“You can go to all of the church services you want, read all the spiritual books you want, even do all the Bible studies that you want, but experiencing all God has planned for you comes only through aligning yourself under and abiding in the one who reigns over all, the exalted Lord Jesus Christ.” –Tony Evans

What does aligning yourself under and abiding in The Lord Jesus look like practically? If it’s not church attendance, Bible studies, and reading spiritual books, what is it? How is it accomplished? How do you know that  you are doing it right?

I like and want to read my Bible. I love to read about the stories of the old testament and try to learn from them. I love to read the promises of the new testament and I long to believe and trust in them fully. In my mind I think I do but in my actual movements, conversations, thoughts, decisions, reactions, and choices, it doesn’t appear that I do.

It appears that I don’t really trust God with my everyday details.   How do I change that?

I’ve recently been struggling with my circumstances. Problems have arisen that need solutions. I want to trust God and align myself with Him. I want to make sure that I am walking according to His plan. However, because I did not see any resolution, I’ve been worrying. I reached out to a trusted organization with a few questions and I feel like I have received God’s answer.

In response to a devotional I receive, I had some questions, so I contacted the ministry. A wonderful pastor, Rev. Leighton Smith, replied and God used him to tell me just what I was longing to hear. My questions were:

What does aligning yourself under and abiding in The Lord Jesus look like practically? If it’s not church attendance, Bible studies, and reading spiritual books, what is it? How is it accomplished? How do you know that  you are doing it right?

I have searched for these answers for quite some time. I had asked teachers and pastors I know but until now, none have been able to answer in a manner that I understood and made sense. I am not maligning them, perhaps God was waiting until I was ready to understand. Whatever the reason, I am thankful to finally have an answer.

So, what does aligning yourself under and abiding in The Lord Jesus look like practically?

Aligning yourself under and abiding in The Lord Jesus is the why behind what you do.

• Do you attend church? Why?
• Do you read your Bible? Why?
• Do you follow God’s commandments and precepts? Why?
• Do you seek to live a life that glorifies God? Why?

It is truly a question of motivations. What motivates you to do these things? Are you seeking God’s face or His favors? Do you want to know Him or use Him? What changes do you need to make in response to your truthful answers to these questions?

Now, how is aligning yourself under and abiding in The Lord Jesus accomplished?

Practically speaking it is:

• Choosing to obey His guidelines even when it doesn’t make sense or you don’t understand
• Learning the Word of God – not just memorizing scripture – but what it means. What principle is it teaching?
• Applying the principles learned in decision making (scriptural decision-making, not emotional decision-making)

You cannot obey guidelines that you don’t know. You cannot know the guidelines if you are not learning the Word of God. You cannot apply the principles when making decisions if you haven’t invested the time necessary to learning the principles and the reasoning behind them.

Finally, how do you know that you are doing it right?

• When you begin to solve problems and they do not return. (We all will experience problems. Applying God’s wisdom instead of man’s wisdom allows the problem to be permanently solved and spiritual growth to occur.  Applying man’s wisdom will only result in a temporary solution.)
• When you start seeing victory in your life problems. (Some things will be resolved quickly. Some things will take longer. However, there is steady evidence of progress.)
• When it causes you to change in your thinking. (When your mindset is changed, your life changes.)

This was my favorite part because I desperately needed to know that I was going in the right direction. I needed some confirmation and encouragement that I was on the right track. When you are doing things God’s way, you are changed. There is peace, hope, and a joy in your heart that lifts you above your circumstances.

I hope that this has helped you as much as it helped me. I pray that this will bring you into a closer relationship with Jesus.