Wow, today’s the last day of our five week study, can you believe it? I hope this study has really helped you and drawn you closer to the Lord as it has me! I have loved doing this devotion, and as always you can check it out on YouVersion by searching Jesus Over Everything in the plans section, or you can simply click here. In our final study we are looking at how to reorder your life so that it works. Let’s look at what Lisa has to say in her video and then dive right in.

Today I just want you to rest in the fact that Jesus has you in in the palm of his hand, or as I like to say, He has his arms wrapped around me so no harm can come to me. This doesn’t mean I won’t go through hard things, it means Jesus won’t let anything utterly destroy me. As Lisa points out in our last day’s devotion, before we ever took a breath, before the sky and grass were formed, there was God. This is a comforting thought, especially in these times, and we can rest in knowing God reigns supreme. If you’re anything like me sometimes you struggle to see God’s plan for your life, and often times I grow tired of waiting and try to run my own life, or jockey for first place with the Lord as Lisa says. However, when we do this we come to the realization that life never works when we try to run it ourselves. The reason is because that is how God designed it, and He doesn’t want to manage our lives out of ego, He does it out of love! God is the creator of the universe, and the Bible describes Him as being the first and the last – meaning He knows the end from the beginning. Because of this, He knows what’s best for us and what we can handle at any given moment. Jesus first goes beyond being some bumper sticker on our car windshield, it is a way of life. Life can become a lot less messy and a lot more balanced when we give God the chance to write our story. I heard a saying one time that we each have a story to tell, but the best are the ones God has written. We are desire to live content and satisfied, so why won’t we simply allow the one who knows us inside and out to show us the way? Take a moment and ask yourself these questions; Who is in charge of your life right now? Who is running things, you or God? Do you need to do some reordering in your life? I know if I have learned anything in this pandemic 2020 it has been that I’m so tired of living life on my terms and I can’t keep running to Jesus as a last resort. If I want Jesus to be over everything, that includes me.

Do you know Him?

You may be reading this right now and thinking, “But Angie, I’m not a Christian. I’ve never asked Jesus to be my savoir, let alone manage my life. What do I do?” First, I would say just talk to Him. Talk to Him like you would your very best friend, because that is what He wants to be. Even just saying something like, “Jesus I can’t do this anymore, I need you. Please show me how to live life the way you design for me to live, with purpose and passion.” Something as simple as that, it doesn’t have to be complicated. I think too many times we make Christianity and God out to be this big overly complicated being that we can neither speak to or have anything to do with because we are not good enough to approach Him. The fact of the matter is, we aren’t, we never will be. That is why Jesus came a long time ago and took all the messed up stuff you or I will ever do and died in our place so we can talk to God and have a personal relationship with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus. And the best part is the God of the universe isn’t some dead guy in a tomb or made out of gold, He is alive and well, waiting for us when we leave this life and enter the next. You might have bad experiences with people who said they followed Jesus, but we aren’t perfect. And above all, I ask that you not judge the majority over the few. If you would like to talk more about this I encourage you to head over to my contact section and send me a message, I would like to discuss this further with you.

I hope you have enjoyed the last five weeks as we draw closer to the Lord and choose #JesusOverEverything Let’s pray.

Prayer: Papa, I thank you for every lady who either joined me on this five week study, or just popped in. I pray you would become so real to them, and they would see Your love for them. You desire to manage our lives because You love us and have our best interest at heart. I pray they would rest in the fact that You are for them and not against them according to Romans 8:31. Remind my dear sister, Lord that they can stop the chaos within them when they trust You as their savoir and put their life in Your hands. May Your blessings, favor, and hand be upon them today.

I want to include the prayer that Lisa has in her devotion as I have the previous weeks, then I am going to include the last set of questions at the end.

Father, You are in all things, over all things, and You are the one and only reasons our lives hold together. Sometimes we forget that; forgive us when we do. God, I’ve tried to run my own life and put myself in first, and it hasn’t worked. I’m sorry for trying. I need You to be over my life, my struggles, all of everything right now. I can’t manage this anymore. You must be in charge of my life, and I ask You to be once again. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Respond:

• What place does God hold in your life right now? (Be honest. Give it an actual number.)

• What is not working in your life right now that you need to put Him over?

• Along with Ephesians 1, read Colossians 1 for the five days after this reading plan is over (or alternate between chapters each day). Write down at least one sentence daily of something you take away from the passage. What is God speaking to you through it?

Be blessed sister, you are in my prayers always.

~ Angie ~