Many people try and live their lives independent of God, making their own decisions and choosing their own destiny. Then, when the paw-paw hits the fan and they find themselves in a mess, they don’t take responsibility for their mess and sometimes they’ll even try and shift the blame onto God.

“Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 ERV

Living a good life doesn’t happen automatically or by accident. God wants you to have a good life, but you have to choose it (Jeremiah 29:11-13; John 10:10). You can live a life of blessing, or a life of curses – it’s your choice! “Curse” would include lack or poverty, sickness, pain and suffering, depression, fear and everything else that came as a result of the fall of man in the Garden. Many people believe that fate decides what happens to you – some people are lucky and others aren’t. Some people believe that it’s God who decides who is blessed and who is cursed. But God said in Deuteronomy that we have the choice: a blessed life or a cursed life.

“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”
Jeremiah 10:23 KJV

Trying to live life independent of God is like trying to fly from one city to another without a plane! It’s not in man to fly – we need assistance. Likewise, it is not in man to find his own way and choose his own direction. We were created on purpose by the Creator for a purpose. We cannot truly discover our purpose and live in our destiny apart from Him. We were not created to direct our own lives.

“O Lord, I know it is not within the power of man to map his life and plan his course.”
Jeremiah 10:23 TLB

“I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives, that men and women don’t have what it takes to take charge of life.”
Jeremiah 10:23 MSG

If your life is in a mess, it’s likely that you’ve been trying to live independent of God. You may be a Christian; you may love God, give and serve, but it may be that you’ve been trying to do your own things in your own way and simply asking God to bless it, instead of seeking God’s will and following His plan – which is already blessed.

Whenever you find yourself in a mess, you need to remember that God didn’t cause the mess, and He is not condemning you for it either. God will never, ever make your life a mess – only you have the authority to do that! God wants to help you out of the mess you find yourself in and help you to turn your life around. But you need to co-operate with Him and start going in the direction that He has for you.