Hi, I know I said my next post would be called "Before Dawn" but I just want to divert a little and talk about something that has been on my heart.
John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (NASB)
I just read a devotion that caused me to really re-evaluate my life and my relationship with God. The writer was saying that for years she just did things for God. If anyone needed a volunteer, she would be the first. She said "for years, I tried to earn the love and approval of God by doing everything I could find to do." She also said that she attempted to do them in her own strength and it resulted in her being clinically depressed. I realised that I also do the same thing sometimes. I try to do things in my own strength and I end up feeling stressed out, tired and at the end of my ropes. But I realise that remedy for this is to abide in God and allow Him to work in me and through me. When we abide in God, not only does He give us grace to do what He wants us to do but He also gives us His peace that passes all understanding. When we abide in God, His grace is applied to our lives so that our strength, our minds and souls are renewed and restored constantly. "Stop trying to be super-woman", He seems to say. We need to admit our utter weakness and total dependence on God and when we do that, we can rely on His all-sufficient strength and his grace to carry us through.
Another thing I realised also was that I frequently try to fix myself. If God reveals to me something that I am doing wrong, I usually attempt to fix it on my own, instead of asking for His help. So I found that when there was something that I thought I couldn't do on my own, I would run and hide in my own little corner and sink into despair. Not realising, that God did not want me to even try to change on my own but to open my heart to the work of His Spirit within me. Apart from God, we can do NOTHING. We can bear no fruit unless we are connected to the vine.
So cling to God, rest in Him. Allow His Holy Spirit to change you. Allow His grace to flow over your life and stop trying to do everything on your own. Abide in God and walk in strength and in peace.
John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (NASB)
I just read a devotion that caused me to really re-evaluate my life and my relationship with God. The writer was saying that for years she just did things for God. If anyone needed a volunteer, she would be the first. She said "for years, I tried to earn the love and approval of God by doing everything I could find to do." She also said that she attempted to do them in her own strength and it resulted in her being clinically depressed. I realised that I also do the same thing sometimes. I try to do things in my own strength and I end up feeling stressed out, tired and at the end of my ropes. But I realise that remedy for this is to abide in God and allow Him to work in me and through me. When we abide in God, not only does He give us grace to do what He wants us to do but He also gives us His peace that passes all understanding. When we abide in God, His grace is applied to our lives so that our strength, our minds and souls are renewed and restored constantly. "Stop trying to be super-woman", He seems to say. We need to admit our utter weakness and total dependence on God and when we do that, we can rely on His all-sufficient strength and his grace to carry us through.
Another thing I realised also was that I frequently try to fix myself. If God reveals to me something that I am doing wrong, I usually attempt to fix it on my own, instead of asking for His help. So I found that when there was something that I thought I couldn't do on my own, I would run and hide in my own little corner and sink into despair. Not realising, that God did not want me to even try to change on my own but to open my heart to the work of His Spirit within me. Apart from God, we can do NOTHING. We can bear no fruit unless we are connected to the vine.
So cling to God, rest in Him. Allow His Holy Spirit to change you. Allow His grace to flow over your life and stop trying to do everything on your own. Abide in God and walk in strength and in peace.
Hey girlie, this was really on point. Let's trust the Lord together and lean on His own understanding, and acknowledge Him always.
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