Step Into What Jesus Came to Offer You
Step Into What Jesus Came to Offer You
We have been talking about what we are supposed to do with our belief in Jesus. We wonder if we even understand why He did what He did. And, if we do get it – are we living out our belief in Him? Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came so that we could have life and have it more abundantly. Yet, we worry, fear, and struggle with insecurity. None of those sound like abundant living. How do we step into what Jesus came to offer us? How do we live out our faith?
As I was preparing to write this morning, I picked up a book and read this…
“As Christians, we are called to live a life of faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is more than mere belief. The Bible tells us that demons know God is real and believe in Him. So, then what is faith? Faith is trust in God, dependence on God and is exemplified in our decision to rely on God. Do you have faith? Trusting, depending and relying on God is where we need to be headed. We need to live a life totally dependent on our faith in Jesus Christ. He needs to be what guides and directs our steps. He needs to be what drives our purpose. He needs to be what sustains us.
It is time we stop relying on ourselves and doing things our way. Instead, we are to transition to the place where we rely on God and do life His way. Who besides me is mumbling “Is that even possible?” Well, it is possible, because God says it is. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
What does “In all your ways acknowledge Him” mean? Studying this scripture, I found that acknowledge means to observe the Lord, to get to know Him and study His word. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” By immersing ourselves in the Word of God, we come to the realization that without Him we are fools and do not make good choices. Apart from Him, we are sure to mess things up. We are hopeless without Him.
Walking out our faith is easy on beautiful, sunny days where everything is going our way. But what about the dark days, the days we experience hardships and difficulties, the days our faith is tested? Are we filled with faith on those days or is it fear that fills us? Time to be honest – we fail at faith, don’t we? Worry, fear, and insecurity are all opposites of faith. What do you believe? In what have you placed your faith? Many times, we put our trust in our own abilities, instead of in the One we call our Savior. If we believe He has saved us from the depths of hell, then surely we can muster up enough faith to believe He can get us through our worldly struggles, losses and hardships. Here are some truths we can cling to no matter what might come our way.
Jesus is Enough.
Living out our faith begins when we realize that Jesus is enough, He truly is all we need. We buy into Satan’s lies when we choose to believe we need to get this job, to have a husband, to start a family, to live in that neighborhood, to attain that title, etc. There is nothing wrong with wanting a good job or a nice home, but none of those things matter to the extent that we make them matter. There is a difference in what we want and what we need. We need Jesus. Every day, He is enough.
It was in the most difficult time of my life when I learned this truth. I was in the process of accumulating what I thought I needed – a man, children, success, financial security – and feeling good about it when it all came tumbling down. I am being real with you, praying that baring my shortcomings will inspire you to get this. We believe Jesus is enough to save us, but we struggle to believe He is enough to sustain us. Oh, my friend, He is all you need.
What about our dreams and our goals? Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Now, let’s use our sound mind to process that. Do we believe that if I am delightful and happy in the Lord, He will grant my desire to be a millionaire? Do we think our worldly desires matter? Or does that scripture mean that when we come to love God so much we find delight in Him then our desires will also spring forth from Him? And when our desires come from Him, He will surely fulfill them. Walking out our faith includes trusting God to help us define our desires. We want His desire for us to become our desires in Him. When those two things line up, we will find ourselves living a life that is exceedingly, abundantly above all we could have ever dared to imagine.
Not only is He enough to sustain us, but He offers all the affirmation we need. We do not need to please all the people in our life; as a matter of fact, we never will. Why is it we can have 1,000 people tell us that they like us and think we are great, then one rolls her eyes at us and we fall to pieces? Our identity, our worthiness and our good enoughness (Yes, I made that word up.) comes from Him and Him alone. The scriptures tell us He delights in us, is with us, has saved us, rejoices over us with gladness and with singing, quiets us with His love and will never leave us. In Him we are enough! Because of Him, we are worthy.
Jesus is enough to carry us through whatever this fallen world might throw at us. He is our strength, our fortress, and our rock. Even when we struggle to walk out our faith, He remains faithful to us. He will fulfill His promises to us…”
(Yes, you guessed it, this is from a book I wrote. However, God used my own words this morning to remind me of some great truths. I hope He did the same for you. If a phrase stood out to you, would you be so brave to post it today? Be sure to tag me, so I can share it.)
Friends! There is more! Jesus came so that you could live more abundantly. Step into the life He came to offer you and experience an abundance of peace and rest and love and joy. He is waiting on you to take His hand and live the life He has for you.
A Message from Pam:
During April, we are talking about Jesus. Who is He, What He did and What we are going to do with Him. What we do with our belief in Jesus matters. It truly is what matters most. Take time to think about it. What are you doing with Jesus?
Do you know Jesus? If you just aren't sure, download the Plan of Salvation and read through the scriptures. I would love to chat with you about it. Feel free to reach out to me.
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