Relationship with God

Isaiah 55:8 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord"

One thing that you will learn on your walk with God is that often he will do the opposite of what you expect. For example, he chose David to be king of Israel instead of his oldest brother. He also took Saul, the biggest adversary of the early church and transformed him into Paul, the greatest and bravest missionary of all time. God used a crucifixion, the sign of ultimate defeat, and turned it into the ultimate victory over sin and death for all eternity!

Don't limit God to the realms of your own understanding and expectations. He wants to surprise you in ways that inspire your awe, love, gratitude and joy. When something good happens to you - don't feel lucky. Instead feel blessed by God's hand. Only when you believe he is acting on your behalf will your relationship with him grow to a deeper level.

James 1:5-7 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not have doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

Sometimes it might seem as if God places unrealistic expectations on you. God however does understand that humanly speaking these expectations are impossible, but with his help they become possible. God's greatest expectation is not that you live a perfect life, but that you love the Lord your God with all your heart. Understanding that God does not expect you to be perfect but, rather, praises you when you sincerely try to follow him and he hopes that you stop seeing him as a strict taskmaster and begin to view him as a loving encourager.