Daily Devotional December 24 - What Are You Willing To Trade In?

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."  Mark 11:24 

We usually look at this verse as if we were to pray for some thing or some gift, some tangible, material thing.  But for the sake of today, let's just look at this verse as it pertains to receiving God Himself.  For just a little while, can you try to clear your mind of all that distracts you from receiving God.  Let's not worry about your kids right now, or your parents or anybody, right now.

• Please forget just for a moment everything that you usually let press into your life during the week.
• Please drop your guard, that you felt that you had to have up all week, and let God have His way with you this day.
• Please forget about all the barriers and obstacles that seem to be in your way of making personal progress.
• Please forget about your circumstances, finances and troubles.
• Please forget about what you don't have.
• Please just let God, be God, and have His way with you.
• Please take it one more step - practice some God-thinking
• Please, just for the moment, trade in everything you hold onto so dearly, for what God wants you to have.

God says that you can overcome your circumstances, whatever they are, if you will but let go and let God.  I believe that you have limited what God wants to do in your life. 
What have you become accustomed to that is less than God's best for you?
What is it that you really would like to see happen in your life?  This might take a few minutes to figure out, but the process is worth it.  Take time and think about this in the depths of your heart.

• Do you want peace in your house?
• Do you need delivered from bondage?
• Do you want to get along with your spouse or best friend under the anointing of God?
• Do you want to see your kids serve the Lord with reverence and awe?

Sometimes we are living as if our hands were tied.  We can fall into the trap of living as if God were far away or distant.  Sometimes we act like God doesn't care.  We live with less and in less because we constrain God.  Think about it. Some of us have fought or are still fighting against God, all the while God is trying to give you blessings. God makes His blessings available, His overcoming power, free and without strings and we fight against God. We fight against receiving God's very best for us. We hold on too tightly to what we have, because we haven't come to the place, where we believe, that what we have, is supposed to be traded up for what God has in store for us.

God has many times, sent to you and me, angels to steer us when were getting ready to make certain decisions. God puts up red flags, barricades, walls and closed doors and sometimes we go around them anyway - and the consequences in some cases are still with us. Past baggage - unconfessed sin - guilt - confusion - even addiction.  God has opened up opportunities for us all along the way of our life. Sometimes we turned away and we are still feeling the consequences.  I am convinced that every one of us has less of what God wants for us and we have more of what God doesn't want for us because we didn't or wouldn't receive from God all that He has for us.

There are plenty of reasons - guilt - pride - fear - disobedience - trusting in the wrong person - wrong thinking - false beliefs - prejudice, greed or low self-esteem.  If we want to we can trade in the less of what God wants for us for the more of what God wants for us. But we have got to trade it in.
Would you trade $5.00 for $500.00?
 
You have got to give up what you have to get something. You cannot receive from God until you give something up.  You have give God something to work with.

Luke 5:36-38 says, "And He spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved."

You cannot get the best that God has to offer until you get rid of the less. You don't just give it lip service, you must lay down the old to get the new. You must let go of the old, stale and unproductive thoughts if you are to receive a new regenerating Word from God.  Before God can give you anything new, you must trade in the old.  God will not let you try on the new until you lay down the old.  God won't let you and I see if what He has for us is going to be OK with us. We have to trust Him implicitly.

Your heart and your conscience knows what it is that you are afraid to give up, or, exchange, trade in, for something new.

It doesn't matter what it is.
It could be a habit?
It could be poverty?
It could be money?
It could be something you've done?
It could be a belief?
It could be a gift?

Whatever it is. Now hear this closely. Whatever it is. If you give it to God; I mean lay it down, and walk away from it. I mean throw it over the cliff; that kind of letting it go - God will replace it with something better - every time.  What are you willing to trade in so that you can receive something new and wonderful from God?