Sive Phandle

In our local community we have declared this year as The Year of Abundance. Immediately after hearing that declaration my mind went to one of my favorite verses, Ephesians 3:20. This verse reads as follows;

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly ABUNDANTLY above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us”

(Ephesians 3:20 NKJV)

The scripture presents us with a great overview of living in abundance. It opens our eyes to a greater power than ours, to set us free of the limitations within us for us to operate in God’s standard. Which, by the way, is what we need in order to step into our destinies and begin to be effective. Ephesians 3:20 begins with the idea of God, “Now to Him” not ‘’to us’’ because ‘’us’’ is limited and is bound by what is seen, but to Him who created something when there was nothing and through Him everything exists and nothing without Him was. This phrase helps us understand, before we go any further that God is above man’s circumstances and limitations. He cannot be held down to the standard of our limitations based on our thinking. He is beyond our limitation and circumstances. So, Paul says, “Now to Him who is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE all that we can ask or THINK…” that means the biggest thought I have is pale compared to God’s ability to do. God’s thinking is eternal, that’s what makes Him God. And perhaps I should address the fact that our greatest discomfort comes from us trying to take the place of God. Our greatest discomfort comes from us wanting to have our way. Proverbs 16:9 “A person may plan his way; but God directs his steps”, so in our planning we have to consider that God is greater than our plans and knows EVERYTHING.

So, ‘’God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT IS AT WORK IN US”. Now, the next question which is undoubtedly the most important is “what power is at work within you?’’. Whether we know it or not there is a power at work within each and every individual. The power at work in you is what will determine your thinking and your thinking, and in turn you thinking will shape the way that you live. Therefore if the power at work within me is will power, then I am subject to my own limitations and to those of others. But God’s power which comes through His Spirit opens me up to greater possibilities than those created by my own thoughts and those created by others. So, because my mind is renewed through His Spirit and reading the word, therefore my thinking is then challenged. Now how I think is not limited on what I can think but on the fact that God is beyond even what I can think and imagine. With that kind of thinking I’m not subject even to my own limitations and there is no limit on how far I would go, as far as God is concerned. That means there is an opportunity to grow anytime and my capacity is stretched to a higher level of thinking. My true potential is then realized in God’s standard.

The abundance that God is calling us to will take place when we devote ourselves in reading His word and constant communication with Him through prayer. Isaiah 55:2 “Why do you spend your money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? LISTEN CAREFULLY TO ME AND EAT WHAT IS GOOD. AND LET YOUR HEART DELIGHT ITSELF IN ABUNDANCE”. So, it is clear that abundance will truly come when we pay careful attention to what God has to say, for He knows everything about us. The power that is at work in us is the one that is going to activate my true potential, the power being the Spirit of God, of cause. My potential is equal to God’s power, and nothing is impossible for those who believe (Mark 9:23). Before we see abundance on the outside we have to see it on the inside first. Abundance won’t be floating around but it’s going to happen in our lives. We have to marry the word and make sure that we hear clearly what He wants to say to us.

#UnfriendAnxiety

It’s funny how sometimes we draw pictures (not literal) of how God sees things without considering the Bible, because after all it by which he speaks to us. I was thinking a lot about how God sees life and how he sees us as his creation. And last week I spoke about letting God be true, and I also remember talking about how our unfaithfulness does not contaminate God’s faithfulness. This has been in my heart that we let our messes determine where we should be, but God has set our path very straight. And people often say “if God knows where he wants us to be, why doesn’t he just take us there”, but God works where one allows him to. After all it was he who said in Deuteronomy 30:19 (CEB) I call heaven and earth as my witnesses against you right now: I have set life and death, blessing and curse before you. Now choose life—so that you and your descendants will live—. It’s very amazing that he even tells us that we must choose life. When Pst Jadezweni spoke about this he said “he who is the finish line goes to the start to get us to the finish line”, God; knowing we would fail he time and time again, he gave his Son to be the perfect sacrifice for us. He lived perfect life, died a perfect sacrifice to perfect some really unperfect people. I like to as practical as possible about this, say I knew what you would do to me in 2 or 3 months from now, I would treat you like you have done it already. But not God, the price was fully paid on Jesus.

How does God see us? The same way he sees Jesus!!! We traded places with Jesus on the cross, in case you missed it…we were the ones who were suppose to be there but Mercy. God looks at us and sees far beyond where we see. He says he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). God gave his Son for “whosoever” and it is up you to be that “whosoever”. No man is fit to qualify who really needs to be there. Luke 15 shows how really God looks at us, Jesus is being accused of receiving sinners and eating with them where He goes on to talk about the 3 parables. In all the parables He is talking about how Heavens rejoice over one person won to God. God would rather risk losing what he has in order to get what he doesn’t, which is very contrary to how the world functions. We are taught to keep what we have, but the kingdom teaches something else which is to sacrifice. God sacrificed his Son for YOU. It doesn’t matter who says what God thinks YOU are to die for, look unto him for your life.