He Is Enough

Yesterday was a really difficult day. Stressful. Tiring. Frustrating. Just plain hard. And if I’m being completely honest, I wanted to quit on it numerous times.

I wanted to simply throw my hands up in the air in defeat, along with anything in my hands at that particular moment.

I wanted to lay down on the ground and cry, or possibly kick my feet and yell.

I wanted to give up. Go home. Go to sleep. Wake up the next day and see everything miraculously put right and nothing amiss, the sun shining, my favourite clouds decorating the sky, a cool breeze blowing, birds singing and a spring in my step.

I struggled to do what needed to be done in regard to my thoughts:

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Controlling our thoughts is often one of the hardest things we can do. Our minds are very powerful things. And what we think about determines how we feel, how we act and how we respond to the situations in our lives.

I am an overthinker and have a bad habit of spiralling once I allow my thoughts to go to places they shouldn’t be. Then the overwhelm begins and the clouds grow darker, the anxiety sets in and the dark descent into worry forms a tornado that threatens to pull me into its vortex.

But praise God, I don’t have to stay there. I can make a choice to take my thoughts captive, rise up and call out to God, knowing that he will listen.

No matter where I am or what I’m doing, prayer is something I can do eyes closed, or eyes open, noise or no noise.

And so, by the grace of God, and after a lot of short arrow prayers, and cries for help, I made it through my day. From fear to faith.

As I sat praying with a friend at our weekly prayer meeting that evening, I was reminded of my need, once again, to praise God and to thank him for his continual blessings. Seen and unseen.

Psalm 145:3  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

I realised that despite my day being so difficult, a lot of things that could have gone wrong, didn’t go wrong.

So many situations could have gone a lot worse.

There were many incidences where an accident with disastrous consequences could have occurred but didn’t.

There were periods of waiting that gave me time to read a few verses, listen to the words of a song, mull over a passage of writing that encouraged my heart and allowed me to catch my breath.

I began to realise that I needed to thank God for the strength to lift those heavy gates off and on the truck many times, that so often cause me grief. There are many who don’t have the ability to even raise tired arms above their heads because of illness.

I needed to thank him for the ability and know how to operate the machinery and drive a truck and negotiate tight spaces with a heavy vehicle.

I needed to thank him for my sight. My strength. My legs. My arms. My voice.

All these things allow me to do my job, and while I sit and whinge and bemoan my heavy workload, there are many who hope and pray that they too could be physically able to cope with a hard day’s work.

How many blessings do I overlook and let pass by, without giving a thought to and without lifting my voice in praise to God?

I am ashamed to say that all too often I waste my thoughts on what I see as the negative and neglect to train my thoughts to think of my blessings. To think good thoughts.

We are reminded in the book of Philippians of what to think on.

Philippians 4:8 KJV - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I am also reminded of something that Paul was able to come to terms with. And that is the fact that God’s grace is sufficient.

2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV - And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God’s grace is enough. God gives enough grace for each and every day. Not more. Not less. Enough. Sufficient.

God’s abundant grace, his loving-kindness and favour, is enough. And it is overflowing. His grace never runs out.

And just when we need more grace, and we go to him in distress, with our questions and our hurt, he pours out his grace once again.

When we are weak, God’s strength is all the more evident. Our weakness just shows off his power even more vividly.

By focusing on the sufficient grace of God, we can face the future with confidence. We are able to gain strength to withstand whatever challenges we are faced with.

And although we may feel as if we can’t go on another step, God’s grace allows us to put one foot in front of the other and step out in faith, trusting that he will give whatever is needed. Physically, mentally, emotionally.

So, if you’re struggling to make it through your days, and you despair of ever having a day without trouble, just remember that God will give you the strength you need.

Matthew 7:7-8 KJV - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

If you seek him, you’ll find him. If you ask, you will receive.

If you need peace, if you need freedom from anxiety, if you need strength, if you need wisdom, God is able to grant it.

Just STOP. Still your heart and soul and cry out to him. Come to him humbly, in faith, and ask for his all-sufficient grace.

And keep on asking. Keep on seeking. Keep on knocking.

You know as well as I do, that we face struggles on a daily basis, and we fail often when it comes to faith and believing that God will do what he says he will do. And so, we have to come to him continually, repenting of our disbelief and ask once again.

He longs for us to cry out to him, and he desires to answer. He wants to give us what we need.

He doesn’t only desire to give us our physical needs, he wants to meet our emotional needs as well. I am so glad that God is able to meet my deepest needs. The ones that I can’t explain in words, the ones that overwhelm me, the ones that no one else can understand.

He is the only one that can fully meet our every need.

His grace is everlasting.

His mercy is unending.

His love is unconditional.

His faithfulness is new every morning.

Let Jesus carry your burdens. Let Jesus heal the hurts. Let Jesus meet those emotional needs that you can’t find words to express.

Bring them to him in faith and trust.

He can meet you where you are with just what you need exactly when you need it.

 

He is enough

I Will Carry You – E. Holcomb

I know you're tired, I see it in your eyes
All that anxiety that rules your mind
I’ll be your shield when you don't feel like you've got strength enough to fight
I’ll stand by your side

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you're terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

You are not the sum of your mistakes
You don't have to hide the parts of you that ache
I choose you as you are a million times 'cause I am not ashamed of you
I won't walk away from you

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you're terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

Up and over the mountains
Valley deep as the ocean
When you can't keep going
I will shoulder your burdens
Up and over the mountains
Valley deep as the ocean
When you can't keep going
I will shoulder your burdens

I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you’re terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you

 

Blessed to be Used by God

 

Have you ever stopped to think how amazing it is that God chooses us to partner with him in the work of the Lord and in bringing glory to his name?

