I was in church on Sunday and Pastor John was speaking on being Overwhelmed by the world. BOY! That about sums it up for me!!!
Today, I find myself totally and completely overwhelmed by life! Come to find out, I am OVERwhelmed by life because I am UNDERwhelmed by Jesus. The question asked by Pastor John was,Why is HE not enough? The bible says, (Col. 1:15-20) "15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20. and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."
When we dive into this passage, this is what we found:
-Jesus is the Great Creator (Col 1:16) He created everything, me, my life, my world, the sky, the grass, the people, all of it! He created everything. Just take a moment to try to wrap you head around that! Lean back, and look around. All of it would not be here if HE had not created it. That's huge! HE Is Enough!
-Jesus is the Great Sustainer (Col 1:17) So not only is He great enough to create everything around us and in us, He also is great enough to hold it together! He holds the hair in our heads. He holds our bodies to the floor. He holds every little bitty molecule in just the right place to make all that he has created sustain it's existence. This is a pretty big one to get a handle on. HE Is Enough!
-Jesus is the Great Redeemer (Col 1:20) He can completely change all things for the glory of God. He gave his life on the cross to change our lives. He gave his life for our sins. He preforms miracles. He can heal the sick. He can make the blind see. In John 11, He raised Lazarus from the dead. HE Is Enough!
So, if you are lost like me, you want to know, How Do I Make Jesus Enough? In my mind, I know He is enough, but how do I feel it in my soul? How do I sleep with ease at night knowing He is in control. Well, friends, that I have not mastered yet, but here are a few things you can do to get started in the right direction.
-Pause (Ps. 46:10) "Be still and know that I am God,..." So many times I find myself all stressed out and strung out, and realize that I have not talked to God in days. It is not easy to be still. I need to be still. I need to take a moment to realize that I want Him to be enough, but right now, I just don't feel like he is. I feel alone, forgotten, confused, and lost. Today, I just don't feel like Jesus is enough. I obviously think he needs my help because I keep trying to do it myself. Even if I "give it to Him" I tend to take it back. As a sidebar, I believe that I only mess things up worse, but I still haven't learned to leave it alone. Hebrews 11:5, God says "...Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you." and wHen God says Never, He means Never.
-Pray (Phil. 4:6-7) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus," Every time you find yourself with a head full of fear or anger or doubt, replace them with prayers. Pray about what you are thankful for. Pray for someone hurting. Pray for those who have hurt you. Pray for a difficult relationship. Pray for your family, for your kids. Pray that your neighbor will finally mow their yard. Just put your mind on Christ. After a while, the Enemy will see that you have trained yourself to talk to God when your mind wants to worry and doubt. The Enemy doesn't want us talking to God and seeking His help, so he will move on to something else to bother us.
-Praise (Ps. 42:11) "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Praise him all in things. If you are in a place where you just can't, and I have been there, I would sing a praise and worship song from church. He is a glorious God. He is a faithful God. He is a merciful God. He loves us more then anyone else ever has or ever will. There are so many things to praise Him for! But sometimes it is not easy. Sing to him. He loves your beautiful voice. Worship His holy name.
-Proclaim (Prov. 18:21) "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." If you are thinking negative thoughts, and speaking negative thoughts, your heart will hear them and believe them, and often times you will see these negative things come to pass. That same mind can think Godly thoughts. That same tongue can speak positive thoughts. And your heart will hear how wonderful and loving our great God is. So you will start giving more and more of yourself, and the baggage that we insist on carrying everywhere we go, gradually over to Christ Jesus. And not only will he help us carry that nasty baggage, He will carry it for us until we don't need it anymore.
Dear sweet Jesus, I am overwhelmed. And I know that you are Enough and that you can handle my situation much better then I could ever imagine to. God, I am giving it to you, again. I ask for your blessings on all who read this, and God I pray that they seek you in whatever situation they are dealing with. Thank you Lord for carrying me, especially when my baggage is to heavy for me to carry myself. I love you Jesus. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment