There is nothing on this earth that I want more than to be
filled through all of my being with all of the fullness of God, and to have the
richest measure of His presence until I completely overflow with God Himself (Ephesians
3:19). This starts at Salvation when we receive all of God's
fullness. He moves in by His Spirit with all of His glory and power.
I know that there is no way to contain more of God, because
His fullness already abides in Believers; but I do want to experience a fuller
awareness of His presence and leading. Too often, we are so full of our self,
that we miss out on the fullness of God within us. The more we allow our flesh
and self-confidence to dictate our life, the less we walk in the Spirit.
We need to surrender to God the self-assured part of
our identity in order to trust Him. People with a high opinion of their assets
have so much to overcome, but those who suffer with self-doubt and who lack
self-esteem are closer to walking in the Spirit. The uncertain, timid person is
already light years ahead of most people. Insecure people trust God more than
those who are secure in their self.
What we need more than self-confidence in our human
attributes is our confidence and identity in God. John advised us to decrease,
so that Christ in us may increase (John 3:30). We gain
our identity in who we are in Christ, not in who we are as a person. There is
nothing, which God calls us to do, that we cannot accomplish, once we realize
the extent of His power within us (Philippians 4:13).
If we list our human assets and talents, we discover the
gifts God gave us. For instance, what are we good at? What positive character
traits do we already have? These are the areas where God is already shining
through us. We are His light in the world (Matthew 5:16). God
lives in us, and we have all the power of the godhead working through us. Now,
that fact will improve any self-image!
Prayer:
Father God, when we face challenges in life, which
overwhelm our faith, we are tempted to roll up our sleeves and apply some human
effort to the problem. We fail to realize our limited human resources. Remind
us that the nation of Israel faced such an issue at the outskirts of Canaan,
and felt like grasshoppers. They wandered in the wilderness, because they
thought they had to rely on their human effort rather than on Yours. Give us
the faith to follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit each moment of every
day.
Thought for the Day:
When we gain our identity from Christ in us, rather than from
our human capabilities or insufficiencies, we accomplish everything, which God
calls us to do.