Have you ever thought about how often God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things?

David, a simple shepherd, becomes King.

Moses, hiding in the desert, becomes the one to lead the nation of Israel towards the promised land for 40 years.

Paul, a persecutor of Christians becomes a bold preacher of the Word of God.

Gideon, cowering behind the winepress, threshing wheat, is used of God to defeat the Midianites.

Jeremiah, a depressed prophet, speaks the Words of the Lord to the people of Judah.

Three Hebrew boys, taken captive by the enemy, are used of God to bring a mighty King to his knees and cause him to worship the one, true God.

Do you see what I’m getting at?

It has nothing to do with our ability, it has everything to do with our availability!

I decided to do a quick tally today of the past few years beginning with when I started my original blog until now.

I realized that I had written 222 articles, taught 20 Ladies Bible Study lessons, 1 conference and 3 Ladies Retreats since January 2017.

Now, I am not telling you any of this to boast. I am absolutely humbled by the fact, that God has chosen me, with all my failings, and lack of training, to preach and teach his Word and encourage others with what I am learning.

I have never been academic and the only subjects I really enjoyed in school involved writing, speaking and the creative arts like acting and music.

My teachers despaired of my inability to learn basic grammar rules and terms and use proper sentence structure or outlines in essay writing.

I was and still am, a free spirit. I don’t like to colour in between the lines and don’t always know that proper way to say or write something in order to explain clearly my thought process.

But I often think of the men and women of old, that God has used in his service. A humble servant girl becoming a missionary in China, an apprentice shoemaker reaching souls in India, an Olympic athlete trading his running shoes for foreign mission work, and the list goes on.

Abraham lied. 

Sarah laughed at God’s promises.

Moses stuttered.

David’s armour didn’t fit.

Ruth was a widow.

Paul was a murderer.

Jonah ran from God.

Elijah was depressed. So was Jeremiah.

Gideon and Thomas both doubted.

David had an affair.

Lazarus was dead.

If God was able to use these people, then he can use you!

God doesn’t need a glowing resume, complete with accolades and flattering references. He is not interested in how many followers or likes we have on social media.

Even our skill level is not important. We may not be an eloquent speaker, able to paint a picture with our words. We may not have the same writing skills of published authors.

But, if we have a fire burning inside and a passion to share with others what God has laid on our hearts, and if we are willing to be used of God in whatever way he sees fit, then it is enough. God can work with brokenness, humility and frailty.

And he can work with zeal and passion and the desire to be used of God.

I’ll say it again:

It has nothing to do with our ability, it has everything to do with our availability!

It always amazes me that God is able to use our feeble attempts, our lack of skills, our meagre talents, to serve him in order to bless others.

For years, I was very inconsistent in my quiet time, and I didn’t spend time digging deeper into the Word of God.  Study was not a high priority for me. Many times I doubted, many times I made mistakes, many times pride was an issue and sadly, these things still arise, but God in his mercy and love chooses to use me in spite of my failings.

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 KJV - For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

If you despair of being used of God because of your inabilities or lack of talent, then I want to encourage you to change your way of thinking.

It doesn’t matter if you are a stay-at-home mother, a busy woman with a stressful career, or a teenager struggling to make it through school. If you are available to God, he will equip you.

“God does not call those who are equipped, He equips those whom He has called”.

God has called all of us, as his children, to share the gospel and show his love to the world. Whether you feel adequate and able or not is not the issue.

God has shown me, over and over, that although I may doubt my own talents and abilities, he is able to uphold and strengthen me when I am at my weakest. He is able to use me, despite my failings, fumblings and fears to accomplish things for him and bring glory to his name.

Whatever ministry God is calling you to, if you are faithful and trust him, he will give you the talent and ability you need to do it.

If he is calling you to do it, then he will equip you for it. When you are sure of God’s direction, then don’t hesitate. Step out in faith, believing that he will qualify you and prepare you for the task at hand and give it all you’ve got! And give God all the glory, for without him, you can do nothing!

Hebrews 11:6 KJV - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Be available to God and watch what he can do!

You may not feel worthy, but it’s not up to you to name yourself. It is God’s job to declare who you are in Christ.

There is something beautiful in Scripture that always brings peace and joy to my heart. And that is the reminder that I am chosen.

1 Peter 2:9 - But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

God didn’t call you out of darkness to stay in the shadows.

Isaiah 43:7 KJV - Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

What gives us our identity is not colour or culture, or talents or abilities, but chosenness.

We have been chosen from all races, all walks of life, with whatever talents we have, not on the basis of belonging to any group or because of our skill level, but because God chose us.

That's why this amazing phrase is so important for you, “.. ye are a chosen generation “. Your first identity is that you are chosen. God chose you. God chose you because he loves you and because he has a unique calling on your life.

Ephesians 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Stop doubting yourself. If you desire to serve God and you make yourself available to him, he will and can use you!

Don’t worry about whether people will listen to you or read what you’ve written, just be faithful to God and he will bless your willingness and use your efforts to bless and encourage others, and most important of all, you will bring glory to God.

Psalm 115:1 KJV - Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

Revelation 4:11 KJV - Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.