Is Your Life Out of Alignment?
Living Out of Alignment
Life often doesn’t go as planned. We expect one thing and get something entirely different. This can leave us feeling discouraged, exhausted, and wanting to give up.
In the midst of adversity, it’s easy to lose our sense of direction and purpose. We go through the motions, just trying to make it through each day. Our priorities get out of alignment with God’s desires for our life.
Getting Back in Alignment
When a car gets out of alignment, it leads to bigger problems down the road – uneven tire wear, steering issues, poor gas mileage. We recognize the need to realign the wheels for optimal handling and performance.
In the same way, we need to periodically re-align our lives to God’s purposes and plans for us. otherwise, we spin our wheels in futility and never experience the peace, rest, and abundant life Jesus promises.
What does it look like to realign with Christ? It starts with recognizing where we are out of sync with God’s truth and desires for our life. Maybe we’ve strayed from God-honoring priorities and activities. Perhaps bitterness and unforgiveness have crept in, destroying relationships. Or we’ve allowed sinful habits and addictions to establish strongholds.
Taking an honest look at our life is the first step toward realignment. God’s Word serves as the standard against which we measure how well our thoughts, words, actions, and priorities match up (Hebrews 4:12). Spending time in Scripture and asking God to reveal any areas needing realignment is vital to getting back on track.
Responding to God’s Love
But exposing our misalignment is only half of realignment. The other half is responding to God’s incredible love for us. God isn’t waiting with arms crossed, ready to shame us back into line. No, He runs to meet us where we are, pulling us into a heartfelt embrace.
Though God grieves over our sin, He looks beyond that to see the incredible potential within each of us. He knows who we could become if we walk in close relationship with Him. His love compels Him to gently restore and realign us to our created purpose.
God patiently works in our hearts to reshape our desires. As we spend time resting in His presence, reading His Word, and communing with Him in prayer, our thoughts become aligned with His thoughts. Our dreams begin to match His dreams for us. By continually responding to God’s love and Lordship, our actions eventually come into alignment as well. It’s a process, but God is faithful to complete the work He’s begun (Philippians 1:6).
Freedom from Shame
Satan uses shame to keep us trapped in secrecy and despair. He whispers, “If people really knew what you’ve done, they would reject you.” And so we put on a mask, hiding our true struggles from the very people God wants to use to help us find healing and freedom.
But God’s love dismantles shame, as it did for the Woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Religious leaders wanted to stone her, but Jesus responded with grace. “Neither do I condemn you. Now go and sin no more,” He told her. His forgiveness freed her from condemnation and empowered her to realign her life.
As we respond to Christ’s Lordship in our life, God removes all reason for shame. We don’t have to hide who we are, because we know God accepts us as His beloved child. We can boldly obey His call, even if others don’t understand, because Jesus affirms our identity and worth. Walking in freedom allows our lives to come into alignment with God’s purposes.
New Strength for the Journey
Trying to realign our own lives through sheer willpower will only lead to frustration. In our own strength we inevitably slide back into old thought patterns and behaviors. But when we reply upon Christ’s power at work within us, realignment becomes possible.
Jesus doesn’t expect us to manufacture righteous desires and actions. He knows that apart from Him, we can do nothing of eternal value (John 15:5). As we respond to God’s love in repentance and faith, He fills us with supernatural strength through the Holy Spirit.
What we could not do in our own feeble strength, we now can do through Christ’s power. With the Spirit’s help, we break free from sinful habits and forgivingly repair broken relationships. We gain victory over addictions like gossip, anger, pornography. Our thoughts, words, and actions align with God’s truth.
Where do you need God’s strength and help to bring your life into alignment today? Turn from self-reliance and call out to Him. Jesus transforms us from the inside out as we respond to Him in trust and humility. Righteousness, peace, hope – these realities gradually mark our life as we realign with Christ, the source of life.
The Blessing of Alignment
When our lives align with God’s purposes, we begin to notice His blessing and favor spilling over into every area – relationships, finances, career, health, and more. Psalm 1 illustrates this principle. The person rooted in God’s truth is “like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither” (v.3). As we sink our roots deep into God through Bible study, prayer, worship, and listening to sound teaching, fruitfulness naturally follows.
As God brings our priorities and lifestyle into alignment with His ways, we experience the joy and blessing spoken of in Psalm 1:1-3. Even when circumstances are difficult, we have a sense of meaning and fulfillment. The trials of life don’t catch us off guard or debilitate our faith. We live each day with a sense of divine purpose, confident that God ordains our steps and will use all things for our ultimate good. Our lives align with Paul’s declaration, “For me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).
What’s Holding You Back?
So what’s keeping you from realignment in any areas of need right now? For some, it’s shame that says, “You’ve messed up too badly for God to bother restoring you.” For others, it’s a willful pride that insists, “I’m right in this. I don’t need to change.” Or perhaps apathy whispers, “It’s too hard to change at this point in your life.”
Let’s squarely confront any lies or obstacles standing in the way of realignment. Satan works overtime to keep our lives out of alignment with God’s truth. Don’t let evil gain the upper hand. No matter how far off course you’ve veered, turn around now. God’s grace is here to realign. His power enables lasting change.
True peace, joy and purpose await those who continually realign their lives with Christ. Today can mark a new beginning. God stands ready to guide you to greener pastures and still waters. Listen to His voice. Take those first obedient steps back into alignment. Yield your thoughts, dreams, habits, words, and actions to Him. God will direct your path and use your life powerfully for His Kingdom as you walk hand in hand with Him.