puricare chronicles: Bondage

Showing posts with label Bondage. Show all posts

Saturday, March 27, 2021

WHEN YOU FEEL YOU'RE NOT ENOUGH - Whatever positive characteristic we feel we are not, God is. Whatever we need, God is. He is the God who fills in our gaps; He is I AM who fills in our blanks. When we say, “I’m not strong enough,” God says, “I AM.” When we say, “I’m not smart enough,” God says, “I AM.” When we say, “I’m not good enough,” God says, “I AM.” Once we let go of the lies that we’re not enough … and take hold of the truth that we’re more than enough because of Jesus’ presence and power in us … then we’ll be set free from paralyzing insecurity and on our way to experiencing courageous confidence to do everything He calls us to do. When we allow God to fill in our blanks He turns what we perceive as our greatest weakness into our greatest strength. Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and His power in you, you are more than enough! - “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” - As soon as my first-grade teacher held up that initial spelling flashcard, I knew I was in trouble. Just 6 years old, I’d skipped off to school with a new box of crayons, a Swiss polka-dotted dress, and fresh hope that I would be smart. But first grade only confirmed my greatest fear: I was “not enough.” We lined up our miniature wooden chairs in a row like a choo-choo train.

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When You Feel You're Not Enough

Whatever positive characteristic we feel we are not, God is. Whatever we need, God is. He is the God who fills in our gaps; He is I AM who fills in our blanks.

When we say, “I’m not strong enough,” God says, “I AM.” When we say, “I’m not smart enough,” God says, “I AM.” When we say, “I’m not good enough,” God says, “I AM.”

Once we let go of the lies that we’re not enough … and take hold of the truth that we’re more than enough because of Jesus’ presence and power in us … then we’ll be set free from paralyzing insecurity and on our way to experiencing courageous confidence to do everything He calls us to do.

When we allow God to fill in our blanks He turns what we perceive as our greatest weakness into our greatest strength. Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and His power in you, you are more than enough!

Sharon Jaynes

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

As soon as my first-grade teacher held up that initial spelling flashcard, I knew I was in trouble.

Just 6 years old, I’d skipped off to school with a new box of crayons, a Swiss polka-dotted dress, and fresh hope that I would be smart.

But first grade only confirmed my greatest fear: I was “not enough.”

We lined up our miniature wooden chairs in a row like a choo-choo train.

The teacher held up a spelling flashcard for us to identify the word. If we missed the word, we had to go to the caboose.

I spent most of the first grade in the caboose. I just couldn’t spell. For some reason, I especially had trouble with the word the.

I’ll help her, my teacher must have thought. She made me a nametag that read t-h-e, and I had to wear it for two weeks.

Students came up to me and asked, “Why are you wearing that tag?”

“Is your name ‘The’?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

Eventually, I learned how to spell the, but that’s not all I learned.

I learned I wasn’t as smart as everybody else, and once again, not enough. Although I ended up doing well in school, many times I’ve still felt like that little girl in the caboose.

Moses was also someone who felt he wasn’t good enough.

When God spoke through a burning bush and called Moses to lead His people out of Egyptian bondage, he had a big case of the “not-good-enoughs.”

That’s when he had a one-sided argument with God.

Moses told God he was the wrong man for the job. He wasn’t brave enough, strong enough, smart enough, eloquent enough, charismatic enough or confident enough.

At one point, Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

And God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13-14, NIV).

Moses was 80 years old when he argued with God.

But even the weakest knees in the hands of I AM can become a mighty force to be reckoned with.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that you, too, have likely struggled with feelings of inferiority, insecurity and inadequacy.

And the underlying statement feeding the sense of worthlessness is “I’m not __________ enough.”

You can fill in the blank with a number of qualities. False beliefs such as …

I’m not strong enough.
I’m not experienced enough.
I’m not talented enough.
I’m not brave enough.
I’m not pretty enough.

But here’s what we need to remember: Whatever positive characteristic we feel we are not, God is.

Whatever we need, God is.

