Faith vs. Control

"A lot of the things we teach about principles of faith are just methods of control."

- I got that yesterday, sitting with God for my dedicated hour, trying to make sure I stayed connected, stressing out about whether or not I was hearing Him right, whether I was in the right place, doing enough, being enough.
He said to me, "People are not successful because they work hard; they are successful because success is a gift I give. That's why you know many people who work hard and are 'unsuccessful', and many others who don't seem to do anything and are 'successful'."
Aka: the results we get are not because of the things we do, but because of the One who chooses to give them to us.

"But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'""
(Matthew 4:4 ESV)

I listened to a message where the preacher explained, that we are not alive because we have food to eat; the food on its own has no power to give life. It is because the Word of God has empowered the food to nourish us that it has any power to do so in the first place.

Which is why listening to God FOR YOURSELF is so important: the thing that looks foolish for everyone else won't be foolish for you if God has asked you to do it. Because, once He has given that instruction, He has empowered the action to produce results.

Am I making sense???

L'oro kan, you are not successful by your wise decisions. You are successful by the blessing of God. And any action you're taking or plan you're making just because it's the sensible thing to do will be a waste of the time God has invested in you, if it's not what He has asked (or nudged) you to do.

Selah.