po box 272136
fort collins, colorado 80527
toll-free (888) 600-7855
Todd Bailey
Everyone has only one shot to live
life. We can either go
through life or live it.
Each one of us, living long enough, will experience a broad
range of circumstances during our life span.
Some will be quite enjoyable, yet others undesirable and
potentially life threatening.
How we deal with these circumstances is what makes our lives
better or worse.
I believe there are some practical
steps that we can apply to live a better life.
I would like to share four of these steps I have used in my
own life to live it smarter, not harder.
(1)
Ask the Holy Spirit to get
involved.
Several years ago, I had a
conversation with a Christian counselor.
He told me how individuals can become more effective in
dealing with life’s problems and building stronger relationships
when they ask the Holy Spirit to get involved.
He reiterated how we can have success when we allow the Holy
Spirit to get into our thought process and allow Him the opportunity
to be involved and give him time to work.
I can say that since that
conversation, I have purposed to take this man’s advice.
There have been situations in my ministry, friendships and
marriage where I didn’t know what to do or how to respond.
In those circumstances, I would say, “Holy Spirit, I am
asking you to get involved in this situation and help me.”
To my amazement, things begin to happen.
What would seem like a developing ordeal or mounting problem
would end up being resolved in a timely and pleasant manner.
The Holy Spirit is willing to help us.
The Bible calls Him our teacher, stand-by, helper and
comforter. All we need
to do is just ask Him to get involved.
(2)
Ask for Godly wisdom.
In life, it is considered an asset for
someone to have a good education, and to have access to others who
can offer you good advice.
But to live life smarter and not harder, there is no
substitute for Godly wisdom.
The book of Proverbs gives us several
verses related to Godly wisdom.
Proverbs 2:6 (Amplified) “For the Lord
gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and
understanding.”
Proverbs 3:13 (Amplified) “Happy
(blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and
godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth
from God's Word and life's experiences], For the gaining of it is
better than the gaining of silver, and the profit of it better than
fine gold.”
Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) “The
beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For
skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you
have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and
interpretation).”
God is fully willing and able to
impart wisdom to us for every situation.
All we need do is ask.
James 1:5 (NLT) “If you need
wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and
he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.”
(3)
Take action.
Most of the time, circumstances in our
lives won’t be resolved or corrected until we take action.
In the first two steps – asking the Holy Spirit to get
involved and asking for Godly wisdom – we should expect to receive
when we ask. When we
knock, it will be opened unto us.
When we seek, we will find.
But remember, the Bible says in James
2:17-18, “So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and
actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power
(inoperative, dead).
When we act upon the leading of the
Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God, it turns a big problem into a
small ordeal; a major expense into pocket change; a big
misunderstanding with your spouse into a moment of bonding and
friendship.
Let me give you a few examples of how
life can be lived smarter and not harder.
I have a good friend named Alonzo.
Alonzo is 85 years old.
After fighting in World War II, he went back to work at the
steel mill near our hometown.
He worked there for 41 years until he retired in 1983.
During his tenure at the mill he worked in several job
positions. In one
particular position, he became very knowledgeable and efficient.
One day he realized a smarter (and more economical) way to
perform his job. He
went to the individuals in charge and submitted a suggestion for
improvement. Shortly
after, the steel mill adopted his suggestion and even gave him a
bonus for saving the mill tens of thousands of dollars.
Other friends of mine, Mr. Glen and Ms.
Nancy, have helped numerous ministers, missionaries, Bible school
students and neighbors over the years.
They both are very skilled and knowledgeable in many areas,
and have done a lot of things for others.
Once, a young lady attending
Let me give you one more story about
living life smarter and not harder.
This story was in the newspaper
several years ago. An
18-wheeler truck drove under an overpass and got stuck.
It was wedged so tight that the highway officials were
brought to the scene.
They tried to figure out how to get the truck released from the
overpass structure.
Some thought that the top of the truck was going to have to be cut
off, while others suggested that the overpass structure would need
to be raised.
Nevertheless, something needed to be
done in a timely manner because traffic was becoming a major
problem. Much expense
was expected to be needed to resolve the situation.
The solution to this major ordeal came from a most unlikely
source – a small child.
This child, who was nearby the scene, simply told someone, “Why
don’t you let the air out of the tires?”
Living a smarter life instead of a
harder life can be done with the smallest adjustments.
For example, if we need to move a large object in the yard,
we shouldn’t try to lift it by ourselves.
We may end up with a bigger problem than the one with which
we started. To lift a
large object, we need to find something such as a tree limb, or iron
bar to use for leverage.
In the spiritual realm, the Holy Spirit is our leverage to
move out problems in our lives.
When we work with God, not separate
from Him, we become like Batman and Robin – the dynamic duo!
We can do more with God than by
ourselves. Just like
two horses that can pull loads of 500 pounds a piece, hooked
together, they can pull 1350 pounds!
Together we accomplish more than individually.
Sometimes, it’s not how much you know,
but who you know. There
is always a smarter way and not harder way for many of the things we
face in our daily lives.
(4)
Be thankful to God.
At times, we can forget to be thankful
to God, not just in the big things but also the small.
Giving God thanks in a little situation Is just as important
as not giving place to the devil by allowing the “little foxes” to
come in and spoil the vineyard.
Jesus gives us a wonderful example of
His thankfulness in John 11, before Lazarus was raised from the
dead.
John 11:40-42 (NASB)
Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to
you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" So they
removed the stone then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I
thank You that You have
heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people
standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent
Me." When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come forth."
Before Jesus saw the manifestation of
what He was asking for, He gave thanks to the Father.
Another instance of expression of
thankfulness is in the cleansing of the lepers.
Luke 17:11-19 (Amplified)
No matter the circumstances that we
may face in life, we need to possess an attitude of gratitude
towards God. He is
worthy to receive our thanks in everything.
1 Thessalonians
I believe if we apply these four steps to our daily lives, we will have a life we will enjoy living – doing it smarter, and not harder.