God is for you.

God is for me. God is for you. That is truth, but most likely that isn’t the typical thought that runs through your head.

Each of us have internal messages that shape our lives. These messages come from our parents, siblings, friends, teachers, coaches, church leaders, media, and the list can go on. In moments of quiet, in times of uncertainty, we hear those messages play in our head. Most likely, it’s traveled from your head to your heart over the years. 

The song stuck in your head

Author and speaker, Jon Acuff, calls these messages, “soundtracks.” They are “songs” that play in the back of our heads as we approach life. If you have listened to music at all in your life, you know there are certain songs that will get caught and loop through your head. People call these ear worms. 

What is the message you hear? What is the song stuck in your head?

There are false soundtracks…

Can I be honest with you? One of the messages I hear is this, “Andy, God is against you.” When I hear this message, it leads me to believe I need to work twice as hard to win. I think I need to beat both my circumstances, AND I need to overcome what God throws my way. In essence, the soundtrack tells me, “God is set against you.”

It’s not true.

It’s more than not true, it’s a complete and utter lie. If I listen it will work to destroy me, my family, my call, my mission. It’s a lie spread not just in my life, but your life too.

…and true messages

Here is the truth, God is for me. God is for you.

God wants you to win. He wants to see you overcome the obstacles and challenges in your way. God believes you have what it takes to be successful. He is betting on you. His money is you will make it. God is for you.

I remind myself of this on a regular basis. I speak it to myself, write it in my journal, highlight scripture that speak it, listen to songs that tell me this. God is for me. I work to replace the lie looped in my head with the truth. 

God is for you too.

3 Ways to Know God is for You

How do I know God is for me? How can I know God is for you?

1. I see it in nature.

Our bedroom opens up to our backyard which connects to acres of undeveloped land. Yesterday, I watched three deer wander through the timber. I was amazed by their ability to glide through the woods so gracefully and quiet. This morning I stopped to watch birds feed on our back porch. These birds didn’t spend the night worrying about their next meal. Wired within them, they know tomorrow will be provided for.

God designed the deer in my backyard perfectly for their surroundings. God cares for the birds feeding on my porch. This leads me to understand if God cares for them, how much more does he love me? 

If God is for nature, then God is for me too.

2. I see it in scripture.

In the Old Testament, time and time again, God comes to rescue of His people. God helped them when they deserved it, but more amazingly, when they didn’t. God came to the aid of Israel – His chosen people. It set a pattern of who God is. His nature is to be for his people.

The New Testament ushered in a new era. The chosen of God moved from ethnicity and nationality to anyone who believes in his son, Jesus. These people who follow Jesus, God calls, “children.” It means I am cared for in the same way God cared for the people of Israel thousands of years ago. 

That’s who God is. It is his nature to be for me.

3. I see it in my past.

When I pause to reflect on the past 40+ years of my life (I can only remember so far back), I can’t help but see the hand of God on my life. I see the choices made and not made (schools I attended and didn’t attend, girls I dated and didn’t date, the girl I chose to marry, the jobs I took and didn’t take, the homes I bought and didn’t buy, and the list could go on and on), and I can’t help but see God’s provision through it all.

In my good choices, I see myself listening for, hearing God’s voice, and obeying His direction. I see him blessing those decisions. In my bad choices, when I missed God or simply chose to disregard God, I see God’s grace and mercy.

This leads me to believe if God has been for me in my past, why should I believe that He won’t be for me in the future? God’s nature is the same today as it was yesterday. He will continue to be the same in the future too.  It’s not just true in scripture, but it is true in my own life too. God is who He is.

My past gives me confidence God is for me today, and he will be for me in the future too.

My Choices and My Action

This leaves me to consider two more things – choice and action. 

I Now Can Choose to Believe God is for Me

With the evidence of who God is in front of me, I still have a choice to either believe God is for me or believe God is against me. I love this about God. God is so confident in who he is that he gives me the choice in what I believe about him. 

So, when the circumstances are looking grim, I choose to believe God is for me. I remind myself of everything I know, and I tell myself, God is for me. Can I be honest with you? Sometimes this choice is really difficult. I get mad at God. 

Thankfully, God is more than able to handle my anger. Of course he can, God is for me.

How do I Act if God is for Me?

Now, if all of this is true, how should I act? Since God is for me, I move forward with greater conviction of my ability (actually, not my ability, but the ability of God to work through me). I now am able to accomplish so much more because God isn’t an enemy, but an ally.

Because I know God is for me, I blog regularly. Because I know God is for me, I confidently speak into my children’s lives. Since I know God is for me, I give wise counsel to my wife, co-workers, congregation members. Since I know God is for me, I make bold financial choices.

I also treat people differently. I know that God isn’t just for me, but he is for others too. He is for humanity. Yes, there is a judgment to come, but he continually extends grace and mercy, hoping that no one experiences that judgment. I try to have this same mentality. 

God is for you

I challenge you to create this same soundtrack or message in your own head and heart. God is for you. Look at nature. Search scripture. Think back through your past. See where God was, in fact, for you. Begin to play this new song through your head. I am able, because God is for me.

God is for me. God is for you.