Trusting In the Sufficiency of God's Grace

2 Corinthians 12:9

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.

So many of us have experienced a year that has been full of trials, hardships, pains, and perplexing circumstances. This has left some at the end of their rope, while others are still trying to recover from the many blows that the enemy has thrown. Some that seem to never go away…thorns in the flesh, if you will. Some of us may be counting the days that are left in this year, while anxiously looking forward to next one; hoping that it might bring a little more joy and cheer; a few more hallelujahs; and a lot more favor!

But, let’s go back for just a minute, before you break down 2015’s door! How do YOU think YOU did this year? We have preached, sung songs, read devotionals, quoted scriptures, and found ourselves on a prayer line faithfully; we have decreed and declared, cast out, rebuked, bound, and loosed, all in the name of Jesus, but where has this year left us? They say, “It’s not what you been through, but how you went through” right? Well, how are you? Did you make it through unscaved? Did you barely make it through? Did you trust God more this time than the last time? Did you trust him less? Where has this year left you?

I have had a tough past few years…from losing my job in 2010, to losing my bank account, to losing my home, having to take a $7.50/hr job, to recently living in a hotel for a month and a half. Oh, and not to mention my strained marriage, and the passing of my grandmother and the our beloved 1^st Lady at my church! I can tell you right now that it was by God’s Grace that I came through all of that….Perfectly!

Now, some may say, “did she just say that she came through Perfectly?” Well…yes, I did! And I’m going to tell you how!

 I have learned the difference between the sufficiency of Self and the sufficiency of Grace!

Let’s look back at 2 Corinthians 12:9, where it says that my Grace is sufficient for you. The word sufficient means that there is ENOUGH of whatever is needed for a purpose.  So, what God is saying here is, “look, whatever you are going through, I am ALL you need to handle this! I am able to produce and provide whatever it takes for you to make it through your problems! I AM GRACE…AND I AM SUFFICIENT FOR YOU!

Now, let’s talk about Self Sufficiency: When you are self-sufficient; YOU are able to produce or provide whatever it is that is needed for your own circumstances. In other words, YOU are self-supplying! YOU are indeed ENOUGH of whatever is needed for YOUR circumstances. Let me just talk about myself! It means that I am ENOUGH of whatever is needed to handle all that life throws at me! I am my own sustainer…my own sufficience!

I learned a long time ago, that there was a flaw in my sufficiency! I learned a long time ago that I was indeed DE-FICIENT and could not provide half of what I needed to make it through life’s journey! DE-FICIENT!...meaning that in and of myself, I am lacking what is needed, and have nowhere near ENOUGH of what it takes to do anything on my own! And if I fail to provide enough of what is needed…something is left “wanting”...I began to see God’s efficiency and my de-ficiency!

My so-called efficiency left me with faults, but His was faultless! Mine was flawed, but his was flaw-less! Mine, left me “wanting”…still needing! But his was ENOUGH! Mine left me “impaired” (or in worse condition), His re-paired and made me better! My efficiency left me “unsound” BUT GOD! He came that I might have the spirit of a “sound mind”….My efficiency left me weak in my inability, but God’s efficiency told me that because of HIS efficiency…because of HIS Grace…my weakness is made strong!

You see God’s grace IS sufficient and His sufficiency IS PERFECT! So, in these past few years, I have learned to keep my eyes upon him at all times, and I am living proof, that with God, you don’t just go through! …..You go through perfectly!

Reflection:

I had to learn that when God said my grace is sufficient, he wasn’t just trying to be cute with his words. He was letting Paul know, that, “hey, I know you going through, I know it’s tough! But I have absolutely positively ALL that you need for this storm, for this wilderness, for this season! I realized that there was no way that I was better off, doing things my way than doing it God’s way! And so I trusted Him every step of the way. Even through of tears of discomfort, I trusted in his outcome! I felt safe in efficiency of His grace. So, although your circumstances may not be perfect…God’s sufficiency IS perfect, the work that he’s doing in you IS perfect, and the purpose that it is to accomplish…IS perfect!

The "Pause" Button

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not   ~Galatians 6:9

One of the hardest things to do as a believer is to "always" keep the faith. Getting your heart and your mind to be spiritually constant when life is so inconsistent. Well, today I want to talk about that urge that we sometimes have to hit the "pause" button. That urge to quit or to give up, when things just don't seem to work out.

Think about the last time that you said, "I quit!" or "I give up!" ...I need a break, or I just need to pause for a while! when your tests or your trials seemed too hard to bare. What exactly did you mean by those words? Those words have ran marathons through my mind at times and I had to really sit down and ask myself....what do you mean, when you say that you quit?

When I say that I quit...what am I quitting? Maybe I'm going to quit going to church! quit being a parent! stop believing, stop trusting....stop praying! What about you? What do you mean when you say, "I quit!" .....Here's one! "I'm done!" ...........Well, done with what? And what are you going to do with your time instead, since you are done!?

When you say that you are going to "walk away" ....what are you walking away from? And when you walk away, what are you walking towards? When you decide to give your faith the "red light" ....what are you going to begin giving the "green light" to?

