The best life is a God First life

Tag: Turn it over to God

We Control Nothing — God Controls Everything

Dear Christians, there are times when we feel overwhelmed with concern for others or ourselves, when nothing seems within our control. Have you remembered to pray? Are you drawing closer to God (James 4:8), pleading, begging, and relentlessly asking our Heavenly Father for help? We need to go to Him in Fervent Prayer, and most of all, be willing to “Turn It Over

These are such simple words, but for some reason they seem to be so hard to do, at least until we realize we control nothing and God controls everything.

We must understand that when we are no longer in this world, God still answers prayers within it. Trust in God and let Jesus carry the burden. It’s foolish not to rely on the greatest power we have as Christians. God is the God of all comfort, so let Jesus carry your burdens and lift the weights from our shoulders; don’t try carrying them alone. This does not mean we stop doing our part; it does mean we should not worry but rather trust. Could it be a test? If so, let’s do well and show our trust. (1 Peter 1:6–7, 1 Thessalonians 2:4)

God tells us in James 5:16: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” This verse tells us how our prayers can be powerful and effective by pursuing righteousness!

  • The Persistent Widow – Luke 18:1–8
  • The Friend at Midnight – Luke 11:5–8
  • Ask, Seek, Knock – Matthew 7:7–8
  • The Canaanite Woman – Matthew 15:22–28
  • Blind Bartimaeus – Mark 10:47–48
  • Paul’s Persistent Pleading – 2 Corinthians 12:8
  • Jesus Himself in Gethsemane – Matthew 26:39, 42, 44
  • JesusIntense Prayers – Hebrews 5:7
  • Matthew 11:28–30
  • Psalm 55:22
  • 2nd Corinthians 1:3     
  • Philippians 4:6–7
  • 1 Peter 5:7
  • Proverbs 3:5–6
  • Matthew 6:31–34                     

God First!

Turn it over to God

Sometimes, it sounds trite to say, “JUST TURN IT OVER TO GOD,” but this is where our trust in God, faith, and belief come into play. When Christians strive to follow Christ with obedient faith, we are striving towards righteousness. In (Mark 11:24) we are told, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” So how do we turn it over to God? Well, we pray, we believe, and we trust in God’s answer, which allows us to let it go.

Once, I became so consumed by my concern for a loved one that it affected everything I did, even my marital relationship, until the day I realized that all my attempts to help were nothing more than temporary fading patches.

Both I and my loved one needed to know that God WAS the answer, NOT me or anything else. I asked myself, who would be there for them if I was gone? As I thought about my question I realized, God was the only answer! So, that night, I got on my knees and prayed; through heartfelt tears. I begged and pleaded in anguish and fear, asking God to help them, asking God to put people in their lives that could help them. I know that God’s will is the best will for all of us so, I took my cue from Christ’s example in the garden, and I asked that God’s will, be done. I turned my cares over to Jesus. My prayer that night wasn’t me giving up on that person in any way. I just realized as never before that God has complete control and mine is extremely limited. That night, I literally felt a great invisible weight removed from my shoulders, replaced by a trusting calm.

After this prayer, when I heard from this person about self-inflicted difficulties, I limited my involvement and encouraged them to seek God’s will, to pray, and offered to pray with them. To this day, I still pray for this person every day, and they have now come a long way from those days, now including God in all that they do.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” In 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you.”

In summary, don’t allow yourself to be consumed by things you can’t control, Turn them over to God. Pray and seek help from the one who can help when no one else can, the one who created everything you see and know, the one who created you and loves you like no other – The God of Love, who is Love.

When Christians strive to follow Christ with obedient faith, we are striving towards righteousness. When we turn that which we cannot control over to God, it’s not trite; it’s where our trust, faith, and belief come into play and substantiate our trust in God. God is love and will carry us through. For Christians, this world is not our home. Christians look forward to the fact that there will be no tears in heaven. By putting God First in our lives, we make this world a better place by our loving actions.

God’s word tells us to believe, repent, and confess the name of Jesus and be immersed in the watery grave of baptism for the forgiveness of our sins. In (Acts 2:38) we find in doing so, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. By doing so, we live with the knowledge that heaven is now our eternal home.

  • Grace:Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:24, Titus 2:11, Acts 15:11
  • Belief/Faith:Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19
  • Repentance:2 Cor. 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30
  • Confess:Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9
  • Baptism by immersion for forgiveness of sin:Matthew 16:15-16 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matt 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-39, Mark 1:9-10, John 3:23

God First!

© 2026 Advocate for Christ

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