"Are you doing this for me?"

Have you ever thought about God's role for your life? What exactly is His plan for you? Is He in control of your life? Control is a very sore subject for me. I battle with having control every single day. For example, it's really hard for me to ride in a car with someone else. All because I'm not the one behind the wheel. I'm not in control. It's hard for me to let someone else do something that I am supposed to do. It's even hard for me at times to let people help me. It's all a control issue. If I struggle that much with everyday life, can you imagine my inner struggle with letting God take control of everything? I worry more than anyone else that I have ever met. All because I feel the need to be in control. When in reality, God is in control. He's always been in control. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. One reason being, because we will have a new President on Friday. The long and short of it is, we just can't worry about it. No matter who is President, God is in control.

Have you ever just wanted to make a difference in the world? Do you want your words heard? I know I do. Every time I write a blog, I hope that someone will get something out of it. Even if it's just one person. As you all know, I'm a big music person. Actually, I'm more of a lyrics person. My favorite band has a song that reminds me to start and end each day striving to be a difference maker.

"Yeah, isn't it amazing how a man can find himself alone.
Call into the darkness for an answer that he's never known.
Yeah, isn't it amazing how God can take a broken man.
Yeah, let him find a fortune, let him ruin it with his own two hands.
And he climbs on up the hill on the rock on which he stands,
He looks back at the crowd, he looks down at his hands and he says,
I am a difference maker.
Oh, I am the difference maker.
Oh, I am the only one who speaks to him.
I am the friendliest of friends of God.
I am on the fence about nearly everything I've seen,
And I have felt the fire be put out by too much gasoline.
And we're all strangers passing through a place and time afternoon.
Life is but a vision in a window that we're peeking through.
A helpless conversation with a man who says he cares a lot.
It's a passive confrontation about who might throw a punch or not.
We are all transgressors, we're all sinners, we're all astronauts.
So if you're beating death then raise your hand but shut up if you're not.
'Cause I am the difference maker.
Oh, I am the only one who speaks to him.
And I am the friendliest of friends of God."

Bear Rineheart of Needtobreathe was asked about what this song meant to him. Why he wrote it. He wanted to understand his role in God's plan for his life. They were touring with a secular artist at the time he wrote it, and he didn't feel like the band was having the impact that they should. He said that he felt like God was asking him, "Are you doing this for me?", and then 'Difference Maker' was born. He talked about how the line in the song, "I am on the fence about nearly everything I've seen...", and he said he meant "we surrender to God." He said that the beginning of the song was them asking themselves if they really are difference makers, and how valuable they really are. Then in the end of the song, God makes us a part of what He does. He is the one who makes the rules. He is the one who controls it. He is the one who picks the timing. As Bear said, "It's not because of our talents. He doesn't need that. He needs our willing hearts." Bear went on to talk about how all of us are sinners. The line, "We are all transgressors, we're all sinners, we're all astronauts.", came to him because we are all kind of detached from things. As grounded as we think we may be, or as in control as we feel, we really aren't. God is the one who takes care of that.

We all spend way too much time arguing about what we believe. Weather it's about religion, politics, sports, or sexual preference. It seems like social media is full of argumentative content. Why? Because the media wants the world to fight. They want the nation divided. But, how valuable is that argument? Is it doing anything to help us become a difference maker? Why do we spend our time arguing about what we believe when God is in control? It's simple. Because we are all transgressors. We are all sinners. And, yes, we are all astronauts. We aren't grounded. I think a part of all of us don't want the pressure of giving God control. We want that control. We want the worry. Because if we don't, what would we think about? What if we spent all of our time doing something good. What we believe doesn't make us who we are. What we believe doesn't get us anywhere in life. It's the things we do. It's the acts of kindness. It's taking the high road. It's thinking before we speak.

"And so it happened, just as the scriptures say: 'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.' He was even called the friend of God. So you see we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone." James 2:23-24

I saw a post on Instagram a while back. It said "Your faith can move mountains... Your doubt can create them." Think about that for a second. Think about your role in God's plan for your life. Are you really doing all that you can for Him? Can you hear Him asking you, "Are you doing this for me?" This is what I am going to do, and I encourage all of you to do as well. Anytime I feel the need to argue about something on facebook, I will say to myself, "Are you doing this for me?" Every time I start to worry about anything, especially the things that are out of my control, I will say, "Are you doing this for me?" Because honestly, if the answer to that question is; NO, then we need to stop right then. If it's not of God or for God, then it's not for me. When you ask yourself the question, take the time to fully surrender to God in the situation. Strive for it. Allow God to control it. Allow God to control you. Allow Him to know the correct timing. Remember, all God needs from us is our willing hearts. Surrender that to Him. And maybe, just maybe, you can be a difference maker.