He is the God who fills in our gaps; He is I AM who fills in our blanks.

When we say, “I’m not strong enough,” God says, “I AM.”

When we say, “I’m not smart enough,” God says, “I AM.”

When we say, “I’m not good enough,” God says, “I AM.”

Once we let go of the lies that we’re not enough … and take hold of the truth that we’re more than enough because of Jesus’ presence and power in us … then we’ll be set free from paralyzing insecurity and on our way to experiencing courageous confidence to do everything He calls us to do.

We’ll get out of the caboose and sit up front with the Engineer.

Want to know something amazing? One of my greatest weaknesses as a child was spelling words.

And now that is what God has called me to do today … write with words.

I stand with Paul who lamented about his weakness: “But he [God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

That’s what happens when we allow God to fill in our blanks. He turns what we perceive as our greatest weakness into our greatest strength.

What is God calling you to do today?

Where do you feel you’re not enough?

Oh friend, because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and His power in you, you are more than enough!

Don’t forget it.

Heavenly Father, so many times I feel like I’m just not good enough, smart enough, wise enough … just not enough, period.

Help me stop focusing on my self-perceived inadequacies and start focusing on Your all-sufficient supply.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

RELATED RESOURCES:

If you struggle with feeling like you're just not enough, then Sharon Jaynes’ new release, Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence, is just for you. Click here for more details.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:

Which areas of your life do you tell yourself that you’re not enough?

What is God telling you about your true abilities through today’s devotion?

Join the conversation to add a prayer for you or a friend to recognize you’re enough.

Sharon Jaynes served as vice president and radio co-host for Proverbs 31 Ministries from 1996-2006. She is a best-selling author of 24 books and Bible studies, including Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence, Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe: A Daily Guide to Scripture-Based Prayer, Take Hold of the Faith You Long For: Let Go-Move Forward-Live Bold, and her latest release--Lovestruck: Discovering God's Design for Romance, Marriage, and Sexual Intimacy from the Song of Solomon.

Sharon has been featured on several radio and television programs such as Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, Revive Our Hearts, and The 700 Club. But what she loves most is speaking to women face-to-face at women's conferences and events. Her passion is encouraging and empowering women to walk in courage and confidence as they grasp their true identity as a child of God and co-heir with Christ. She’s a storyteller who loves weaving biblical principles and powerful stories to help the Bible come alive. Sharon and her husband Steve have been married 39 years. They have one son, Steven, who is married to someone Sharon says is the sweetest girl ever, Emily. They live 767.5 miles away (yes, she’s counted them).

Proverbs 31 Ministries is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry that seeks to lead women into a personal relationship with Christ, with Proverbs 31:10-31 as a guide.

https://www.proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2018/04/02/when-you-feel-youre-not-enough

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More Than Enough

Words and Music by Robert Gay.

CLICK HERE . . . to view complete playlist . . .

https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2018/05/more-than-enough-jehovah-jireh-my.html

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

THE PROMISE OF DELIVERANCE - Christians are not supposed to live in bondage. If you have been convinced that freedom is unattainable, then you have bought into a lie. When you give yourself willingly as a servant of God, he does not want you under the rule of anyone or anything else. And though we offer ourselves as servants, he raises us up as his sons and daughters, making us heirs to his kingdom. We are meant to be free. Always remember this profound truth: God delivers out of his goodness, not because of our abilities or merits. Deliverance is often beyond our capabilities. If we think we are the sole source of deliverance, then we’re doomed to fail. Our hope lies in the fact that it is never beyond God’s. In our weakness, he is strong. As you walk confidently in the promise of deliverance, remember your position as a child of God. Trust him in every situation for deliverance, whether it comes immediately, incrementally, or eternally. And most importantly, always know that our deliverance lies in staying close to the One who is our deliverer. - Since the fall of mankind, we have all needed deliverance. Each person’s individual smallness in a vast universe demands something or someone bigger to step in and take the reins. We need protection from natural disasters, human evil, and the spiritual enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. God promises us that deliverance in the Bible. When Jesus asked his Father to “deliver us from evil,” he highlighted the need for deliverance.

