear, or you may feel a sense of unrest about it.  If that’s the case, see this as an opportunity to ALLOW God to intervene.  Sometimes God’s timing isn’t our own.  Sometimes He is working behind the scenes, moving the hearts of others, or clearing the pathway ahead. 

Today, ask yourself where you sit when it comes to DOING and ALLOWING.  Are you trying to DO it all – making things happen in your own will and your own way?  Are you just sitting in one place ALLOWING things to unfold around you without your involvement?  Do you see the importance of both?  How are you ACTIVELY ALLOWING God to take you in the direction of your destiny?

I hope you spend some quiet time today contemplating this idea. Your destiny is riding on it!