There was a lot in this one, Donny. I think our desire to control is part of our humanness. Even in the Garden when God gave Adam and Eve everything, there was still that desire to make their own choices and have their own control. We saw how well that worked out. For me, I think my desire to control comes in when I'm not trusting God as I should and having faith that what he wants for me is better than what I want for me. It's a process, but I'm learning more and more to just surrender moment by moment. Wanting to take back control still comes with fear and insecurities that God will push me out of my comfort zone. It's a constant spiritual battle, I think. I love the verses you chose - good reminders and lots of encouragement in them. I'm with you - this can't be settled in one prayer walk. I'll be revisiting this one and pondering those questions you asked and praying to be wholly surrendered. That's a beautiful park you visited - why are there so many downed trees? Thanks again for taking us along and sharing your heart!
I was happily waiting for this walk, thank you friend. My husband and I have been sharing his desire to retire. I have resisted trying to keep the lifestyle we have actually showing God and myself what little faith and trust I have by controlling our finances. So my husband is miserable working and not allowing God to take control. It meant I have to change my money habits and trust God will provide. I can still give 10% , live on 90% and hopefully spend more quality time with my husband. Control just means we are unwilling to change and give God the reins.
So I just watched this prayer walk for the 2nd time, I had to mull it over and really think about it. LIving alone with my 3 grown kids around the country is tough. I always "expect" more of them than it truly is possible for them to give. I expect them to put "dear old mom" before everything else. Thats just not the case. I guess I'd like to have control over them as I did when they were small. But I no longer do. I feel that "control" and "expectation" go hand in hand. I asked Graham to help me with a design for a tattoo for my many expectations. Which he did. I haven't gotten it yet but it is the near future. I really need to let go of my control and give it back to God where it belongs.
Donny, enjoyed the walk especially seeing the deer and birds that were on their own walk. I had to let this one digest with me for a few hours, it made me really reflect on the times in my life when I tried to control things and how much better I felt when I surrendered to God, trusting my faith that He was in control. One of the hardest times was in 1990, it was year filled with many challenges. During our move from Maryland to California my Dad passed away, when we finally got to California my husband was deployed to Kuwait during the Desert Storm conflict. I didn’t know anyone in area where we were living, had two kids, one a high school senior who was not happy with her parents for moving her across country. That September I started a new teaching job, the new job stress, and worried about husband in an unsettling part of the world. I tried to deal with it on my own, thinking I could do this...well when the actually combat began in Kuwait, and I had to face that my husband was there, I couldn’t do it. It was then I turned everything over to God trusting my faith that it was going to be okay, and lived from day to day, not thinking about what I couldn’t control. 7 months later my husband arrived safely at home, it was all well. Then in 2005 when my husband suddenly passed away, I learned again I wasn’t in control, even though I thought I was, when I finally accepted the path God I had for me, life got better. Since that time there have been a few slips where I think I’m in control but I soon remember who’s really in control. Most recently, like last month, was reminded again, thought I had summer all planned, then came the painful back issues,had to change everything. Took me a minute to say it’s not meant to be this year, God has something else for me at this time. Prayers are being answered for relief, walking is getting easier, and I know there are blessings to come. My focus now is on healing so I will be well for what God has planned in the future for me. My faith tells me when I let God take control it’s all going to be ok.
Donny, I just discovered your Prayer Walks and this wonderful community the past weekend and have so appreciated it. I listened to all the episodes, some of them several times, and found so much encouragement and inspiration.
What you shared on the Walk today was powerful and it changed my perspective on a fear that I’ve been struggling with for over a year now. All this time I’ve just been looking at what happened that made me afraid, and trying to get over that, but listening to you I realized that the fear is really rooted in the fact that I lost the illusion of being in control of what happens to me. Now I’m thinking the key to overcoming the fear might be in letting go of wanting to control that and I’m grateful for the revelation. If you would, please pray that I’ll actually be able to let go of it!
I'm so glad to have found this community and look forward to getting to know everyone here. Blessings ❤
Donny ~ I was fascinated by your prayer walk today because one of the biggest questions in my mind has always been how much (%) does God determine what happens in my life? How much am I responsible for? How much is just accidental chaos? Has God already planned things, and then gave us the talents & guidance to accomplish His goals , OR did God start the World like a master clockmaker, gave us our gifts, and is merely watching what we do with them? ~ A retired teacher & rehabilitated Control Freak
As I listened to this prayer walk I realised that all those things that have been buried deep inside are my way of controlling how I am impacted by things that happen,or what others say or do. I must let God heal them so that control is no longer there.
