There was a period in my life where I got used to most things going my way or if they weren’t going my way, I got good at figuring out what I needed to do to get what I wanted.

It wasn’t until God stripped everything from me and started showing me who I was and who He desired me to be that my eyes began to open.

My selfishness and my desire to have everything my way was the thing that was actually blocking God’s best for me.

As they say hindsight is 20/20 because I never saw myself as being selfish back then. I just truly believed that the way I saw things and the things I desired were what was best for me.

Have you ever thought that you knew what was best for you?

If we’re being honest, many of us believe that not only do we know what’s best for ourselves, but we also know what’s best for everyone else around us.

Now don’t let anyone shame you or make you beat yourself up because you are currently or once struggled with the “I know what’s best syndrome.”

We all have our faults, but the great thing is that once we know better, we can do better!

God reveals things about us when He is trying to grow us up, but many of us don’t want to grow up because with growth comes greater responsibility.

As a parent of a teenager who has one more year in high school, I am trying to make sure I do all that I can to prepare my son to make it on his own when he decides to leave home.

If you’re a parent, you understand your kids and you understand when they are ready for certain things. We have all had to say “NO” to things our kids have asked for and we all remember when our own parents stopped us from what could have been some of the worse decisions of our lives.

I said all of that to say, your Heavenly Father knows what’s best for you.

Yes, you may have your 5-year plan or a list of all the things you desire…

You may even have a timeline of when you plan to hit all the major milestones in your life…

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with having a plan, but if you really want to see God’s best in your life, my recommendation is that you begin to die daily.

And by “die daily,” I’m specifically talking about 3 key areas that you need to focus on “killing” everyday…

1. Your Will – In simple terms, Merriam-Webster defines will as desire or wish. We all have things that we desire and for the majority of us most of those desires aren’t necessarily bad things. Many people desire to be married. Many of us desire to make a difference in the world and many of us desire to live out our dreams. The world tells us things like “it’s your life, do what makes you happy,” but God tells us to “lay down our lives for your friends.” I don’t know about you, but I can look back over my life and see how so many things I went after that I believed would make me happy ended up being some of my biggest disappointments and heartbreak. I can also look back and see how God closed the door on many things I desired and how He was gracious enough to show me later why He closed those doors. EVERY time I was grateful that He did. Of course, in the moment I didn’t understand why God said “no” so I was upset, but I have experienced this way too many times now that when God says “no” I see it as His protection because He knows things I don’t know.

2. Your Way – I will admit, God is still growing me up in this area. I am a planner and a doer; God made me this way. This basically means if there’s something that I desire to accomplish, it comes natural to me to create a plan and get to work. I am really good at this which is part of the reason why I became a life coach because I know how to help people accomplish almost anything they set their mind too. However, I’ve learned that because I am such a planner and a doer, I don’t really leave room for God to do what He does best. I believe God is trying to grow all of us up in this area where we stop trying to do things our way and learn how to live our lives doing things His way. Doing things God’s way requires trust and total dependence on Him. You don’t look to a job, a business, or another person to be the answer, but you look to God and He will do things that will blow your mind. Yes, God often uses jobs, businesses, and people to be the solution, but let God choose how He wants to bless you. Don’t put God in a box or assume you know what’s the best way for something to happen- you don’t and neither do I.

3. Your Timing – In a world where it seems like no one wants to wait on anything anymore, this is one area where if you learn to “kill” your timeline and trust God’s timing, you will be amazed at how you actually gain time for the things that matter. Not only do you gain time for the things that matter but you will notice how you’re not wasting time and you’re actually more productive.

Take this from someone who spent a lot of her life getting ahead of God. God would show me things He wanted to do in my life and as I’ve already mentioned I’m a planner and a doer, so I would take off with God’s vision doing all I could do to make it my reality. Have you ever been guilty of this?

God told you that you were going to be a business owner, so you quit your job and immediately built your website.

God showed you that man was your husband, so you ran right out and got married.

God showed you living in another state, so you sold everything and moved cross country.

I get it, I have all kinds of stories from my own life I could share, but I think the bible is full of great examples of how God said or showed someone something and that thing didn’t come to pass until much later…

Noah waited 120 years for rain

Abraham waited 25 years for his son

Joseph waited 13 years for a dream God gave him at 17…

It’s not the easiest thing to wait on God’s timing, but when we don’t wait on His timing and take things into our hands, it always turns out bad. It may not turn out bad immediately, but it will eventually lead to some costly consequences.

Yes, God can redeem time but why lose time if you don’t have to.

I am in my forties now and I wish I had truly learned back in my twenties that “dying daily” is actually the best way to live. So, if you’re reading this, my prayer for you is that God will help you to surrender your will, your way, and your timing for His. It will be one of the greatest decisions of your life!