God Wants a Realistic People

I prefer to acknowledge my giants. In the long run, I find it more beneficial to become painfully aware of my limitations, my personal struggles, and the difficult circumstances in my life. I have to identify my giants, give them a first and last name.

It is important for us to understand clearly what we are going through, not to live daydreaming about birds in the sky, like an ostrich with its head buried in the sand, thinking that if we ignore the problem, we will not have to face it. God wants a realistic people—not so they will obsess over problems, but so they will know precisely how to tackle them.

Many people are living an artificial life, with little connection to the reality they actually inhabit. They disguise their faults and blame others; they ignore financial problems until those problems hit them over the head with a bat. There is the poor woman telling her husband, “Look, pay the electricity bill; we’re already two months behind.” And he answers, completely unconcerned: “Don’t worry, we still have plenty of time.” Then one day he tries to turn on the light, and… nothing happens. No! Look clearly at your situation; be specific in defining your problems. Specificity is key in the Christian life. Being specific when addressing life’s situations is one of the most powerful principles for success.

Faith does not eliminate the need to do our part before bringing our problems to the Lord. At times, God will want us to examine clearly the situation we are living through, the factors that have brought us to the point of crisis, and the flaws in our character that continually bring us to the brink of disaster, before intervening miraculously on our behalf.

At times, he will want us first to exhaust the natural resources at our disposal before intervening supernaturally. In the account of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, for example, he first sends the disciples to search among the crowd and find out what resources they have (five loaves and two fish) before taking them in his hands and multiplying them miraculously.

God is glorified in the man or woman who recognizes their responsibility to live a sober and upright life, walking with a firm and steady step, doing their part instead of leaving everything to God.

Ask God for wisdom to understand yourself and the circumstances in which you live. Ask him to enlighten you so that you may know yourself and the people you interact with each day. Ask him for clear sight, illuminated by his Word and the Holy Spirit, so that you may see things exactly as they are, instead of deceiving yourself by disguising them or calling them by the wrong name.

If you begin to take yourself seriously, as God takes you, and resolve to live a life of purpose and clear understanding, the resources of heaven will come to your aid, and you will receive the wisdom you need to live from victory to victory.