Donny, when I think I know better than God, for me that is my PRIDE talking which is the root of all sin in my case. I've never been one that has had much of an ego, instead I was the exact opposite trying to go out of my way to please others to receive the affirmation. That way, if I gained their approval, then I would be fulfilled. If you think about it, that is only temporary. Same with wanting the desire for control. That is temporary because it is itself a form of PRIDE. I hate that five letter word PRIDE because we all have it. I try every day to let go and let God, but because I'm of the flesh, that sneaky Pride rears its ugly head at some point during the day.
When I read Proverbs 19:11, NLT, You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail. It's telling me no matter what plans we make or wish, in the end, God is going to win no matter what. Because we are of the flesh, we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God each and every day. It is a constant daily battle we all face. Also, this is prophetic because after the rapture and the end of Tribulation, ultimately God will win the battle and Jesus will reign over all.
The only way I steer clear of trying to take control is to have the daily quiet time/prayer with God, stay vulnerable to totally surrender to HIM and let him have total control. It is not easy, but if I don't, I know in my heart I'll end up back where I started 2 1/2 years ago, and believe me, I do not want to go back there again.
I'm glad you made it to Radnor Lake State Park. Tricia and I had a very nice walk there when I visited a couple of weeks ago. Who knows, the deer that were in your video may have been the same ones we saw. It is absolutely beautiful there and you captured it so well. Wishing you and this community all the best. God bless everyone!
Thanks Donny, I needed this today. Sometimes I want everything to happen my way, I want to go after my rights and my reasons, but I always stop, breathe and remember that God is in control of all things. So I give it all to Him and soon things settle down! He
always took care of me in a wonderful way!
Thanks for the words and prayers!
Thank you also for this wonderful verse:
There are many purposes in the heart of man, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.
I just love reading through these comments. It’s an encouragement to hear all of us are all on this journey together. When I think of your questions about control, Donny, fear is the word I keep coming back to in my mind and in my heart. Letting go and letting God is a cliche now used in the world. I’m not sure it is used with the full intent. If I was to actually let God, I would be letting go of myself being first. Oh so hard to do! Daily, I must choose to give it all to Him. God gave us free will not to do what we want but to choose to follow His lead! I keep coming back to some of my favorite verses: Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God” and and in Zephaniah 3:17 declaring God is our “Mighty Warrior”. Fear to let go and be vulnerable to our Lord, that’s my prayer. Blessings to all! And, love you got to see Radnor, Donny! It’s my favorite haven right by my house. 🦌🦅🌳🙏
I handed it over to God to control everything, when things gets complicated I ask God for guidance. He is the God of all things big or small and loves you the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. There’s a comprehensiveness to Gods ability that covers all that concern.My battle is not with God, it is with myself.I must let go of control moreover if I release this burden to him, he will take care of better than I could. I have OCD and I used to be in control so everything will go smoothly until my illness. I realize I was creating a harm environment for myself and my family. God heal me of all my fast craziness of control that when I got sick speaking to a therapist daily I realize I created that craziness of my own. God heal me of all my pain it has cause me. When I let go on the control God show how sufficient he truly is. A deep sense of peace when I turn my thoughts to God. There is always hope when I choose to listen to him. Gods word remind you that when you draw near him , you will find the comfort you need. When you are still in his presence , he provides the wisdom and insight to meet every challenge victoriously. To say that word who do we think we are? Not sufficient to express everything that is inside of me is amazing understatement. I could shout it out, would exhaust my vocal, chords before I ever got close to finishing. All,of the frustrations and sorrows, of the hopes and dreams they are so profound and full of emotion that mere words fall hopelessly short of conveying them. Yet God wants to hear my heart, so he send his spirit to examine my conscious and sub conscious , my inner most thoughts and feelings. And Gods spirit beautifully communicates in his glorious words what is so difficult for me to express. I am a working progress to let go of things that I can’t control. I love all the verses and your surroundings of your walk, thank you for sharing your prayers each week as I look forward every Wednesday. After seeing couple of my clients today I was able to watch my oldest grandson baseball game as they been playing since 9:30 this morning. I was able to watch half of the 3rd game and the 4th towards the end he injured himself. We just got home an hour ago no broken bones his rotator is a bit sore and he pulled a muscle when he swing the bat and it was a home run. His team won 26-3 and he is worried that he won’t heal towards end of this month for the finals in Denver. First he asked me please grandma talk to God he will heal me. I told my grandson that God works in a way that when everything is done, there’s no other explanation for the outcome other than his perfect timing. “ Every time I’m in trouble I call on you , confident that you’ll answer.” Psalm 86:7MSG
Powerful questions huh?! Starting with the title “Who do we think we are?" WOW!
