To the full.

It is no secret that the enemy loves to distract us.  By distracting us from what God has for us in this moment, the enemy can steal the joy that God has made available to us in this moment.  If we obsess about the next step, we become too paralyzed to take the present step or to seek God in the present.

I have been distracted from living in this moment, in this step, in today.  I have talked about it before because it is a constant fight.  And maybe you can relate.

When I dwell on the future, I miss today.  When I become fixated on my plans, on creating a plan, on a solution, on the if-onlys, on the some-days, the next step, I have trouble executing my current step.  Even more important than this step, this moment, this day is the presence of God in this step, this moment, this day.

The future is not reality.  And I distort reality when I project my mind into the future.  And so do you.  God defines our reality.  Our God is present right now.  Our God is already present in tomorrow.  While God is omnipresent, we are only capable of being present in the right now.  I will struggle to experience God if I am trying to live in tomorrow.  Being fixated on my notions of tomorrow means missing the presence of God right now.

God is our joy.  When we miss the presence of our God in this moment—the only moment we are promised—we miss the joy of God.

I refuse to be robbed.  I will not miss the abundance of Christ in today.  I will not be fooled into trading the joy of Christ’s presence in this minute for the fearful projections of a mind that cannot fathom Christ’s creativity and provision in tomorrow.  Our Lord has given us life in Christ—and only that is life to the full.  But, that life—that calling—is happening in this moment.  

I will make a choice to live in the presence of God.  And the presence of God is in the present.  And that is our reality.  Fixation on the future creates a flawed forecast predicated on an extreme underestimation of Christ’s power.  These forecasts are a lie—and we must recognize them as lies.

If I sound frustrated, I am.  Our Lord has made His presence available to us always.  But in our humanity, the present time is the only time we can currently experience the Lord’s presence.  I choose to experience God in this moment.  You must choose to experience God in this moment.  And lately, I have forgotten that we make the choice.

How paralyzed and downtrodden we can become if the enemy can get us to dwell on the next moment, on the next step, on the future.  I implore you to choose the right now, this moment, this step, this single decision, this day.  Because this moment is where we can experience our Lord, that is where we must remain.

Praise the Lord for His help in doing so.  Praise the Lord that experiencing His presence in the present is life to the full.

“You make known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  (Psalm 16:11 NIV).

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”  (John 10:10 NIV).

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.”  (Psalm 89:15 NIV).

Speaking of life to the full—I'm in need of a refill.

Much love to you,

Paige