How many wake up in the morning and just know God’s on your side? Do you say “GOOD LORD – it’s morning again”? Or do you say “GOOD MORNING LORD”? Do you get up depressed or do you wake up fully impressed with who He is and who you are in Him?
Well, let’s start there and find some truths concerning what our right now God is doing for us, with us, and in us. Let’s let the truth of scripture take us from the wrong attitude about life into the absolute power of His love for us in this life. A word from God is what puts you in control. Failing to grasp the truth of God’s word will destroy your faith and lead you into sin rather than abundance.
Philippians 2:13 in the NLT reads “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him”. Did you catch the part about God doing the work, not you? He is working in you to give you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.
Too many people are so busy trying to do things for God that He never asked them to do. Often the reason they are doing these things is because some man made rule or tradition has demanded they do it, or some religious legalist has made them feel guilty for not living up to a set of standards they have laid down.
Understand that when God gives you a word, it’s a word He wants to work in your life. It’s not up to you to work it. You simply receive it and enter into His rest while He works it and performs it in you.
That’s what Philippians 2:13 above is saying. Here it is in the Amplified version. “Not in your own strength for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you energizing and creating in you the power and desire, both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight”.
Look closely at that verse and study it. It is very emphatic that it is not you but God “Who is all the while” at work. It’s NOT in your own strength, and yet the majority of Christians are trying to work and perform to a set of standards that God never put in place.
One more time in the Living Bible. “For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.” This tells me you can’t even “want” to obey Him without Him helping to give you the “want to”. Once He works to bring the “want to” into you, then He helps you do what He wants. It’s all Him.
Many in the Christian community are struggling and working their hearts out trying to have an abundant life. John 10:10 in the KJV reads “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”.
The truth of scripture says that God will bring us life and life more abundantly. God does not just give you enough, He gives you out of His abundance. The problem is many have a hard time receiving the abundance. As a matter of fact, they have a hard time receiving the “enough” portion.
Romans 5:17 has such a powerful declaration of truth. Why Christians do not see the promise in that scripture is beyond my ability to comprehend. Here’s the scripture in the Amplified version. “For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”
It’s that bolded portion that is missed by the majority of the church today. It’s the much more. I like to call it the much more of Romans. Just study the book of Romans and look for the “much mores”. You could teach on those until Jesus comes. So powerful, yet so ignored.
I want to go back to John 10:10 one more time in the Amplified Version. “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” Now I don’t know about you, but that sounds amazing to me. Have life in abundance, to the full, until it overflows. It is God’s ever overflowing love and grace for our lives.
Jesus came so that we could have the powerful life of God within us. Not just have it but enjoy life. How many actually are enjoying their lives? The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead resides in us. How often we forget or dismiss (I’m including myself here) that the Zoe life resides in us. That’s God’s very nature. In heaven with God and the Zoe nature that is His, there are no problems, sicknesses, pains, aches, or other detrimental situations. Wow!
So the question to ask concerning the Zoe life of God is this. Is there a problem that God cannot solve? The answer of course is NO. So with this truth, why do we find ourselves struggling through some of the situations I mentioned or even other situations I did not mention?
Could it be that there is still a lot of revelation we have not received? As Bill Johnson says “we have to give up our right to understand”. It takes a revelation that leads to an experience which will bring understanding. Progress in the Christian life is exactly equal to the growing knowledge we gain of God in personal experience.
This Christian life is not easy to live, it’s impossible to live. Galatians 2:20 says it’s “Christ that lives in me”. Colossians 1:27 reads “Christ in you the hope of glory”. It isn’t you trying to impress Him or trying to perform for Him. It’s Him living in and through you to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Many are of the mistaken notion that we are to embrace a lifestyle of discipline. Follow the rules. Keep the commandments of man and tradition. They embrace this lifestyle rather than one of passion and significance. This gospel was never meant to be reduced to discipline. It was always meant to be lived out of passion. A person who lives out of discipline will be admired, but a person who lives out of passion will cause transformation in other’s lives. That’s abundance.
God is not interested in you just having “some”. He wants to give to you in abundance. The Amplified version of John 10:10 reads “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”.
Have and enjoy life in abundance. It’s like me carrying around a basket of bread pieces and saying to you “here have some”. God doesn’t want you just to have “some” of the pieces of bread, He wants to give to you all of the bread and all of the ingredients that made the bread all the way back to the seed itself, plus you get the basket also. Oh come on now. That is good stuff. It's also a good place to end this part. There's "much more" in part 2, so don't miss it. Grace and Peace.
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