Often, the way in which the controlling behavior is presented can lead to misunderstandings, this profile is easily confused with other disabilities, it can even be a mental illness, a disorder that causes continuous instability in mood, behavior and self-image.
Care must be taken not to confuse it with stubbornness or with highly opinionated people who defend their ideas. I say this because for a while I heard that my behavior was controlling, when in fact it presented attitudes of stubbornness.
This conceptual difference does not ease my side, because stubbornness is an action that leads a person to follow what he wants instead of what God wants, it is an opposition to the authority and control of the Holy Spirit.
Despite being born in an evangelical family, knowing the Bible and having accepted Jesus as a teenager, my personality is human and full of flaws, but the good thing is that God in his infinite goodness has corrected me with love and care, sometimes, He needs to apply, almost literally, Psalm 32:9 by putting "bit and bridle."
Despite this, I believe that I am the image and likeness of God - body, soul and spirit - with whom God shares his communicable attributes and gives me the potential to relate to Him.
I start by apologizing, but I particularly think that here we can also laugh and joke a little...
1) I'm laughing at myself, I had arranged for 5pm but I think the time zone I should consider is Nashville/Tennessee - Hike arrived at 3pm - this confirms my difficulty with "time, space and direction" - lol
2) Donny, Did you manage to get back to your car or your starting point? Man, I get lost in places I know, imagine in places I don't know - lol
Life is a series of choices. We should always make the right ones, but sometimes we don't. When we face hardships, whether by our own making or through through circumstances beyond our control, that's when we turn everything over to God, because only He has enough grace to turn our messes into blessings.
Wanting control.... definitely is something I struggle with. When facing so many worldly obstacles in the last few years I have prayed so many times for God to show me and lead me in the path he desires for me and I’ve tried to give the reins to HiM in prayer. I have had to learn not to worry about things I can’t control and have learned to let go and let GOD... thank you so much Donny I’m so thankful to be a part of this team🙏❤️
Oh dear😊thanks Donny beautiful setting and challenging questions. I think we need to humble ourselves so we can get away from trying to be in control. Yes I feel that if I were in control that would mean that I was important. I’ve worked on let go and let god quite a bit lately. Until the next walk....
There was a lot in this one, Donny. I think our desire to control is part of our humanness. Even in the Garden when God gave Adam and Eve everything, there was still that desire to make their own choices and have their own control. We saw how well that worked out. For me, I think my desire to control comes in when I'm not trusting God as I should and having faith that what he wants for me is better than what I want for me. It's a process, but I'm learning more and more to just surrender moment by moment. Wanting to take back control still comes with fear and insecurities that God will push me out of my comfort zone. It's a constant spiritual battle, I think. I love the verses you chose - good reminders and lots of encouragement in them. I'm with you - this can't be settled in one prayer walk. I'll be revisiting this one and pondering those questions you asked and praying to be wholly surrendered. That's a beautiful park you visited - why are there so many downed trees? Thanks again for taking us along and sharing your heart!
I was happily waiting for this walk, thank you friend. My husband and I have been sharing his desire to retire. I have resisted trying to keep the lifestyle we have actually showing God and myself what little faith and trust I have by controlling our finances. So my husband is miserable working and not allowing God to take control. It meant I have to change my money habits and trust God will provide. I can still give 10% , live on 90% and hopefully spend more quality time with my husband. Control just means we are unwilling to change and give God the reins.
So I just watched this prayer walk for the 2nd time, I had to mull it over and really think about it. LIving alone with my 3 grown kids around the country is tough. I always "expect" more of them than it truly is possible for them to give. I expect them to put "dear old mom" before everything else. Thats just not the case. I guess I'd like to have control over them as I did when they were small. But I no longer do. I feel that "control" and "expectation" go hand in hand. I asked Graham to help me with a design for a tattoo for my many expectations. Which he did. I haven't gotten it yet but it is the near future. I really need to let go of my control and give it back to God where it belongs.
