I Am God and You Are Not

I am God, and you are not. This may sound harsh, but it’s actually a blessed dose of reality. In the Garden of Eden, Satan tempted Eve with the very same desire that had caused him to fall from heaven: to be like God, usurping My divine position. Eve succumbed to this temptation, as did Adam. Since that time, the sin-nature in people prompts them to act as if they are God — trying to control everything, judging Me when circumstances don’t go as they’d like.

Remembering you are not God helps you live in freedom.

You don’t take responsibility for matters that are beyond your control — which includes most matters. If you let go of everything that is not your responsibility, you are freed from carrying unnecessary burdens. And you can be more effective in areas where you do have some control. Moreover, you can pray about all your concerns, trusting in My sovereignty. Bring Me your prayers with thanksgiving; present your requests to Me. Living this way will shield you from anxiety and bless you with Peace that transcends all understanding.

And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven.” — Luke 10:18 NKJV

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. — Genesis 3:5 NKJV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6–7

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Beware of overthinking things — obsessing about unimportant matters. When your mind is idle, you tend to go into planning mode: attempting to figure things out and make various decisions before you really need to do so. This is an unproductive way of trying to grasp control, and it’s a waste of your precious time. Often, you end up changing your mind or forgetting what you decided. There is a time for planning, but it’s definitely not all the time — or even most of it.

• Seek to live in the present moment, where My Presence awaits you continually.

Refresh yourself in My nearness, letting My Love soak into your inner-most being. Relax with Me, putting aside problems so you can be attentive to Me and receive more of My Love. Your soul thirsts for Me, but often you don’t realize what you’re really longing for: awareness of My Presence. Let Me lead you beside quiet waters and restore your soul. Just as lovers don’t need to say much to communicate deeply, so it is in your relationship with Me — the Lover of your soul.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. — Ephesians 3:17–19

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. — Psalm 63:1 NKJV

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. — Psalm 23:2–3

Excerpted with permission from Jesus Always Note-Taking by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young.

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Your Turn

Take comfort today in the fact that God is God and we are not! His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). We don’t have to grasp for control or overthink every little thing because He is in control! ~ Devotionals Daily