Someone has said, "Use it or lose it." In other words, take every opportunity to use every resource available to live life abundantly.

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Jesus was not necessarily speaking of more years; He was talking about living a life of reckless availability. You can either live your life, or you can seek to control your life, but you cannot do both.

Many people seek to control every area of their life. They might say they are good managers. They take few risks, hold tightly to what they have, plan everything carefully, and detest interruptions. Controlling people become increasingly self-protective and continually shrink their circle. A person who must be in control of everything negates God's protection and provision.

God wants to be in control. And that's okay, because He is God. He wants us to trust Him completely.

In the Old Testament book of Exodus, there is the account of Moses leading God's people out of Egyptian slavery to Canaan (i.e. the Promised Land). God was in control of the trip. He had everything covered. He did not give the people the detailed plan for everything. He simply said, "Follow Me."

Following Him was the hard part. God led very visibly by using a specific and undeniable pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). When the pillar moved, the people moved; when the pillar was stationary, the people did not move. The people never knew how long they were going to be in one place.

Following God the way the Israelites were could be trying, if you felt like you had to know and control your life. In essence, life was out of the control of the people and in full control of God. All this time, God was supplying all the food, all the water, and protection from every enemy. It had never been so good!

But the people didn't like it. They had no power to settle, to accumulate, or to dominate. It was all about God.

God does not lead us today with a pillar of fire or cloud, but He offers us the same leadership through His Holy Spirit and through His Word. The Holy Spirit impresses our spirit through our prayerful seeking and searching of the Bible. God gives us very specific direction if we listen.

As the Israelites resisted following the pillar, we often resist following the Spirit. God may impress us to give something away that we treasure. He may lead us to give up what looks like a secure life and follow Him by faith in some type of direct ministry. You can be sure that He will push us out of our comfort zone.

God is the giver of life, and He is on the move. We can either seek to maintain control, or we can live with reckless availability to God and His leading, but we cannot do both.

Jesus said, "Whoever wants to save his life [control it] will lose it, but whoever loses his life [lives with reckless availability] for Me will find it" (Matthew 16:25).

Abundant living comes through giving everything over to God and letting Him control every step. God can do that. He wants to do that.

Life is to be lived, not controlled.