I'm a member of the "Baby Boomers" generation. We've been called the "Me" generation, and with good reason. We were taught to be self-sufficient and independent, and to "look out for number one". We were told to concentrate on meeting our own needs, because no one else would. There's just one problem with this mentality. It doesn't work. This is evident in the fact that more people are on tranquilizers and antidepressants today than ever before. More are resorting to alcohol and drug abuse. More marriages are ending in divorce. More families are falling apart. And more people are going from one destructive relationship to another. As long as we are looking to the world for solutions, we will get the same results they're getting - defeat, despair, and emptiness.

But believers don't have to live that way. Jesus said that He came that we might live the abundant life. (John 10:10) But living His way is a choice we must make - He won't force it on us. The reason we don't see more believers living "the higher life" that God offers is because many are unwilling to submit to His will. Because of pride or rebellion, they've chosen to do things their own way, instead of God's. Often, they're afraid of what living for the Lord will cost them. They haven't gotten the revelation yet that God cares about their happiness and well-being even more than they do. They aren't convinced that God created them with a specific purpose in mind, and that only by fulfilling this purpose will they find the peace, joy, and contentment they so desperately want and need.

God wants to solve our problems and meet our needs, but He requires our cooperation. That's why the verse above instructs us to commit our ways to the Lord and trust in Him to act on our behalf. When we do this, we are essentially telling Him, "Lord, I surrender all that I am and all that I have to You. Work Your perfect will in my life, and use me for Your glory." In Isaiah 55:9 (NIV), God says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." We will never know God in an intimate way through reasoning. He's so far above our level of understanding, that we can only come to know Him and His ways by revelation. That's why we need faith. We've got to believe that God loves us and wants the best for us, and that He's infinitely wiser than we are.

Isaiah 48:17 (NIV) says, "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." When we commit our lives to God each day, He will not only direct us, but He will RE-direct us, if necessary. But if we have our own plans 'set in stone," we don't leave any room for God to lead us, or to change our direction. Human nature being what it is, even just hearing the word, "submission," can make us cringe. But if our minds are renewed to God's truth, we can remind ourselves that submitting to God opens the door to the supernatural. Anytime we agree to do things God's way, we tap into an inexhaustible source of possibilities. When that happens, even the surest defeat can be transformed into the greatest victory.

Another thing to consider is the fact that when we wholeheartedly commit ourselves to the Lord, He becomes responsible for our protection and provision. So being in God's will is always the safest place to be. On the other hand, being out of God's will makes us more vulnerable to Satan's attacks. First John 2:17 (AMP) says: "The world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever." It's true that if you choose God's plans and purposes for your life, you'll lose much of what this world has to offer. But rest assured that the rewards you gain will last an eternity!

Prayer: Lord, I commit myself, my family, my finances, my work, my ministry - all that I am and all that I have - to You today. Work Your perfect will in them, and use them for Your glory. I commit all my needs to You, Lord - all my healing, financial, material, social, emotional, and ministry needs. Supply them abundantly, according to Your promise. (Philippians 4:19) Thank You that You are the God of "More Than Enough" ("El Shaddai")!