Calling on The “All-Sufficient God” in this Season
A word from the Lord
In my time with the Lord earlier this week reflecting on the past weeks, the month and the year 2021 as a whole, I was seeking His heart. I invited Him to search mine and to reveal anything that is out of alignment. I honestly was feeling convicted as I had been so consumed by the busyness and desire to be PREPARED and READY for the holidays, that I lost sight that my desires should always be rooted and grounded in Him.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 NKJV
Gathering with our families and friends has become a rarity with all the distractions, the mandates, and financial burdens. We are having to fight for the things we may have at times taken for granted. This has caused me to resort to old ways of getting things done. I sense many of us have gotten caught up in the to-do lists, schedules and budgets, that we lost sight of the reason for the season.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. - John 14:16 NKJV
I was brought back to a word I received a few months ago to learn to LEAN BACK in HIM. I literally felt grieved as I was not experiencing the same intimacy that I am blessed to have with Him regularly. I then heard the Lord speak in this moment, “MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT”. This simple word immediately shifted my heart posture.
I pressed in with Him and was led to the scripture below. I realized that for the past year or more I had made it part of my pray to ask Him for HIS GRACE, but lately I had forgotten this important part. It is shocking to see how easy it is to get off track in our walk with the Lord. Yet, He is so close and right there when we turn to Him and away from doing things in our own strength. I feel the heaviness of His heart when we as His children get burnt out and become exhausted by the stress and pressures of the world.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV
Being rightly aligned with God is crucial if you want to see the fullness of Him in your life. I received a word of wisdom months ago, rather a key, in counseling my daughter to use when she gets off track. It is to regularly ask God these three questions, “WHAT IS IT YOU ARE DOING IN ME?, WHAT IS IT YOU ARE DOING THROUGH ME?, and WHAT IS IT YOU ARE DOING AROUND ME?”
This has been a great measuring tool for us both to know if we have been neglecting our own personal time with Him in prayer. His heart is what we seek most as ours can get us in trouble. The scripture in Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” This scripture was one that my daughter learned in her early years in Awana. Somehow this scripture brings a greater understanding in this context to us both now.
I am here to encourage you that as you continue this week with anticipation and excitement to see and celebrate with your families and friends, to slow down, lay down the lists and schedules just for a moment to sit with Jesus and hear His heart and receive His peace. We are truly nothing without Him. I am grieved thinking about the ways we as Christians can become so much more like the world during holiday seasons, which should not be the case.
Let’s remember that it is about quality over quantity and less truly is more. Be encouraged not to be so hard on yourselves, but instead to ask for His GRACE and PEACE to help you when you are feeling challenged or misaligned.
I heard these words from the Lord, “ASK FOR MORE THAN MY GRACE. ASK FOR PEACE AND WISDOM. I AM EL SHADDAI, THE ALL SUFFICIENT ONE. CALL ON ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU IN GREAT AND MIGHTY WAYS.”
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. - 2 Corinthians 9:18 NKJV
If this word is for you, I invite you to PRAY this with me:
Father God help us to resist the temptations of tradition and embrace the true reason for the season. May it be You that we seek rather than material possessions, may it be Your heart that beats in ours and that we are ignited in the hope of Christ Jesus for the miracles that you have set before us. May we focus on thankfulness and servitude towards You and mankind throughout this week and always. May we ponder on the star of Bethlehem that was a sign of the promise to Your people that a Savior was born and is here with us all. Lord God, May we lay down all that gets in the way of our time with You and lay on your chest and rest and celebrate the greatest gift of all. Thank you Father God for the gift of Your only Son that as we believe, we will not parish but have everlasting life. May our hearts and minds be fixed on Your goodness and our Lord and Savior King Jesus! - Amen