Donny, enjoyed the walk especially seeing the deer and birds that were on their own walk. I had to let this one digest with me for a few hours, it made me really reflect on the times in my life when I tried to control things and how much better I felt when I surrendered to God, trusting my faith that He was in control. One of the hardest times was in 1990, it was year filled with many challenges. During our move from Maryland to California my Dad passed away, when we finally got to California my husband was deployed to Kuwait during the Desert Storm conflict. I didn’t know anyone in area where we were living, had two kids, one a high school senior who was not happy with her parents for moving her across country. That September I started a new teaching job, the new job stress, and worried about husband in an unsettling part of the world. I tried to deal with it on my own, thinking I could do this...well when the actually combat began in Kuwait, and I had to face that my husband was there, I couldn’t do it. It was then I turned everything over to God trusting my faith that it was going to be okay, and lived from day to day, not thinking about what I couldn’t control. 7 months later my husband arrived safely at home, it was all well. Then in 2005 when my husband suddenly passed away, I learned again I wasn’t in control, even though I thought I was, when I finally accepted the path God I had for me, life got better. Since that time there have been a few slips where I think I’m in control but I soon remember who’s really in control. Most recently, like last month, was reminded again, thought I had summer all planned, then came the painful back issues,had to change everything. Took me a minute to say it’s not meant to be this year, God has something else for me at this time. Prayers are being answered for relief, walking is getting easier, and I know there are blessings to come. My focus now is on healing so I will be well for what God has planned in the future for me. My faith tells me when I let God take control it’s all going to be ok.
Donny, I just discovered your Prayer Walks and this wonderful community the past weekend and have so appreciated it. I listened to all the episodes, some of them several times, and found so much encouragement and inspiration.
What you shared on the Walk today was powerful and it changed my perspective on a fear that I’ve been struggling with for over a year now. All this time I’ve just been looking at what happened that made me afraid, and trying to get over that, but listening to you I realized that the fear is really rooted in the fact that I lost the illusion of being in control of what happens to me. Now I’m thinking the key to overcoming the fear might be in letting go of wanting to control that and I’m grateful for the revelation. If you would, please pray that I’ll actually be able to let go of it!
I'm so glad to have found this community and look forward to getting to know everyone here. Blessings ❤
Donny ~ I was fascinated by your prayer walk today because one of the biggest questions in my mind has always been how much (%) does God determine what happens in my life? How much am I responsible for? How much is just accidental chaos? Has God already planned things, and then gave us the talents & guidance to accomplish His goals , OR did God start the World like a master clockmaker, gave us our gifts, and is merely watching what we do with them? ~ A retired teacher & rehabilitated Control Freak
As I listened to this prayer walk I realised that all those things that have been buried deep inside are my way of controlling how I am impacted by things that happen,or what others say or do. I must let God heal them so that control is no longer there.
Donny, when I think I know better than God, for me that is my PRIDE talking which is the root of all sin in my case. I've never been one that has had much of an ego, instead I was the exact opposite trying to go out of my way to please others to receive the affirmation. That way, if I gained their approval, then I would be fulfilled. If you think about it, that is only temporary. Same with wanting the desire for control. That is temporary because it is itself a form of PRIDE. I hate that five letter word PRIDE because we all have it. I try every day to let go and let God, but because I'm of the flesh, that sneaky Pride rears its ugly head at some point during the day.
When I read Proverbs 19:11, NLT, You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail. It's telling me no matter what plans we make or wish, in the end, God is going to win no matter what. Because we are of the flesh, we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God each and every day. It is a constant daily battle we all face. Also, this is prophetic because after the rapture and the end of Tribulation, ultimately God will win the battle and Jesus will reign over all.
The only way I steer clear of trying to take control is to have the daily quiet time/prayer with God, stay vulnerable to totally surrender to HIM and let him have total control. It is not easy, but if I don't, I know in my heart I'll end up back where I started 2 1/2 years ago, and believe me, I do not want to go back there again.
I'm glad you made it to Radnor Lake State Park. Tricia and I had a very nice walk there when I visited a couple of weeks ago. Who knows, the deer that were in your video may have been the same ones we saw. It is absolutely beautiful there and you captured it so well. Wishing you and this community all the best. God bless everyone!
Thanks Donny, I needed this today. Sometimes I want everything to happen my way, I want to go after my rights and my reasons, but I always stop, breathe and remember that God is in control of all things. So I give it all to Him and soon things settle down! He
always took care of me in a wonderful way!
Thanks for the words and prayers!
Thank you also for this wonderful verse:
There are many purposes in the heart of man, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.
Proverbs 19:21
God bless you! 🙏🏼❤️
I just love reading through these comments. It’s an encouragement to hear all of us are all on this journey together. When I think of your questions about control, Donny, fear is the word I keep coming back to in my mind and in my heart. Letting go and letting God is a cliche now used in the world. I’m not sure it is used with the full intent. If I was to actually let God, I would be letting go of myself being first. Oh so hard to do! Daily, I must choose to give it all to Him. God gave us free will not to do what we want but to choose to follow His lead! I keep coming back to some of my favorite verses: Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God” and and in Zephaniah 3:17 declaring God is our “Mighty Warrior”. Fear to let go and be vulnerable to our Lord, that’s my prayer. Blessings to all! And, love you got to see Radnor, Donny! It’s my favorite haven right by my house. 🦌🦅🌳🙏
I handed it over to God to control everything, when things gets complicated I ask God for guidance. He is the God of all things big or small and loves you the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. There’s a comprehensiveness to Gods ability that covers all that concern.My battle is not with God, it is with myself.I must let go of control moreover if I release this burden to him, he will take care of better than I could. I have OCD and I used to be in control so everything will go smoothly until my illness. I realize I was creating a harm environment for myself and my family. God heal me of all my fast craziness of control that when I got sick speaking to a therapist daily I realize I created that craziness of my own. God heal me of all my pain it has cause me. When I let go on the control God show how sufficient he truly is. A deep sense of peace when I turn my thoughts to God. There is always hope when I choose to listen to him. Gods word remind you that when you draw near him , you will find the comfort you need. When you are still in his presence , he provides the wisdom and insight to meet every challenge victoriously. To say that word who do we think we are? Not sufficient to express everything that is inside of me is amazing understatement. I could shout it out, would exhaust my vocal, chords before I ever got close to finishing. All,of the frustrations and sorrows, of the hopes and dreams they are so profound and full of emotion that mere words fall hopelessly short of conveying them. Yet God wants to hear my heart, so he send his spirit to examine my conscious and sub conscious , my inner most thoughts and feelings. And Gods spirit beautifully communicates in his glorious words what is so difficult for me to express. I am a working progress to let go of things that I can’t control. I love all the verses and your surroundings of your walk, thank you for sharing your prayers each week as I look forward every Wednesday. After seeing couple of my clients today I was able to watch my oldest grandson baseball game as they been playing since 9:30 this morning. I was able to watch half of the 3rd game and the 4th towards the end he injured himself. We just got home an hour ago no broken bones his rotator is a bit sore and he pulled a muscle when he swing the bat and it was a home run. His team won 26-3 and he is worried that he won’t heal towards end of this month for the finals in Denver. First he asked me please grandma talk to God he will heal me. I told my grandson that God works in a way that when everything is done, there’s no other explanation for the outcome other than his perfect timing. “ Every time I’m in trouble I call on you , confident that you’ll answer.” Psalm 86:7MSG
Powerful questions huh?! Starting with the title “Who do we think we are?" WOW!
Often, the way in which the controlling behavior is presented can lead to misunderstandings, this profile is easily confused with other disabilities, it can even be a mental illness, a disorder that causes continuous instability in mood, behavior and self-image.
Care must be taken not to confuse it with stubbornness or with highly opinionated people who defend their ideas. I say this because for a while I heard that my behavior was controlling, when in fact it presented attitudes of stubbornness.
This conceptual difference does not ease my side, because stubbornness is an action that leads a person to follow what he wants instead of what God wants, it is an opposition to the authority and control of the Holy Spirit.
Despite being born in an evangelical family, knowing the Bible and having accepted Jesus as a teenager, my personality is human and full of flaws, but the good thing is that God in his infinite goodness has corrected me with love and care, sometimes, He needs to apply, almost literally, Psalm 32:9 by putting "bit and bridle."
Despite this, I believe that I am the image and likeness of God - body, soul and spirit - with whom God shares his communicable attributes and gives me the potential to relate to Him.
I start by apologizing, but I particularly think that here we can also laugh and joke a little...
1) I'm laughing at myself, I had arranged for 5pm but I think the time zone I should consider is Nashville/Tennessee - Hike arrived at 3pm - this confirms my difficulty with "time, space and direction" - lol
2) Donny, Did you manage to get back to your car or your starting point? Man, I get lost in places I know, imagine in places I don't know - lol
I'll be back soon with my reflections...
Life is a series of choices. We should always make the right ones, but sometimes we don't. When we face hardships, whether by our own making or through through circumstances beyond our control, that's when we turn everything over to God, because only He has enough grace to turn our messes into blessings.
Wanting control.... definitely is something I struggle with. When facing so many worldly obstacles in the last few years I have prayed so many times for God to show me and lead me in the path he desires for me and I’ve tried to give the reins to HiM in prayer. I have had to learn not to worry about things I can’t control and have learned to let go and let GOD... thank you so much Donny I’m so thankful to be a part of this team🙏❤️
Oh dear😊thanks Donny beautiful setting and challenging questions. I think we need to humble ourselves so we can get away from trying to be in control. Yes I feel that if I were in control that would mean that I was important. I’ve worked on let go and let god quite a bit lately. Until the next walk....