The Promise of Deliverance

Christians are not supposed to live in bondage. We are meant to be free.

If you have been convinced that freedom is unattainable, then you have bought into a lie. When you give yourself willingly as a servant of God, he does not want you under the rule of anyone or anything else. And though we offer ourselves as servants, he raises us up as his sons and daughters, making us heirs to his kingdom. We are meant to be free.

Always remember this profound truth: God delivers out of his goodness, not because of our abilities or merits. Deliverance is often beyond our capabilities. If we think we are the sole source of deliverance, then we’re doomed to fail. Our hope lies in the fact that it is never beyond God’s. In our weakness, he is strong.

As you walk confidently in the promise of deliverance, remember your position as a child of God. Trust him in every situation for deliverance, whether it comes immediately, incrementally, or eternally. And most importantly, always know that our deliverance lies in staying close to the One who is our deliverer.

By James Randall Robison

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).

Since the fall of mankind, we have all needed deliverance.

Each person’s individual smallness in a vast universe demands something or someone bigger to step in and take the reins.

We need protection from natural disasters, human evil, and the spiritual enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

And you know what? God promises us that deliverance in the Bible.

When Jesus asked his Father to “deliver us from evil,” he highlighted the need for deliverance.

The Greek word there has two meanings: “rescue” and “God drawing us to himself.”

Rescue

The concept of being rescued needs little explanation. There is evil in the world that God can keep us safe from, so we ask that of him.

This encompasses deliverance from the physical threats of this world as well as deliverance through Christ from spiritual threats.

The same Greek word in Christ’s prayer is employed in Paul’s declaration: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).

God Drawing Us to Himself

The other meaning of rhoumai, the Greek word for deliverance, is not used as commonly in Scripture, but it expresses a remarkable truth.

Our deliverance, whether physical or not, is directly tied to God drawing us to himself.

When Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, he warned them about what would soon happen to them, paralleling Christ’s warnings of their tribulation.

But he also wrote that before it happened, there would be deliverance for followers of Christ because God would draw them to himself and thus take them out of harm’s way (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

Though the vast majority of us have never faced the persecution the first-century church did, I can’t help but wonder how many of our personal tragedies, failures, and hardships could be avoided if we simply drew closer to God.

I know I could have avoided a few!

Peter noted that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation” (2 Peter 2:9).

We need not fear temptation if we’re walking closely with the One called Jehovah Mephalti — the Lord my Deliverer.

It is common for us to wait until we are in dire need of rescue to cry out to God, but rescue is already here if we will just stay close to Christ.

When we do so, we hear more clearly his direction for each step along the way and can steer clear of unnecessary problems we are prone to create in our shortsightedness.

God Delivers Out of His Goodness

Christians are not supposed to live in bondage.

Paul wrote, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free” (Galatians 5:1).

If you have been convinced that freedom is unattainable, then you have bought into a lie.

When you give yourself willingly as a servant of God, he does not want you under the rule of anyone or anything else.

And though we offer ourselves as servants, he raises us up as his sons and daughters, making us heirs to his kingdom.

We are meant to be free.

Always remember this profound truth: God delivers out of his goodness, not because of our abilities or merits.

Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Deliverance is often beyond our capabilities.

If we think we are the sole source of deliverance, then we’re doomed to fail.

We have to humble ourselves and say, “Deliver us from evil,” as Jesus instructed us to pray, because deliverance is usually beyond our grasp.

Our hope lies in the fact that it is never beyond God’s. In our weakness, he is strong.

As you walk confidently in the promise of deliverance, remember your position as a child of God.

Trust him in every situation for deliverance, whether it comes immediately, incrementally, or eternally.

And most importantly, always know that our deliverance lies in staying close to the One who is our deliverer.

James Randall Robison (Randy) is a writer, producer and host for the television program LIFE Today. His books, interviews and other materials can be found at randyrobison.com.

https://stream.org/the-promise-of-deliverance/

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