Moment By Moment

Moment by Moment...
Light For Life September 2005

In recent issues of ‘Light For Life’ I have started to use a phrase ‘moment by moment’. Its the procedure where we make moment by moment choices… and this is how we need to choose to live our lives. It is in each moment that we make the decision to trust God for the next. It is so important because each moment of our lives can determine the next.

Lord please give me the strength to make the ‘moment by moment’ choices I need to make. Help me make them one trust at a time. Let the revelation of Your love for me and how I am to love You go deep within me and guide me. Let it remind me that I don't have to prove myself, I am accepted and loved, my worth is not based on what I do, and that if I know You love me then I can trust You, and if I trust You then I am loving You. Let Your word take root within me Lord.

I have been reading about this concept in an amazing book called ‘The Way of Agape’ by Chuck and Nancy Missler and I knew this was the way to go. The ‘moment by moment’ concept was one of those sections on a page that just jumps off at you and you know this is a BIG reveal. As I began to understand it I realised its consequences and implications could be huge because, by my choice to not trust I elect to carry the burden myself. Obviously, I am not God though and so carrying them wouldn't make one iota of difference to me or to anyone else, other than to prolong the agony and pressure and make it worse.

So now to put it into practice… I woke up one morning not wanting ‘to do’ today, with that yucky feeling inside – a bit anxious. Now I rarely, almost never think that, but I felt like having a sickie! So, I just talked to the Lord and loved Him by not following and meditating on those thoughts that were in my head and I chose to not think on those things and instead to refocus my mind. I did this for a little while and was starting to feel better already.

Earlier I had mentioned to my husband my thoughts about taking a ‘sickie’ but after that I continued to give it over to God. A little while later, even though it would make it more complicated for him, he offered to take the kids to school for me (which is quite a distance) so that I didn't have to go all the way. It was so nice of him and I didn't end up rushing, I had a more relaxed morning. I couldn't help but think that this happened after I chose not to think on the anxious thoughts and God made a way for me to not stress and start the day of well. I gave Him room to move for me.

This is where it all starts, with these moment by moment choices. What it means is that I don't have to try and figure out and stress over next year, next month, next week, or even tomorrow. I can take this moment and trust it to God and He can get me through whatever I need. When I get ahead of that then I am not trusting again. This does not mean that we don't plan for the future but there is a difference between that and worrying over it and trying to reason and then start fretting etc.

Even learning to do this, till it comes naturally could seem overwhelming and nigh on impossible but again it goes back to only needing to be a moment by moment choice and then from there on, so I can do it, by His grace! Since I began to learn about this little statement has become the motto of my day. It has been tested in far greater circumstances and it has made the difference. It stops me getting into strife, from fearing and from all sorts of things.

Remember there is a balance between living moment by moment and looking to our future. Where do you draw the line between having vision for your future and living moment by moment and trusting God more completely? I am not saying you can't trust God for more than moment by moment but it certainly gets us through each day more successfully and it is a way of ‘practicing the presence of God’. I believe God showed me something – we can safely look forward to the future when it is based on His promises. When we look forward based on our hopes, our decisions etc then we naturally feel the anxiety and fear that is a part of that. We put ourselves in charge and then our minds go all over the place.

This month – take the ‘moment by moment’ test and see what amazing things will come out of your month. Maybe it is ‘trust by trust’ or ‘faith by faith’ or one of my favourite's, ‘banana by banana’ (I am working on getting healthy – not being a natural fruit eater!) Either way, I firmly believe you will see what a difference it will make and what breakthrough you could receive. I would love to hear your stories when you test this and find it to be true!

Love
Cam


Word For Life

Moment:
A period of time considered to short to measure, point of time, the time for doing something, occasion, the present moment in time, the present time,

The Word

Mathew 6:34
So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own
trouble.