Am I Pleasing to God?
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
If we want to be pleasing to God then our faith must be pleasing to him. What does God expect from us in faith and how do we get this pleasing faith?
David was a man after God’s own heart, therefore David was pleasing to God. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do. (Acts 16:32) The faith that pleases God is to trust the Lord with our life. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16: 24) This is faith that pleases God and is the faith that blesses us, letting the Lord guide us through the Holy Spirit.
When we think about the Lord guiding us through life, we might think we lose our freedom. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) How do we go through our days following the Holy Spirit’s guidance and experience freedom in Christ?
Freedom in Christ requires a changed heart as God molds us to the mind of Christ. Without a heart filled with God’s unconditional love it is virtually impossible to please him. It is a heart of love that changes our attitude and motivates us to follow Christ. If you love me, keep my commands. (John14:15) The only way to get this changed heart is to follow Christ, and the Spirit will change our heart. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27) It is love that motivates our obedience and this is the faith that pleases God.
God’s loves is perfect and everything he asks us to do is based on his perfect love. We will experience the freedom in Christ if we obey the Lord’s will. We will not only find freedom, we will reap a heart of love with peace and joy, replacing our unforgiveness, fear, and anger. We will walk confidently and secure, trusting Christ to guide us through life and into our heavenly home. We see ourselves as temporary ambassadors for Christ and heaven is our permanent home. We pray and the Lord leads us through life, and we trust him for the outcome. If we truly trust the Lord we follow Christ and leave the results to him, no matter what happens in life we continue to trust the Lord. I have found that if I trust the Lord and walk according to his will, situations and relationships always turn out better.
We are filled with a heart of love, peace, joy, security, and confidence, which means we don’t have to search for these things from the world. This tends to make us content and our want for worldly possessions is replaced by our want of spiritual possessions. The Lord gives us what we cannot find in the world, and frees us to really enjoy the world as he intended.
As our freedom in Christ increases, our hatred of sin increases and we become spiritual warriors. We cannot be pleasing to God unless our faith drives us to fight sin with a repentant heart. Our faith increases and our sinful behavior decreases.
Today walk pleasing to God by trusting the Spirit to guide you. Start your day in prayer and go to the Lord throughout the day with praise, thankfulness, and guidance. Walk in Godly wisdom in all situations and remain in God’s control through the Spirit. Walk in freedom with your confidence, security, and faith in the Lord.
Prayer: Lord thank you guiding me through life with your perfect love. Increase my faith and help me to live with peace and joy. Fill my heart with your love and draw me closer to you. Help me to minister to others and to love others as you love them. In Jesus name, Amen