Abundant Life…Let Go, And Let God!

I have met and known some unhappy, and even depressed, Christians in my life.  Maybe you are one.  Maybe life hasn’t turned out the way you had expected.  And maybe there are problems, really tough problems, in your life.

Some of those problems may be the natural consequences of sin…either yours… or someone else’s.  And some are just the result of life in this sin-cursed world.  Either way, problems in our lives, hurtful things, really do make it hard for us to think that abundant life here on earth is even possible.

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my full affiliate disclosure here.

 

But it is!  Jesus said so.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

What is abundant life?  Well first, what it isn’t is a life without problems.  Any life here on earth will have problems.

But abundant life is life lived above those problems.  Abundant life doesn’t allow those problems to weigh you down in hopelessness and helplessness.

Abundant life gives you God’s joy and peace and hope and help— 

No. Matter. What. Your. Circumstances.

Jesus came and suffered all that He did in order for you and for me to have life, not only eternal life, but also abundant life!  Here and now!

Don’t you want to have the life He died to give you?  Who wouldn’t want to have His joy…soul-deep, soul-satisfying joy?

Who wouldn’t want to have His peace, His contentment—even in the hardest of times—fully confident in the sure hope of His providential care?

You might want to know—How is this abundant life even possible for me?  You don’t know my life.

You’re right.  I don’t.  But Jesus does.  And He did, way back then when He made the promise to give you abundant life.  The only question is…Do you want it?

Are you tired?  Are you tired of just breathing in and out, going through the motions of life, basically just waiting for death and wasting the life that Jesus gave His life for?

Are you tired of the fighting and struggling within, or maybe the anger, or the bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart?  The roller coaster emotions?

If so, then Jesus can help you learn to live abundantly.  He so wants that for you.

But how can you?

Just stop.

It really is that simple.  Just stop your way…and by faith, surrender to God’s way for your life.

Abundant life begins with surrender to God of all that you are and all that you have.

It can be scary to think about surrendering to God and saying to Him, “God, whatever You want for me or from me is just fine with me.  And with Your help, I will obey You and live according to Your Word.” 

We think, “What if I did that, and God decided He wanted to take my child, or my husband, or my job, or my home, etc.?” 

Or we think, “If I did that, surely God would make me give my life to foreign missions!”

Well, first of all, God is sovereign.  He owns and controls all this world that He made.  He doesn’t need our permission to do anything.  And only through obedience to His Word will we ever find true fulfillment and peace and joy!

God doesn’t ask us to surrender our hearts and lives to Him in order to take from us, but rather so that He can give to us His best.

God cannot bless us while we still are fighting Him for the control of our hearts and lives.  

The thing to remember, therefore, is that we can never out-give God—in money, in time, in anything.

Remember Hannah?  How many children did Hannah give God?  One, Samuel.  How many did God give her in return?  Six! including Samuel.  (1 Sam 2:21)  How many did she have before she gave to God?  None!

Give and it shall be given to you. Luke 6:38

In a childlike trust and faith won’t you give God all your hopes, plans, possessions, talents, family, desires, cares, and ‘rights’?  And even the thing that you wish were different about your life that upsets you and causes you discontent so often?

Give God your fears—your “what if’s.”  And accept God’s plans and will for you.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  1 Peter 5:7

Give God everything, and tell Him you count yourself as His loving servant to do and even suffer, if need be, His will…whatever that may be.  (Philippians 3:8,10)

Surrender is as easy as opening your hand.  And as hard…as opening your hand.

Surrender takes childlike faith in the One to whom you would surrender.  The more you know and believe the character of God—His completely unselfish love for us—the easier it is to surrender your life to His control, His will, His way.  And the easier it is to obey Him… even when it doesn’t make sense.

Surrender to God takes truly believing that—

As for God, his way is perfect:  Ps 18:30

And truly believing that—

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.  Psalm 84:11

Surrender takes realizing that you cannot solve your problems on your own anyway…but God can.  If you let go, and let Him have them.

There is no better way than God’s way for your life.  In fact,

God’s will is what we would choose, if only we knew all that God knows.

Trust God.  He is in control — and bigger than anything we might face.

Trust God and know that He does not wait for your surrender in order to take from you, but rather to give, to give abundantly His abundant life for you.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Jeremiah 29:11

God longs to give you the freedom to live His perfect way for your life!  Let go.  And let Him. 

 

Drawing nigh to Him,

Teresa

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

Is there something you are afraid to let go of and give to God?  Have you fully surrendered your life to God?  How did you reach that place of surrender?

Sharing is caring!