Living Life by God’s Design – Not by Default

We only get one shot at living life – one chance. Why, then, would we ever spend it passively, in a mode of default? According to the dictionary, default is defined as “a failure to act; inaction or neglect.” To translate that, living by default would mean a failure to show up for our lives, relinquishing our right to a choice, and ultimately, living lives of inaction or neglect. While in default, life just happens to us, and we accept it without understanding and without awareness.

Every circumstance, as well as every word spoken to, over, or about us, has the potential to change us, and (more often than not) that change comes in the form of a limiting belief – an invisible barrier that holds us captive. Without understanding and awareness, we are oblivious to the new belief system that these events and circumstances have subconsciously formed. An example of a limiting belief would be a woman going through a divorce; so often, unknowingly, this woman buys into the belief that she is not good enough, not woman enough, and not worthy enough to be loved. This limiting belief becomes the filter through which all new relationships will be viewed, should she choose to not seek Christ’s healing in her wounded soul. In order to ultimately overcome our circumstances and live by God’s design, we must take the following three steps:

Self-Awareness: Today’s culture feeds the desire for a quick fix for everything. However, that is not how our human emotions and brains work. Changing a belief is like continually hitting our heads against a wall. But we must first see the wall before we can stop hitting it! We cannot change what we are not aware of. As a result, the first step towards creating positive change within our lives is self-awareness. Change begins when we recognize and acknowledge the limiting belief.

Letting Go: We are sometimes out of touch with our bodies and our own feelings and emotions. We find it difficult to express just what we feel, and yet, there are 6,000 emotional or feeling words in the English language. Two thousand of those words are positive emotional words; the remaining 4,000 are negative feeling words. Women have become programmed to “just get over it,” which really means that we have become accustomed to shoving our hurts and pains into our emotional backpacks. As our backpacks fill up, the condition of our hearts – the inner depths of our beings – become the playground for the enemy. We begin reacting to life’s events and the people around us instead of responding; bitterness becomes the taproot from which any number of heart conditions – unforgiveness, anger, resentment, offense, guilt, or pride – spread their ugly root system. When we make the decision and then take the action to disconnect from the emotions that hold us in bondage, we will then move forward toward real emotional healing.

Transformation: By replacing the old belief with a new one, we create a new reality. Now is the time for the inside job of building a healthy Christ-esteem! Our self-esteem is based on taking personal responsibility, having integrity, feeling worthy, and embracing self-acceptance. To achieve a healthy Christ-esteem, we knead our self-esteem with generous portions of God’s Word, prayer, and self-reflection. The examination of our hearts is a daily opportunity to experience God’s grace and mercy in our lives; we become more aware of the peace we lack and our need for the Peacemaker, more aware of the sorrow that grips us and our need for the Comforter, and more aware of pride raising its ugly head and our resulting need for Christ’s forgiveness.

At any time, we can commit to returning to our true identity, which says, we are chosen by God (see Ephesians 1:4), we are adopted by God (see Ephesians 1:5), we are children of God, in His family (see 1 John 3:1), we are forgiven by God for all our sins (see 1 John 1:9), we are reconciled to God, in harmony with Him (see Romans 5:10), we are seen by God as holy, blameless, above reproach (see Colossians 1:21-22), we are called to accomplish God’s purpose (see Romans 8:28, 30), we are justified – declared right in God’s sight (see Romans 5:1), we are sanctified – set apart by God’s Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:11), we are redeemed – bought with Christ’s blood for all our sins (see Ephesians 1:7), we are cleansed by Christ’s blood for all our sins (see 1 John 1:7), we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (see Romans 8:16-17), we are complete in Christ (see Colossians 2:10), and we are being conformed to the character of Christ (see Romans 8:29).

Living according to God’s design means that we live from our core values – we believe that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). God’s design is limitless. Focusing on Him and His ability to be our source teaches us to risk stepping out of our comfort zones – out of default mode – and to enlarge our life. God created us in His image and likeness, and it is “…in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28 NKJV). May we always choose to bring God glory by using every event, circumstance, and failure to make a difference in this world for His kingdom. May we choose to live our lives by God’s design!