Let's say that you just mean that you are taking a break! (whatever we mean by that) .....or just hitting the "pause button" (if there is such thing in this life!) ....So you're mad, frustrated, angry, aggravated, depressed, and fed up with the way that your life is going, and you have decided that a "pause" is what you need.

Let me talk to you just a minute before you hit that "pause button"... If you decide to hit that "pause button" ...you are making a conscious choice to stop moving forward. You are choosing to be "idle".  The Enemy will present the "pause button" as a answer to much needed rest, but let me tell you, there really is no rest in a "pause" button... neither is there any peace in a pause! But what you will find is confusion in your pause; you'll find a congested mind in your pause; faithless-ness might set in during your pause; and a weakened spiritual immune system, due to failing to exercise  your faith daily, can take place during your pause....

You might pick up some bad habits during your "pause" or go back to some habits that you had gotten rid of, while you are taking a pause. Beware of danger during your pause, because the enemy loves to attack those who have taken a break from their daily faith walk!

So before you hit that "pause button" think about this! If God is calling you to something right now, are you willing to let him know that you are in "pause mode" right now! ...Giving up at any point would mean putting God's agenda for your life on hold!

So, let us declare that we are coming off of "pause" right now! There is too much work to do and we cannot give the devil our praise, our shout, our prayers, or our faith! We must declare today that sunshine or rain, pausing is not an option! God cannot bless what is not willing to move.....If God's promise to you is right around the corner, how you gonna get it, if you stuck on "pause?" How can you run this race if you're stuck on "pause?" How are you going to help someone else to move forward if you're stuck on pause?

There is a declaration that has been made by the "Kissi" Foundation that says, "Can't Stop; Won't Stop" and in that declaration they are declaring their fight against a rare form of cancer. Well, we need to have this same mind in Christ Jesus! When it comes to the things of God and what he has for me to do..."I can't stop; won't stop!!!! Until God says well done! We are in this thing to win it! and in this race that we are running, there is no stopping us now! As we..
Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus  ~Philippians 3:14

Take Him To The Place

Romans 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

As I was preparing for work one morning, I did as I usually did, and turned the television on to catch a little spiritual uplifting for the day. There was nothing different about the day, as I began to put my clothes on. On the television screen was a couple being interviewed about a song that the wife had written as a result of being molested as a child. Nothing different about this day....just another story about the pains of life that we as believers must endure and how our great and awesome God can deliver us if we faint not. As I rushed to put on my shoes, the lady began to speak about the story of Lazarus, and how he had died during Jesus' absence.
She recalled the question that Mary and Martha asked Jesus when they found him.. "where were you? If you had been here, this wouldn't have happened!" and how Jesus' response was, "take me to the place where his body lays.... the place where he has died."
That day, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead! 

 She began to explain that it wasn't until she had taken Jesus to the place of her depression that he healed her and brought her back from a life of pain. I stood there, wanting to hear more as I began gathering my things...  I must say, that I have asked the same question during desperate times in my life; The feeling that, had Jesus been there, he could have stopped so many of the things that hurt me...... I stood there....motion-less, wondering how many things were left for dead inside of me, because I didn't know how to deal with them.  This just got personal, as
I heard them say, 

"Take him to the place; and watch dead things live again,

where one touch of his grace, and it's all washed away,

He's calling out your name; it doesn't matter where you've been, or

whatever you have faced, don't be afraid,

to take him to the place"

 

My eyes filled with tears, as I began to think about all of the times that I refused to take him to the places of my pain in the past, fearing to face them again, and whether or not I still have truly taken Jesus to all of my places of pain? Had I summoned for him to come to the places where my deepest hurts resided? The place where certain things that once lived in me, had died? Has every part of me been revived? Or are there still areas that need a visit from the Master? ....it seemed as if they could see me standing there , "take him to the place"....I stood there!
Did I even want to take him to those secret places where I had placed things that hurt me, and threw away the key?

 

God was letting me know that there were things that needed to be revived in me. Things that I still had not let go of completely. Things that I still can't talk about without the visitation of tear drops. Disappointments, failures, losses...regrets!

As I struggled to see the television screen through my tears, God began to fill me with the hope of his ability to revive dead things. He began to minister strength to me as he gave me this devotional to share with you.

 

He told me to tell you that there are areas in your life where you have NOT summoned his presence. All you have to do is take him to that place where your dreams have died; take him to the place where you lost your hope; where your spiritual eyes fell dim....summons him to the place where you started to doubt him....the place where your prayers became faith-less! He's calling out your name, it doesn't matter where you've been, ..or, WHATEVER you have faced, don't be afraid to take him to the place...
the place where your mouth stopped blessing him, and your feet stopped dancing! Take him to the place where the devil silenced your new song and where 99 1/2 became just fine with you! .....lead him to the place where you hung up your garment of praise...to the place where the whole armor of your faith, sustained damaged during battle, to the place where your strength began to  bow out gracefully to defeat....take him to that where healing seems impossible!....and you too, will find out how Jesus' miraculous power is still bringing dead things back to life again!


Read the story of Lazarus  
John 11: 1-46

 

See this powerful video and song below:

 

http://youtu.be/UuOM8tv5Jzo