Breakthrough

Good Morning!

This week is Easter break for my kids and I slept a little longer than usual and had to go about my routine a little bit backward. I usually wake up and the first thing I do is devotions, but I needed to get some posts up for our groups starting today: Body Detox and Bod on Fire J I went straight to post the information but found a message from someone I don’t know asking me how to have faith. This person just saw on social media the messages of faith I post and wanted to know how to have that kind of faith. Even being a lifelong Christian and with Christian friends and people praying, it still just felt untouchable.

I immediately started to pray. I said “God, I have no idea what to say to this. Please give me words to say or know how even to start.”

I started my devotions from Set My Heart on Fire and the intro verse was:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26

Wow. I dropped the book on my lap and smiled. Yeah. I don’t know what to say, but You do, Lord. I know you will guide me and it’s not up to me anyway.

As I continued on, I realized how often we get in our own way. We think we have to come up with the right things to say, or maybe we didn’t pray “right” or that somehow we could have made the difference in someone else’s faith…etc etc. God is way more powerful than our faults. Yes, we make mistakes that need forgiveness and we need the Spirit to help mold us into new creations day by day, but we don’t limit what God can do. He can make good out of bad and He is all powerful. It helps so much to know that when we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, He will lift us up! (James 4:10).

That takes so much pressure off. It allows us to focus on letting Him do the work and our only job is to continue to open our hearts to Him. I truly believe in so many ways that is how this works. If it were up to us, then we’d get the credit when things go great! But, the more we lay all that pride down, the more we get to see His work and give Him the glory.

I was thinking about a few of the things that we each battle ongoing throughout life. What is it that keeps us “going around the mountain” and what makes some people finally stop? I’m going to say something that may come off as haughty and I don’t mean it that way because I’m in the same category. Could it be pride? We think we know the answer or the solution. Oh, maybe for a day or a few hours we’ve turned it over to God, but we quickly take it back and let ourselves “indulge” in the worry, anxiety or problem-solving that we feel it will take to handle it.

The other possible reason is acting or feeling like a victim. This happened to me and so I “deserve” to feel this way. Ouch. As long as we act like we are victims, we will never be victors.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Romans 16:33

HE has overcome the world. Yes, we will have trouble, but He wants us to have peace even while we are here in the exact spot we are in. Not someday when everything is the way we think would be perfect.

I hope that as you go into this day, you’d consider that. Our power rests in God alone. He can bring peace! We need only to humble ourselves in His sight, and He will lift us up!

Happy Monday!

jennie