A Call to Greater Expectations

"Our God is the God of limitless resources---the only limit comes from us. Our requests, our thoughts, and our prayers are too small, and our expectations are too low. God is trying to raise our vision to a higher level, call us to have greater expectations, and thereby bring us to greater appropriation. Shall we continue living in a way that mocks His will and denies His word?"

Have you ever stopped to think that what you are praying and asking of the Lord is too small? That maybe God is thinking, "don't you have more faith than that? Do you know how BIG I am?" His word is FILLED with PROMISES and He can really do anything, we just have to INCREASE our FAITH and ASK him.

I'll be the first to admit it, whenever something huge happens in my life and I feel lost and don't know what to do, I often forget to PRAY. I forget that God is right there and I am not alone. It is rather silly that we can ask God for ANYTHING but we DON'T.

There is no limit to what we may ask and expect of our almighty God. And there is no way for us to measure His blessing, for He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Eph. 3:20)

So I don't know about you, but I want to let the Lord WORK. I want to live in a way that I EXPECT that He is going to do BIG THINGS, because He is a BIG God. I think it's time that we start asking Him for more than just the LITTLE things. Because really? He is so much greater, so much stronger, and so much more AWESOME. Let's give Him the chance to BLOW US AWAY.

Don't be afraid to ask, expect, and then watch Him work.

Go SHINE today.

<3 Anna Grace

Wait on the Lord

"Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly."

-Psalm 5:2-3

Good morning everyone! I love those verses because they are my prayer in this season of my life right now. Since my last post, God has been doing an incredible work in my heart. He has laid so many things on my heart and the biggest one is that HE IS IN CONTROL. I think it is my personality to take control of things when I feel uncertain or just have no idea what to do. My first instinct is to, act. However, the Lord has been revealing to me that He simply wants me to hand over the control that I am trying to take, and give it back to Him. Whenever we try to take over control, God cannot accomplish the work He wants to do in us. This morning I came across some great truth in my devotional..."Perhaps you don't see any purpose yet, but then, He isn't finished making you. And besides, you are arguing with the process."

Wow. If I try to take control of a situation that God clearly wants me to trust him in, then basically I am arguing with God and questioning his work. As I was laying in bed the other night I had this heavy conviction come over me and I kept singing these words in my head...

"Oh, my God, He will not delay

My refuge and strength always

I will not fear, His promise is true

My God will come through always, always"

That is a song by Kristian Stanfill called "Always" And I suddenly realized that God promises that He is going to come through and He has everything under control. So why should I even try to take control? Do you know how exhausting that is? God wants us to give him control in every situation and every season in life, both good and bad.

I came across this other piece of truth this morning..."Sitting still, doing nothing except trusting in the Lord, causes a feeling of uncertainty and there is often a tremendous temptation to take the battle into our own hands." So in this season of my life I am called to wait and trust in the Lord. I must fight the temptation to take control, and trust that God is working and his ways are PERFECT.

Lets go SHINE today!

<3 Anna

I surrender all...

So it has been a while since my last post and my life is definitely a whirlwind right now. These past couple weeks have been full of emotions, questioning, wondering, and heartbreak. Have you ever had one of those times in your life where you have no idea how you got to this point? Have you ever found yourself questioning everything someone has ever told you and wondering how someone can say all the right things and you believe them and then in a blink of an eye they are walking away?

If you had talked to me a couple months ago I would have told you that this would never happen to me. Because honestly, I never thought this would happen. But what I am realizing is that I am not in control. I some ways I can make certain choices that may seem like I am in control, but overall I have no control over what happens.

That is where faith steps in. God is in control. When things happen in life so unexpectedly, it is so hard not to question God and not understand what he is doing. I'm right there, right now! It is TOUGH!

Last night was a breaking point for me. I realized that he wasn't coming back and I had to let go. I realized that no matter how much I want it, the control is not in my hands. God is in control. I realize that even though I cannot see it right now, God has a plan. He is at work and I need to SURRENDER.

As I layed in my bed last night, completely broken, I called up an amazing older godly woman who listened to everything and prayed with me. Sometimes you need to lean on someone and have them wake you up and proclaim TRUTH.

Through prayer I have surrendered it all. I knew I had to lay it down at the foot of the Cross. Because this is the truth I have discovered, "Even if God doesn't give you the desire of your heart right now, He is going to give you something greater that your heart and mind cannot even begin to comprehend right now."

So here I am right now...trusting the Lord. I am no longer trying to take control but rather resting in the faith that He knows what is best for me and He LOVES me and has something perfect for me.

Thank you Jesus for this truth. Give me the strength to keep trusting you and holding tightly to your promise. I trust you and I surrender all control to you. In the name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen.